Thinkpads Forum

So I finally got it. Awesome. Much to my surprise, it included Vista Business, but the key does not work. And of course, it wouldn't take my Vista Ultimate key, so before I customize it any more, I'd like to know what that Microsoft # is when you have to call in because of key verification?????? It said so in the instructions that due to older BIOS, this was likely to happen, and that a BIOS update usually doesn't fix it, but it does sometimes. I upgraded the BIOS. No go.

Can some please post the U.S. # for Microsoft's "Vista key problem" line?

Thanks!!!!!

please enlighten us, what did you finally get? T7600 C2D 2.33GHz? a cpu?
If it came with VB, you shouldn't need to enter any key, in 7 years I've installed 100s of TPs "out of the box" and have never needed a key, just turn the thing on and it does pretty much the rest.
a VB key will never work for VU.
Which instructions regarding bios? how did you come accross these instructions?

andyP wrote:please enlighten us, what did you finally get? T7600 C2D 2.33GHz? a cpu?
If it came with VB, you shouldn't need to enter any key, in 7 years I've installed 100s of TPs "out of the box" and have never needed a key, just turn the thing on and it does pretty much the rest.
a VB key will never work for VU.
Which instructions regarding bios? how did you come accross these instructions?

This is no attempt to get a free key. I could get as many keys as I want to, but I go the legal route. So I have exactly what's in my sig. The T7600 is still in transit....

As I'm writing on this machine, I am running Vista BUSINESS. I have a LEGAL key for it, but the documnetation said it would likely not be possible for "older" T60/p's (I have a 2007-94U) due to somethng in the BIOS. So I upgraded the BIOS per their suggestion, although they persisted it may still not work.

I guess I should say ACTIVATE, not key. What's the activation hotline?

Also, my Vista Ultimate key always works when I install it from scratch. Hmm...So I no longer have XP at all, which is cool. I guess I'll want to do a dual-boot Vista Business x32, and Vista Ultimate x64, although I can't do the latter until the T7600 comes in.

So as not to waste space, should I install Ultimate over Business, and then the key situation is hopefully gone. I kind of like the idea of CLEAN installs better, but what say you, guys?

Edit: The instructions were on a supplemental sheet and came from Lenovo.

andyP wrote:please enlighten us, what did you finally get? T7600 C2D 2.33GHz? a cpu?
If it came with VB, you shouldn't need to enter any key, in 7 years I've installed 100s of TPs "out of the box" and have never needed a key, just turn the thing on and it does pretty much the rest.
a VB key will never work for VU.
Which instructions regarding bios? how did you come accross these instructions?

IMHO...

Not true! Vista was designed to be/have everything on one DVD. If you have a "Vista" DVD then all flavors are in there (only difference is 32, 64 and 32/64bit) So if you get the 32/64 DVD you have ALL FLAVORS available(ones for consumer, corporate-not talking about Enterprise/Data Center ones).

Due to the time frame I purchased the X60T it came with the "Vista Business" upgrade/sticker, but I have three LEGAL keys for Vista Ultimate! I had no problem in plug-in in the Ultimate Key with the Business install....before you had "Select", "Business Volume", "OEM" and the keys did not interchange. This seems to be no longer the case as the KEY seems to hold the option/s and not the MEDIA. Before you could not use an XP Home CD/DVD to install XP Pro (with a VALID XP Pro key) and you could still have two XP Pro CD/DVD's but the key (VALID/LEGAL) for XP Pro that you have might not work!!

The reason that you do not need a key is because the RECOVERY media for XP has the SELECT agreement with IBM/Lenovo key embedded in the install. If you did a sysprep on the machine and tried to use the key on the bottom 9 out of 10 it will not work and you will have to call the activation hotline....

NOW per the "License Agreement" that YOU agree to: INSTALLING A COPY FROM SELECT MEDIA, RUNNING SYSPREP AND INSTALLING THE OEM KEY (under the machine) IS CONSIDERED "NOT LEGAL" DEPENDING ON WHICH LAWYER YOU TALK TO AND HOW THEY HAPPEN TO INTERPRET THE "STUFF" THAT IS WRITTEN IN THERE...SAME APPLIES TO USING THE OEM SUPPLIED SELECT MEDIA FOR IMAGING AND THEN APPLYING THE OEM KEY UNDER THE MACHINE -YIELING NOT APPLY-this is more a DISCLAIMER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO TRY IT- This is how Microsoft made BILLIONS! You can buy a machine with XP Pro installed, but if you want to create an image for all machines YOU CAN’T you have to buy an XP Pro UPGRADE -~$140.00- (SELECT) that will allow you to create ONE MASTER that can be deployed to multiple machines….Basically for corporations that do not use the machine “as is” out of the box they have to invest a LOT of money to be able to deploy XP! While the “Select” only has ONE TIME activation (ACTIVATE IT ONCE ONLY-NEVER NEEDED AGAIN NO MATTER HOW MANY MACHINES IT IS INSTALLED IN-BUT YOU MUST QUANTIFY THE AMOUNT OF INSTALLS WITH THE QUANTITY OF SEATS/LICENSES YOU HOLD) it will NO LONGER be the case with Vista. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE must ACTIVATE Vista now…

NO LONGER be the case with Vista. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE must ACTIVATE Vista now…but on the “PLUS” side all flavors are all in one DVD

@draco2527
That certainly applies to office 2007, however I've just spoken to one of my software suppliers and he assures me that there isn't a dvd with all flavours of Vista. Are you perhaps refering to the Anytime Upgrade dvd which was sent out with ThinkPads?

Well, I got myself a new key for Vista Business. Another win for the Crunch.

However, I have decided I want to have the, comparitively speaking TINY amount of XP SP2 as a backup, so that's installed, hard drive has been partitioned, and I'm in the process of installing Vista ULTIMATE, as I write this.

From my experience last night, I tried my Ultimate key for Vista Business, and it came back with an error message "Not a valid Vista Business key", even though I was downgrading. But no more of that. I want my DreamScene content on this in-credible screen.

I wouldn't trade my 15" UXGA IPS for the most expensive, fully loaded T61p. I am SO lovin' it.