How to install Win8 with OEM Rec Disk after OEM MB replace

jiffster

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Hi all, if anyone can help me that would be great!

Apologies for this post, it is a long story.

I bought a Dell XPS 15 (L521X) running OEM Windows 8 Home Edition in late February 2012. The laptop was giving me a lot issues with WiFi and Bluetooth drivers. I called Dell and they solved the problem in 4 months by replacing the entire motherboard. At that time, I thought the product key was in the packaging box, I didn't know that key was injected into the BIOS.

Fast forward to present day, I was having connection issue with my bluetooth. This time, the problem was occurring on Win 8.1. I went to Dell's website, downloaded the appropriate driver because I haven't done since I got the laptop and when I click install, it asked me to delete the old driver via Control Panel. I went in there and try to uninstall it but couldn't complete the operation because error message - "lockout: dell". A log showed a program called lockout.exe was preventing my uninstalling process. I call Dell, again, they say they cannot offer any technical support unless I pay for it. I said no thanks and did a factory restore. I then try to install the driver again, the same lockout message popped up. Since it is preloaded in the recovery disk, I thought maybe a clean install of Windows 8 (with no drivers installed) might do the trick and it did; however, my Windows isn't activated and I have no product key to get it activate.

Through googling, I learn about RWeverything and key injection to BIOS, but that was too late because those info aren't there anymore. The new motherboard seems to be void of the product key even though the technician said it is the exact same model board as the one I originally bought from Dell. When I called Dell, and ask about this, they said, they cannot offer me any solution unless I pay, which is so bogus, I was so frustrated I hang up without even say anything else. I feel bad about that. I know it wasn't her fault.

Anyways, so now I'm in this situation where I want to use my bluetooth driver and have an active Windows but I can't find any way to get the product key unless I pay Dell for their insane hourly rate or buy a licence from Windows directly which probably cost cheaper than Dell's service rate....

Finally, my question is: HOW DO I PERFORM A CLEAN INSTALL OF WINDOWS 8, then ACTIVATE it, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT MY PRODUCT KEY IS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Home
There is the Dell Community Forum, with users and user experts helping users, as this forum does. Since this is a specific Dell issue, their forum would be a good place to start. The user experts (identified as "Rockstars" on the forum) also have access to Dell personnel to try and resolve issues such as this.
Dell Community
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    i7 6700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
    Memory
    16 Gb G Skill TridentZ DDR4 3400
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel (i7 CPU)
    Sound Card
    RealTek Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" Dell SE2717HR
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 850 SSD, 3TB for backups
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 750 G2
    Case
    BeQuiet Silent Base 600
    Cooling
    Deepcool Captain 120EX
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    Cable - 100MB Downlink
    Browser
    Edge/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
    Other Info
    Sonar Platinum 64 bit recording studio software with MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid recording interface unit.
If that PC cannot connect to the Internet, it cannot activate. OEM activation in Windows 8 is now done online. I mention this because you mentioned WIFI driver issues etc. Showkey will tell you if you have an embedded OEM key, Showkey - Windows 10 Forums If there is no OEM key its Dell's fault for not replacing your motherboard with one with an OEM key in it. IMHO
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
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