Reinstall OEM windows 7 using retail DVD

[spikey_richie]

My brother has trashed the Windows install on his Acer laptop, which has an OEM license of Windows 7 home premium. If I use a retail DVD, can I format and re-install onto the machine using the OEM license key on the sticker?

[Detection]

Pretty sure since Vista you can use any disk to install, key determines version

[+Eternal Tempest MVC]

Yes, but it will most likely prompt you to call Microsoft when you attempt to activate it.

[spikey_richie]

Yes, but it will most likely prompt you to call Microsoft when you attempt to activate it.

That's okay, I can live with that.

[drtweak]

If you wait until after it is fully installed to type in your key and activate then you will not have to call MS.

[lars77]

drtweak has the right answer. (I do this all the time for work)

Pretty sure this has been asked/answered on Neowin a billion times already.. just saying ;)

[Karl L.]

I believe that warwagon created a thread to this effect in the tutorial section.

http://www.neowin.ne...r-the-internet/

[Tjarboe]

My brother has trashed the Windows install on his Acer laptop, which has an OEM license of Windows 7 home premium. If I use a retail DVD, can I format and re-install onto the machine using the OEM license key on the sticker?

I have a ASUS computer where the restore DVD's didn't work. The restoration partition was deleted. (Both which were not made/done by me) I used my Windows 7 x64 Retail CD and installed Windows 7 using the Key off of the OEM COA on the bottom of the laptop. I was prompted to call Microsoft when I wen to activate, and went through the automated activation on the phone. Quick. Easy. No problems.

Hope this helps.

Thomas

[Shane Nokes]

Usually with the laptops they have a recovery partition and you can just tell the machine to reinstall from that without any discs required. Did he just trash the OS, or trash the whole partitions, or is that partition missing?

[jesseinsf]

Be careful because some OEMs will not let you use a retail copy. I got skrewed quite a few times.Some OEMs allow it and others don't.

[Karl L.]

Be careful because some OEMs will not let you use a retail copy. I got skrewed quite a few times.Some OEMs allow it and others don't.

I do not believe this to be the case. Detection had the right idea above.

Pretty sure since Vista you can use any disk to install, key determines version

To elaborate, in the days of Windows 2000 and Windows XP, there were seperate discs for OEM, Retail, and Volume License installations. Each type of key required the same type of disc. (Although, it is technically possible to change the type of keys an XP installation disc will accept.) Starting with Windows Vista, however, Microsoft changed their approach. As far as I am aware, any Windows Vista or Windows 7 disc will accept OEM, Retail, and Volume License product keys. Similarly, a product key for, say, Windows 7 Home Premium is not specific to 32-bit or 64-bit. It may be used to install and activate either Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. I have installed many computers from a plethora of different manufacturers using the same Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 SP1 retail installation discs and never had a problem activating them with their original OEM product keys.

Even if the original product key has rubbed off of the bottom of the computer and cannot be read, it is often still possible to activate the computer the same way the OEM did when it shipped from the factory. You can download my utility for doing this here and read my explanation of why this works here.

[Shane Nokes]

That was a part of the story back in the day. The other part was that often those keys were not 'valid' for reinstall regardless of the media type. The reason being that the OEM's had a BIOS injected key, and the license in their 'golden' image was not the same as the license on the outside. So those keys were not allow to perform installs in case someone decided to use the license on another machine.

The story on this has since changed a bit.

[Ottawa Gamerz]

search the net for oem version or use windows 7 patch man these posts are a waste of time y not just install it and try if not call it in if u wont crack it

u wounder pc techs make the big bucks.. cuz people cant do nutting for them self... and remeber u google what u want to know u probley fine it faster than posting it ....

[spikey_richie]

Sorted, ran the installer with the retail disk and entered the OEM key... just need to activate it now.

[c.grz]

You won't be able to activate the OEM key. Unless by OEM key you mean the key on the sticker under the laptop.