Solved Clean Install using Factory COA Activation Key

[Bare Foot Kid]

I have created this as an actual tutorial so more people can find the information.

Clean Install : Factory COA Activation Key

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[DocBrown]

Nice work BFK

How about adding the link for a USB Flash drive for those netbooks without a DVD drive.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Thanks Doc, there you go mate!

 

[Heyyou]

Have a look through this information below to see the best option for your situation and be sure to post back with any further questions you may have and to keep us informed.

After you have copied out or made back-ups of the data you need to save to external media.

If you can borrow or download installation media of the exact same Windows 7 version the PC shipped with you can do a clean install using the activation key on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker attached to the PC though it may require a robo-call to MS to sort the OEM batch-key.

How to Activate Windows 7 by Phone

If you can't find an exact same version, you could use the information in this tutorial to create an "all versions" installer of any version Windows 7 installation media so you are able to install your version using the same activation method I posted above.

Windows 7 is version specific and not bit-rate specific, i.e. a Home Premium COA activation key will activate either the 32-bit or the 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System.

Windows 7 Universal Installation Disc - Create

ISO - Disk Image File : Extract to the Desktop

After you have made backups of everything you care to save to external media, the best method forward is to do a complete wipe secure erase of the entire Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive first, it over-writes everything, all the old Windows code including all the old drivers and installed programs, giving you the best possible space to do a clean installation of Windows 7 to.

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

Additional Secure Erase / Wipe Information

For those with netbooks and no CD/DVD drive, have a look at this tutorial.

USB Windows 7 Installation Key Drive - Create


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What about the way we did it in XP, where you continually press the F8 key as the computer boots, and choose install to the out of box OS?

 

[theog]

What about the way we did it in XP, where you continually press the F8 key as the computer boots, and choose install to the out of box OS?

That is for one of the OEM manufacturer preinstalls.

 

[Heyyou]

What about the way we did it in XP ...

Did you not bother to read any of the information presented here?

Yes and I understand. I just thought I'd ask.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Yes and I understand. I just thought I'd ask.

My apologies my friend, sometime I speak before I think.

 

[Heyyou]

Yes and I understand. I just thought I'd ask.

My apologies my friend, sometime I speak before I think.

No need to apologize.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

I have created this as an actual tutorial so more people can find the information.

Clean Install : Factory COA Activation Key
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For those interested, I have added a link to information about the Vista "all versions" process to the main-body of the tutorial, as it differs from the Windows 7 method.