XPS 420 Cable Card problem, Vista says my computer is not digital cable ready

[ulkesh3263827]

I just got an xps 420 with dual cable card tuners, I reformated the hard drive, using dells supplied recovery dvd. I am trying to hook up my cable cards, and when i go through the tv signal setup in media center, vista tells me my machine is not cable card ready. Anyone have any idea why this would be happening?

Thanks

Nick

[ropergilson]

Did you install all of the drivers/utilites on the resouce DVD that was included? I have an XPS 420 and had to reload, instead of doing a fresh reload like you did, I used the dell factory recovery thats on the hard drive. Check that other cd and see if there is any utility or something that needs to be installed to make it cableCARD compatible.

[chapmanjw]

To fix this issue you will need to reactivate Windows Vista. Dell did not correctly setup your PC with the Digital Cable ready COA. So, write down the Windows Key on your COA sticker. Goto Start > Right Click Computer > Properties. At the bottom you should see a link to changing your product key. Enter the key and activate. You may have to do telephone activation. Once you have done this, you will be Digital Cable ready. However, the majority of us XPS 420 owners are having a Restricted Content error message with this as well. We have threads on this issue on the Dell Community Forum and the microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter.digitalcable newsgroup.

-John C.

[mo0sic]

Originally Posted by ulkesh3263827

I just got an xps 420 with dual cable card tuners, I reformated the hard drive, using dells supplied recovery dvd. I am trying to hook up my cable cards, and when i go through the tv signal setup in media center, vista tells me my machine is not cable card ready. Anyone have any idea why this would be happening?

Thanks

Nick

What video card came with your system? I configured mine with the ATI2400, I couldn't get it to do the HDCP handshake with Sharp 52" LCD. Dropping in an 8600GT fixed my issue. I can watch TV without issue on my digital cable tuners. This however has caused activation to reset. I'm now getting these message in my system log:

event ID 1025
Grace Period has been started. Grace days=3 Grace type=4.

Event ID 1024
The hardware has changed.

I think at the end of the 3 day grace period, I'm not going to be able to watch TV.

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by chapmanjw

To fix this issue you will need to reactivate Windows Vista. Dell did not correctly setup your PC with the Digital Cable ready COA. So, write down the Windows Key on your COA sticker. Goto Start > Right Click Computer > Properties. At the bottom you should see a link to changing your product key. Enter the key and activate. You may have to do telephone activation. Once you have done this, you will be Digital Cable ready. However, the majority of us XPS 420 owners are having a Restricted Content error message with this as well. We have threads on this issue on the Dell Community Forum and the microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter.digitalcable newsgroup.

-John C.

This is not correct. Reactivating doesn't solve the underlying problem.

I followed this advice, and while the "not digital cable ready" message in Windows Media Center goes away, it doesn't solve the root issue, which is an incorrect BIOS flag in a small number of XPS 420s with the Nvidia 8800GT video card. If you have one of these (XPS 420, Nvidia 8800GT, and ATI Digital Cable Tuner) and are experiencing either the "not digital cable ready" or "restricted content" error messages, please ping me via private message, and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you resolve the issue.

It's doesn't take long to fix, though it does require a little bit of technical knowledge.

[jdrake020856]

After I received my system, I performed an "upgrade" from Home Premium to Ultimate. I previously owned a valid licensed copy of Ultimate so I didn't want to pay extra. The upgrade went fine.

When I got my ATI Tuner in, I set it up and went into the whole activation process and kept getting "computer not digital cable ready" errors. This was solved for me by simply remembering to activate my copy of Vista.

Now the next problem has happened. As I got past the error message, the setup never asked me for my keycodes for the digital cable ready part. I don't know if this is normal or not, but after activating my cable card (Verizon shows it as being activated and working), I cannot view content as it is saying "Restricted content..."

Any help would be appreciated as neither Dell nor MS nor Versizon will be able to help on this.

[leonowski]

Originally Posted by jdrake020856

After I received my system, I performed an "upgrade" from Home Premium to Ultimate. I previously owned a valid licensed copy of Ultimate so I didn't want to pay extra. The upgrade went fine.

When I got my ATI Tuner in, I set it up and went into the whole activation process and kept getting "computer not digital cable ready" errors. This was solved for me by simply remembering to activate my copy of Vista.

