Windows 7 home windows key?

Gavin78 · 27-12-2011, 20:11

My wife has a laptop that came with windows home edition 64 bit. it has some sort of restore drive partition from the main drive. however I just want to wipe the whole laptop and put a clean copy of windows 7 on and get rid of all the asus crap that came with it

Can I install windows 7 pro using her CD key on the laptop supplied or would I need to download a copy of windows home?

I'll just download the drivers from the Asus website once windows is installed

bobna · 27-12-2011, 20:19

probably the best way to reinstall would be to use and oem version of win7 home edition and use the key under the laptop to activate, then use drivers from the asus site for that model to get everything working

wouldnt reccomend downloading a copy from dodgy websites though, many contain virus and trojens

Gavin78 · 27-12-2011, 20:56

I was thinking more news groups and a NZB site where it will have been tested by others?

although I have an original copy of windows 7 pro could I install that on hers and use her CD key to activate it I wasn't sure how universal the CD keys were e.g

only home edition keys worked on them and pro keys worked on pro etc

Milambar · 27-12-2011, 22:54

OEM keys supplied with computer purchases will not work on Retail boxed copies of windows.

M$ did that deliberately, to stop people doing exactly what you're proposing to do. Heh.

Gavin78 · 27-12-2011, 23:23

So what happens if the computer needs a format or the HD dies a death?

v0id · 27-12-2011, 23:39

Using the key provided you would only get Windows 7 Home not Pro unless you paid for the upgrade

...but, if you were to 'acquire' a win 7 disc, you would be able to reinstall to "get rid of the asus crap".
Latest Windows disks nowadays are standard and it's only the key that determines the version

It would probably be simpler to just use something like decrapifier though > http://pcdecrapifier.com/

philwhite100 · 28-12-2011, 00:32

When i changed my laptop operating system from Vista to Win 7 i just fitted a new hard drive and installed Windows from there but i did have to use my Win 7 activation key.

**Kymmy** · 28-12-2011, 10:41

The key will be for specific hardware, so most of the time as long as the key matches the bios/SLIC then most install media will work as the key turns on/off features depending if it's home/pro/ultimate.

Milambar · 28-12-2011, 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gavin78

So what happens if the computer needs a format or the HD dies a death?

Normally when you get a new computer, when you first boot it up, it prompts you to make a set of recovery dvd's for exactly this happenstance. If you decide not to, then you may well have to either buy a full retail copy of windows, or buy the recovery disk set off the original manufacture of the PC.

Neither option is cheap. Make the DVD set when the PC prompts you :P

Jameseh · 28-12-2011, 17:01

Yeah Sony charged me £40 for recovery discs when I botched mine up.