convert to SSD without Dell's Windows installation media

[broiyan]

I bought a Dell Latitude E5410 with no installation media. It's out of warranty so Dell installation media will not be free. I bought a new SSD. I want to put the SSD in the Dell and install Windows 7 Pro and use the Windows Certificate of Authenticity that came with the Dell.

Do I have to spend a lot of time figuring out Dell's way of producing some sort of Windows 7 installation disk, which means reading too many boring webpages and their 40 page PDF on their own Dell backup and recovery manager? (Aside: why does this thing even exist when Windows already has some sort of backup manager? why do webpages have so many links you lose patience before you finish reading?)

I want to download a Windows 7 Pro ISO from some Microsoft page that I will probably find linked to from sevenforums.com and forget about reading Dell's information. I will go back to Dell.com to download drivers if need be but I'll guess WiFi, video, and the USB mouse have a good chance of working even before I do so. I have another computer I can use to fetch drivers if the Dell WiFi does not work on the bare Windows 7 Pro.

Is my preferred way of converting to SSD going to work?

 

[Bongo]

Read this post #19 it has a link to the ISO
http://www.sevenforums.com/installa...all-windows-recovery-drive-2.html#post3173007

Here is a good tutorial
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

Jerry

 

[AddRAM]

You can`t use the Dell oem key to download the iso file Microsoft, it won`t work.

Download Windows 7 Pro from here and burn to dvd at no more then x4 speed.

Download Windows 7 ISOs, Legally and for Free | PCsteps.com

You can use windows to burn it, but I prefer a program.

Free ISO Burner

Read the second link Bongo posted thoroughly, any questions, just ask.

 

[broiyan]

Thanks to all. I used Bongo's links to find the ISO. The SHA1 hash matched what Microsoft is showing for Windows 7, SP1, x64, with the letter U in the file name, so I can say that German site is offering clean files.

For the ISO I used Microsoft's recommended tool https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

Microsoft's recommended ISO burner works, but the descriptions of it are confusing. They should call it an "ISO maker" because you don't actually have to use it to download the ISO.

I probably should have used AddRAM's recommended ISO burner instead.