View Single Post
  #20  
Old March 27th 12, 08:47 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
Allen Drake
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 451
Default Reinstalling Windows 7 W/anytime upgrade.

On Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:15:01 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Allen Drake wrote:

On Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:17:49 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Allen Drake wrote:

On Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:13:08 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Allen Drake wrote:

I have read that Belarc Advisor will show the key but as I stated
that didn't work. It seems that MS should provide the answer without
having to use 3rd party work arounds.

Belarc Advisor will report the product key used for the install. That
could be a volume install (not a volume license but a mass install of a
sysprep image) and the COA sticker carries a different product key (but
for the same product). These volume installs are pre-validated (the
jobber doesn't have to validate and neither does the customer) but it's
a special license the jobber buys to do their system builds. That's why
I mentioned using the product key on the COA sticker.

It isn't a matter of "which disk goes with what computer". The disc
doesn't have the product key embedded within it for validation against
what you enter. You can use ANY disc to do the install but need a
product key that matches that product. So you could slap the COA
sticker on several hosts before doing the install and use the same CD
for all those installations. You just use the product key on the COA
sticker.

What jobbers are you referring to? I build my own systems and
purchase a full version for every machine I put together. The key on
the packages are for the version I bought. I am posting about a MS
application or contact where you can retrieve your anytime upgrade
key.

But the CD doesn't carry the key! If you bought a dozen separate
licenses and had a dozen COA stickers, you can take any of the dozen CDs
to do a reinstall on those hosts. All the CDs are alike. In fact, you
can copy them onto a hard disk and run the install from there (once you
use a bootable CD to load an OS to load the setup program from the hard
disk). The CD isn't locked to the product key. You have 12 retail
packages of Windows 7. You have 12 CDs. You have 12 COA stickers with
the product key on them. Shove 11 of the CDs in a drawer and use just
one to do all the installs and when each asks for a product key then you
use the one on the COA sticker. There is no key on the CD. That's why
you can find licenses sold just by themself with absolutely no media.
The seller is selling you the license with the product key. That's
because it is cheaper to do multiple installs using just one install CD
and using an individual key on each install. However, jobbers that do
lots of builds don't even have to enter the key after the install since
their copy is already pre-validated but there is still is a key on the
COA sticker that they put on those multiple hosts.


Ok, Now I get it. My bad. What I have been wondering is what keys to
use if MS has no way of finding them. If I am asked if I am using that
key on any other computer I can't have a way of truthful answering
"No". In the end, after I do a clean install all my Win7 machines,
which is 4 right now, I might end up with some that have the wrong
keys. Probably that will be the case. Then when I try the Ultimate key
I have in email will that key work on each machine if the original
key is wrong?


Use the same install CD for a fresh install of Windows 7 Home on all 4
computers. Put the COA stickers (if not already attached to the
computers) or paper strips with the product keys on them into a hat and
mix them up. Take one out at a time and use that product key to do the
install. Since you are wiping all 4 computers and doing fresh installs,
it's not possible that you are "using that key on any other computer".
If these are retail versions, you can [re]install on any computer. If
OEM, you "should" reinstall on the same host (and why you use the COA
sticker on that host). If the hardware is same for all 4 computers, it
really doesn't matter on which one you install an OEM version. If
you're required to do the phone-in validation then just tell them you
had to replace a crashed hard disk on which was the OS partition and
they'll verbally give you another product key to use. Then you upgrade.

However, in the past, you didn't have to install the prior version to
install the following upgrade version. You just did the install of the
upgrade version and when queried you inserted the install CD for the
prior version upon which the upgrade was based. You only did one
install (the upgrade), not two installs (base + upgrade). Sorry, I
never do upgrades because I don't want to bring along a polluted OS to
migrate to a newer one. I wipe and do a fresh install of the OS version
that I want installed at the time (but then I buy full retails versions
instead of hoping I can move forward with an upgrade version, especially
since the install CD for the prior version might not be around anymore
or I can't find it or don't want to spend the time hunting for it).

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operat...l-part-1_9.htm
See the "Important" note.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...7-version.html
How to do a clean install using an *upgrade* version of Windows 7. Be
sure to note item #1.

You delay activation until AFTER the install of just the upgrade version
has completed, then you activate using your new product key for that
upgrade version.


Thanks. That was a perfect and complete outline. All the OS disks I
have are full retail versions. I never bother with OEM or Upgrades
and always do clean installs. I finally located all the Ultimate
numbers from emails that were sent by MS. Using Belarc Advisor I was
able to determine which system they belong to. I will try using those
codes which I am pretty sure they should work.

Thanks again.

Al.
Ads