On most of the laptops I've purchased, the COA is usually placed within the battery case. At worst, the bottom of the unit. Who even notices a sticker there?
And actually, I just purchased from Dell Outlet an older (but new) e7440 Latitude. It did not contain a COA sticker - the key is absolutely tied to the Bios. When I went to downgrade (I had rights, supposedly) to Windows 7, guess what: no serial number and Windows wouldn't activate off the BIOS key.
So now I'm stuck with either Windows 8 (absolutely not) or 10.
From a few weeks of using Windows 10, I'm pretty sure it is the worst OS I've ever had to use. No I do not want Cortana, Windows Defender, Candy Crush, etc. Thanks for reinstalling them Microsoft, with an update I can't even turn off.
Anyway, back to the topic on hand, this seems like it might be exactly what I need to grab my serial number from the BIOS and try Windows 7 once again. If that doesn't work, I'll probably sell it and buy a Mac. Won't be buying a Windows PC again (from Dell, Lenovo, or anyone else) 'till MS learns that MY PC is not a phone, and my private information is not their product to sell.
- If they key is a BIOS key, it means it's a Windows 8 or 10 key. (Based on the age, 8.) Pretty sure Windows 7 won't install with it. If you had downgrade rights, you'd likely have a Windows 7 key that worked come with it as well. (Downgrade rights are not a given.)
- COA stickers under the battery are terrible when your computer is on and you want to look at them to type the key. Shutting off the computer to pull the battery to take a photo of the sticker is a pain in the rear and a waste of time.
- A lot of laptops have embedded batteries now, and hence you can't put COA stickers under them.
On most of the laptops I've purchased, the COA is usually placed within the battery case. At worst, the bottom of the unit. Who even notices a sticker there?
And actually, I just purchased from Dell Outlet an older (but new) e7440 Latitude. It did not contain a COA sticker - the key is absolutely tied to the Bios. When I went to downgrade (I had rights, supposedly) to Windows 7, guess what: no serial number and Windows wouldn't activate off the BIOS key.
So now I'm stuck with either Windows 8 (absolutely not) or 10.
From a few weeks of using Windows 10, I'm pretty sure it is the worst OS I've ever had to use. No I do not want Cortana, Windows Defender, Candy Crush, etc. Thanks for reinstalling them Microsoft, with an update I can't even turn off.
Anyway, back to the topic on hand, this seems like it might be exactly what I need to grab my serial number from the BIOS and try Windows 7 once again. If that doesn't work, I'll probably sell it and buy a Mac. Won't be buying a Windows PC again (from Dell, Lenovo, or anyone else) 'till MS learns that MY PC is not a phone, and my private information is not their product to sell.