Solved Installing win 7 home premium again using retail upgrade disc?

[p5200]

Can this still be installed and activated? I have an older build of mine I've been using mostly for burning movies and music on. I upgraded my main systems cpu and motherboard and I would like to put those components in my burning tower as they would be an upgrade to it. The drive will no longer match the new hardware so I assume I will have to perform a fresh clean OS install again. I just wanted to make sure from those of you who are more experienced than I, that I can still use the retail upgrade version of win 7 home premium before I go to all the trouble of swapping components. I know Microsoft has made some changes in what they will & won't support anymore. Thanks for any help! It will still, only be installed on one PC.

 

[AddRAM]

Do you still own the original operating system that is on the old hardware ?

Is it oem or retail ?

What OS do you want to upgrade ?

 

[p5200]

Yes, It's a retail upgrade version of win 7 HP that's on the drive now and I will just need to reinstall again, because of the hardware upgrades but, will use the same ssd. Thanks!

 

[AddRAM]

But you need the original OS that you upgraded from, it does not have to be installed, but your retail upgrade disc may ask you for the key from the original OS.

You have already used your Retail Upgrade disc and key once on the hard drive you intend to use on the new motherboard, correct ?

Greg is pretty much an expert on whether or not this procedure will work and let you re activate windows.

 

[p5200]

I did a clean install before, using the same upgrade disc on a brand new ssd I just wasn't sure if it's still possible to do again with the new changes with Microsoft or not.

 

[gregrocker]

You can always reinstall retail Win7 wherever you want as long as it's on only one PC at a time. For Upgrade version you must have a qualifying XP or Vista retail copy or that came with the PC but it doesn't need to be installed or otherwise referred to at all - and this is on the honor system.

MS has made it easier to reinstall Upgrade version by providing workarounds to activate detailed in Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version. If you reinstall with no other OS on the drive or move the installation as you suggest then you may need to do the quick registry workaround in Option 3 which is easiest to activate Upgrade version.

To move an OS hard drive or apply its an image to a new SSD I'd transfer it using free Macrium Imaging - Windows 7 Help Forums which always works, then if the OS will not start Adjust Win7 to boot on new hardware with Paragon Adaptive Restore CD. This will remove all drivers and reset the HID and SID so that it should boot and change out all drivers (in a cascade you can monitor from the system tray animation, requesting several reboots). If not then restart until it does this.

After drivers have swapped out Enable hardware auto-updating via Windows Update (Step 3) to Check for Updates and install all Important and Optional Updates with requested reboots until no more are offered when you go back to check. These are vital patches and newer drivers that are all needed.

If after adjusting the OS will not boot, confirm the System Reserved (if you have it) or Win7 partition (if you don't) is Partition Marked Active then run Startup Repair - Run 3 Separate Times until Win7 starts. This usually only is required if using another imaging app, though. Macrium just works.

 

[AddRAM]

But technically speaking he would not have a qualifying OS on this new motherboard, as he is using a drive from another system, so would using the upgrade disc again be legal ?

Can a retail upgrade disc be used again and again like that ?

 

[Layback Bear]

That's a great question Brian.
I don't know the answer.
I will be looking for the answer to be posted.

 

[p5200]

I also, have a (retail version) of win XP Home that is not, an upgrade disc that I could install first I guess but that just seems like a lot of extra work if, I can accomplish what I'm trying to do without installing the win XP first. Thanks folks!

 

[gregrocker]

Once again you can move retail Full or Upgrade Win7 anywhere you want as long as it is only installed and activated on one PC at a time. This is the same as it's been the previous thousand times I typed it.

For Win7 Upgrade version, there needs to be a qualifying XP or Vista that is either retail, or came preinstalled the PC in question, meaning was on that original mobo. Then you can Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version using one of the workarounds provided as a courtesy by MS so that you needn't reinstall the qualifying XP or Vista. This is on the honor system, so if your old copy of XP is buried in a box in the attic or at your sister's, it still qualifies as long as it is not being used. But a copy of Vista that came preinstalled on a PC that died doesn't qualify, unless that PC's mobo survived and is being used in a new build - the tower with the COA sticker isn't relevant because the mobo is the threshold device when it comes to activation.

 

[p5200]

Up and running, thanks Again!

 

[AddRAM]

There ya go, you guys answered both questions, p5200, you have Retail version of XP, and Greg`s answer "Once again you can move retail Full or Upgrade Win7 anywhere you want as long as it is only installed and activated on one PC at a time".