Need iso

[cfourkays]

Have a Dell Inspiron laptop, W-7 Home, that my customer thought she could free upgrade to Windows 10 using iso from the Media Recovery Tool. She installed a new copy from the USB and now, as she didn't realize, it can't be activated. I tried downloading an iso from the MS site that requires a product key. Says its a Mfg product key and won't accept the product key.
Been trying to get Dell but they say use their Dell OS Recovery Tool with "Another computer" option.
Been trying this from both the non-activated Dell with W-10 and my own work PC. When I enter the service tag it says "No OS images defined for the product.
Isn't there somewhere I can get a plain old W-7 Home iso. I obviously have the Product Key on the bottom of the laptop.
Pete

 

[flavallee]

What is the exact 7-character service tag number on that Dell Inspiron laptop?
What is the exact Windows version on its Certificate-Of-Authenticity sticker?

If you try to obtain a Windows 7 .ISO file from the Microsoft site, it will not except an OEM product key.
It will only accept a valid retail product key.

 

[Snick]

Hi cfourkays,

Windows 7 Professional x32 & x64
[FONT=Calibri, serif]
You can make all versions of Windows available, i.e., Starter x32 version only, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, & Ultimate with eicfg_removal_utility.zip
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri, serif]Using Eicfg_removal_Utility to create Universal Installation Disc - Windows 7 Help Forum


[/FONT]

 

[SIW2]

The iso files dell currently do are for the upgrade from win10 to win 7Pro, so you can use that

Check your personal messages

 

[SIW2]

The dell iso files are massive . If you open the iso using 7-zip, the useful bits can be highlighted and copied out - e.g. onto a usb stick. If you want only English, no need to bother copying out the langpacks folder.

 

[dg1261]

Have a Dell Inspiron laptop, W-7 Home, that my customer thought she could free upgrade to Windows 10 using iso from the Media Recovery Tool. She installed a new copy from the USB and now, as she didn't realize, it can't be activated. I tried downloading an iso from the MS site that requires a product key. Says its a Mfg product key and won't accept the product key.

I'm not quite sure what you mean ... I'm guessing sentences 1-2 refer to Win10 and sentences 3-4 refer to Win7?

SIW2 should have you covered for the Win7 reinstallation media, but she should nevertheless be able to use Win10 for free if she really wants to, just by using the Win7 COA product key from the sticker on the bottom.

I installed 10 on a customer's 7 Dell desktop just this afternoon. 7 was pretty messed up, so he wanted a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade. I already had a USB stick with Win10-1903 downloaded earlier from the MS site, so I booted from the USB stick, had it reformat the OS partition, and clean installed 10. I fed it the 7 HomePrem product key from the Dell COA sticker, and it successfully activated the install as 10 Home. I added a couple drivers from the Dell site, but other than that it was a very straightforward process.

 

[cfourkays]

dg1261
I did exactly what you did and get a activation failed. Other posters said that since the original W-7 install is OEM, a clean W-10 will not activate. That's my case.

That machine has now been upgraded to W-10 Home from a clean install.
The W-10 works fine but won't activate.

I'm looking either for a W-7 iso to return and activate with the original OEM product key or:
a way to activate this installed W-10 that came from the Windows Media Creation tool. (I asked customer how she installed the W-10)

I have a W-10 Machine I can't activate and have no W-7 iso to reinstall the original OS.

 

[flavallee]

How To Clean Install And Activate Windows 10 In A Computer That Is Running Windows 7 SP1

1. Insert the Windows 10 bootable install disc in its drive, then expose its contents.

2. Expose the contents of the sources folder.

3. Copy the gatherosstate.exe file to the desktop.

4. Right-click that file and then click "Run as Administrator".

5. A GenuineTicket.xml file will appear on the desktop.

6. Copy that file to a USB thumb drive or burn it to a disc.

7. Do a clean install of Windows 10.

8. Skip the step to enter a product key.

9. After Windows 10 is installed, navigate to the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\ClipSVC\GenuineTicket folder.

10. Use the media you have the GenuineTicket.xml file saved in to copy it inside the GenuineTicket folder.

11. Restart the computer.

Notes:
The above steps should work in a computer that already has a working activated copy of Windows 7 SP1.

