Caution on buying Win7 off web

[gregrocker]

We have many reported cases here of bogus Win7 keys, even with actual packaging, sold on eBay and elsewhere on the web. These keys might initially work but soon are blacklisted because they are Technet keys sold in violation of usage agreement by Software subscriber.

A thread was just closed attempting to sell boxed retail Win7 DVD with key, including a souvenir signature edition many of us received for demonstrating Win7 in a house party.

This might have been legit but it is still risky since even if it activates, the fact that someone you do not know has a copy of that key means they or someone else could start using it again, invalidating your activation.

For these reasons, the only people it is really safe to buy second-hand Win7 from are family and close friends who you trust enough to know it is legit and they will not start using it again.

This is also why Family Packs should not be split between those outside of your network or family since the purchaser must keep close tally that only 3 copies are in use at a time, so that the key isn't given to Susie's college roommate thus deactivating Dad's desktop.:shock:

 

[Lemur]

Good point. Another thing to remember is "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." You're not going to buy Windows 7 for $25.

 

[Bushman5]

excellent topic!

one should also be careful about letting big stores (BEST BUY IM TALKING TO YOU!) employees install ANY operating system for you.......i got burned.........

make SURE they give you ALL the packing (boxes COA etc etc etc)

 

[gregrocker]

What happened Bushman?

 

[Bushman5]

i agreed to have win7 installed on for a few extra bucks on a HD i bought from BestBuy. Bought a whack of other toys with it and put all the packing materails (boxes0 aside. did not look at the disc. Thought it had activated but 30 days in got the balck screen and frequwnt popups 9windows not genuine) etc etc. Looked thru all the packing materail and found a "windows7' DVD, with windows 7 written on it in sharpie marker

got royally fed up and spent my weekend beer money on a GENUINE win 7 ultimate from another computer store.

BB employee was later fired for internal theft, mostly Windows OS software.

 

[gregrocker]

Best Buy owed you Win7 if you had a receipt for install or else they shared in the theft.

That's a lot of beer.

 

[Maxxwire]

gregrocker- Thanks for the warning! I had considered buying my Win 7 computer at Best Buy, but it took 3 employees to answer the questions I had and even so they weren't too sure so I took my business to Fry's.

~Maxx~
.

 

[marsmimar]

As usual, excellent information and very timely, Greg. When I bought my laptop from Dell, it had 7 Pro installed. No install or recovery disk was included, just a recovery partition. I was looking around online and found several Microsoft Certified (or Gold Certified) Partners selling 7 Pro OEM disks. Most of the companies I looked at have been in business for at least 10 years. Considering that these vendors are Certified Partners and are registered with Microsoft, is it safe (and legal) to purchase OEM software from them?

 

[patio]

You're better off contacting Dell and requesting a Restore DVD....it'll cost you less also.

 

[marsmimar]

You're better off contacting Dell and requesting a Restore DVD....it'll cost you less also.

Appreciate the suggestion but I've been round and round with Dell. They refuse to provide any kind of disk saying they've completely discontinued that practice.

 

[Bill2]

As usual, excellent information and very timely, Greg. When I bought my laptop from Dell, it had 7 Pro installed. No install or recovery disk was included, just a recovery partition. I was looking around online and found several Microsoft Certified (or Gold Certified) Partners selling 7 Pro OEM disks. Most of the companies I looked at have been in business for at least 10 years. Considering that these vendors are Certified Partners and are registered with Microsoft, is it safe (and legal) to purchase OEM software from them?

Dont waste hard earned money like that.

1) First of all, what prevents you from making a recovery disk? I just bought a dell myself and it came with Dell Datasafe software, you just need to run that software and pop in a dvd or 2 when it asks you to.

If you hate that software, just download and install Macrium reflect free. Then image the system drive to an external drive, make your rescue cd and you're set. You can also use Acronis if thats what you fancy.

2) If required, you can do a clean install from any generic Win7 disk (borrow from friend or find a clean copy on the web), then activate by using the COA key on your computer and calling MS.

 

[strollin]

With a Win 7 system, there really isn't any excuse not to have a recovery disk. Built-in to Win 7 is the ability to create a System Repair Disk and the ability to create a system image. As Bill2 pointed out, some mfrs provide software to create recovery disks and if neither of those suit you, there are plenty of 3rd party programs to do it, both free and paid.

