Windows 7 - Lost your Windows discs? How to get replacement media, legally

This is not XP. Windows 7 is driver-complete in the installer and quickly updated via optional Windows Updates.

You only need to provide drivers missing in Device Manager after install and several rounds of Updates.

I would not change out drivers given by installer or optional Updates unless performance points to a specific driver. If they are not provided by Windows 7, there is likely a reason Windows 7 doesn't want them.

That depends more on the device itself. For any addons like your video card, sound, tuner cards, printers, etc. especially more recent models you then have to locate what isn't found in the Windows updates as far as the application updates as well as device drivers.

The Windows updates will typically see the driver sets but not the application side like the AMD/ATI Catalyst or NVidia Desktop manager. The sound mixer app for a separate sound card would again be found at the manufacturer.

As far as the larger amount of generic drivers found in 7 over XP take a look at how many years have passed inbetween those two versions as well as how many newer hardwares and devices are now found on the market. External self contained hard drives, usb devices like flash drives, cell phone SD cards acting like flash drives the same way the onboard or added in memory card on digital cameras work. The development of 7 included support for these newer technologies not in existance back in January 2001 when XP was first seen.

One other item that will be a great help however with any clean install of Windows is going for the Secunia Personal Software Inspector which will prompt when any newer version or update for anything installed is found. Even after Windows has been on for time this has proven itself to be an asset. Free Computer Security - Personal Software Inspector (PSI) - Secunia

Besides being a security tool that will also make sure the drivers that go on are the correct ones for what you may need to find once you have to go with a clean install of Windows.

LOL.

Mr Bott is entitled to post what he wants on his blog - that is how he makes a living.

In spite of what he says, you will notice that there are large numbers of posts all over the net from people who are in a pickle because they didn't have any recovery media.

While they might be then able to get it by ordering from the oem - it is very inconvenient to say the least.

It usually ( but not always ) costs a bit, too.

Comet might argue it is better to give the customers the opportunity to have it on dvd - already made - before disaster strikes.

Seems perfectly sensible and would save a lot of people a lot of hassle.

The difficulty appears to be that they were allegedly, selling it.

If that is the case, then Comet should have had a licensing agreement beforehand.

If they were charging £14.99 - is that selling - or is it a handling and postage fee?



You will recall the "free" upgrade to Windows 7 for those who purchased Vista machines.

If I remember correctly - it was the small, specialist companies, like Mesh, who were actually supplying the upgrade media free.

There were a number of reports of some oems charging as much as £30 for the supposedly free ugrade media - apparently with MS blessing.

Unfortunately that does happen since they can swallow the OEM prices they pay MS for as far as license keys for OEM made systems and absorb that in the retail price you pay out for a then new Vista machine with the Anytime Upgrade offer.

The smart thing but not too often thought of by a new time pc user would be using the utility prepackaged or available at the manufacturer's support site for seeing a recvery disk made. That would mean having your own disaster recovery plan inplace from the start rather then waiting until disaster and then 'I can't reinstall since I don't have a disk! "

If you buy Windows at the MS store and request the backup media you pay an additional $15US for that to have an installation disk onhand. But you are still going directly through the MS Store whereas Comet slipped up by not clearing things through MS first even having MS provided the branded media under an agreement.

The small fee for any backup media is expected to cover shipping and other expenses like manufacturing. With other softwares you purchase by electronic download you would also pay an extra $15US for example to have the cd or dvd media included with the purchase. The original software company however has the media manufactured for them for this purpose while Comet apparently went out on their own and was found out.

Hey thanks a lot. I purchased my Dell Notebook second hand and it didn't come with any support DVDs. Ordered them via the Dell link you provided and got them the next day absolutely free!