Going from dodgy copy to legit (Win 7)

Peerzy

Peerzy

Peerzy

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Helping a friend out - someone who use to help him with computers built him a PC a while ago, downloaded an image of Win7 and used a CD key that came off a totally different PC at work.

Win7 obviously picked this up and started complaining.

My mate didn't know about this till I saw him and he mentioned it, he's happy to pay for a fully licensed version of Win7 but doesn't want to have to format and go through setting the PC up again.

Is there a way to change the CD key entered into Win7 and get it to try and authenticate again?

He was just gonna buy a copy of Win7 from somewhere and not use the disc and just enter the new CD key?

EDIT: Reading about car I just make sure I buy the exact same version of Windows as he has pirated, then push WindowsKey+Pause and click change key and let it activate?
 
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It usually is a s simple as that, clicking the change product key link.

If it's pirated it might have online activation bypasses so he will just need to select the phone activation method.
 
mrk said:
It usually is a s simple as that, clicking the change product key link.

If it's pirated it might have online activation bypasses so he will just need to select the phone activation method.
Click to expand...

robinbredin said:
Better off doing a clean install, you don't know what changes were made to the iffy copy.
Click to expand...

The 'pirated' copy was just a standard ISO of Win 7 Professional OEM, it's just he didn't have a CD key.

So I just need to buy a copy of Win 7 Pro OEM correct and enter that key?

Everything else on the PC is fine.

So buy THIS and live happily ever after? His is Windows 7 Professional 64 bit.
 
Correct but like I said, if online activation doesn't work (it might not) then just use the automated phone activation and when asked how many it's installed on, click 1.
 
mrk said:
Correct but like I said, if online activation doesn't work (it might not) then just use the automated phone activation and when asked how many it's installed on, click 1.
Click to expand...

For the new CD Key or for his current CD Key (which is a legit CD Key, just came attached to another PC - which went on a network and had Windows XP built onto it)?
 
If his current key came attached to another PC then that OEM license only applies to that PC so legally he wouldn't be able to activate it really on any other PC :)
 
Weird, I originally installed it on my main desktop, but it's since gone onto a laptop at the same time and appeared to work for a few months before I sold the laptop.
 
That's the quirky bit, it may well activate and most occasions it will but according to the license agreement, you're not supposed to :p
 
Just to double check, buying an OEM product (media and license) will 100% work even if the media originally used to install Win 7 may have been a copy of the retail disc?
 
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