Install Windows 7 on a laptop which had Windows 7 pre-installed on it?

Ricochet J · 22 Feb 2016 at 20:20

Hi,

My brother has a 5 year old Windows 7 Acer laptop. Windows 7 came pre-installed. It has the Windows Key/Authenticity sticker under the laptop.

Microsoft doesn't allow me to download Windows 7 OEM from their site (only retail versions). The OEM key doesn't seem to check out - it says the site is for retail versions only.

My question is simple, but I suspect the solution complicated:

How do I install fresh Windows 7 Home Premium on my brother's laptop, which came pre-installed with Windows 7?

Skeeter · 22 Feb 2016 at 20:28

Download a Windows 7 OEM ISO and install that.

Ricochet J · 22 Feb 2016 at 20:48

Where do you get the Windows 7 OEM from? Microsoft don't supply it on their site.

Orcvader · 22 Feb 2016 at 20:49

I had a few Acer laptops which worked fine with the standard retail ISO. It may not accept the key during the installation but it will once you're in desktop and go to system properties.

EDIT: Derp, I see you mean you tried the OEM key on Microsoft's site. Yeah that never worked for me, even with a retail key. Let me see if I can find that site with all the ISOs...

EDIT 2: Oh the site closed down

. Well, if you don't mind torrenting, there's this site which keeps a mirror from DigitalRiver before it was taken down: http://mirror.corenoc.de/digitalrivercontent.net/

Ricochet J · 22 Feb 2016 at 20:59

Thanks for the link. I'll try it

KIA · 23 Feb 2016 at 18:18

http://www.drfsupercenter.info/Windows ISOs/

Orcvader · 24 Feb 2016 at 12:39

KIA said:
http://www.drfsupercenter.info/Windows ISOs/

Huh. That was the site I was mentioning before. When I tried to access it, it went no where, hence why I recommended the other site instead. I guess it's back up now...

Disco_P · 24 Feb 2016 at 14:07

I used a Windows 7 HP retail ISO when I reinstalled windows on my Samsung Laptop. I skipped the key entering bit until windows was fully installed then it just needed me to ring a number and enter some numbers to confirm.

KIA · 24 Feb 2016 at 18:29

Orcvader said:
Huh. That was the site I was mentioning before. When I tried to access it, it went no where, hence why I recommended the other site instead. I guess it's back up now...

He's going to have to host the files elsewhere because copy.com is closing early next month.

Rensin · 24 Feb 2016 at 19:06

Good luck OP, have just reinstalled w7 on a laptop and the 250+ updates took 14 hours to download & install.

ED209 · 24 Feb 2016 at 19:11

Rensin said:
Good luck OP, have just reinstalled w7 on a laptop and the 250+ updates took 14 hours to download & install.

you can create your on W7 disk with all the updates in, this is what I do

Orcvader · 24 Feb 2016 at 22:49

KIA said:
He's going to have to host the files elsewhere because copy.com is closing early next month.

Ah that explains it, thought it was Microsoft hunting down unofficial ISO sources

.