Dell laptop - Saxperience

MarkyG · 13th January 2010, 20:37

Hi guys and girls.

A friend has a Dell laptop, and recently the HDD died on it, tried it in several machines to recover it but I think the platter arm is dead, I jsut get a buzzing and a click at the end, 3 times then it sits there silent.

Problem is, I can replace the HDD, but the laptop doesn't have the COA on the bottom of the laptop, or anywhere else for that matter. So how would I go about reinstalling Vista Home Prem on it without a code?

My mate wont touch pirate copies, although if he had a key I can get an OEM version using his key, but I cant find the key for his one, nor can I get into the HDD to extract his key from his installation of Vista.

Any help? Im usually a dba hand at this, but without a COA im a bit stuck.

Thanks peoples

haz_pro · 13th January 2010, 20:57

If he has the box then maybe look there, or the sticker may be inside the laptop i spose, on the inside of the case, or maybe call dell and ask them if they will know.

baker556 · 14th January 2010, 02:01

hmm, tricky one...obviously would say code finder on the hard drive.

you could call Dell explain the situation or Microsoft and they may give out the same one if not a new one,

Could you maybe key gen one, find out what exact vista build it is then find a key gen and try a few....

Sparco_Tom · 14th January 2010, 02:04

get a windows 7 5finger copy?

haz_pro · 14th January 2010, 08:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparco_Tom

get a windows 7 5finger copy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyG

My mate wont touch pirate copies,:

Lol cant do that.

Maxamus · 14th January 2010, 08:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by baker556

hmm, tricky one...obviously would say code finder on the hard drive.

you could call Dell explain the situation or Microsoft and they may give out the same one if not a new one,

Could you maybe key gen one, find out what exact vista build it is then find a key gen and try a few....

Dell have some of the worst customer service on the planet! So good luck with that one!

I think you may have to spend out a bit of cash if you friend isnt interested in any pirate copies or keys. perfect opp to install windows 7 imo! or you may be able to request a new key from microsoft for a fee!

SaxoMuffin · 14th January 2010, 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxamus

Dell have some of the worst customer service on the planet! So good luck with that one!

I think you may have to spend out a bit of cash if you friend isnt interested in any pirate copies or keys. perfect opp to install windows 7 imo! or you may be able to request a new key from microsoft for a fee!

I disagree some of the best, we always have to speak with them at work.

Best thing to do is speak with them and they will replace the HDD, if not the 'Downgrade' disks that came with the laptop should not require a license.

Noddy · 14th January 2010, 12:50

surely if he bought the laptop then he will have the restore CD/DVD lying about somewhere?

baker556 · 14th January 2010, 13:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxamus

Dell have some of the worst customer service on the planet! So good luck with that one!

I think you may have to spend out a bit of cash if you friend isnt interested in any pirate copies or keys. perfect opp to install windows 7 imo! or you may be able to request a new key from microsoft for a fee!

BOLLOCKS mate, dell have exceptional customer service, know what your talking about sort the computer out asap, try to get it sorted while your on the phone they know what their talking about, only downside is sometimes you have to ask them to repeat it twice but they have got much better over the past few years,

Mate would seriously ring dell give them the laptop model serial number and im sure they will send out a DEll operating system vista disk with all the codes on trust me i have been saved by them many times before...

Maxamus · 14th January 2010, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by baker556

BOLLOCKS mate, dell have exceptional customer service, know what your talking about sort the computer out asap, try to get it sorted while your on the phone they know what their talking about, only downside is sometimes you have to ask them to repeat it twice but they have got much better over the past few years,

Mate would seriously ring dell give them the laptop model serial number and im sure they will send out a DEll operating system vista disk with all the codes on trust me i have been saved by them many times before...

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaxoMuffin

I disagree some of the best, we always have to speak with them at work.

Best thing to do is speak with them and they will replace the HDD, if not the 'Downgrade' disks that came with the laptop should not require a license.

Either we are talking about different companies or ive just had incompetent advisor's when ive spoken to them.

good luck getting it sorted anyhow

jasonfitness · 15th January 2010, 14:08

Dell and Microsoft will not give out new licenses just on the say so that it has been lost or something like this has happened to your HDD. The only things you can do are:

1) buy a genuine OEM copy from ebay or ebuyer
2) Use the re-installation cd/dvd that is shipped with all new computers

I have had Dell for years and I have never had any problems with their Support. We use Dell in the college I work for and I have to raise warranty requests all the time.

Dell only ever put the COA on the bottom of their laptops- this is standard practise for them.

MarkyG · 16th January 2010, 18:44

Thanks for all the replies people!

Got a HDD on its way to me from a friend in the business.

Few things though:

--> The laptop never came with a COA sticker on any part of it, nor is there any remnance there has been a sticker on it since delivery. They, by law have to be placed on the laptop/desktops outsides, not internally.

--> If i could get into the HDD i could extract the key from the windows files, but with a dead hdd this is impossible, have run all matter of programs on it and everything fails, the arm sounds like it is hitting the platters inside and not moving to its full extent.

--> It also never came with any restore cds of any kind. I asked my friend when he first got it and said nothing about the recovery set being with it. Which i thought was very odd.

---------------

I have had problems with Dell in the past, its not the company, its the advisor you talk to, some are clued up, some arent. At the end of the day you are doing all the work and they just talk you through it. But you getr what you pay for, i have had many problems with other computer companies also, so its not just Dell.

Just got off the phone to him and he has verified again he has no recovery set for it or any form of sticker inside the box or on any paperwork.

Have tried ringing Dell and they want money, for something they didn't stick on/ship out with the laptop in the first place. Mind you, I could be anyone to them but I gave them the service tag number and the purchaser, put him on the phone too and they wont budge. Which is fair enough, but its their fault it never shipped with anything in the first place.

Will get him W7 and install it, sod Vista. It's nasty. Only reason I use Vista is because I cant afford W7 at the moment!!

Thanks for the help though peoples

MarkyG · 15th February 2010, 08:24

Got it sorted, found a copy of Windows DELL OEM, installed, all activated and works nice

shame its Vista though