Solved Clean reinstall Windows 7 x64 Retail on laptop with Windows 7 x86 OA

[kaler0]

Hi, my laptop came with Windows 7 Home Premium OA x86 pre-installed and no Windows disk. After many years of use, I want to do a clean reinstall but I'd like to switch to the x64 Windows, so I've downloaded a retail ISO of Windows 7 Home Premium x64.

With that, a few questions come to my mind:

1- Will I be able to install this retail ISO using my OA key (it is on a sticker under the laptop's battery) or should I modify the ISO's ei.cfg file?

2- Will I be able to activate Windows with my OA license, considering that my laptop originally came with the 32 bits Windows pre-installed and I'll try to activate a 64 bits one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SIW2]

1- Will I be able to install this retail ISO using my OA key (it is on a sticker under the laptop's battery) or should I modify the ISO's ei.cfg file?

If it is a "Home Premium" iso, the ei.cfg will already state that. You can delete the ei.cfg if you like, which will make it ask what edition you want to install.

2- Will I be able to activate Windows with my OA license, considering that my laptop originally came with the 32 bits Windows pre-installed and I'll try to activate a 64 bits one?

Yes. But it is not necessary. You can back up your current activation and then restore it after you have installed the 64 bit version

SEE HERE

 

[SIW2]

If you tell which dell model it is, we might be able to find the official dell media for it. Though most dell installation media which is still available is Pro edition because of the so called "downgrade rights".

 

[kaler0]

If it is a "Home Premium" iso, the ei.cfg will already state that. You can delete the ei.cfg if you like, which will make it ask what edition you want to install.



Yes. But it is not necessary. You can back up your current activation and then restore it after you have installed the 64 bit version

SEE HERE

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, it is a Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Retail ISO. I asked if I should edit the ei.cfg file because I've read that you can mark it as an OEM edition modifying the "Channel" entry, so I wondered if it'd be necessary, considering I'm gonna use a retail ISO with an OA license.

Regarding the second point, I've already formatted the system partition, so I can't back up the activation. I hope I will be able to activate it; I wondered if it wouldn't work for a x64 activation, but the OA key has only been used for activating this laptop's Windows. I've read maybe I should do it by phone. I don't know.

Thanks.

 

[SIW2]

Doesn't matter if ei.cfg says retail or oem.

Skip entering the product key during install. You can enter it later.

Activation is not dependent on the bit version.

There are two ways to activate on oem preinstall machines. One way is to run the little command file that inserts the oem.xrm-ms code and product key
( this is what the official media from dell does and it is called slp activation ).





The other way is to enter the coa code from sticker.

 

[kaler0]

Doesn't matter if ei.cfg says retail or oem.

Skip entering the product key during install. You can enter it later.

Activation is not dependent on the bit version.

There are two ways to activate on oem preinstall machines. One way is to run the little command file that inserts the oem.xrm-ms code and product key
( this is what the official media from dell does and it is called slp activation ).

View attachment 413316



The other way is to enter the coa code from sticker.

Nice! So, just out of curiosity, what would happen if I entered the product key during install, without having edited the ei.cfg? Would it reject the key?

So if I want to activate Windows using Microsoft's method, will I be able to do it by Internet with my product key and COA code or should I do it by phone?

Thanks again.

 

[SIW2]

what would happen if I entered the product key during install, without having edited the ei.cfg?

Try it and find out.

So if I want to activate Windows using Microsoft's method, will I be able to do it by Internet with my product key and COA code

You might need to ring the MS freefone number.

 

[kaler0]

Try it and find out.



You might need to ring the MS freefone number.

Thanks. I'll try it tonight and let you know.

 

[kaler0]

It worked like a charm After skipping entering the product key during installation, I could activate Windows by phone.

Now I'm facing a problem: when I search for updates, I get an error (80072efe). I've read that it's usually related to connection problems, but I can ping whatever and access any website, although I get a "Windows couldn't detect automatically the proxy configuration" (or something like that) if I click on troubleshooting network problems. I don't know if it's because drivers are missing (I didn't install any of them yet), but I think this is a problem for a new post.

Thanks so much.

 

[Volume Z]

MS recently broke selfupdate of the Windows Update Client. See

Got a used HP Elite Book, win 10, 4g and intel 17

 

[kaler0]

MS recently broke selfupdate of the Windows Update Client. See

Got a used HP Elite Book, win 10, 4g and intel 17

I don’t understand it... yesterday I was updating a little netbook with Windows 7.

 

[Megahertz07]

For the updates, use Single file with all updates - Simplix. Very good.

 

[kaler0]

MS recently broke selfupdate of the Windows Update Client. See

Got a used HP Elite Book, win 10, 4g and intel 17

Hi, all worked fine after installing the newer Windows Update Agent except for updates kb4534310 and kb4539601; they keep failing on install. Do you know why and how could I solve it? Thanks.

 

[Volume Z]

No.

 

[Megahertz07]

Hi, all worked fine after installing the newer Windows Update Agent except for updates kb4534310 and kb4539601; they keep failing on install. Do you know why and how could I solve it? Thanks.

The answer my friend is in post #12 - Simplix