Solved installed the wrong version of windows 7

[hmazuji]

i just installed windows 7, however, nowhere during the installation does the install indicate the windows version
when i reached the section to activate with key, key did not work
after installation, go to control panel, system, i found out version is pro
i have ultimate key
i don't want spend another afternoon doing this
how do i change the version of my windows so that i can activate it with my key

 

[SIW2]

Type upgrade into start search.

When anytime upgrade pops up, click it , select "enter an upgrade key" and enter your Ultimate product key.

It will run for a couple of mins, then gives a message it has failed.

Reboot the pc and the upgrade will complete.

Then enter your Ultimate key in the normal way.

 

[SIW2]

It sounds like you have "Professional" installation media. You can avoid that error in future by toggling off the ei.cfg file in the iso.

You can use this to do it View attachment eicfg_removal_utility.zip

Or if you already extracted the iso to usb stick - just delete the ei.cfg file from the sources folder

 

[hmazuji]

thank you,
i did find this article
https://www.askvg.com/how-to-choose-desired-windows-7-edition-version-during-setup/
and i did delete it with poweriso

however, i still have the original 'pro' install to deal with, and have to go back to your first reply for further study

 

[hmazuji]

Type upgrade into start search.

"When anytime upgrade pops up, click it , select "enter an upgrade key" and enter your Ultimate product key."
i was under the impression that anytime upgrade is no longer available


"It will run for a couple of mins, then gives a message it has failed."
very strange. so, it's going to say it failed, but it won't


"Reboot the pc and the upgrade will complete."
so i won't need an ultimate dvd


"Then enter your Ultimate key in the normal way."
i'm not on location at the moment. i'll give this a try tomorrow when my client is awake


thank you. i'll keep you updated with the status of this workaround

 

[SIW2]

"When anytime upgrade pops up, click it , select "enter an upgrade key" and enter your Ultimate product key."
i was under the impression that anytime upgrade is no longer available


"It will run for a couple of mins, then gives a message it has failed."
very strange. so, it's going to say it failed, but it won't

Yes, it says it has failed because they are no longer running the anytime program - meaning the key is not checked online during that phase.
However, the operating system does complete the upgrade when rebooted.
Then of course you need to enter the key again - in the usual way.

I know it works because I did it recently.

(There is another way which involves sysprep and booting into winpe - anytime upgrade is much quicker and easier.)

 

[hmazuji]

thank you

it worked !
saved me a lot of reinstallation work. i can't believe it


before today, i had never heard of 'anytime upgrade'
can you do the same with windows 10

 

[SIW2]

it worked !

You're wecome

can you do the same with windows 10

With win10 you just enter the key for a higher edition. There isn't a separate "anytime upgrade" window.

Changing to a lower edition is a little more complicated.