Now the next problem has happened. As I got past the error message, the setup never asked me for my keycodes for the digital cable ready part. I don't know if this is normal or not, but after activating my cable card (Verizon shows it as being activated and working), I cannot view content as it is saying "Restricted content..."

Any help would be appreciated as neither Dell nor MS nor Versizon will be able to help on this.

I had this issue with my Dell XPS 420 after doing a couple of things. Doing one of these things may cause a problem:

1) You have an ATI HD 2400 card and tried the KB943195 patch. If you have the KB943195 patch on your system, you should remove it. The patch is supposed to fix problems with a green screen appearing for HD channels. While it does indeed fix the problem for clear QAM cable card content, it breaks the ability to view Cable Card content. Instead of using the patch, use the registry tweaks found here:

http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/ati-hd2x00/

OR

2) You installed a third party MPEG2 decoder for use with MCE and set it as the default. You must use the Microsoft MPEG2 decoder for Cable Card content. I ran into this problem when installing the Nvidia decoder from Theatertek. I also used a utility to help me switch the default decoder. You can probably use this utility to verify which decoders are being used. Here is a link to the utility:

http://www.whittakermoore.com/VMCD.exe

If the utility says you are running the Microsoft decoders, you should be good. If not, I would suggest you uninstall the third party decoder and ensure that the Microsoft one is set back as default.

From time to time, when I turn on my TV while the computer was left running, I notice that the error appears quickly and then disappears. This might be related to HDCP. While my TV is off, the HDCP chain might be breaking. When I turn it back on, there is a small amount of time before the handshake completes again - so, I notice the restricted content warning. This is just a theory, but, you may want to look at HDCP issues with your monitor. Try using a different HDCP compliant monitor or TV if you have one available. Also, you may want to try the Cyberlink HD Advisor and see if it reports any problems with HDCP:

http://www.cyberlink.com/english/sup.../diagnosis.jsp

[leonowski]

Originally Posted by gdseeker

This is not correct. Reactivating doesn't solve the underlying problem.

I followed this advice, and while the "not digital cable ready" message in Windows Media Center goes away, it doesn't solve the root issue, which is an incorrect BIOS flag in a small number of XPS 420s with the Nvidia 8800GT video card. If you have one of these (XPS 420, Nvidia 8800GT, and ATI Digital Cable Tuner) and are experiencing either the "not digital cable ready" or "restricted content" error messages, please ping me via private message, and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you resolve the issue.

It's doesn't take long to fix, though it does require a little bit of technical knowledge.

Actually, we have 2 different errors that are not related and causing confusion:

a) The "Not Digital Cable Ready" error.

and

b) The "restricted content" error.

To experience the "Not Digital Cable Ready" error, you are in the middle of the MCE tuner setup. MCE's setup will not let you complete the tuner setup unless you have a valid cable card product key entered into Vista. During the Vista installation from the Dell CD, you will not be prompted to ever enter a key. This is probably due to Vista's ability to due activation through OEM BIOS checks. It looks like the product key that is used during the setup is not the cable card product key. So, you must Activate windows through the steps outlined by ChapmanJW (or "re-activate" as some people are calling it). Once you complete this process, you can now finish the tuner setup in MCE. At some point during the tuner setup in MCE, you will be prompted for the same cable card product key again.

Once the tuners are working in MCE, you now may experience the "restricted content" errors that you are talking about. You may be able to fix these issues yourself or you may need some help as GDseeker indicated. This part of the problem is certainly not related to a BIOS problem as at this point because you already have the tuners installed. Like I said in my previous posts, I experienced dedoder and driver/hardware issues that caused this problem. Once you get to the "restricted content" errors, you probably have everything working fine on the Cable Card/Cable company end (with respect to issues like pairing). If you have the "restricted content" error, look to issues with HDCP, video card drivers, and wrong decoders.

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by leonowski

Actually, we have 2 different errors that are not related and causing confusion:

a) The "Not Digital Cable Ready" error.

and

b) The "restricted content" error.

To experience the "Not Digital Cable Ready" error, you are in the middle of the MCE tuner setup. MCE's setup will not let you complete the tuner setup unless you have a valid cable card product key entered into Vista. During the Vista installation from the Dell CD, you will not be prompted to ever enter a key. This is probably due to Vista's ability to due activation through OEM BIOS checks. It looks like the product key that is used during the setup is not the cable card product key. So, you must Activate windows through the steps outlined by ChapmanJW (or "re-activate" as some people are calling it). Once you complete this process, you can now finish the tuner setup in MCE. At some point during the tuner setup in MCE, you will be prompted for the same cable card product key again.

