What is the Certificate of Authenticity (COA)?
A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a string of characters — alpha, numeric, or alpha-numeric — which coincides with a particular software product installed on your computer. The most common COA received with a Dell™ computer is the Microsoft® Windows® COA. You also receive one if you purchase an office suite, such as Microsoft Office® 2003 Basic. The COA indicates that the copy of your software is legally licensed by the manufacturer, such as Microsoft or Corel. These COAs are located on your computer or with your back up CDs. Note: The Microsoft Windows Certificate of Authenticity (COA) label is a label containing a 25-digit alpha-numeric Product Key code and a 14-digit COA code. This label is located on the chassis of your Dell computer system. The following is an example of the COA label: Figure 1: Certificate of Authenticity (COA) Label (Click the image to enlarge.
