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Alienware Area 51 upgrade from windows home to pro
I just purchased a new Area 51 r4 and it shipped with Windows home (but I paid for pro). Over the last few days I have had quite a few conversations with tech support, however it seems that it cannot be upgraded?
Basically I have been told the easiest way is to get a refund and buy the same system again. To me this seems very odd and problematic for several reasons.
So I am stuck....any ideas?
Carbon Based Lifeform
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November 5th, 2017 04:00
Hi.
sometimes i don't get Dell. they could just send you a new Win 10 Pro Key via E-Mail and call it a Day but no.... they tell you to return that Heavy Monster PC.
i would just buy an OEM License and Enter the Key via Windows Control Panel if I were You. i'm from Germany and we can buy a new Win 10 OEM License on Amazon for 15 Euro.
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B071H4DWWZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AOAXMX4RQX4K1&psc=1
Cass-Ole
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November 5th, 2017 20:00
The reply you got appears to be tied up in moderation, I'll tell ya what I'd do, there seems to be three options
This is a hassle & as such I'd negotiate for a $140 refund (or the approximate cost from Newegg / MicroCenter or Micro$oft for a 'retail ISO') & use said refund to buy retail 10Pro, whose cost could be equivalent to the cost of freight to send it back to them +/- the cost of your time / pain / anxiety
I suspect that their volume OEM 10Home is tied to the unique hardware IDs of the motherboard / CPU, & as such the Aliens simply can not 'also give you 10Pro' - it is possible they can't easily cancel the Home 'license' we'll call it & would need the machine back to keep Home tied to that exact mthrbrd / cpu (let us say for book keeping purposes). I've heard of them asking for machines back when as simple as the Grfx card was the wrong one. Try to bargain for $100+ & install your own Pro, or, do what they say & send it back. ProTip: keep note of your exact setup, return yours back to Dellware then sniff around the Dell Outlet over the next 2weeks ... chances are that yours will wind up in the Outlet at a serious discount (perhaps hundreds off) > simply buy it back & install your own 10 ... the 3rd option as an alternative is to return yours & simply shop the Outlet for what you want in the interest of some savings
Were it me, if I couldn't haggle a $140 refund I'd return mine / order a new one w/10Pro then check the Outlet later to see if I could ID my old one to see what they discounted it to--> I'd need to know that info for no other reason than to see what lengths they were willing to go to & losses they were willing to take, both on return freight & an Outlet discount, just to avoid giving me 10Pro or a $150 discount ... ... ... (would they sacrifice hundreds??? why???). Good luck
JTFNomad
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November 5th, 2017 22:00
I agree with your suggestions. But Dell has a added a bit of a twist to this. they will not replace, I have to order a new one. The price has increased on the system I have ordered and I cannot afford it. Really poor support, no help at all.
Could you elaborate on how the install of Windows 10 Pro would work? I do understand that the hardware IDs of the motherboard and CPU are tied to Dell. Or at least that's what I was told. The motherboard is Dell, so would that even work? Can I do it?
Thanks
Cass-Ole
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November 6th, 2017 00:00
1st, there's an old forum post with a link, I'll never be able to find it, but from memory the link takes you to a conglomeration of people who've the same story: 'there was a Dell sale, I ordered a computer, it arrived with the wrong stuff, I was told to return it & buy new but now the price is higher'. Call it the Dell scam, who knows, I doubt they tried to burn you over a simple Home vs Pro if that's all that's wrong with it ... ... ... the idea that you have to return it, buy a new one but now they won't honor the price sounds familiar and would sound familiar to a lot of other folks as well ... ... ...
Okay. I didn't tell you about this in the event someone here would help you out or that you might get a $140 refund, but, you can buy W10 Pro from any number of places for any number of prices, but also for like 20bucks:
My 1st suggestion is to continue to haggle for a refund. This time, call or chat and simply initiate a return > when they ask why > 'I'm not impressed with it, I found something better from iBuyPower that's a few hundred less' > do not refer to past attempts at resolution, simply wait for Rep to offer discount to keep it as opposed to shipping it back as an unwanted (not impressed with it' return, understand? Keep doing so within your 30day return window, hoping to catch the right person on duty willing to pay u to keep it
My next suggestion is to keep W7 Home alive and well on its own hard disk and install Pro separate > do not erase Home, they can run side-by-side in fact, so long as each has a license. You could of course clone Home onto a smaller cheap drive using Acronis or prefer Macrium Reflect, clone the restore partition if it has one, clone it all, make sure it boots up and's a faithfull copy, then do Pro on the better drive, that's an option. Explore your options for keeping Home alive and well since you own the license for it and it's a factory fresh install which can give clues to what all is installed in there in the 1st place > software/driver versions etc in Device Manager / Control Panel Installed Programs
Regardless of where you buy Pro, for starters, you could investigate in your 'Settings > Updates / Security' page if there's an 'upgrade from Home to Pro' offer from Micro$oft then get the details (could be a direct download), it might do an in-place upgrade (keeps all files/drivers/programs)(later you do a clean install)(option to do either)
Our friend here Natakuc4 has composed a massive webpage The Unofficial Windows 10 Reinstallation Guide
You might visit Youtube for the Alienware Services channel 10 reinstall guide
I might visit my support page (A-51 R4 > http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/alienware-area51-r4/drivers) and get a free copy of the Operating System Image (OS Recovery, see Photo > http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/drivers/osiso/recoverytool/WT64A ) from Dell by your service tag when it's available, where it's possible their image or ISO is both Home & Pro & will install one or the other based on some information I'm not sure of, but if you mock installed (simply run setup to see what it asks you, if it asks at all), and if there's a prompt for a product key & you had your own Pro license / product key, it is possible that you can have your free Dell version of Home install as Pro instead, understand? Either way, grab that Recovery software for your Alien now while you can, pass it on to next owner if you never use it etc
10 ISOs are available from Micro$oft as free downloads, you can create it as a bootable thumbdrive or burn it to DVD using Media Creation Tool (or a work-around for the direct ISO)
Basically, have a drive to install Pro on, have a license for it (buy 10 Pro from somewhere), install it clean, get all of your drivers software and programs from your support page and install them next, that's it. Or, it's possible you can upgrade your Home to Pro and have all that factory software come along for the ride (you'd upgrade a clone I suppose, not the drive there now, it has to be kept alive to pass onto the next owner perhaps)(clone image or backup that install you have & tuck it away). I need to go to bed, I may have other tips since there are multiple ways to go about this, but what you want is as close to your factory install as possible - and - just a basic clean install that's bloat-free. I'll post back if this conversation develops