Once the tuners are working in MCE, you now may experience the "restricted content" errors that you are talking about. You may be able to fix these issues yourself or you may need some help as GDseeker indicated. This part of the problem is certainly not related to a BIOS problem as at this point because you already have the tuners installed. Like I said in my previous posts, I experienced dedoder and driver/hardware issues that caused this problem. Once you get to the "restricted content" errors, you probably have everything working fine on the Cable Card/Cable company end (with respect to issues like pairing). If you have the "restricted content" error, look to issues with HDCP, video card drivers, and wrong decoders.

Leonowski,

For the Dell XPS 420, there are a couple of very specific issues that folks may run into, depending on which video card they have:

1. For folks who got the XPS 420 with the Nvidia 8800GT video card, there were a small number of systems that shipped without the correct BIOS settings for digital cable. No amount of registry tweaking, activation keys, or patches will fix this one...there's a known fix, and if you have one of these systems, you can private message me, and I'll put you in touch with the Dell rep who's handling this. The problem affects a pretty small number of systems, so most of the support techs you would normally talk to are unlikely to be aware of the fix.

2. For folks who got the XPS 420 with the ATI HD2400 video card, there's an incompatibility issue that came up after the systems were certified by Dell, and it's something that was out of Dell's control. The symptom may be a green screen, or a "Restricted Content - decoder" message. If you're in this circumstance, you need to get Dell to replace the HD2400 card. If you have trouble getting the first line support folks to take care of this, please PM me, and I will be happy to put you in touch with someone at Dell who can help.

In neither case should you be mucking about in the registry...while a registry hack may mask some symptoms, it won't solve the actual problem.

Regards,

Andrew

[bigfug]

gdseeker, can you get me in touch with this dell employee?

[leonowski]

Originally Posted by gdseeker

Leonowski,

For the Dell XPS 420, there are a couple of very specific issues that folks may run into, depending on which video card they have:

1. For folks who got the XPS 420 with the Nvidia 8800GT video card, there were a small number of systems that shipped without the correct BIOS settings for digital cable. No amount of registry tweaking, activation keys, or patches will fix this one...there's a known fix, and if you have one of these systems, you can private message me, and I'll put you in touch with the Dell rep who's handling this. The problem affects a pretty small number of systems, so most of the support techs you would normally talk to are unlikely to be aware of the fix.

2. For folks who got the XPS 420 with the ATI HD2400 video card, there's an incompatibility issue that came up after the systems were certified by Dell, and it's something that was out of Dell's control. The symptom may be a green screen, or a "Restricted Content - decoder" message. If you're in this circumstance, you need to get Dell to replace the HD2400 card. If you have trouble getting the first line support folks to take care of this, please PM me, and I will be happy to put you in touch with someone at Dell who can help.

In neither case should you be mucking about in the registry...while a registry hack may mask some symptoms, it won't solve the actual problem.

Regards,

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the clarification. I too was contacted by someone at Dell directly and was offered a card replacement for the HD 2400. I refused the replacement as I am OK with the NOHDDECODE fix. I was attempting to clarify the issues between the 2 errors. So, with your input, there are really 3 issues here:

a) The original issue that the poster in this thread has. This issue is resolved by using the correct product key.

b) The BIOS issue that affects a small set of users who ordered systems with an Nvidia card. The symptom of this problem is a "restricted content" error. This can only be solved by a special fix by Dell. Contact GDseeker and he can get you in touch with the right people.

c) The ATI HD 2400 issue. The symptom of this problem is also a "restricted content" error. This can also be solved by a video card replacement from Dell or the NOHDDECODE registry fix.

I completely disagree with your registry assessment. Everyone should screw with their registry and learn how to use it. It shouldn't be something that is avoided, especially if you post and read in these forums. No one here is timid about getting to some ugly details about their own systems. It's why we have HTPCs in the first place.

The NOHDDECODE fix is really a workaround for an existing hardware problem (or maybe just a driver problem that ATI has yet to fix). The HD 2400 cannot properly decode the material - so, we do it in software. It's no biggie with a quad core behind the scenes.

With that said, I do agree that a pre-built system like this should not ship with the ATI HD 2400 if Dell is aware of these problems. An average user should never have to go through these pains and Dell should not allow the HD 2400 as an option with any systems that ship out Vista Media Center (remember, the green screen problem appears for HD content from any MPEG2 source).

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by leonowski

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the clarification. I too was contacted by someone at Dell directly and was offered a card replacement for the HD 2400. I refused the replacement as I am OK with the NOHDDECODE fix. I was attempting to clarify the issues between the 2 errors. So, with your input, there are really 3 issues here:

a) The original issue that the poster in this thread has. This issue is resolved by using the correct product key.

The BIOS issue also manifests as a "not Digital Cable Ready" message. While it's true that if you reinstall the OS, you may need to re-enter the digital cable PID from the CoA, if he's got the Nvidia 8800GT, and given the timing of his original post, it's very unlikely that just entering the DC PID will solve the problem.

b) The BIOS issue that affects a small set of users who ordered systems with an Nvidia card. The symptom of this problem is a "restricted content" error. This can only be solved by a special fix by Dell. Contact GDseeker and he can get you in touch with the right people.

And hopefully at this point, most of the small number of folks affected have been in touch, either here or through the Dell forums. And just to be clear, the fix from Dell is the quickest way to get the problem resolved. But if someone is very non-technical, or doesn't want to mess with their BIOS, it is also possible to resolve the issue with a motherboard replacement. Personally, I didn't want to wait for a tech to come out to my house, and was OK with the steps required by the fix.

c) The ATI HD 2400 issue. The symptom of this problem is also a "restricted content" error. This can also be solved by a video card replacement from Dell or the NOHDDECODE registry fix.

I have to disagree here. Messing with the registry may well resolve some of the symptoms, but it's not a "fix" as such, particularly if it means falling back to software-only decoding. IMO, it doesn't matter if the processor is powerful enough to support software decoding, I prefer to take advantage of the video card where possible so my procs are available for other things.

I completely disagree with your registry assessment. Everyone should screw with their registry and learn how to use it. It shouldn't be something that is avoided, especially if you post and read in these forums. No one here is timid about getting to some ugly details about their own systems. It's why we have HTPCs in the first place.

Perhaps its why you have an HTPC. I suspect there are plenty of folks, however, who have an HTPC because, well, they want to record and watch TV on their PC, and don't want to be limited by someone else's set-top box. If someone's a gear-head, then by all means, they should learn about their system, including the registry, and understand how it works.

But the average user does not, in my experience, have the skill required to work with the registry safely. For these folks it's nearly always better to find a real fix that doesn't rely on registry hacking. In the case of the incompatibility with the 2400 and the ATI tuners, replacing the card is a safer and better solution than hacking the registry, IMO.

[snip]

With that said, I do agree that a pre-built system like this should not ship with the ATI HD 2400 if Dell is aware of these problems. An average user should never have to go through these pains and Dell should not allow the HD 2400 as an option with any systems that ship out Vista Media Center (remember, the green screen problem appears for HD content from any MPEG2 source).

Once they discovered the incompatibility issue Dell did, in fact, promptly remove the 2400 as an option for the XPS 420, and has offered affected customers a replacement card. IMO, Dell has handled both of these issues pretty well.

[sticky]

Can you confirm with your Dell contact that DCTs are to be returned to ATI/AMD? I had one die before I even got the CableCards in but a Dell tech told me to contact AMD as it is a third party device.

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by sticky

Can you confirm with your Dell contact that DCTs are to be returned to ATI/AMD? I had one die before I even got the CableCards in but a Dell tech told me to contact AMD as it is a third party device.

I'll check. I haven't tried to return one, so I can't confirm or deny based on my own experience.

[AustinDeadhead]

Originally Posted by sticky

Can you confirm with your Dell contact that DCTs are to be returned to ATI/AMD? I had one die before I even got the CableCards in but a Dell tech told me to contact AMD as it is a third party device.

Dell's return policy for third-party gear is 21-days, no questions asked. It was listed in the terms & conditions of sale.

[sticky]

Originally Posted by AustinDeadhead

Dell's return policy for third-party gear is 21-days, no questions asked. It was listed in the terms & conditions of sale.

What constitutes 3rd party I guess. If these were internal tuners would they be 3rd party? I don't think so. Just as the ram is integral to the PC, the tuner is integral to the Media Center PC.

