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HDD Died: Can can I reinstall OEM Windows 7?
Hi folks,
Here's the problem as briefly as I can put it:
-My HP Pavilion DV5-2155DX laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium OA, 64 bit I think) has a dead hdd
-I ran all sorts of diagnostics, including SMART, and they all show it's the hdd
-I can boot into the laptop using Lubuntu on a USB key
-The HP laptop didn't come with a retail version of Windows 7 but an OEM version (so no dvd disc)
What I want to do:
-I want to reinstall Windows 7 and run it off an external hard drive OR just boot Windows 7 from a USB key (I don't want to install a new internal hard drive).
-I went to Microsoft's website and tried to download a Windows 7 ISO file, but couldn't because I have an OEM version
-So is there any way I can download/reinstall an OEM Windows 7 without purchasing a recovery disk from HP? Is it even possible to do that if I have an OEM Windows 7?
NOTE: Right now I'm using a Toshiba laptop to write this, not my HP one, but I can still get into my HP laptop via boot usb.
ANY help would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks!