Invalid Product Key/Validation Error with Roxio MyDVD

The laptop came with this software already installed and on a disc as well. I've tried reinstalling the software twice, but here's the rub: There is infact a serial # on the ROxio Install CD envelope however it does not correspond to the serial number required for installation.  i.e. when i re-install it asks for the key, though it is automatically filled in.

To repeat myslef: There is no key that matches the key required for installation to be found amongst the documentation that came with the computer.  There is though, as I said, a serial# on the Roxio Install CD envelope, it doesn't appear to be a key though. Is this confusing?

Roxio will not return my emails about this.  And I have found a page buried amongst Dell's support website about this issue.  It points to a page at Roxio.com for the solution this link however is dead.  Here's the address:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=ca&cs=cadhs1&dl=false&l=en&s=dhs&docid=26152926BFDB8436E040A68F5B285E7A&doclang=en

And then it sends me here:

http://kb.roxio.com/content/kb/MyDVD/000013GN

Which would appear to be the solution to my problem, however the final step, to submit my activation code online:

http://activation.roxio.com/dell

Is dead.  Not that this would solve my problem anyway because DELL didn't send me an activation Key, And to boot I'm not sure how the activation code differs from the installation key.

Roxio would seem to have ceased service for this software, and dell redirects me to Roxio.  It would seem I'm out of luck.  Other users with this same problem on this forum seem to have given up. 

THanks for anything more you can offer. 

Ok, figured it out!

Solution 1: I called Dell tec support. They explained the problem as a "weak internet connectivity" and specifically Roxio's servers as being particularly weak. ALthough I'm not totally clear about this. They solved the problem by ScreenSharing, and this somehow improved my connection to the Roxio servers through Dell's servers. I think. But it worked.

Solution2: Roxio finally mailed me a response, here it is:

Thank you for contacting Roxio Technical Support

Activation is best completed while your computer is connected to the internet. This will allow the Activation process to proceed as quickly as possible.

Sometimes you will need to temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus to let it go through properly.

You can also disconnect your internet cable and when you try to activate it will give you a code that can be used for a manual activation.
Put that code in on the link below and it will give you an activation code back.

http://activation.roxio.com/activateme/

Regards,

Roxio Technical Support

So there you have it. I assume this would work as well, although I don't run a firewall, so this wasn't the problem. Again, "weak internet connectivity" doesn't seem like a complete explanation (I'm not running wireless) but that's what Dell said. I hope someone else solves this same problem with this info.