Where can I download Windows?

Deadbeat · 3 Dec 2009 at 19:05

Legally, of course. I'm trying to reinstall vista on my mother's laptop, of course she has a product key stuck to the bottom but no disk. Torrents are no help, they're either pre-cracked versions or foreign - the one untouched english copy I found wasn't seeded at all. Isn't tere a download available direct from microsoft or something?

Ziggy · 3 Dec 2009 at 19:08

a) No.

b) That will be a special OEM key that won't work with retail Vista anyway.

Talon · 3 Dec 2009 at 19:12

The laptop manufacturer will no doubt furnish you with a new recovery disc for a small fee if requested.

theheyes · 3 Dec 2009 at 19:31

Just make sure you haven't overlooked a recovery partition. Avoid getting a cracked version as they may well have been pre-infected as well.

Otherwise you'll have to beg/steal/borrow/buy an OEM disc.

Deadbeat · 3 Dec 2009 at 20:48

Ok, thanks

SiriusB · 3 Dec 2009 at 21:33

In some cases a generic OEM disc may not even work. A couple of times with a Dell laptop I have tried to reinstall Windows XP only to find I can't activate. The key was the key for the laptop, and the disc I had was OEM, it just wasn't a magic Dell OEM disc.

Several hours of my life wasted last time on the phone trying to sort that one out!

If it isn't Dell you'll probably be OK

Bane · 3 Dec 2009 at 21:35

Ziggy said:
b) That will be a special OEM key that won't work with retail Vista anyway.

I used my retail Vista Home Premium SP1 to install on a HP laptop with Basic COA, and it worked. So worth a try if you have a disk to hand.

MikeHunt79 · 3 Dec 2009 at 22:41

Google: Windows OEM royalty key, and you'll see dell and other large manufacturers use special disks tied to the BIOS...