Windows 7: help/advice needed

hi , i have a windows 7 packard bell laptop and i want to reinstall windows but i didnt make a backup disc ,
what i want to know is i have the windows 7 product key sticker under my laptop
so would i be able to use a friends windows 7 disc then input my product key
would this work ok ? or would the windows files be different
any help on this would be very much appriciated

Yes you can. But then you have to activate the product online, or by phone, to microsoft.

ok , excellent thanks

If the your friends windows 7 is the same version (ie ultimate, pro, etc) and is OEM, you probably can use it and your serial. You see your serial number is tied to packard bell, and if your friends is retail it wont work. so basically we need more info


Ken

my version is windows 7 home premium OA Acer group
yeah he has a retail version
so if that is the case and it wont work what do you feel would be the best solution ?

I haven't tried this, but in the retail version, the installation type is set by the file \sources\ei.cfg. Supposedly, removing that will make the installer generic, with the installed version determined by the key.

There are several ways to implement this. The simplest one, perhaps, is to use a USB flash drive:

Use a USB Key to Install Windows 7?Even on a Netbook

The installation from this is faster than from a DVD.

do you know how to remove that file as to be honest i dont have a clue ?

Just prepare the USB drive as directed.

Look in the \sources directory. ei.cfg is there. Delete, or, better, rename it to ei.cf.old.

You may have to have the machine you're doing it on set to show hidden files. I'm not sure, as I set my machines that way as a matter of course.

How to remove ei.cfg.

Use any version of Windows 7 free for 120 days

Extract your friend's DVD files to desktop, remove ei.cfg file in Sources folder, recompile into ISO to burn an all-versions DVD: Bootable ISO - Create from Installation Files

Boot DVD, Choose your licensed version,, select Custom install, use Drive tools to repartition as desired, format before installing Windows 7 to first partition. Afterwards, activate using stickered key at Computer>Properties, requiring robocall to MS to sort out batch key.