Windows product activation question

StewartR

StewartR

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Just checking on the software licensing situation in the office, and I've come across an anomaly which I don't understand. Can anyone explain?

The background is that I'm getting a PC out of mothballs to use in the office. It used to run XP, but I don't want to use XP on an internet-capable PC now that the OS is no longer supported, so I decided to try upgrading it to Windows 7 which is what our other PCs run. I wasn't sure whether or not it would run 7 very well, so before committing to it I did a test install using a reinstallation CD from one of the other PCs. It works fine, so now I want to regularise it and license it.

I thought I ought to double check that all the other PCs in the office were legal too. (I was pretty sure they were, but we have another PC which had previously been mothballed and I couldn't remember what OS that had had before it had been mothballed. Maybe that was another one which I'd upgraded from XP to 7 and had forgotten lo license.) So I went round all the PCs in the office, and checked the Windows Product ID via Start > Control Panel > System.

And the weird thing was, they were all exactly the same.

upload_2015-4-27_11-19-46.png

So then I checked the original purchase records, and all of them came from Dell with Win 7 pre-installed. So surely they must all have different Windows Product IDs? How come they are all reporting that they have the same Product ID? And how could they have all been activated online with the same Product ID?

It doesn't make any sense to me. Can anyone point out what I'm missing?
 
When setting up multiple systems for a business I would use volume licensing, this means one media DVD and one licence key
 
Carlh said:
The product ID is not your OEM key. It is, what it says "product ID".
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OK, so I should be looking for something like a product key? Where would I find that?
 
Depends on how you initially set things up

If you used the volume licensing as I outlined above you would have a MS licensing agreement which should also provide your product key

If things were set up on a computer by computer basis than your product key, in theory at least, should be on a small sticker stuck onto the computer chassis somewhere
 
Keith W said:
Depends on how you initially set things up

If you used the volume licensing as I outlined above you would have a MS licensing agreement which should also provide your product key

If things were set up on a computer by computer basis than your product key, in theory at least, should be on a small sticker stuck onto the computer chassis somewhere
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Thanks Keith.

With a total of 4 staff, the business isn't big enough to do volume licensing.

Most of the PCs have stickers with OS product keys. But of course that's the OS which was installed when the PC was new ... not always the most reliable guide. I'm surprised that it's not available for inspection within the OS itself.
 
StewartR said:
Thanks Keith.

With a total of 4 staff, the business isn't big enough to do volume licensing.

Most of the PCs have stickers with OS product keys. But of course that's the OS which was installed when the PC was new ... not always the most reliable guide. I'm surprised that it's not available for inspection within the OS itself.
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I understand totally Stewart

If the upgrade process was followed correctly then the product keys "should" be OK - but as you have said it doesn't always work out OK.

You could try Magical Jelly Bean, as suggested by Ian, but I have had mixed results using it myself and would urge caution
 
Do you have a KMS (Key management Server) on site that might explain the similar product ID
 
Two types of licensing through Microsoft open licensing. Kms, add a licence to a local server that acts as the gateway, or mak, the same code for many machines and you activate on line through the internet usually. It counts the licences you activate though, so when you log in and check your licence count, it will say 4/5 if youve a licence for 5 and used 4
 
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