 

[SledgeDG]

Nowadays, they don't pack a RestoreDVD...just a rescue Partition and some means to create those DVD (s) yourself ONCE. I's been like that at least for the last 3, 4 years. If you buy a complete system "out of the box" at Best Buy you should be safe. But you could bet your butt, if my OS would claim not to be genuine one day, Best Buy would have so much *** on their hands...that's not gonna be pretty

-DG

 

[Bill2]

Nowadays, they don't pack a RestoreDVD...just a rescue Partition and some means to create those DVD (s) yourself ONCE. I's been like that at least for the last 3, 4 years. If you buy a complete system "out of the box" at Best Buy you should be safe. But you could bet your butt, if my OS would claim not to be genuine one day, Best Buy would have so much *** on their hands...that's not gonna be pretty

-DG

Actually, Dell was still giving out restore dvds till May this year. They were the last I believe.

 

[stormy13]

As usual, excellent information and very timely, Greg. When I bought my laptop from Dell, it had 7 Pro installed. No install or recovery disk was included, just a recovery partition. I was looking around online and found several Microsoft Certified (or Gold Certified) Partners selling 7 Pro OEM disks. Most of the companies I looked at have been in business for at least 10 years. Considering that these vendors are Certified Partners and are registered with Microsoft, is it safe (and legal) to purchase OEM software from them?

Unfortunately as much as it would be nice to rely on something like with regards to whether a site is legit or not, that logo can and has been many times added without permission. When in doubt when you come across a site with the logo go here,

Microsoft Certified Partner

and you can look them up. If you don't find the site on the list, be a good idea to contact Microsoft about it.

 

[neo101]

Even AMAZON Full Win7 Retail Boxed Page is targetted with these same scammers who pose as other retailers under the same software barcode selling at a discount.
Majority of times you will NOT get the same barcode Full Retail Boxed version with a proper licence
So email the reseller and ask them for the serial numbers on the box and match them to what is being sold on Amazon page.

I have had a number of the crooks removed who are selling something completely different to that which is being sold on the Amazon Win7 UK page and within 24hrs they are back on under a different name!

 

[shortmantuff]

Good point. Another thing to remember is "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." You're not going to buy Windows 7 for $25.

I bought Windows 7 at a student discount for $30 and I've been using it since Oct. 2009 and it still works fine. I can't remember the site I bought it from though.

 

[Bill2]

Good point. Another thing to remember is "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." You're not going to buy Windows 7 for $25.

I bought Windows 7 at a student discount for $30 and I've been using it since Oct. 2009 and it still works fine. I can't remember the site I bought it from though.

That was digitalriver, not sure whether anything like that is operative now. But MS is bringing back the Family discount pack (3 home premium licenses for $150) at least in the US, from Oct. 4 i think.

 

[stormy13]

Pro Upgrade, but the price has gone up to $64.95,

Microsoft Student - Windows 7

US students only. For Canadian students you need to check here,

Microsoft® Office Professional Academic 2010

to see if your school qualifies.

 

[Keiichi25]

As usual, excellent information and very timely, Greg. When I bought my laptop from Dell, it had 7 Pro installed. No install or recovery disk was included, just a recovery partition. I was looking around online and found several Microsoft Certified (or Gold Certified) Partners selling 7 Pro OEM disks. Most of the companies I looked at have been in business for at least 10 years. Considering that these vendors are Certified Partners and are registered with Microsoft, is it safe (and legal) to purchase OEM software from them?

Dont waste hard earned money like that.

1) First of all, what prevents you from making a recovery disk? I just bought a dell myself and it came with Dell Datasafe software, you just need to run that software and pop in a dvd or 2 when it asks you to.

If you hate that software, just download and install Macrium reflect free. Then image the system drive to an external drive, make your rescue cd and you're set. You can also use Acronis if thats what you fancy.

2) If required, you can do a clean install from any generic Win7 disk (borrow from friend or find a clean copy on the web), then activate by using the COA key on your computer and calling MS.

Actually, I got a Dell Laptop. And I did use the Dell Datasafe software... Til one Dell update self-destructed it. And then I decided, meh.

I think I did manage to make a system restore disk before it destroyed itself, but lately, the manufacturers don't bother including a system restore disk with their computers. While it is great that I don't have more filler disks that I don't need, at the same time, for a new system, I prefer to have a manufacturer's restore disk than to make one myself.

While the imaging idea is a good idea, at the same time, if you want to do a clean, unadulterated install of the OS, imaging a factory outputted, fluff filled OS is much like cloning crap.