• HP Pavilions ship with a serial number used to identify each unit. Unlike the product name and number, which apply to a specific group of units, the serial number is unique to each computer.
• Your Dell Computer Serial Number. You can find the Dell desktop computer serial number by looking for the label on the top, back or side of your computer tower. If your Dell computer is an all-in-one, then you can find the serial number on the lower back side of the all-in-one or on the all-in-one stand.

I just wanted to extract my activation keys of Windows 7 and 8 x64. I used several programs to test, if they produce the right results. In System screen > Details about windows activation I can see the last five digits of my currently used installation key. I used the programs Speccy and License Crawler.

License Crawler yields the right code which is called Product Key. Speccy on the other hand yields a Serial Number, which also has the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX, but is not the actual installation key.

So what is the second code (Serial Number) about?

Serial numbers on Dell computers are often on a tag that reads “Service Tag Number” at the rear near the docking station connector. There is also a tool on the Dell site that allows users to find the serial number of a Dell device electronically.

2 Answers

You can think of the Serial Number as a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) if that helps. You can think of it as a person's name. You can think of it as the bar code on a can of tuna. The Serial Number is an identifier for that product or object. If there was an issue with your particular object, product, or OS installation media, tracing the serial number could result in revealing a problem during production.. as that serial number can be used to identify when and where something was manufactured. That's down to the date, time, and location in a particular production facility.

The Product Key.. that's not a serial number. In this specific case (since cans of Tuna don't have Product Keys.. unless you count the Can Opener) the Product Key is just that.. a key. The installation (identified by the serial number) is locked, and must be unlocked to be used. To unlock (activate) it, you need the key.

A Serial Number can be publicly displayed. It can be openly available and searched. A Product Key must be kept out of the public eye and reach.. which means you might say that a Serial Number is the number posted on your house or mailbox, while the Product Key is the key to your front door.

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I used to think this was straight forward until last week when I had to call Microsoft for help to move a Visio license. The person I spoke with asked me for the Product Key and I gave it to her from my account licensing page. But, she kept saying the was the Serial Number and not the Product Key. I kept saying, 'It says Product Key right next to the number!'

When I asked the next tech support guy explained that internally, Microsoft refers to Product Keys as Serial Numbers. Now, that really helps.

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A serial number is a unique, identifying number or group of numbers and letters assigned to an individual piece of hardware or software. Other things have serial numbers as well, though, including banknotes and other similar documents.

The idea behind serial numbers is to identify a specific item, much like how a fingerprint identifies a specific person. Instead of some names or numbers that specify a whole range of products, a serial number is intended to provide a unique number to one device at a time.

Hardware serial numbers are embedded in the device, while software or virtual serial numbers are sometimes applied to the user who will be using the software. In other words, a serial number used for software programs are tied to the purchaser, not that specific copy of the program.

The term serial number is often shortened to just S/N or SN, especially when the word precedes an actual serial number on something. Serial numbers are also sometimes, but not often, referred to as serial codes.

Serial Numbers Are Unique

It's important to distinguish serial numbers from other identifying codes or numbers. In short, serial numbers are unique.

For example, a model number for a router might be EA2700 but that's true for every single Linksys EA2700 router; the model numbers are identical while each of their serial numbers is unique to each particular component.

As an example, if Linksys sold 100 EA2700 routers in one day from their website, every one of those devices would have 'EA2700' somewhere on them and they would look identical to the naked eye. However, each device, when first built, had serial numbers printed on most of the components that are not the same as the others bought that day (or any day).

UPC Codes are common as well but are actually not unique like serial numbers. UPC Codes are different than serial numbers because UPC Codes are not unique to each individual piece of hardware or software, as serial numbers are.

The ISSN used for magazines and ISBN for books is different as well because they're used for whole issues or periodicals and aren't unique for every instance of the copy.

Hardware Serial Numbers

You've probably seen serial numbers many times before. Nearly every piece of the computer has a serial number including your monitor, keyboard, mouse and sometimes even your entire computer system as a whole. Internal computer components like hard drives, optical drives, and motherboards also feature serial numbers.

Serial numbers are used by hardware manufacturers to track individual items, usually for quality control.

For example, if a piece of hardware is recalled for some reason, customers are usually made aware of which particular devices need service by being provided a range of serial numbers.

Serial numbers are also used in non-tech environments like when keeping an inventory of tools borrowed in a lab or shop floor. It's easy to identify which devices need to be returned or which ones have been misplaced because each of them can be identified by their unique serial number.

Software Serial Numbers

Serial numbers for software programs are usually used to help ensure that the program's installation is only performed one time and only on the purchaser's computer. Once the serial number is used and registered with the manufacturer, any future attempt to use that same serial number can raise a red flag since no two serial numbers (from the same software) are alike.

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If you're planning on reinstalling a software program you've purchased, you'll sometimes need the serial number to do so. See our guide on how to find a serial key if you need to reinstall some software.

Sometimes, you might find that a software program can attempt to make a serial number for you that you can use to activate a program illegally (since the code wasn't legally purchased). These programs are called keygens (key generators) and should be avoided.

A serial number for a piece of software is not usually the same as a product key but they are sometimes used interchangeably.