Hi,
I accidentally deleted Recovery Partition in my HP Spectre XT. I want to reinstall windows 7 home premium 64 which i have now. I don't have cd provided by the manufacturer. i got OEM product key and CD key (extracted using The Magical Jelly Bean). Can i download iso file and reinstall my windows? Will I be still able to use the product key and have a genuine windows again?
Thank you in advance
If the present Win7 is OEM, the Jellybean key probably is no good. You can use the COA sticker key.
Hi Tural, welcome to Seven Forums.
You can download the official ISO's from here:
Download Windows 7 ISOs, Legally and for Free | PCsteps.com
You don't need to use an OEM disc with 7, a retail ISO will work fine.
You will need to use the product key on the COA sticker.
I always remove recovery partitions anyway as they're outdated quickly and contain the OEM bloatware. You just need the 7 disc and your drivers which you can download from your pc manufacturer's site.
This guide will help you with an OEM clean install:
Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
I think it is wise to keep an image of your recovery/tools partitions just in case they contain drivers/utilities not easily obtainable for the OEM system. This doesn't take much effort and can allow you to restore the PC to the as bought condition if you need to replace the HDD and maybe sell the PC.
Macrium Reflect is good for this. Generally a clean install ISO and legit COA PID should be enough. I'd agree when this works it is definitely a neater solution.
Is windows still operational and in good condition?
See How to: What are my options for obtaining Windows 7 reinstall - Microsoft Community for current state of downloadable media.
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