Windows 7: Installed Win 7 Home Premium OEM on wrong HD

After saving the data on the smaller drive that you want to keep, I think even formatting it with Disk Management should suffice.

OK, I think that I got it done. I did as you said and moved all files that I wished to keep over to C drive--then I did a quick format of E drive---after which I moved all the files/folders back to the clean E drive.
I also deleted the old win 7 on the C drive. Now, I appear to have a good OS with most of the garbage removed. Now to start adding all my programs again.

All this because of a HD failure that contained a copy of Win 7 Ultimate that refused to activate---not genuine. The guy who sold me the computer(already loaded) swore to me that the copy was legit---and it DID work well for 2 years.
Now, I read where there may be a workaround for that bothersome "not genuine" nonsense. Oh well, I am now running Home premium 64. which I will activate tomorrow. Will post the results.

Thanks for all the help

Good deal. Thanks for reporting back.

Were you provided with a COA sticker for the preinstalled Windows 7 as is required to sell it?



If so you can try the Product Key to see if it will activate as it may in fact be genuine. The procedure if it won't is to call MS Customer Service to validate the key. If it is valid they should open a case to get it installed one way or another.

If not you can use a new key. If it won't activate you may need to make the robocall to trade a series of numbers to record the hardware signature in MS Activation Servers.

I make this suggestion so you will know you did everything you can to use the preinstalled Windows 7 license you paid for, and if it works you can use the new license elsewhere.

This problem is now solved for good. The thread perhaps needs to be closed.

We do not close our threads even if the OP marks it Solved. This is because detail might need to be added for the potentially thousands who will find it in Google searches.

In this case the OP had failed to mention until the end he was reinstalling against non-Genuine without addressing that issue. Having reinstalled he has the option to try his old key as a last resort before writing off a $100+ preinstalled OS. If it activates he can use any new key elsewhere. If not he and all others will at least know all was done that could have been.

Thank you for the clarification which is noted for the future. I misstated for which I express sincere regrets. What I meant was that it should perhaps be marked as solved.

No prob. Just wanted you and others to know why it's OK to comment in a thread which appears resolved. Some threads are visited by Google searchers countless times and need to be as complete as possible.

OP can mark the thread Solved at top.

You can also report a thread which clearly appears to be solved and the Mods will mark it.

In fact I have myself commented on threads that have been marked as solved. Thanks again.

This copy of Win 7 activated with no problem. I now consider my problem solved and will indicate so. Thanks for all the help.