There is only one reason this product is selling right now and it is because of the tuners.

[leonowski]

Originally Posted by gdseeker

The BIOS issue also manifests as a "not Digital Cable Ready" message. While it's true that if you reinstall the OS, you may need to re-enter the digital cable PID from the CoA, if he's got the Nvidia 8800GT, and given the timing of his original post, it's very unlikely that just entering the DC PID will solve the problem.

My post was an attempt to isolate separate errors to help the AVSForum community deal with these issues. You are creating confusion by mentioning these other issues that are not related to the original poster's problem. Your own post earlier indicates that the product ID must be entered to fix the issue:

Originally Posted by gdseeker

I followed this advice, and while the "not digital cable ready" message in Windows Media Center goes away...

In fact, if you have this problem, you are not "re-entering" a PID. You are simply entering in the correct one for the first time. Since this is an OEM PC, you don't have to enter in a PID - EVER!

Originally Posted by gdseeker

And hopefully at this point, most of the small number of folks affected have been in touch, either here or through the Dell forums. And just to be clear, the fix from Dell is the quickest way to get the problem resolved. But if someone is very non-technical, or doesn't want to mess with their BIOS, it is also possible to resolve the issue with a motherboard replacement. Personally, I didn't want to wait for a tech to come out to my house, and was OK with the steps required by the fix.

I can appreciate the propensity to opt for the quick fix. This is why I mentioned the ATI registry NOHDDECODE fix. It's good to give people a choice.

Originally Posted by gdseeker

I have to disagree here. Messing with the registry may well resolve some of the symptoms, but it's not a "fix" as such, particularly if it means falling back to software-only decoding. IMO, it doesn't matter if the processor is powerful enough to support software decoding, I prefer to take advantage of the video card where possible so my procs are available for other things.

While I would usually agree with an argument that tries to favor CPU performance, I can't agree with your conclusion. MPEG2 acceleration, in the eyes of a modern CPU, is easy. It does not take much horsepower. Processor families from over 5 years ago can easily handle MPEG2 streams in software mode. In fact, running MPEG2 acceleration through all software can give you an advantage if there are hardware/driver problems (like this one!). I have yet to notice any issues with CPU usage. My 420 is running a WebGuide (cassini web server) for remote scheduling, a MyMovies database server, and a server for 2 Xbox 360 extenders. I actually tried serving recorded content to both extenders while watching live TV on the 420 while at the same time mass importing data into MyMovies. Not one person in any other room complained of any hiccups. The 420 is a beast and cannot be shaken (only stirred when it's serving up a Bond film starring George Lazenby).

Originally Posted by gdseeker

Perhaps its why you have an HTPC. I suspect there are plenty of folks, however, who have an HTPC because, well, they want to record and watch TV on their PC, and don't want to be limited by someone else's set-top box. If someone's a gear-head, then by all means, they should learn about their system, including the registry, and understand how it works.

But the average user does not, in my experience, have the skill required to work with the registry safely. For these folks it's nearly always better to find a real fix that doesn't rely on registry hacking. In the case of the incompatibility with the 2400 and the ATI tuners, replacing the card is a safer and better solution than hacking the registry, IMO.

I guess it comes down to me being lazy. I don't want to open up my 420 case. I opened it once to install more HD space for the DVR functionality and I swore that I would never open that sexy 420 case again!

Seriously, my argument for the registry is based on the audience. If you don't think that the group that reads these posts are technically savvy, you're just kidding yourself. Part of this hobby requires a certain curiosity that makes you tinker to get every last bit out of your hardware.

I own HTPCs for many reasons including the one you outlined. But, more importantly, HTPCs give me higher video and audio quality due to their ability of customization - hardware AND software.

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by leonowski

My post was an attempt to isolate separate errors to help the AVSForum community deal with these issues. You are creating confusion by mentioning these other issues that are not related to the original poster's problem. Your own post earlier indicates that the product ID must be entered to fix the issue:

Re-read my post of 1/20. I think that's a pretty clear explanation of the two main issues specific to the XPS 420 that people are running into.

Regarding my earlier post, you are incorrect. My earlier post (on 1/17), in fact, stated:

Originally Posted by gdseeker

This is not correct. Reactivating doesn't solve the underlying problem.

If someone has the specific issue I was talking about (and you're correct that it's unclear whether that was the original poster's issue or not), then they can enter PIDs until the cows come home, and it won't solve their problem.

