Solved Fresh Windows 7 installing question.

[Crumbleey]

Hi People.
,
I know that there are various threads and tutorials on installing Win7.

The dates of these varied by several years and I'm not quite sure which one I should use.

I have a product key for an OEM Windows 7 home premium, and I have the Lenovo laptop the key relates to.

Where can I download an ISO Win7 file from.

Will I be able to activate the instaled Win7 with the OEM key?

If I am not allowed to download an OEM Windows 7 ISO file, will I be forced to give the job to someone like PC World?

 

[Layback Bear]

Where and how do you get your OEM key from for Windows 7?

Did your laptop come with Windows 7 Installed?

Can you tell us why or need a Clean Install?

 

[Crumbleey]

My laptop did come with Windows 7 home premium installed, but the hard drive failed and I had to replace the HDD.

No, I didnt have a viable image of the Win7.

The OEM key, I have tne one from the sticker underneath.

I know a repair company can do the OEM install because they did an identical disk change and install a few weeks ago on my other laptop.

I'd like to do it myself this time.

 

[Ztruker]

See here: Download Windows 7 ISOs, Legally and for Free

Also available here: Microsoft DigitalRiver Mirror (Technet)

Both are torrent download sites with verifiable MD5 checksums for each of the available ISOs.
To download Windows 7 using a torrent file, you will need a torrent client.

Any torrent client will work, but I recommend qBittorrent. All the others I've looked at try to install
other garbage along with the torrent program so avoid them.

 

[Crumbleey]

Hi Ztrucker.

Thanks.

Down loadng the ISO's now.

Will the ISO files be OEM versions which my key from the underneath will activate?

Fingers crossed.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
The activation key determines the install not the iso as long as you download the correct version home premium/... and use a valid key you should be fine
I'd suggest using option 2 here,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html#option2

After creating the install media,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

Refer to this for drivers....
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

 

[Crumbleey]

Thank you guys.

The ISO's downloaded fine.

Used Rufus to create a bootable USB pen drive containing windows 7 home premium OEM 64bit

Put the pen drive in a USB slot in the Lenovo without an operating system.

Hit the on button and it installed Windows 7 64bit with no tweeking the BIOS

Key failed to activate Windows 7 so rang microsoft free number, typed 50 od numbers on the phone keys and typed the 40 odd keys the machine read out to me.

Instant activation.

Piece of cake.

That Rufus program is a boon.

 

[AddRAM]

Excellent, good job

 

[Crumbleey]

Hi People.

Would the bootable pen drive created above upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7 using the key underneath the Vista laptop?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Only a win-7 activation key will activate win-7.