xsalexsx,

You may be able to open a dialog with Microsoft through here. (I don't know if you have already been there.)

VLK's are used for large corporations not by Dell for home users (but I guess anything could happen), did someone reinstall the OS that you know of?

xsalexsx,

See if the link here is any help.

Dell does in fact use VLKs. Thousands of Dell systems will return the same Product ID when one of the keyfinder programs is run on them. The Product ID on the case of your system will rarely, if ever, be needed, although you could use it prior to activation in the event you installed XP from a non-Dell CD.

Several of us went through a similar drill recently with little satisfactions. See this thread.

If somehow a non-Dell CD was used to reinstall XP on your computer a simple reinstallation may be the (only) solution.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 08-11-200607:30 PM

He had to use a corporate version CD or it would not accept the VLK during install. Did the PC come with XP pro or Home edition?

If the CD key on the COA sticker is valid you can change the CD-Key within Windows by using a third party program called Jelly Bean.
It can be downloaded here -> http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

Once you download the program and run it; go into "Options" and select "Change Windows Key". Input the CD Key from the COA sticker and choose the "Change" button. Then reboot the computer and see if it accepts any updates from Windows Update.

**Before changing the CD Key please write down the current CD Key being used by Windows. You never know if you need it for future reference.**

I am disturbed that my windows media player will not work. It is asking for a validation key. I put it in and it is not valid, but it is original software supplied by DELL. I have tried magicjellybean to no avail. Microsoft want's $150 for software that I shouldn't have to pay for. I HATE DELL. I have spent thousands on Dells in the past 3 years, laptops for 3 family members. NO MORE DELLS.

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@megalomom wrote:
I am disturbed that my windows media player will not work. It is asking for a validation key. I put it in and it is not valid, but it is original software supplied by DELL. I have tried magicjellybean to no avail. Microsoft want's $150 for software that I shouldn't have to pay for. I HATE DELL. I have spent thousands on Dells in the past 3 years, laptops for 3 family members. NO MORE DELLS.

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Thank you for your suggestion. The first thing I did was try to contact Dell support. The source of my ire is that because my two year old computer is out of warrantee I have become a non-entity to Dell. They will apparently speak with me only if I shell out some outrageous sum, perhaps $90 an hour. Meanwhile I am in the process of moving all of my many files to an external hard drive so that I can re-install the entire system software package that came with my dasterdly Dell.

I'd like to add that the first (4 years ago) of the 3 Dell laptops that I bought kept overheating and would occasionally just shut down. Its battery ultimately fried and we had to rely on the AC transformer. Then that fried too. All of that happened after we bought a 2nd Dell 3 years ago and this (validation problem) last one 2 years ago, or I would've been more wary (side note - there was a recall of some of Dell's overheating laptops but for some inexplicable reason our overheating model wasn't included; in any event we bought a new battery and a new power source for it and it's up and running again for now). In all, there are 4 Dells in our family because my oldest son bought a twin to this newest one at the same time I bought mine. That one plus the 2nd one we bought both eventually lost a bunch of keys off their keyboards, so we bought and installed new keyboards for them. That makes four for four problem Dells. I'm just weary and caution others to be wary. We have a big family and so we bought another new laptop at Christmas -- you can bet it wasn't a Dell (it was a Toshiba from BestBuy).