# activate windows 7 oem key



## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

Is there any way to activate a oem key in a win 7 wich has not been installed with the oem disk? The key is the one wich came with the computer and I installed version that matchs with it, so there wouldn't be any problem of using any other disk of win 7, but it doesn't activate.


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## INSTG8R (Jun 18, 2010)

well I bought 2 copies of OEM a couple days apart. 1 for my laptop and 1 for my desktop. I used the same disk to install on both machines and just waited for 2nd copy to arrive before I activated it.
So no I don't think it matters.


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## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

then I don't understand anything


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## Black Panther (Jun 18, 2010)

I guess you can use any oem win7 disk with an oem win7 key.

But you can't use an oem win7 key if you install using a _retail version_ win7 disk.

I stand to be corrected......


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## Necrofire (Jun 18, 2010)

I didn't know that. When you say came with computer, was it purchased separately or is it a Dell, HP or something?

If it's a Dell or something, then the key that came with it has been activated via SLIC most likely, in which case you can't activate without the xrm-ms that was on the original install.

At least I think that's the way it goes.


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## INSTG8R (Jun 18, 2010)

Well if you go Control Panel/System you can change the key from there as well.If I recall it did have the key already there from the first one so I had to change it before I activated it.
 But I only used one disk to install it on both systems they were both Win 7 Pro OEM.


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## Sasqui (Jun 18, 2010)

FWIW, WinXP OEM and Retail disks and keys _*cannot *_be interchanged.  I suspect it's the same with Win 7.

The good thing is that any OEM key will work with any OEM install, regardless of the branded vendor.


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## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

Necrofire said:


> I didn't know that. When you say came with computer, was it purchased separately or is it a Dell, HP or something?
> 
> If it's a Dell or something, then the key that came with it has been activated via SLIC most likely, in which case you can't activate without the xrm-ms that was on the original install.
> 
> At least I think that's the way it goes.



It came with my asus laptop. I looked the microsoft sticky below and it says windows home premium OA with an asus logo.

My mistake, I thougt this type of keys were called oem.

Actually the problem I have with my original recovery dvds is that I have the windows installation dvd but I missed the support/drivers dvd. And the recovery won't continue unless I put the support dvd during the process. So before contact asus to ask them for that disk and wait (and most probably pay for it) I got an original windows 7 disk and tried to put the key I have with my laptop. But that doesn't work.

About that xrm-ms, can it be somewhere in my installation dvd?


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## Kreij (Jun 18, 2010)

You cannot activate a retail version of Windows with an OEM key.
The retail version should have it's own activation key.
If you just borrowed the Win DVD from someone who is using the key, that won't work with your OEM (OA) key.

pwned by newtekie. lol My bad.
It does work in Vista and 7, just not in XP.

Have you looked on the ASUS website to see if you can re-download the driver/diag disk, or at least everything you need to make one?


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## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

Kreij said:


> You cannot activate a retail version of Windows with an OEM key.
> The retail version should have it's own activation key.
> If you just borrowed the Win DVD from someone who is using the key, that won't work with your OEM (OA) key.







Kreij said:


> Have you looked on the ASUS website to see if you can re-download the driver/diag disk, or at least everything you need to make one?



Not yet, that's the last thing I wanted to try. But seems I have to.


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## newtekie1 (Jun 18, 2010)

There is no difference between the OEM disc and the Retail disc with Windows 7.  A retail disc will accept a OEM or Retail key, and vise versa.

If the OEM Key wasn't going to work with the disc you have, it would have stopped you during the install when it first asked you for the key, not during activation.

What is likely the problem is that, since the OEM version has already been activated once, it is failing activation again.  Activate it over the phone using the option given to you on the failed activation screen, and you shouldn't have a problem activating it.


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## Kreij (Jun 18, 2010)

Is that only for 7? Didn't used to work with XP for me (retail disk -> OEM key)


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## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

newtekie1 said:


> If the OEM Key wasn't going to work with the disc you have, it would have stopped you during the install when it first asked you for the key, not during activation.



Well it didn't stop me because I told the installation program to activate the key later, so I didn't put any key during the installation. Maybe can it work if I put the key when it asks me in the installation?


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## EviLZeD (Jun 18, 2010)

Ive installed windows 7 using retail disk but with an oem key it worked fine you can always change the key from right clicking my computer-properties  then selecting change product key


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## Tartaros (Jun 18, 2010)

I'll try again. Thanks.


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## newtekie1 (Jun 18, 2010)

Kreij said:


> Is that only for 7? Didn't used to work with XP for me (retail disk -> OEM key)



Win7 and Vista.  It did not work with XP, OEM and Retail discs were different for XP(and anything pre-XP).



Tartaros said:


> Well it didn't stop me because I told the installation program to activate the key later, so I didn't put any key during the installation. Maybe can it work if I put the key when it asks me in the installation?



If it is already installed, you can enter it when you activate.

Is it saying the key is not valid or is it failing activation?  A screen shot of the error it is giving you would help a lot.


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## Kreij (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks, Newt. I knew it didn't work in XP and never really checked after that.


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## Tartaros (Jun 19, 2010)

I tried once again from the beginning and it didn't work. Finally I used the phone option and it worked. Thanks all for your help


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## Win7user (Aug 1, 2010)

*Cannot activate win7*

I got a problem too when activating win 7 home premium oem. The error code 0x80072ee2 and message "The operation timed out" ??


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## Frick (Aug 1, 2010)

Win7user said:


> I got a problem too when activating win 7 home premium oem. The error code 0x80072ee2 and message "The operation timed out" ??



That's probably due to problems with the connection. Activate over the phone usually works.


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