Tech Forum

Very odd indeed! I'm positive that the machine didn't ship from Dell with Windows 7 Home, so somebody local must have done it at some point after it arrived. Maybe a ward clerk?

Do you know when the computer is scheduled to be replaced? If the machine is a 740, I believe it's getting to 5 years. You may want to check with the FM Group to see when they are planning to replace it. If it's next year, maybe you can get an early cascade. If not, I guess you'll have to just move forward with XP.

Thanks for your help.

The manufacture date on the machine is 2/23/10 so it has awhile. I'll continue with the XP install, however I know the ward is going to say "what did you do with our Windows 7"

They'll live.

Thanks,
Tyler T

tyler.tippets wrote:The computer had Windows 7 Home Prem on it.

Sounds like someone brought in their disks from home. I'm pretty sure the church machines with Win 7 would have Professional.

If the ward complains, tell them unless they can find the upgrade license, someone did an illegal upgrade.

We still haven't heard what the church plans on doing with any XP machines that haven't reached their 5th birthday by April 2014. So there might be a early upgrade at some point.

Please, Please, Please lets keep the licensing rules in our churches. Above and beyond approach should be our model and goal - we may not like that the computer we have is on Windows XP - but this is not a place to 'think you know better than anyone else' - A Stake President will never receive revelation to upgrade a computer beyond the license it has and they are the ones that have the final say.

Did HQ remove Windows Stickers on Dell 580's? I think every upgrade machine in my stake (think they are two maybe three years old now) had the Windows 7 sticker removed. I had an early 580 in another stake and the sticker was on it, I actually helped another Ward restore their 580 Windows 7 install (Stake Tech Specialists out there, please support your local wards), it also had the sticker on it (it also came with Windows 7 installed, not XP, and it was not a local upgrade, the machine was given to the Ward directly from the FM Group).

If/When they release a Windows 7 solution, please give us a clean disk; I've found it easier to setup clean than to remove/fix issues from images or pre-installed software.

slmsz20 wrote:Did HQ remove Windows Stickers on Dell 580's?

I would check with your FM group. Most replacement PC's arrive in a sealed box from Dell, configured per CHQ's instructions. They each should have a Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker attached to the case somewhere.

Apparently those stickers are a thing of the past. I've got two HP laptops here by my desk. No license sticker. Not even in the battery or other compartments.

From what I'm reading, the license is actually burned into the motherboard. As long as you're installing the right OS, it will see that and not ask you for the key. I know that's been my experience when installing on a Dell from Dell disks. Not so sure about installing other flavors of Windows on a Dell.

I wish that were the case for these, I can clearly see where the sticker was physically removed on the case (I actually do the same thing at my work but we just moved the stickers inside the case so people wouldn't try to use the license on their home machines).

If you can get the Dell disks, it won't matter.

russellhltn wrote:If you can get the Dell disks, it won't matter.

Looks to me like a zealous FM group that was bugged about a new computer with a new license for windows 7 that came installed on XP. The FMG then started removing the stickers so they didn't have to hear about it anymore.

that is my best guess. Regardless maybe Dell could get you the license # @ headquarters or you could figure out the super-secret KMS server and get it there.