Download Windows 7 ISO without a key

PapaLazaru · 17 Oct 2015 at 11:53

My Dad called me this morning as his PC will not boot and recovery is hanging and has been for two hours. His wife was, for some unknown reason, downloading apps from the PC into her iPad last night and it has corrupted Windows.

My plan tomorrow is to take out his hard drive, plug it into mine, grab the Windows 7 key and his photos etc and then reinstall Win7 from a bootable USB onto a new SSD.

Problem is that I want to prep for this, but the MS site is asking me for the key in order to download the ISO.

Can I legally download an ISO without the key and make a bootable USB?

Also I cannot remember if the Win7 key is for both 32 and 64 bit?

ta

thenewoc · 17 Oct 2015 at 12:11

The only place you can legally get a retail windows 7 iso is now from MS since they stopped digital river distributing them a while back. If your w7 is retail the MS site should work for you but if it's oem it's far trickier as there isn't an official source for these. Someone else here on the forum had a similar issue recently where they were stuck up a dead end in this situation but were able to get a w10 key from speaking to MS.

Philtor · 17 Oct 2015 at 12:13

The key will work for both 32 bit and 64 bit versions. Digital River used to host legal downloads of Windows 7 but no longer do as stated above.

PapaLazaru · 17 Oct 2015 at 12:16

Is it is retail key.

Hmmm, seems like I will have to download it onto my PC once I have got the key, make the USB and then delete the files? I was hoping to sort that bit out first and then get the key.

Will the MS site allow me to choose where I download it to? My C drive is pretty full.

Orcvader · 17 Oct 2015 at 14:44

Or just download the ISO from here: http://www.drfsupercenter.info/Windows ISOs/

The Microsoft site doesn't doesn't always work (it accepts my retail 7 Pro key but states all the downloads are incompatible), yet using the right ISO from above I can activate it just fine.

old gamer · 17 Oct 2015 at 15:23

i downloaded 7 pro 64bit but cant remember the site, i got it to save me downloading the service pack

KIA · 17 Oct 2015 at 17:13

Orcvader said:
Or just download the ISO from here: http://www.drfsupercenter.info/Windows ISOs/

This.

PapaLazaru · 17 Oct 2015 at 18:58

Thanks chaps, I will get it all ready for tomorrow. He will be suitably impressed with a clean install without any Dell bloatware and a Hyper X Savage SSD.