Can You Install Retail Windows 7 and use OEM serial #

[Shine]

OK here is what I am wondering. My daughter has a Toshiba laptop that I bought for her with Windows 7 installed. It, like virtually all PC's with windows pre-installed came with tons of bloatware on it. I would like to reinstall windows minus all the bloatware

So I was wondering if I could use my retail up-grade disk to format and reinstall Windows on her laptop but use her OEM serial number when prompted. In case your wondering yes I do have recovery disks that I made when the computer was first bought. I could use them but then I would end up with all the bloatware coming back.

If it's not possible then I guess I will just have to uninstall all the unnecessary stuff again. Just really trying to save a little bit of work.

Thanks

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You say "OEM serial number".

Do you mean her 25 character Product Key found on a sticker on her PC, with a format like this:

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

You can use that Product Key, but it shouldn't contain the characters "OEM" and is not a "serial number".

I think you could use your own disk IF AND ONLY IF it matches the Windows 7 edition mentioned on her product key.

You can definitely download a legit Windows 7 ISO from the following link, burn it to a disc, and use her Product Key. Make sure you download the version matching her Product Key:

Official Windows 7 SP1 ISO from Digital River « My Digital Life

I'd make sure I had all Toshiba drivers for her PC downloaded separately. You never know which you might need. The drivers provided by the Windows 7 installation disc should work for most if not all functions.

I'd particularly want to have the necessary Ethernet/wireless driver on hand as it may be needed to establish an Internet connection after you clean install.

 

[edwar]

There should be a Utility to make a Real Win 7 OEM DVD or ISO file from the System Backup and or Recovery partition included on the drive.

 

[Shine]

I used Magical Jelly Bean key finder to find both product id and the CD key.

@edwar- I don't see a recovery partition on this laptop so I don't know if it was never there or if it was somehow deleted. The HD is not partitioned so it's just a C drive and I don't see it.

@ignatzatsonic- I do see OEM listed as part of the product ID but I know that's not the line I would need to input. I now see the 25 number/letter combination for the CD key

I'm going to give it a shot now and reformat with my windows disk and try her key.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'm going to give it a shot now and reformat with my windows disk and try her key.

You will likely fail ultimately---if your disks are for a different version than her product key. If your disk and her product key are both, for instance, "Windows 7 Home Premium", then it might work.

If you fail, download the ISO for the version matching her product key.

 

[Shine]

Yes they are both windows 7 home premium. Never the less I have hit a bit of a snag. It seems the optical drive isn't working as windows can't see or play any disk that I put into it. So I guess I'll have to wait a day or so until I can find a new DVD ROM/burner. Device manager seems to show the drive to be alright.

ignatzatsonic thanks for your time. I will do as you suggested and download the ISO if reformatting it my way doesn't work out. Thanks again.

 

[bigmck]

Yes they are both windows 7 home premium. Never the less I have hit a bit of a snag. It seems the optical drive isn't working as windows can't see or play any disk that I put into it. So I guess I'll have to wait a day or so until I can find a new DVD ROM/burner. Device manager seems to show the drive to be alright.

ignatzatsonic thanks for your time. I will do as you suggested and download the ISO if reformatting it my way doesn't work out. Thanks again.

If her Windows and yours are the same (ie Home Premium, etc), then using your disk on her PC is fine. You just need to find the sticker on her PC that has the 25 character key and input it after instalation. That will make things legit. Using your disk and her key is no problem as long as they are the same version of Windows. Thanks,

 

[SIW2]

The key found on the HD won't do you any good if that is an oem preinstall.

You need the key off the sticker ( often under the battery )

 

[gregrocker]

Everything you need is here to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7.

 

[Shine]

Alright just a bit of a update on my reinstall progress. After a couple of blasts from a can of compressed air I got the DVD rom to start working again. It didn't really look too bad but I guess it was a bit dusty inside.

So I used my retail copy of home premium to format and install windows on the laptop and entered the serial number that came with windows home premium that was already installed on the laptop. Activation however was a no go, I tried a couple of times and got a error code 0xC004E003. So I thought this might be a case where activation by phone might be necessary so I called Microsoft.