As for the registry, you're almost certainly correct that most of the regulars here are probably comfortable modifying their registry. That doesn't necessarily make it a good idea, particularly when there's a better solution available.

You are, of course, entitled to do whatever you want to your own system.

[leonowski]

GDseeker,

Actually, I had this all wrong.

The "DXVA_NOHDDECODE=0" option turns ON hardware de-interlacing for MPEG2 interlaced content (the 1080i channels). By default, ATI's drivers for the 2400 do not allow for hardware de-interlacing of HD content unless you make the registry change.

Even if you make the registry change, the only de-interlacing options that seem to work in Vista are Bob and Weave (none of the fancy motion adaptive methods).

So, the problem is with ATI's choice (or bug) to not turn on de-interlacing of 1080i content through the HD 2400. Since it isn't on, Microsoft's MPEG2 decoder has a bug when software de-interlacing is in play with 1080i content (the green screen bug). Microsoft has a patch for it, but the patch then breaks protected cablecard content. It's all one big clusterf*ck that rolls down the hill and gathers steam before it hits you all at once. The funny thing is, all the de-interlacing methods work in XP. It's just broken in Vista.

You're right - I should get this damn 2400 replaced. While Bob looks fine for TV, I might run into problems with interlaced content from movies. I want my vector-adaptive de-interlacing damnit!

[ballenjr]

Originally Posted by leonowski

GDseeker,

Actually, I had this all wrong.

The "DXVA_NOHDDECODE=0" option turns ON hardware de-interlacing for MPEG2 interlaced content (the 1080i channels). By default, ATI's drivers for the 2400 do not allow for hardware de-interlacing of HD content unless you make the registry change.

Even if you make the registry change, the only de-interlacing options that seem to work in Vista are Bob and Weave (none of the fancy motion adaptive methods).

So, the problem is with ATI's choice (or bug) to not turn on de-interlacing of 1080i content through the HD 2400. Since it isn't on, Microsoft's MPEG2 decoder has a bug when software de-interlacing is in play with 1080i content (the green screen bug). Microsoft has a patch for it, but the patch then breaks protected cablecard content. It's all one big clusterf*ck that rolls down the hill and gathers steam before it hits you all at once. The funny thing is, all the de-interlacing methods work in XP. It's just broken in Vista.

You're right - I should get this damn 2400 replaced. While Bob looks fine for TV, I might run into problems with interlaced content from movies. I want my vector-adaptive de-interlacing damnit!

I would raise hell about them sending you a 2400 with your 420. You should be able to get an upgrade for free.

Dell is obviously now aware of the problems with the 2400. They now no longer allow XPS 420's to ship with this card if you order cablecard with your system (you get an incompatibility error when you configure the system).

ballenjr

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by ballenjr

I would raise hell about them sending you a 2400 with your 420. You should be able to get an upgrade for free.

Dell is obviously now aware of the problems with the 2400. They now no longer allow XPS 420's to ship with this card if you order cablecard with your system (you get an incompatibility error when you configure the system).

ballenjr

ballenjr, if you check what leonowski said in an earlier thread, you'll see that Dell offered him an upgraded card for free, and he turned it down:

Originally Posted by leonowski

I too was contacted by someone at Dell directly and was offered a card replacement for the HD 2400. I refused the replacement as I am OK with the NOHDDECODE fix.

[jasontle]

Originally Posted by chapmanjw

To fix this issue you will need to reactivate Windows Vista. Dell did not correctly setup your PC with the Digital Cable ready COA. So, write down the Windows Key on your COA sticker. Goto Start > Right Click Computer > Properties. At the bottom you should see a link to changing your product key. Enter the key and activate. You may have to do telephone activation. Once you have done this, you will be Digital Cable ready. However, the majority of us XPS 420 owners are having a Restricted Content error message with this as well. We have threads on this issue on the Dell Community Forum and the microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter.digitalcable newsgroup.

-John C.

I reactivated Vista using the COA on the computer sticker, it still give error "Not Digital Cable Ready ...". Any thoughts?

[gdseeker]

Originally Posted by jasontle

I reactivated Vista using the COA on the computer sticker, it still give error "Not Digital Cable Ready ...". Any thoughts?

Check this thread on the Dell Community Forums. It's long, but should have the answers you need.