Moving a OEM Win 7 to another laptop

[davewoodville]

Hello all

Around 4 weeks ago I purchased Windows 7 OEM media. I then installed this with no problems onto my Toshiba laptop. I now have qualified for a new laptop from work. Will I be able to still use and install the Win 7 OEM onto the new laptop? If this will not work is there any way i can diable the license on the old laptop and use it for the new laptop?

sorry if i have missed out any other information.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Dave

 

[gregrocker]

Builders OEM becomes locked to the hardware when it is installed and is not allowed under the EULA to migrate.

That said, several have reported they were given OEM exceptions by MS when presenting good excuses during reactivation attempts on new hardware.

So you can try it, but I wouldn't get my hopes too high.

You needn't uninstall from your old hardware if you try it. MS activation doesn't recognize uninstalls, but deactivates the old when they allow the new one to activate. In your case, you'd be right back where you started if they decline.

 

[Qdos]

You might get away with it if the two laptops have their BIOS authored by the same company, but otherwise you will be stuffed, and that's your choice when selecting to purchase an OEM disk and save a small amount...

Leave OEM to bulk PC assemblers and buy at least upgrade or retail disks for yourself unless you plan to keep an OEM machine for the lifecycle of the operating system.

 

[davewoodville]

Hi

I reinstalled windows 7 onto the new laptop, when it asked me to activate online i declined and did it over the phone, punched in the new product code, WINDOWS 7 IS ACTIVATED HAPPY DAYS!

THANKS

 

[gregrocker]

It wasn't activated on the old laptop, maybe? What you are describing isn't he behavior of a builder's OEM activation. If it could be moved around freely, no one would buy full retail. Explanation?

 

[davewoodville]

Hi

What I did:

1, Installed WIndows 7 Pro OEM on laptop 1
2, Realised it was the wrong laptop to intall it on
3, Intsalled Windows 7 on laptop 2 using same disc as laptop 1
4, Did not punch in activation code, or choose to activate online.
5, Chose telephone activation, and it accepted
6, uninstalled windows 7 from laptop 1

 

[garysgold]

Since you didn't activate it on the first laptop, you could have simply let it activate on the second. The key had not yet been used. You can install it on a hundred comps, but you can only activate it on one.

 

[bobkn]

Just out of curiosity, does your company's IT department have any feelings about you installing Win7?

If they're like my latest employer, if they adopt an accelerated schedule for supporting Win7, they'll start offering it sometime in 2011.