The GenuineTicket.xml file will only work in the same working computer that it was created in.

Before you complete step 9, navigate to File Explorer, then click "View - Options - Change folder and search options", then click "View - Show hidden files, folders and drives", then click Apply.

 

[Bree]

How To Clean Install And Activate Windows 10 In A Computer That Is Running Windows 7 SP1....

The customer has wiped the original W7 and clean installed W10, that's the OP's problem....


The Heidoc tool lists a few Dell Inspiron W7 ISOs.


Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

 

[flavallee]

I posted that guide for information only.

 

[dg1261]

Other posters said that since the original W-7 install is OEM, a clean W-10 will not activate.

That's categorically untrue. I've had no trouble clean installing with an OEM key. That was precisely the case yesterday.

It will not activate with the SLP key (which is what the manufacturer uses during installation, and what Belarc, ProductKey and others will show you), but it does activate with the OEM key from a legit COA sticker. I imagine most, if not all, of those anecdotes you've read used a keyfinder to pull the SLP key from the OEM installation and tried to use that on the 10 clean install. That doesn't work.

I used to upgrade-install 10 over the top of 7 to get it digitally licensed, then wipe the partition and clean install 10. But for the last dozen cases I haven't even bothered with this two-step approach, after confirming I could do it in one step. These were all Dell machines that had not seen 10 yet but had legit 7 COA stickers on them. Note that in every one of my one-step clean installs, it couldn't have possibly mattered whether the prior OS was OEM or not, because the prior OS was gone by the time 10 started installing.

I wonder if the version makes any difference ... that seems far fetched, but just grasping at straws here. All my trials were with 1809 and 1903, and I'm assuming your installer is 1909.

IAC, I hope SIW2's Win7 solution works for you.

(You don't happen to have another Dell 7 installation disc laying around, do you? They're not machine specific so can be used on other Dells, and aren't even edition specific if you remove the ei.cfg file. I sent about 3 dozen discs to the landfill a few years ago because I really only needed one.)

 

[SIW2]

cfourkays was given the answer in post 3

HERE


cfourkays best course is to first install win7, then activate it with his coa key or7oemistaller

That is easier than trying to d/l and mess about with a dell iso.

It could have been done long ago. It only takes about 15mins to install and activate win7

It will not activate with the SLP key

SLP activated win7 can be "upgraded" to win10 by doing either an upgrade install, or by using the gatherosstate dance The music on that video is intensely irritating, you might want to turn the sound off.

 

[Bree]

cfourkays best course is to first install win7, then activate it with his coa key or7oemistaller

When I click on the link to download 7oeminstaller I get:

Secure Connection Failed
An error occurred during a connection to raymondcc.r.worldssl.net. Cannot communicate securely with peer: no common encryption algorithm(s).

Error code: SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP
​

If that happens, then the only option I found to complete the download was to change the url of the download from https: to http: to use an insecure connection.

HTH

 

[SIW2]

Works fine for me.

 

[cfourkays]

Flavallee, if anyone else is checking this post on how to do a legit upgrade from W-7 to W-10, great set of directions. I've done hundreds like that. Unfortunately, that's not the case here.
Bree, I'm a small IT business. The "OP" brought the PC to me. Guess you don't read the entire post.

All I really want is a downloadable W-7 iso to restore the W-7 and then do the upgrade the proper way.

 

[Snick]

cfourkays,

I provided the link you requested, Windows 7 x32 and Windows 7 x64.
I've downloaded both from this link, extracted the contents and compared to ISOs from Microsoft.
SHA-256 HASHes match all folders!
Additionally, the ei.cfg utility removes or renames the ei.cfg, which makes all version of Win 7 available

Per forum rules we cannot directly share ISO. Claims to be a copyright violation for the rule.
Admins OKed TeamViewer or similar for M$ ISO sharing.
I'm open to TeamViewer use if you agree!
Snick

 

[Bree]

Works fine for me.

Yes, it depends on what OS and browser you use to do the download. They need to allow the older insecure TLS1 protocol to be used. That is not the case for the latest Firefox 76.0.1 in W10 which gave the error I quoted above, nor does Edge or IE work.

I gave the 'use http instead' tip in case someone trying to go back to W7 may only have W10 to get the tools.