I bought, installed, and activated Windows 7 (and Office 2007) a few weeks ago, and just two weeks later my laptop broke down so that I will have to buy a new one. My question is this: Will I be able to install, and (most importantly) activate Windows 7 on the new laptop? What would I have to do?
Last edited by KaDaeHa; 18 Nov 2009 at 19:15. Reason: Typos
I see you have two possibilities. First one, and my recommendation, is to buy a laptop with Seven preinstalled, or in some case with Vista preinstalled with a free upgrade to Seven.
Second possibility is to do as you mentioned. Install your legal copy of Seven on your new laptop and activate it. Windows do not need to be "deactivated"; when you activate Seven on laptop it kind of transfers the activation from your desktop. Please remember that after this your desktop is no longer using a legal copy of Windows, you have to reinstall your earlier OS.
Hope this helps.
Kari
Thanks a lot!
I see... I already thought about the first solution you suggested. But a preinstalled Windows 7 Professional would cost me $75 more, and I decided that is not worth it. Especially since I already paid for a version of Professional.
Your second solution sounds wonderful. Does that really work? There is no reason to worry about the then void license. I already turned the hard-drive from my old laptop into an external drive. The computer is busted, and has only salvage value.
As far as you have a retail version of Seven, there are going to be no problems to install it to another computer if you don't mind of losing the licence on the first computer.
If you have an OEM version of Seven, it is tied to a computer and hardware setup it was first installed. To install an OEM version to another computer, or to the same computer after a major hardware change, it need to be reactivated by phone. Even this is normally not a problem, Microsoft accepts normally the reasons why a user have to install it on a new computer.
Anyway, from your post I understood you have a retail version so it is going to be pretty straight forward operation.
Kari
When you install Win 7 on your new computer, do not give your Key Number, when asked. When done, try it, enjoy it and see how it goes. Then install your programs,Office, etc. Again try and enjoy. You have 30 days to try.If satisfied, give your number. Then make a system image. If anything goes wrong, you do not have to worry, just rollback to the system image. Oh, yes, almost forgot, enjoy your new OS and new computer.
Yes, I have a retail version. That's what made it only more upsetting that two weeks after I made the purchase my laptop died. Thanks for your help. Thanks to richc46, too.
Did you determine with certainty what happened to your laptop?
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