Uninstalling Windows 7 Product Key

rkc86 · 18 Jul 2013 at 11:50

Good morning

Basically I have bought a DELL OEM 32 BIT Windows 7 Home Edition Installation disk on eBay and install it on my PC. I am thinking of buying a new PC that will support a 64 BIT. So my question is, can I uninstall my 32 BIT product key or do a clean format, and use that product key when I install the 64 BIT version.

Many thanks.

stoofa · 18 Jul 2013 at 11:56

Windows 7 OEM keys cannot be transferred from one machine to another.

rkc86 · 18 Jul 2013 at 12:25

Not even if I remove it in the cmd/run or clean format it?

Senture · 18 Jul 2013 at 12:38

rkc86 said:
Not even if I remove it in the cmd/run or clean format it?

It's not a question if you can or not, it violates the license agreement for Windows 7 making your copy invalid.

OEM licenses are tied to the motherboard they were originally activated on meaning you cannot transfer them.

AtreuS · 18 Jul 2013 at 13:30

Will it work..... YES

Will it be legal in regards to the OEM agreement.... NO

Do you care?

jeffa123 · 22 Jul 2013 at 23:22

If you were supplied with the OEM installation of both versions the key will work for the same version of windows from the same setup. We had the same issue a while back with Vista and at first the 32 bit version was only available and we had to send away for the 64 bit version. As long as you uninstall the 32 bit version and reinstall the 64 bit version in its place there is no legal reason for not using the same key because it is essentially the same software which has an increased Address space. In OEM format it must be from the same supplier. If on the other hand you were attempting to put windows 8 on with a windows 7 Key that would be illegal.
Clarify with your OEM supplier that it is for your machine and is legal first. I say this because some OEM suppliers are giving the rest bad names.

Surveyor · 23 Jul 2013 at 01:37

jeffa123 said:
If you were supplied with the OEM installation of both versions the key will work for the same version of windows from the same setup. We had the same issue a while back with Vista and at first the 32 bit version was only available and we had to send away for the 64 bit version. As long as you uninstall the 32 bit version and reinstall the 64 bit version in its place there is no legal reason for not using the same key because it is essentially the same software which has an increased Address space. In OEM format it must be from the same supplier. If on the other hand you were attempting to put windows 8 on with a windows 7 Key that would be illegal.
Clarify with your OEM supplier that it is for your machine and is legal first. I say this because some OEM suppliers are giving the rest bad names.

The licence agreement may allow the OP to install the 64 bit version instead of the 32 bit version on the same machine but that isn't what he wants to do.

jeffa123 · 23 Jul 2013 at 09:27

Sorry for missing that. The 32 bit you have is an OEM but is bound to the First and only motherboard device you installed it on. The problem with OEM is that it is seen as a cheap way to install an OS. If MS adopted the same method as Apple you wouldn't have to go through all this. The maximum you would have to pay for any upgrade would be £20. Because MS do not manufacture PC's they just license Operating systems and office applications to work on the X86 format. No matter how advance the processor is the applications are still written in 32 bit format. Unlike Adobe whom write applications in both 32 bit and 64 bit formats in the same package.
But in legal terms once you have installed the OEM OS onto a system motherboard via the Hard drive and activated it and you no longer wish to use it with that device the license becomes invalid.

stoofa · 23 Jul 2013 at 11:59

jeffa123 said:
Sorry for missing that. The 32 bit you have is an OEM but is bound to the First and only motherboard device you installed it on. The problem with OEM is that it is seen as a cheap way to install an OS. If MS adopted the same method as Apple you wouldn't have to go through all this. The maximum you would have to pay for any upgrade would be £20. Because MS do not manufacture PC's they just license Operating systems and office applications to work on the X86 format. No matter how advance the processor is the applications are still written in 32 bit format. Unlike Adobe whom write applications in both 32 bit and 64 bit formats in the same package.
But in legal terms once you have installed the OEM OS onto a system motherboard via the Hard drive and activated it and you no longer wish to use it with that device the license becomes invalid.

Comparing how Apple and Microsoft do things is a little misleading.
If you buy a new computer with Windows preinstalled then you'll never have to pay for a future patch or update to that OS.
So if you buy a machine with Windows 7 on it then you can update that to the latest and eventually final version of Windows 7 without any future cost.
Upgrading to the next version of the OS will cost you money. However as an existing owner of an OS you will be entitled to an upgrade.
Whereas this upgrade is not £20, it isn't a "pocket emptier" either and once purchased all the future updates to that OS will be free.

If you buy an Apple then you get the OS installed and future upgrades will cost you £20 or so. However so do future updates as well.
You will find that many of your £20 updates are nothing more than glorified service packs (Windows world speak).
So yes, your updates may well be cheaper, however many of these are simply that, updates rather than upgrades and you are made to pay for them.

Personally I prefer the MS way of doing things. Single purchase of an OS and then free updates for it until it reaches EOL and then an upgrade fee if you decide to upgrade to the latest version.