You shouldn't need the label. The OEM install discs use a SLIC system I believe where they just check if the BIOS is Dell, and if so, consider themselves activated.

4 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

Android8675

@AirIntake: Confirmed, you can use ANY OEM version of Windows, but if you use the Dell OEM install DVDs, the product key will be picked up automatically and activation isn't necessary.

However, the sticker is basically your proof and your backup. If there was no sticker the OS was sold illegally (exaggerating, but you know what I mean).

God XP Tablet Edition? really? Why not just go Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate? XP Mode = win.

$\"user-pic\"$

Taliskan

@AirIntake: Agreed. However the media is usually tied to a certain product or product line, so not any Dell media will work in any machine, if I recall.

If the machine came with Vista Tablet was the XP Tablet the downgrade option from Dell or was it a separate purchase from Dell OEM or a third-party reseller? Where he purchased the media is where the product key would have to come from. Else, MS should be able to help out - they have helped me in the past recover product keys.

Also I am going to venture a guess that the \"external\" drive was really a removable internal drive?

$\"user-pic\"$

DaveDidNotPay

@Taliskan: The \"external\" drive is a hard drive which connects via USB.

@Android8675: XP Tablet because I have been unable to run a certain program (Lookout Direct and NI Logos) with XP mode yet.

$\"user-pic\"$

MrEvil

@Taliskan: No, the key isn't specific to any product line. It only seeks a Dell BIOS. I have an entire collection of Dell reinstall media, which makes it incredibly easy for me to reinstall Windows on a customer machine.

$\"user-pic\"$

Taliskan

@MrEvil: Really? I wonder why I have difficulties between Dell models with Dell media then, hmm... not that we use the Dell media anymore - we use our own images thankfully. Ah well, thanks for the info though :)

$\"user-pic\"$

robdew2

An external drive that is not usb or a tablet pc with no USB port or that won't boot from USB?

The technical details about the specific equipment are missing. This doesn't add up.

2 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

pecan 3.14159265

@robdew2: It seems to me that the OP did not necessarily have a need for an external drive, but that Dell threw one in because it was required. The external drive happens to be Dell's proprietary software and did not use USB.

$\"user-pic\"$

pmcpa4

@pecan 3.14159265: I know what drive he is talking about, I have one

Yes it is USB, but there is only 1 usb port it can plug into due to power requirements. It's a USB+Power port, Dell tablets DO have this port... I'm looking right at it right now.

$\"user-pic\"$

DaveDidNotPay

@pmcpa4: After receiving the computer I called Dell to ask about the drive. They told me it can only be used with the Media Base. The tech said a cable *might* be available on ebay but it is not something provided by Dell.

Yes there is a special port. If Dell had provided a cable to connect the drive to it I would be all set.

Even if that is the case, I would *still* like to have the product key to the software I own. Granted, I am not installing it the way Dell intended me to but the documentation shipped with the software states that the product key should be attached to the PC. It is not.

$\"user-pic\"$

angryneo

Gss wh snds lk whny, lttl b****?

8 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

katstermonster

@angryneo: I believe, kind sir, that the answer is unmistakably YOU.

$\"user-pic\"$

thomas_callahan

href=\"#c16514114\">kpetree10: Glad they finally started putting them UNDER the battery, my first Dell laptop had it on the case next to the battery compartment. I actually use my laptop on my lap quite a bit, and after a few years it had rubbed off so badly you couldn't have read the number anyway. Lucky for me I had written it down on the DVD sleeve just in case.

$\"user-pic\"$

squinko

@angryneo: Looks like you're getting a little lazy with your trolling. You posted the exact same thing in the AT&T sues Verizon story.

$\"user-pic\"$

drizzt380

@angryneo:
Is the answer you?

$\"user-pic\"$

coren

@drizzt380: That was my guess!

$\"user-pic\"$

holytrainwreck

@drizzt380: Exactly. F u angryneo. If you don't know who the jackass is, it's YOU!

$\"user-pic\"$

zacox

@neflyguy: That is not his only solution.

1. Get yourself access to a desktop or other computer with both a DVD reader and a USB port. One of these shouldn't be too hard to find at work, home or school.

