Product Keys

[shrimply]

Just a quick question, I seem to have two product keys, the one on the bottom of the laptop and the one that product key scanners find.

 

Looking online this doesn't seem that unusual but I'd like to know why, I'd also like to know which it is best to use if I ever need to reinstall vista although I imagine either will require a phone call to microsoft.

[Dalo Harkin]

Use the one on the bottom of the laptop - its normally a bunch of keys tied to a company ie DELL and then Microsoft when you activate it give you a unique one - very, very odd

[Guest Wolfeymole]

I doubt whether you'd need to use the key any way Shrimps if you did a reinstall using back up disks made from the recovery partition.

[Dalo Harkin]

yes that's true - if they are recovery disks, it takes you to the log on screen, and that's it.

[RandyL]

All the programs I checked display a different product key than my sticker too. Even the registry shows a different one. I never had this issue either until Vista. Use the sticker if you even need it.

[Dalo Harkin]

I would be guessing - but I would say that this is a security measure by MS.

[RandyL]

I think you are right Dave. I think MS changed this in Vista.