Windows disc?

Iceman

Iceman

Iceman

Soldato
Joined
6 Mar 2004
Posts
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Location
North Wales (Flintshire)
Hi all i have just got hold of a laptop but it needs reformatting. I dont have a windows disc, can i borrow any oem disc but use the key from the bottom of the laptop?

Thanks
 
I used a generic OEM disc on my Toshiba Satellite and that worked. Though this was about 4 years ago. Newer models may not work. Worth a punt either way! :)
 
Recently had to re-install a Toshiba L100. Checked key and noted key before format. It was different from the key on the M$ sticker underneath. Kept a note of that too. Then used XP OEM disc.
Re-installed and it would accept neither ?!?! - and - this was originally a Toshiba refurb. Weird.
 
When OEMs install Windows [or rather copy an image of Windows to the HDD] it will have been preactivated with a special OEM key. The COA sticker that comes with a laptop/PC is there only if you need to reinstall from scratch.

It would be a pain to install Windows with a different product key on every machine!
 
SiriusB said:
The COA sticker that comes with a laptop/PC is there only if you need to reinstall from scratch.
Click to expand...

That exactly it. I did. A genuine M$ sticker with the key on it was on the bottom of the laptop. Nuked the drive and did a full install with an OEM disk but even that obviously genuine key from the bottom of the laptop was refused. Weird.
 
Despite it being a valid key, you still sometimes need the correct OEM disc for the likes of Dell and a few others. A bit of a pain in the arse, really. No idea why they do it.
 
Hmmm well its a retail sticker under the machine not oem as i thought. Got hold of a disc and when i enter the serial key its saying the key i entered is not valid.
Is there any way round this?
Nothing dodgy with the laptop was just full of virus's so wanted to do a clean install.
 
Some thing aint kosher. Never seen a retail stuck to a laptop yet! Toshiba have a SLIC 2.1 in the bios of the notebook this must match the Toshiba Certificate in the Windows 7 installation disk.
Which Windows 7 is it Home Premium or Prof what? 32 or 64 bit?
 
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No it doesnt say anything either retail or oem. I thought if it was OEM it said oem on the sticker?
 
Let me start all this again lol.
I have been given a laptop that was working but running very slow and full of virus's. It has come from a family friend and they have owned since new, but unfortunately they have lost all the discs that came with it. Well the laptop is a fair few years old.
Now the only way of fixing this is to reformat it, now is this possible without the original disc?
It has a coa sticker underneath, so what i thought i could do is just get hold of a windows xp disc and use that but with the serial key that is with the laptop?
 
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