Solved New operating system installation concern

[Wilbri]

I have been satisfied with the performance of my windows 7 Pro. 64 bit OS that was installed in my desktop PC until I became yet another victim of the ever increasing crime in our country when my PC and all ancillaries were stolen from my office in my absence.
In order to enable me to cope in the short term, my sister-in-law kindly donated on of her redundant PC's to me. This is an Acer Veriton X270 which has windows 8.1 installed.

Obviously I intend installing a new O.S. as the installed one is licensed to my sister.
I have however made use of the machine with her permission and quite frankly dislike windows 8.1 which appears to be great for smart phones etc. But I prefer Windows 7 and can still acquire software which I am aware is no longer supported by MS why I don't know as is the case with windows XP another outstanding product that served me well for years.
Anyway the point that I wish to make is that I have replaced the existing 320 Gig HDD with a new 1 Tb unit and intend installing Windows 7 Pro. 64 bit OS.
I understand that windows OEM and DSP systems identifies with the PC by marking (engraving) the I.D. onto the PC mobo, therefore dedicating itself to the PC only and therefore the DVD cannot be for any other PC installations.

MY concern is of similar vein, namely with the mobo already marked with an OS is there any posibility that it will not permit the installation of new operating system?
My apologies for the length of this topic.

 

[GokAy]

You can install Windows 7, may need to change a BIOS setting or two. The installation media is supposed to work too, but you will need a proper license key for Windows 7 Pro (bit-ness doesn't matter). Your previous OEM key won't work on new PC as far as I know.

 

[Wilbri]

Many thanks GokAy

Yes I will be acquiring a new copy of win 7 OS
A little concerned about what adjustments I would need to do to the BIOS i.e. what to look for and how to go about making the necessary changes!

 

[GokAy]

Depends on being an UEFI BIOS or not. As far as I know, you will have to disable Secure Boot. Just search for it among options (no need if it is a normal BIOS).

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
You shouldn't have any issues if installing with a disk,
The issues usually occur installing from a flash drive

Personally I would not install windows on a tb drive I would use the tb drive as a pure personal data drive
I would instead use a ssd for the os and programs 256 gb is usually enough for that purpose.

If you run into any issues please just post back but cd installs usually see no issues at all in bio settings.

 

[Wilbri]

Many thanks to to you both.
Needless to say that I still need to purchase my OS.
Current prices in our country have become shockingly high.
Windows 7 Pro. 64 bit cost me R1250-00 in 2010 current best prices via online business i R2166-00????
Thankfully I have recently received some work so can afford it at the moment.

 

[gregrocker]

If it's a Windows 8 PC then it has a UEFI BIOS.

Follow the steps here to Downgrade Windows 8 to Windows 7.

Specifically, check for UEFI Firmware or BIOS update to apply from Windows 8.

Next enter BIOS setup to disable Secure Boot, save changes and exit.

Then boot the Win7 installation media as a UEFI device, delete all partitions, create new as desired or just click Next and the installer will do it for you.

Other tips here to get and keep a perfect Clean Reinstall Windows 7

 

[Wilbri]

Thanks gregrocker

Yes this UEFI Firmware appears to be a concern.Unfortunately I have already installed the new HDD, but if necessary could reinstall the old drive if necessary but somehow question if whether I would be able to establish the BIOS due to administrative rites restrictions.
What I have been able to establish is that this PC formed part of a small office network and was supplied and installed by a private IT company who are no longer in business. Originally driven by Windows XP prior to updating to Windows 8.1 installed in August last year.
Have also downloaded the service manual and after brief review have managed to establish that the BIOS refers to SPI ROM 8MB.
Does this possibly provide you with a lead?
I have managed to download all the necessary drivers for this machine from Acer.
All the assistance I have recieved has been of interest to me as I am not an IT specialist but rather a 75 year old retired mechanical design engineer with interest in computers.
I am presently assembling a list of components required to a PC to replace the stolen one.
Would anyone be interested in providing me with some advice?
AMD is my chosen CPU as comparable INTEL CPU's are just too expensive in this country.

 

[gregrocker]

You could save money and do the free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1. See how it performs and you may not need to spend more to buy Win7 or build a rig for awhile.

I've been using Windows 10 since October and it is excellent, a worthy successor to the best OS ever. This would also be the best use of crappy Windows 8 and net you a free copy of the next big OS.

To prepare, type windows Update in start search box and run all important and optional updates until an icon appears in system tray to reserve windows 10. I would do this even if you buy windows seven because you surely will not want to keep windows eight and it will net you the free copy of windows 10 for the rest of the life of that machine.

You can skip the UEFI/BIOS update until we see if its needed for sure. The windows 10 upgrade advisor will let you know what upgrades are needed if any.

More about drivers and what else works best with Windows 7 in the Reinstall tutorial including how drivers are best handled.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks gregrocker
Would anyone be interested in providing me with some advice?
AMD is my chosen CPU as comparable INTEL CPU's are just too expensive in this country.

Hi,
You could ask in either of these sections if you want too,
http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/

http://www.sevenforums.com/pc-custom-builds-overclocking/

 

[Wilbri]

Hi Thrashzone

Thank you for your reply and guidance to these links.
Have been interrupted but will attempt to resolve my problem through one or the other of them tomorrow