I explained what I was doing and why I was doing it in the manner I was. The woman on the phone seemed to understand the reason why I was doing this as she is well aware of all the bloat ware installed on store bought systems. She asked me for the serial number, so I gave her the number and she repeated it back to me. She then informs me the error code indicates a problem with serial number and that the number I gave her is in fact a blocked/bogus number. She tells me that the serial number I gave her is all over the internet and that is why it is blocked. I'm told to take up the matter with Toshiba as they can't do anything from their end.

Thinking I don't have much to lose I reinstall again using the recovery disks I made on the first day I bought the laptop. It took a while but it did reinstall Windows along with all the unwanted bloat. I check the system out and find it's must automatically activate when installed this way. I used different software this time and recheck the serial number and confirm it's the same one I had given Microsoft. Not really sure how a blocked serial number is now working.

 

[Shine]

As I couldn't just let it go I called Toshiba to see if I could get an explanation as to why one of their laptops came with a blocked serial number, at least according to Microsoft. The support person was of course wondering why I didn't just use the re-installation disks instead of installing it the way I did. I was honest with him and told him I wanted to avoid all the unnecessary bloat ware that also gets installed along with windows.

This seemed to rub him the wrong way as he became very short with me and his tone seemed annoyed. He tells me all that software (bloat) I'm going to uninstall is necessary for my laptop to run correctly and I would be better off leaving it all on there. He says that reason it wouldn't activate was that the serial number will only work with my individual laptop's digital signature. Not really sure but this might be true.

When I told him that Microsoft says the number is blocked and bogus he says they don't know what their talking about. When I ask why if I start entering in this serial number in Google search I get tons of hits showing this number even before I'm finished typing it in. He says just because you find it on the internet it doesn't make it true. This of course is a very true statement.

So there you have it. Either Microsoft doesn't know what their talking about or Toshiba doesn't.

 

[SIW2]

The serial number on your hard drive is indeed tied to the oem activation sequence for that machine. ( More probably, that type of machine )

It doesn't go online to activate - that is the way oem's do so many machines - they can't enter each product key one by one onto millions of machines.

It is possible that same number, activation cert and bios slic has been used for cracking - it happens.

If you want to clean reinstall without the bloat - you should use the completely different product key that is somewhere stickered on your machine - often under the battery.

 

[SIW2]

You will probably find it easier to uninstall as much of the crapware as you can with something like the free The PC Decrapifier Wipes Unwanted Junk | The PC Decrapifier

 

[mjf]

If you want to clean reinstall without the bloat - you should use the completely different product key that is somewhere stickered on your machine - often under the battery.

Ditto....the sticker key is the only key to use. It is not the OEM key.

 

[edwar]

Well the real question is IS IT Crapware or is it necessary drivers and feature programs that you are uninstalling. Programs that give you function key options and fn+key options.

To my knowledge if the Recovery disc made or supplied is only One disc it more then likely does not contain anything other then the OS and the specific drivers for the hardware in your system.

It is when you have a 2 or 3 disc recovery set that reinstalls all the trial and limited time junkware that seems to come on all Branded system.

If you made that disc from a utility included on the drive then it is more then likely just the OS.

 

[mjf]

If you made that disc from a utility included on the drive then it is more then likely just the OS.

I think this is more likely to be a factory restore which will include the bloatware you saw when you first turned on the PC.

 

[edwar]

If you made that disc from a utility included on the drive then it is more then likely just the OS.

I think this is more likely to be a factory restore which will include the bloatware you saw when you first turned on the PC.

And why would you think that?

I know the Dell does not do that. In fact you have to use their utility a couple of times to make backups of the programs that came installed on your system. When doing the Recovery disc it is Only the OS.

 

[mjf]

And why would you think that?

I know the Dell does not do that. In fact you have to use their utility a couple of times to make backups of the programs that came installed on your system. When doing the Recovery disc it is Only the OS.

My experience I guess.
I believe Dell are one of the few that will ship clean install disks if you select that option. Maybe things have changed recently???

 

[Shine]

I did end up using the PC decrapifier to clear most of the bloat off the laptop. So far I haven't seen anything that's not functioning since taking it off.

Still think it's funny Microsoft is so positive the serial number is blocked

 

[gregrocker]

There are other steps you can take to regain performance from a bloated Factory Preinstall in Clean Up Factory Bloatware.

Most tech enthusiasts would never run the corrupt factory preinstall but choose to Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7 for best performance.