Solved Getting New Win 7 Pro PC To Work With Old Home Premium Drive

[AddRAM]

You`re not gonna find retail.

Why do you need a retail version, what`s wrong with buying OEM.

Operating Systems, Microsoft Windows - Newegg.com

 

[Adelphi1]

OEM will allow me to install it ONLY for a hard drive on one PC. for various logistical reasons (some very bizarre listed in the thread), I need to do the install on an OptiPlex 990 at work, then move the hard drive to my personal PC at home, a different CPU.

 

[gregrocker]

You wouldn't use a new OEM key to activate the install until it was in the intended PC. You also have 30 days to be sure.

You haven't attempted to install on the new PC, only clone or image it - correct? If you needed to do a Clean Reinstall Windows 7 to the new PC we would defininitely help you get it installed as we've always done for thousands of others without a single failure.

As to imaging/cloning, there should be a settings config in BIOS setup that will allow it IF the imaging app fully supports UEFI. This is why I mentioned Macrium because we use it so heavily here and know it's efficacy.

But if you want to transfer the old hard drive then activate on the new PC, after PAR adjust you'd need to either activate the same verison's license which came with the new PC, another retail license for that version of Win7, or if the previous license was Builder's OEM try reactivating it again on the new PC and if it won't activate due to changed mobo, try phone activation to talk with an agent and explain what you're doing which may get a variance. Normally OEM's are tied to first mobo installed upon, however there are recent reports of MS making allowances for moving to new mobo, possibly due to only OEM being available.

Let me know if any of these scenarios fits or ask back any further questions to me directly so they don't get lost in the walls of type.

 

[Adelphi1]

Gotcha

 

[Adelphi1]

Greg Rocker:

I want to move my old Win Home Premium 7 (on a Dell 435T/9000 CPU that has now been recycled) to a new T5610 (received as a gift) with two CPUs. CPU came imaged and set to boot via UEFI with an OEM version of Windows Professional.

I have learned quite a bit. I have learned what UEFI is, and that a traditional MBR hard drive, going back to DOS 2.0 cannot be booted in UEFI mode, only legacy mode. I have learned all sorts of things about Windows licensing. And on Friday I learned that Home Premium will not run on a 2-processor machine.

My old hard drive is bootable. I have all sorts of apps I want to keep from it. For various boring reasons, I do not have all my install disks and files. I want to keep my old drive. But since it is not bootable on my new PC, I have to upgrade my Windows version to Professional.

But since my old hard drive cannot boot from my new PC, I have to use another PC to help. No problem, I am a PC tech and I support many OptiPlex 990s. I can and did boot up my old hard drive in one of those OptiPlex 990s. I get my desktop back and my apps. One gotcha, it is a work CPU and I have no access to the Internet using the OptiPlex with my old hard drive.

For that reason Windows Anytime Upgrade does not come into play. I need a new Win7 Pro license, and Win7 disk to perform the upgrade. All this is straightforward.

Here is where I get confused. I have been told repeatedly that if I upgrade my old hard drive in an OptiPlex, the license gets tied to the OptiPlex and will not work when I boot it on my new PC (my new PC is able to boot Win 7 Pro). One CPU, one OEM license. Win7 Pro retail will allow me to do this.

But now I am being told that since I am NOT activating the Win7 Pro on the OptiPlex (cannot get onto Internet from that work CPU), my only activation is when I boot old hard drive (with win7 Pro now), go online and activate it from the T5610. Basically, the licensing thing only cares about the CPU when you are activating the PC online.

Am I making sense? Corrections and questions are welcome. Full disclosure: I have a bid in on EBay for a shrink-wrapped version of Win7 Professional Retail, that closes in less than an hour, decent price.

Thank you GregRocker and all those who have helped me!!!!

 

[gregrocker]

As far as I've seen Home Premium should run on as many cores as you throw at it.

You do not need to buy a new license since the new Optiplex came with a Win7 Professional License which $100+ value should not be thrown away. You'll only need to adjust the Win7 Home Premium to boot on the new hardware, change it's version to Professional, then activate with the key on the new PC's COA sticker.

Move the HD or image the Home Premium install over to the new PC which has had Secure Boot disabled and CSM/Legacy mode fully enabled, then if it won't start Adjust Win7 to boot on new hardware with Paragon Adaptive Restore CD. The only contingent issue which can arise with this is if it prompts to provide the SATA driver to access the hard drive.

If it still won't start after succcessful PAR P2P Adjust then confirm the correct Partition Marked Active to run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times .

Once it starts make sure all drivers are swapped out, monitoring the progress from the animation in System Tray. If not, reboot the PC until this begins.

Once all required drivers are swapped with requested reboots, enable Automatically deliver drivers via Windows Update (Step 3), Check for Updates, install all Important and Optional with required reboots until there are no more. Import any drivers still missing in Device Manager from the PC's SUpport Downloads webpage. We can help you find any needed.

When this is complete and there are no more Updates, change the version to Professional using the Change versions workaround .

Activate with the Win7 Professional Product Key on new PC's COA sticker.

