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RE: Thrift store Dell

Posted by J.Mac on August 7, 2008 at 20:41:25:
If it was an OEM installation of XP from Dell then it should definitely have a sticker (Certificate of Authority or COA) with a registration code. It would be a small sticker affixed to either the back or side panel of a desktop machine, or to the bottom of a laptop.

If it's an older computer it may have originally shipped with Windows 2000 or even Windows ME or Windows 98 and someone may have put XP on it before getting rid of it. The COA will say which operating system is licensed. If the COA is for an older operating system then it won't do you any good with XP.

My guess would be to "clean" the machine someone reformatted the drives and reinstalled the operating system and that the registration now just needs to be activated again through Microsoft. If you don't have a COA sticker or some other printed material with the registration code, however, you're going to be out of luck. Without the code you don't have a licensed operating system.