What happens to the OEM license?

Finally something I understand.
I'm running Sata right now, with some kind of RAID thingy on it. I thought that's what you sprayed bugs with

whs:
You're right Acer support should open a market as manure spreaders. I've got about 20 pages of e-mail from them and not one has been worth a tinkers damn.

Yeah, I thought RAID was for dual boot systems. I have no idea why it's on here. It's not anything I put there and I doubt those cheap..... at Acer put it there either. Must be the little geek who put in the graphics card when I bought it.

Can't I just disable the RAID, wouldn't that be the same as setting it up SATA\IDE?
Don't I need a different cable setup for IDE?

Great, just want I needed one more headache. Maybe I'll just keep the Vista and see it there isn't some way to get into that partition to extract the files I need to fix the system.

total confusion said:

In the Quote box you describe how to get into that partition. F8 took me to the safe mode selections window. So I back out of there and rebooted with the Vista SP2 repair CD. I got into the command prompt window but that is not what came up. X:sources\ came up not X:\Windows\System32. See attachment. I tried a bunch of different combinations but never got past the X:\sources. I didn't try backspacing to see if I could take out the sources and type in Windows\System32 in it's place. I'll have to give that a try.

a. Boot through the Vista Recovery Disk
b. Repair your computer and select ‘Command prompt’:
c. It will take you to the location
x:\Sources (assuming windows drive is C: in WinRE)
d. Type c: and press enten, it will display as c:\
e. Type the following commands:
cd windows
cd system32

total confusion said:

To answer your question, yes I have run the Western Digital Diagnostics CD then checkdisk. It tell me the damn disk is fine. It's not fine, I hear all kinds of noises from it at different times. I even ran the one for testing from the desktop, it said it was fine too.. I've even had it set up to run a disk check when rebooted, still says no problems found.

Are there performance problems you can pin on the HD, other than just "noises?" If the diag/repair scan and chkdsk show clean, then I would keep it backed up but not assume noises alone mean HD is dying.

total confusion said:

I have 3 Microsoft CD's that they sent me while I was working with them. One is the basic Vista Home Premium, the second is with SP1 and the third is with SP2. These were intended for repair purposes only and came with no license key. I assume I can use them and the key on the side of the case should I decide to stay with Vista. (Christmas and all money is kind of tight right now)

If these have SP's then they are full Installation DVDs and not just Repair CD's. You can use them to clean reinstall from boot using the Product Key on COA sticker, which is exactly what I would do after wiping the HD: re-install windows 7

However first I would test them by booting to see if they proceed with install according to the screenshots shown here: Clean Install Windows 7

total confusion said:

I do want to find some way to get into that recovery partition though. There were some programs I'd like to snatch off of it and incorporate with 7 if and when I go that way. The Acer "Empowering Technology" is a great feature. If I do a clean install of either I would lose that.

PS-- Thanks for the warm welcome

Back up the .wim for this purpose. The expert here on mounting to edit and extract from the .wim in SIW2 who you can PM for help if you want.

mjf; I took some time to run some image checks with Macrium. The image will not verify if I do it through the desktop. If I create it in the boot menu, it verifies. I mounted the image and opened it. Not exactly what I expected. I am going to add 1 attachment; is this the boot ISO I need to open the recovery partition? When I opened the Acer folders I didn't find even what is on the C drive in folders.
I'm going to run a check on the Data Partition, mount it and see if what I'm looking for is in there. If I can't find the "Acer Empowering Technology" setup or installation, then I'm going to Amazon and order the Windows 7 Pro version.

Adrian; Is this RAID thing going to be an issue for me to install the new HD? Can't I just pull the old drive out, use the same cables to install the new one, then add windows 7?

After Christmas business will probably pick up and I can't afford to have a computer I can't count on. I build custom kitchens for a living and I'm already behind on some designs I had hope to finished.

I would like to have the Acer Technology files but I'm not wasting too much more time messing with this.

Here is a screenshot of my mounted Macrium image of PQService along side yours. My OS is Win 7 x64 Home Premium. I don't know what the iso you refer to is. It would be useful for you to highlight PQService like I have done and see what appears. Note in mine their is a Boot folder (containing a BCD) and a Bootmgr file. If these two exist it means PQService is bootable.
I don't know what's special to you about the Acer technology files you refer to.

If it was me and the PC was a key tool for my livelihood, I wouldn't muck around I'd be going down the lowest risk route and buying Windows 7 and put it on the new disk. Furthermore I'd consider a retail license which can be transferred to any PC down the track.

Sorry it took so long to get back, things in the shop got busy.

Ok I was able through "other sources" to get the particular folder I wanted to back up. (from the hidden partition) I don't need the PQS anymore do I???

I have decided to just install the new hard drive with Windows 7. Got some questions about that. I want to go from Vista Home Premium (32 bit) to Window 7 PRO (32 bit). (Not a dual boot)
There seems to be some controversy over doing a clean install on a replacement hard drive using the "upgrade" on an OEM machine.

If I'm replacing the hard drive, how do I prove I had Vista? And, what license do I register it with??? I've been told to reinstall Vista, I can't I don't have the OEM disk.
Then I was told use the COA on the side of the case. Just not to enter anything when I install and to uncheck some box.
Then I was told that since it is a clean install on a new hard drive screw the OEM mobo and install it using the license that comes with the upgrade package.

HELP!!!
I'm so confused I don't even know what I'm, to buy. I want 7 Pro, can I go from HP to PRO?? I do not want to have to buy the 7 HP; then do an upgrade on that to PRO. I would be further ahead (if I had to do that) to buy Ultimate. I really don't need all the stuff that is on Ultimate.

I would like to buy it this weekend. I only have 30 days to return the hard drive if there is a problem with it. It was delivered UPS. I would imagine it got tossed around quite a bit.