What would this be on Vista COA key ?

onewayback · Sep 1, 2015

Hi.

Sorry to start off with maybe what seems a silly question. I made a purchase of a windows vista 32 business from a known auction site.

The seller did say it was new and came with a COA. Now problem is, this COA says, windows vista Business w/DVDPk OEM act.

I have never seen w/DVDPk before on a COA and wanted to know if this will work or the right sort of key? I have had no issue with other vista COA's but they don't say w/DVDPk. Just windows vista Business.

I am sure it's all fine but if not, that means I won't be able to use the COA the seller provided. It's OEM I believe. I don't need to use it right now so don't want to activate the key, just to test it.

Thanks in advance.

onewayback · Sep 2, 2015

Is anyone able to answer my question above at all? Thanks

onewayback · Sep 2, 2015

View attachment 29154

In photo above is the my vista business COA. Don't worry I blocked out the codes for security. No free Vista serial for you members. :D

That is what came with my original vista disk. Can someone now please help me and say if that is right?
See what I am talking about with the w-DVDPk part on the vista business COA?

I haven't seen that before, Maybe because I have only just started to use vista more again. Thanks to windows spy 10.

Vistaar · Sep 2, 2015

It probably means the Microsoft DVD Playback Pack for Windows Vista Business is included, but I'm running Home Premium and not certain.

Ex_Brit · Sep 3, 2015

It isn't part of the key, it's simply their code for that particular product and way it was packaged.

onewayback · Sep 4, 2015

Yes after doing a long search I think it maybe part of that DVD thing. As vista Business didn't come with DVD options or something. About it here I believe. Microsoft Missed the Mark for Leaving DVD Maker out of Vista Business Edition

I am still unsure if that COA works for both vista and the DVD part or the DVD part only. I installed vista last night as a test on my main PC and it took the COA but I don't want to activate it on the PC, so not sure if it will work but can't see why it won't, unless as said above.

Here is a photo of the Box disk I was sent and didn't come with the DVD pack part but looks like it may of done. View attachment 29156

The label at the back is blank.

Another thing the disk starts with x14 but the COA starts with x13. I blocked it out in that image above but that is what it starts with.

Ex_Brit · Sep 4, 2015

Unless it comes with a full product key it's useless and I hope you can get your money back, did you pay through PayPal?

onewayback · Sep 4, 2015

Hi Ex brit, yes I did pay with paypal but I didn't pay too much for that genuine vista disk.

If the COA is incorrect, then that is a pain but must be able to use the disk for other installs, with a working COA right?

Ex_Brit · Sep 4, 2015

We can't tell you if the COA is OK and I have no idea regarding how many installs. You'd have to research that online.

onewayback · Sep 4, 2015

Ok this is what it would of looked like on the back of my vista box.

View attachment 29157

That would contain the key. So looks like the seller used the key on that Vista box and provided me with another one, that should work.

Can't seem to find an answer to that specific question yet but think this is about right. From another forum.

It should work. If the sticker is for an OEM version you must use an OEM disk for the install. The exceptions are OEM product disks from Dell, Acer etc. These are tied to the BIOS and will not work in your instance. You may be prompted to call MS for activation. This should not be a problem as you are doing a reinstall on the same machine using the same key.

Ex_Brit · Sep 4, 2015

I can't see how a Home Pro license will work with a Business installer, you can only try and see what happens.

virtual6 · Sep 4, 2015

His picture for Win 7 Home Premium COA was just an example of what he expected on his DVD case.

If I, or likely anyone, were to send him the COA from the bottom (or maybe battery case) of a laptop, it would be the same situation. The printed key on the COA likely was never used to activate Windows. (The copy of Windows on the laptop was pre-activated using a built-in OEM account.) So in effect the printed key has never been used, and could be used to activate his Vista Business system. I say "in effect" because the key is not intended to be used this way...the COA clearly says "not to be sold separately", which is what we have here: a separate COA, clearly not originally associated with the install media. That OEM key belongs to the original pc and strictly speaking cannot be reassigned to another pc. In fact, even if you were the owner of the original laptop, and had lost the restore media (either a recovery partition or a disc), and used a friend's disc or a download from a helpful forum member to install Windows, and used the key for activation, MS would consider that a violation as well, since the COA and media were not originally together.

So after all that, I'd bet that many people do this, and their systems activate and receive updates without issue.

Ex_Brit · Sep 5, 2015

Good points.

NoelDP · Sep 5, 2015

Please follow this tutorial and post an MGADiag report - then we can see if there's a problem.

Windows Genuine and Activation Issue Posting Instructions - Windows 7 Help Forums

Ignore errors produced when clicking on the Copy button - they simply mean that the tool could not create the backup files for some reason. The data is still copied to the clipboard for pasting to your response.

Please also state the Version and Edition of Windows quoted on your COA sticker (if you have one) on the case of your machine (or inside the battery compartment), but do NOT quote the Key on the sticker!
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/howtotell/Hardware.aspx#PCPurchase

onewayback · Sep 6, 2015

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, that COA photo on my last post was an example. What virtual6 said appears to be correct, the way things worked out. I did a search and basically The licensing agreement on OEM is a bit of a mess from Microsoft. It is technically not right to do it that way with the COA, as virtual6 said but most seem to do this and I'm sure Microsoft are not bothered to much about vista, as it's a dead OS to them.

Here is the link.

Is it OK to use OEM Windows on your own PC? Don't ask Microsoft

Is it OK to use OEM Windows on your own PC? Don't ask Microsoft | ZDNet

And here about the COA stuff.

Windows License Questions: Your FAQs Answered

Windows License Questions: Your FAQs Answered | PCWorld

It was the w/DVDPk part that threw me off, which is what prompted me to ask about it but I think it will be fine now.

I got hold of two old, broken ex corporate laptops and was messing about with them yesterday. One was a dell and another brand. I installed vista on the dell which has a 2Ghz core2duo T series processor and vista was very slow, even with all the updates I could get. You need something more powerful to run vista than a core2duo T series.

Anyway the dell came with a vista business COA and it just says, windows vista business oem act. Not like in my other COA above. So took it off the dell and installed vista on the other more powerful laptop. This has a 1st gen core P series core2Duo at approx 2.5Ghz. It works well and I did use the vista COA from the dell and it activated fine and is showing genuine.

I gather that the COA was never used on the dell so that is why it worked, as virtual6 says above. All updated as well with SP2 now installed.

I will save that COA posted above and hopefully should be OK but at least I got hold of a genuine vista disk. As I would prefer that over using a download from the web.

Just to make clear, that trying to use the same COA on two computers at same time won't work and hope people don't confuse that, with what virtual6 was saying, or what this thread is about.

Thanks for the links noel, I won't need that for now but will keep that in mind, if I have any activation issue in future.

Thanks to all.

virtual6 · Sep 6, 2015

Yes, I'd bet MS is not very concerned about any Vista license violations!

The fact that you could electronically (no phone call) activate Windows means the key had never been used.
Although...that Dell key has been exposed over time to at least a few other people.
Hopefully, none of them had or have intentions to ever use it. If they tried on a different machine, the activation would likely fail because their setup is different from yours. I don't know if MS would signal this as a fraudulent attempt to use the key and therefore invalidate the key for everybody. Eventually your system would not pass the periodic genuine check. Usually this would mean a phone call to MS to request activation and explain the situation...but not in your case!

Regarding your preference for a disc rather than a download...I used to feel that way too.
These days for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that all discs are counterfeit with Chinese spy programs imbedded. So I like verifiable (SHA1 check sum) downloads. The only Vista download with which I would feel comfortable is from VIP forum member Ex_Brit. There are independent SHA1 sums available on a MS site for these files so you know they're good. (My philosophy is "trust...but verify".) The other big benefit is that they include SP2.

onewayback · Sep 9, 2015

You should see the amount of people selling laptops on ebay who clearly show the serial keys in the photos, with no attempt to cover them up. :eek:

You could just lift the key and use it yourself. While what you say could happen, I don't think anyone has seen it enough or used it. That is why my OEM Vista activated OK. Here it is with blocked out parts for security. It's a 2.3Ghz not 2.5Ghz like I though but very close.

View attachment 29162

Many things are made in china but you should be worried more about the NSA than some Chinese spy programs.
It's the proper disk as it has the holograms on it. Still prefer the real disk though but vista disks are hard to buy now,as it's dead.

NoelDP · Sep 25, 2015

The only reason for the requirement to use the 'official' install method is to ensure that the end-user has the chance to refuse the License Terms - when the end-user is the installer this is unnecessary as the normal install contains the same option.

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