2. Get access to or buy a 4 gig USB drive ($12 at your local Wal-Mart).

3. See [www.intowindows.com] and follow instructions.

$\"user-pic\"$

GitEmSteveDave_ Natural H1N1 Cure

@angryneo:

$\"user-pic\"$

neflyguy

It's exactly as AirIntake said. If you use the Dell XP install DVD the disc checks to ensure it's being installed on a Dell, and if it is then the disc installs and never needs to be activated. It's meant to be convenient to customers for reinstallation, but in a case like this I can see it'd be a problem. An external DVD drive is pretty much his only solution in this case (unless it's a corporate laptop and he has a Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement, in which case he could get a copy and a key from Microsoft).

$\"user-pic\"$

kpetree10

Dell always put the COA on the computer, otherwise you wouldn't know what the computer is licensed for. The OP needs to check under the battery, that is where the COA / product key is on the Latitude XT.

4 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

DaveDidNotPay

@kpetree10: OP here. Thanks for the advice kpetree10 but unfortunately the only COA / product key under the battery is for Vista. I tried the Vista key with the Tablet XP install but it did not work.

$\"user-pic\"$

ShadowFalls

@kpetree10:

Exactly correct right there. If you don't have the COA on the computer, you don't have a license to use Windows on it. Seems like it would be a good idea to step this right up to the top now.

$\"user-pic\"$

SynMonger

@ShadowFalls: Not quite. We have receipts for our Optiplex workstations that show \"Vista Bonus\". That's the Vista COA with a downgrade to XP. The systems come with reinstall media for Vista and XP, but only a COA sticker for Vista. Guess what OS we use? If you said XP I congratulate you.

$\"user-pic\"$

KMan13 still wants a Pontiac G8

@SynMonger: yep, everybody with xp downgrade options, never seems to get a key for xp. it's problematic.

$\"user-pic\"$

[DFX] Deimos

@ShadowFalls: You don't need to have a coa on a system to have a licensed version of Windows on it.

$\"user-pic\"$

chaoss13

Just use an external DVD player/recorder. Borrow one form a friend, if you don't have one.

The tablet has USB 2.0 ports, I'm sure. So use those to connect the external. Also, make sure the BIOS is set to boot from USB, so the USB DVD/CD gets attention before the hard drive, and then can be used to install.

$\"user-pic\"$

Nighthawke

Dell installation CD's are rebranded OEM installers. I've taken a windows OEM CD and did what's called a slipstreaming of the OS package. That is, upgrading the files in the windows package with the current service pack. Then reburning a bootable DVD with the new package and using it on a Dell 1100 inspiron with no ill effects.

The other companies, HP, Gateway, for example, are hit n miss, sometimes they send out the right thing, other times they send out junk that makes one steam.

$\"user-pic\"$

CompyPaq

Something is odd about this:
1) It came with BOTH Windows Vista and Windows XP TABLET EDITION?
2) He didn't realize for several months that Dell sold him a worthless CD/DVD drive?
3) The computer has no license code/certificate of authenticity on it?

Is he sure he bought it from Dell?

4 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

DaveDidNotPay

@CompyPaq: OP here. Life is odd:
1) Yes, it did. The computer arrived with both operating systems installed. I then overwrote XP with 7RC1 and later Vista with 7 Pro. Yesterday I wanted to replace 7RC1 with XP Tablet because I was having a compatibility problem with an XP app and 7 Pro (yes, even in compatibility mode).
2) The day I received the computer I called Dell and was told the CD/DVD drive was provided for use with a Media Base. Dell support told me a cable may be available on sites like eBay but Dell can not provide one.
3) Another poster pointed out that the COA/key is under the battery. It is the Vista key though, not the XP Tablet key.

Yes, I'm absolutely certain I bought it from Dell.

$\"user-pic\"$

pecan 3.14159265

@CompyPaq: According to Dell.com, the XT tablet only comes with Vista. Maybe he meant XT Tablet Edition, not XP.

$\"user-pic\"$

humphrmi

@pecan 3.14159265: I bought a Dell Laptop that normally came with only Vista, but for an extra charge included XP Pro. It came with both DVDs, and there was no COA on the laptop or DVDs. I had the same problem when I went to install XP -- then I learned The Trick. It might not be the problem this guy is having, but when you boot a Dell install CD, it works, whereas if you try to start the install process from a running OS it prompts you for a COA that you don't have.

