Hi rnfolsom, You have installed an OEM Windows 7 copy on your computer. OEM Windows 7 license is pre-activated. The product ID is not the product key it gets generated after the Windows installation. Dell installs a Windows 7 image using a digital product key that is tied to the motherboard's BIOS. The Certificate of Authenticity (COA) affixed to your computer is there to certify that the Windows 7 operating system is installed. Product ID is referred to your OEM Windows 7 installed on your computer. When you post in Dell community forum you will receive an email to the registered email address. In your Inbox you will receive only private messages sent by any other member on the forum. If you click on the Username ‘rnfolsom’ in the Dell community forum you will see many tab’s Please select ‘Activity’ tab you will see the number posts posted by you. Please let me know if this helps.
Yesterday I finished doing a clean install of Windows 7 Professional Sp1 onto a very recently acquired Dell Latitude E6500 which had Vista Business on it.  I did a custom install (using a Dell OEM Win7 Sp1 DVD) instead of an upgrade, because there was no installed application software or data to save.But when I went to activate the newly installed operating system, at the Start Menu, right-clicking Computer, Clicking Properties, scrolling down to the bottom of the window to get to Windows Activation, I discovered that there was no Change Product Key link.  Instead, I read that "Windows is Activated."But at that same location I also read "Product ID: 00371-OEM-8992671-00524," and I can't find any such number on the Microsoft Certificate Of Authenticity that came with the Dell OEM Win7 Sp1 DVD, or on the DVD itself.Nevertheless, is it possible that somewhere during the installation, Microsoft automatically activated Windows 7 Sp1?If that subtle activation is not possible, what do I do next?Thanks for any comments, suggestions, or answers!R.N. (Roger) Folsom ----------------------------------------------------------------P.S. #1 What product does that Product ID refer to?  The DVD?  The Laptop?  The Win7Sp1 operating system?  Something else? P.S. #2 This post may be very similar to an earlier one, posted yesterday (unless I got interrupted and didn't finish the earlier post).  But in this Website's FAQs I can't find out how to search for the earlier one (and in any case I don't think I would have put it in this forum because I just now discovered it). My Inbox is empty, even though I have posted about other issues, and received answers from a Dell representative.  So I have no idea what the Inbox is for.
Windows7 Pro Sp1 - Could Installing It Automatically Activate It?