 

[Adelphi1]

GregRocker:

The new box is a Dell T5610, 2 entire CPUs, not two cores. Win Home Premium has no problem with multiple cores, it chokes on two physical, separate, discrete CPUs, as confirmed by DSperber and my own research. That is why I believe I need Win Professional. The gift CPUI received was actually a little too rich for my blood

 

[Adelphi1]

Status Report:

Awaiting my retail version of Win7 Professional to arrive. When that happens, I do an install on my Optiplex 990 at work, then see if it works on my two-processor T5610 at home.

Will try to clone hard drive while I am waiting.

 

[AddRAM]

Where did you get a retail version of windows 7 Pro from ?

Could you please post the link.

 

[Adelphi1]

I found it on E-Bay. I only would consider shrink-wrapped versions, though that could be pirated as well

 

[AddRAM]

Did the seller say it was new un opened ?

Do they guarentee it ?

Seems to be a lot here, but who knows if the keys were used already.

Windows 7 retail | eBay

 

[Adelphi1]

Unopened yes, guaranteed, no. If that does not work, I will return it. I have another idea that will work for me that will use Windows Anytime.

 

[AddRAM]

Windows Anytime Upgrade ?

That`s history, has been for a long time.

 

[Adelphi1]

Just for the heeck of it, I ran it on my professional PC at work, it offered me a $130 upgrade to Ultimate.

 

[Slartybart]

I skimmed through your thread and have two questions, both might be moot:

1. The 3TB drive in the docking station. Is the docking station capable of supporting drives larger than 2TB ... some aren't and have corrupted the drive.
   
   
2. dsperber suggested borrowing the work machine and taking it home so you could work on your project overnight.
   How about taking your home machine into work?

You have some very good help here, I just saw two things to comment on.

Bill
.

 

[Adelphi1]

Greg Rocker

See my post #27, my new T5610 has two separate CPUs. Home Premium does not support multi-processors, it is not cores.

My old hard drive boots up on the Optiplex 990 because that PC has 1 processor, the T5610 is 2 processors. See Dsperber Post #18, I need Pro to run a CPU with two CPUs.

 

[Adelphi1]

Slartybart

I see what you are talking about. I will try using a hard drive less than 2 TB for my backup.

Logistically, bring home PC to work is very difficult. But can and will be done if necessary.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Slartybart]

You're welcome Adelphi,

You can check your docking station to see if it supports higher than 2TB drives. I didn't see any make or model info about the dock when I skimmed, so I just threw that out there. If the specs don't mention larger than 2 TB drives, it might not.

Understood about home machines at work.

 

[Adelphi1]

Status:

Still waiting for my Retail Professional DVD. Meanwhile, listening to the wonderful people here, I dug up a 1 TB drive and using software recommended here, I cloned it and the drive is bootable. Thank you everyone!!!!

Should my Windows 7 Professional Retail never come, what are my options?

I cannot upgrade my Home Premium hard drive on my new PC because my new PC has 2 CPUs, Home Premium does not run on a PC with 2 CPUs.

I always thought the difference between an OEM upgrade and a retail upgrade is that the OEM upgrade will only work on the CPU you are upgrading. Retail allows you to upgrade the hard drive, then use the hard drive with a different CPU.

Or am I wrong? Can I upgrade my old Home Premium hard drive with either an OEM DVD or via Windows Anytime Upgrade and then take it home, boot it on my home PC and then activate it. I would NOT be activating it on the CPU that I upgrade it on.

Again, thank you everyone for their help

 

[dsperber]

I always thought the difference between an OEM upgrade and a retail upgrade is that the OEM upgrade will only work on the CPU you are upgrading. Retail allows you to upgrade the hard drive, then use the hard drive with a different CPU.

OEM licensing is for one "machine", generally defined as motherboard/CPU combination. Upgrading peripherals (e.g. hard drives, video cards, add more memory, etc.) does not alter the "machine" and you're free to do any of these minor upgrades or peripheral device replacements.

If you change motherboards you would not be allowed to use that OEM license on the "new machine". There is no transferring of an OEM license to a second "machine". I believe the same holds for replacing CPU, and you're also not allowed to change CPU's. Of course if you simply replace dead hardware with a new version of the same model then that's allowed.

I believe the above is what defines an OEM license.

Retail licenses have no such limitations on upgrading any hardware components, including motherboard and CPU. You're allowed to upgrade anything.

But you can only use the retail license product key on "one machine at a time", where again the "machine" is essentially defined by motherboard and CPU. So if you're planning this type of fundamental hardware upgrade from an already activated retail license machine, you're supposed to first DEACTIVATE the license for the current "machine" mobo/CPU, then swap the mobo/CPU hardware retaining the existing hard drive with its installed Windows, then bring up the existing installed Windows (from the existing hard drive) on the new mobo/CPU, then ACTIVATE the license for the new mobo/CPU "machine".

Same if you wanted to reinstall Windows from scratch. You're free to do that on the same machine with a retail license without concern for DEACTIVATE/ACTIVATE. But if you wanted to install this Windows system from scratch on a new machine using the same license (i.e. taking your old machine out of service while upgrading to new fundamental hardware), you would have to first DEACTIVATE on the old machine and then use the product key to ACTIVATE on the new machine's freshly installed Windows. This is allowed.

This transfer of your retail license from one machine (which is no longer being used) to a second machine is allowed, as your retail license allows you to run this Windows activated on any one "machine" at a time. But you can't run it on two machines simultaneously , meaning you cannot "activate" the same retail product key on two machines simultaneously.

I believe the above defines a retail license.