$\"user-pic\"$

rickhamilton620

@pecan 3.14159265: You can order any Latitude with XP media along with Vista (or 7) it's known as a \"downgrade bonus\"

$\"user-pic\"$

The Cheat

In the future with any Dell, you can download the Magic Jellybean Password program (google it) and it will extract your Office and Windows keys so you can just enter them. That is pretty strange that they didn't include a sticker, every Dell I have ever seen has had a COA sticker on the bottom of the unit.

Regarding 'angryneo' and his \"Guess who sounds like a whiny, little b****?\" comment... um, you? How is it unreasonable that Dell sells an accessory for a product that includes all necessary equipment to work? Sheesh....

3 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

SynMonger

@The Cheat: The systems our university uses come with Vista COA stickers and the XP downgrade. We receive the discs for Vista Business and XP SP3, but no COA sticker for XP.

$\"user-pic\"$

mackjaz

@The Cheat: I had the same problem when I bought a SATA hard drive a few years back. No cable. I suppose the \"thinking\" (read: excuse) is that they don't know exactly what type of cable you will need to plug in with.

I feel like I've bought a printer or two over the years without a USB cable. Same excuse, I bet.

$\"user-pic\"$

coren

@The Cheat: I guess they're embedding authentication on the DVD via a bios check instead - more convenient in some ways, less so in others.

$\"user-pic\"$

The Cheat

BTW: The Ntrig digitizer on this tablet SUCKS. Stay away and make sure you get a Wacom compatible digitizer.

$\"user-pic\"$

Rachacha

Does the XT have a hidden partition on the hard drive that has all of the necessary files to reformat and reinstall the OS?

Check under the battery for the COA

1 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

Rachacha

@Rachacha: One more thing, if the laptop came with a Drive bay (D-Bay as Dell calls it) for the DVD drive, with a connector that looks like 2 USB ports stacked on top of one another, you need to use the Powered USB port which appears to be located next to the ethernet jack.

$\"user-pic\"$

GitEmSteveDave_ Natural H1N1 Cure

Can't you image a flash drive to install OS's? I know I use an internal drive with this AMAZINGLY useful gizmo I got from Newegg [www.newegg.com] for installing in computers w/o CD drives, and only USB.

2 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

coren

@GitEmSteveDave_ Natural H1N1 Cure: He was using an external, apparently, and that was a bust so I think a flash drive will have the same fatal error.

$\"user-pic\"$

Batmanuel

@coren:

You can install Windows 7 very easily from a flash drive (Microsoft even has a tool available to copy over the files and make the drive bootable), but XP is a huge pain in the butt to set up a flash drive install on.

Speaking of Windows 7, with it out on the market, why in world would you want to install XP on ANY computer now?

$\"user-pic\"$

Donathius

I can't vouch for this particular model, but some Dells we've bought recently at the university where I work have had the product key sticker hidden underneath the battery. You actually have to take the battery off to access it. Whether this applies to the above referenced machine I have no idea, but it's worth a shot.

$\"user-pic\"$

MrEvil

The Drive that David received is a modular drive from a Latitude D Series (If I remember correctly). What happened is some guy in the packing department forgot to include the external D-Bay enclosure that plugs into that funny looking USB+Power port on the system. Which is what David's system should have come with if he received an optical drive.

And his COA should be underneath the battery. Dell started hiding them in battery compartments and under access panels to improve the appearance of the Latitudes (and to prevent the COA from wearing off from frequent use on a customer's lap.

$\"user-pic\"$

ChrisC1234

Sorry, I've got a better one. When Vista first came out, my aunt purchased a machine from Dell, which included a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse could not be used with the computer out of the box, as the drivers weren't installed (problem number 1). Luckilly, she had an old computer that we could borrow the keyboard and mouse from. Then when I tried to install the drivers from the Logitech CD that shipped with the computer, there were no Vista drivers on it (problem number 2).

I had to go download drivers from the Logitech website, to get the keyboard and mouse to work with the comptuer that they came with. What a hassle just to use a brand new computer.

$\"user-pic\"$

Red_Eye

No COA and Dell is likely guilty of selling you unlicensed software. [www.microsoft.com] Every copy of OEM windows must include a COA to be legit.

The problem you have is that OEM versions check for a System Tattoo that is in the BIOS, it then compares that with the hardware in that machine (HD Size, RAM, Grpahics card etc) if the machine has the Tattoo and the hardware doesnt match original config in some cases you cant even install using the original CD that came with the system. My HP is this way. I replaced the 300 Gig HD with a 500 Gig and was no longer able to install from my recovery CD(ok it let me install but as soon as it tried to load the GUI it checked the system hardware and bombed). So for me I had to reinstall the 300, Recover the system, ACTIVATE XP, then image the drive over to the 500. IF I recall right I have the option of sending the machine back to HP for them to verify and update the Tattoo with the new hardware for a fee ( [forums13.itrc.hp.com] ) and then my recover media will work but why bother. Soon I will be installing Win 7 upgrade on it and it will no longer be an issue.

Its sad that only the honest people suffer. I had a machine once that would BSOD every time WGA ran too, turned out to be a freak hardware compatibility issue (was a Dell desktop) and there was no fix ever made for it.

$\"user-pic\"$

brokebackwallet

Does the machine have a SD reader?

Get a cheap card, visit eeeguides.com and you're set. That's how I installed XP Pro on my Eee.

2 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

shepd

@brokebackwallet:

Won't work, he doesn't have a product key. :(

$\"user-pic\"$

brokebackwallet

@shepd:

Augh. I reds gud.

Key should be able to be dug from the system though. Every laptop I've handled has had the sticker though. Fumbled up job at the factory or a happy worker with a free lisence I'd say.

$\"user-pic\"$

shepd

An XT? Well, there's your problem. I believe the last supported OS for XTs was MS-DOS 6.22.

1 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

SynMonger

@shepd: I see what you did there.

$\"user-pic\"$

gjones77

just go to [forums.mydigitallife.info] and they should have all the info you need to make it work.

It's a matter of inserting the digital license which can be done from a command line prompt then inserting the OEM CD Key.

$\"user-pic\"$

coren

My suggestion is an external CD/DVD drive if you can get your hands on one, as it would easily resolve this issue (the \"DVD has authentication built in\" answer may not be bullshit in this case) and you can clearly use a USB device on this machine.

Although some of the ways of extracting a key from the DVD will work as well, this may be simpler.

$\"user-pic\"$

angryneo

Whiny. Little. B*****s. Prolly all democrats, too.

3 replies

$\"user-pic\"$

MostlyHarmless

@angryneo: What GitEmSteveDave said.

$\"user-pic\"$

temporaryerror

@angryneo:
Whom amongst us has the power to wield the Mighty BanHammer?

$\"user-pic\"$

katstermonster

@temporaryerror: God, I wish it was me. He would have been gone on his first appearance.

$\"user-pic\"$

floraposte

@katstermonster: Status: \"angryneo's ability to comment is not enabled.\"

$\"user-pic\"$

katstermonster

@floraposte: THE BANHAMMER HATH SPOKEN!!!! Yeeeee-haw!

$\"user-pic\"$

StradTrumpeter

This is why you should always pirate your software.

$\"user-pic\"$

irieKEN

Normally, I'd just go do a search for Dell's SLP key for my version of the OS... The problem is that I don't think Dell has an SLP license for XP Tablet edition; the XT is the only tablet PC they make.

$\"user-pic\"$

ianbeyer

I've worked with the Latitude XT. The media bay is hardwired with a cable that plugs into a high-power USB port that provides both USB and power to the drive. These also work with Latitude D820/D830 series.

$\"user-pic\"$

jook

This is the sort of thing that can drive someone to piracy.

$\"user-pic\"$

whytcolr

Your Latitude XT have a connector on it that looks like this: [support.dell.com] It is on the back, next to the ethernet port.

I'm pretty sure you don't need to go to eBay. Instead, you can call Dell and order part# RD955. Or if you want to spend $10 more for a black one part# 8X944. (I'm nearly positive that these are the same, with only cosmetic differences.)

Of course, if you're already spending $50, why not get a DVD drive with a non-proprietary cable on it? Newegg has about a dozen of them for less than $50. Of course, if you can get Dell to give it to you free (which might be easier if you have the part number)...