Validation of OEM Win7/64 installed on new hard drive--have OLD one

[Rickenbacker108]

I have a custom AMD-powered system that is about 18 months old (since OEM Win7 was installed on a new drive). The core WDC 2500KS HD slowed down and showed other errors which made the system unusable about 60 days ago. Best I can remember I never entered a product key when Win7 was originally installed and but the copy/system was validated according to MSFT (I could be wrong). I've kept up with updates and have SR-1 installed. Due to the problems with the system (30+ days ago), I purchased a larger WDC drive and reinstalled my OEM copy of Win7 onto it. Although I was again able to do this w/out a product key (don't have one with the OEM copy?), MSFT is now complaining that the system is NOT GENUINE and step one requires a product key (never provided to me?).

Today I used the Magic Jellybean program to obtain the Product & CD keys--validity currently unknown.

I also have the original hard drive running and accessible via USB? (also backed up separately).

What should I do in what order?

1. Can I /should I officially uninstall my copy of Win7 on the "remote/original drive" ?
SLMGR.vbs refers to remote "systems" not drives--AFAIK.
2. Is #1 possible?? and is it necessary or advised?
3. Should I simply proceed with validation and deal with the potential conflict(s) later?
4. Is MSFT still willing to speak with people on the phone about these things on their nickel?

I am aware of the excellent documentation available (referenced from this site) on SLMGR.vbs. I am also overwhelmed with the options it offers and their sheer complexity. I am an old computer programmer who is quite handy, but I rarely deal with MSFT licensing issues and much of the terminology in the help for SLMGR.vbs is foriegn to me.

I would be very grateful for feedback on my problem. I would like to get this system officially validated without spending money on purchasing another copy of Win 7 (which I view as unnessary).

Thanks in Advance

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I don't see any reason to uninstall from the old drive unless you think you can extract your Product Key from it with Jelly Bean. Does it have a different Windows installation than the new drive?

You may as well call Microsoft on their toll free number and find out if your Product Key is valid.

 

[Rickenbacker108]

Thanks ignatzatsonic,

The new install is from the same CD as the old install. I understand MSFT would only want this to be installed on one machine, but what defines a "machine". Logically this would center on the hard drive (the only thing that has changed in my system).

 

[ignatzatsonic]

"OEM" typically means "motherboard".

The hard drive doesn't matter in the least.

Whatever Product Key that may have been used on the old install is valid on the new install.

What matters is:

1: Do you have it?

2: Why won't it activate properly?

You can answer #1; Microsoft may be able to shed light on #2.

Technically, MS restricts OEM licenses to PCs intended for resale, but they apparently are not rigorous about enforcing that.

 

[Rickenbacker108]

Thanks for the encouragement.

At this point I can only hope that the key data obtained from the Magic Jellybean program is valid--but I never entered this data on THIS INSTALLATION??

I guess I lack guts. I'll charge ahead.

Thanks!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Thanks for the encouragement.

At this point I can only hope that the key data obtained from the Magic Jellybean program is valid--but I never entered this data on THIS INSTALLATION??

I guess I lack guts. I'll charge ahead.

Thanks!

Why haven't you at least attempted to use the Product Key you fished out with Jelly Bean on this installation?

Is this a home built PC? If not, the OEM builders (HP, Dell, etc) are required to include the Product Key on the PC. It's normally on a sticker on the bottom of the PC or perhaps in a battery compartment.

It's 25 characters, in this format:

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

 

[F5ing]

Never used Magic Jellybean. By the statement you made here:

Today I used the Magic Jellybean program to obtain the Product & CD keys--validity currently unknown.

are you saying you used it get the keys off of the old hard drive, or is MJ not capable of doing it?

I know of a couple of programs that can be used to get keys off of "non-system" drives (they are system drives, just not for the currently running system).

If that's what you're looking for I'll see if I can find some links.

 

[seavixen32]

Try Belarc Advisor: Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit

It takes a snapshot of your inventory including product keys.

Have you checked the outside of the computer to see if there is a COA sticker with a product key attached to it?

 

[F5ing]

Try Belarc Advisor: Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit

It takes a snapshot of your inventory including product keys.

Have you checked the outside of the computer to see if there is a COA sticker with a product key attached to it?

It's worth a try. But I'm not sure you can get Belarc to get the keys off a system drive that's not the current system.

I've got an old install on a currently connected bare external HD, and I had just run Belarc early this morning. It doesn't show anything about the OS or software, just the standard hardware stuff. Do you know of a way to get Belarc to show it?

By the way, have you noticed that Belarc still hasn't been updated to reflect the latest Patch Tuesday updates?

 

[gregrocker]

Where did you get Win7?

Is this Builder's OEM you installed? If so and you carelessly lost the $100+ Product Key then it should be findable on the old HD using Belarc or similar. Just swap it in place of the current HD.

Or is this factory OEM which came preinstalled? If so it must have a COA sticker which has the Product Key on machine as shown below. Just make sure you put the correct key in.

 

[Rickenbacker108]

** Resolved **

Thanks for the suggestions. Let me tell you what I learned & what worked.

3 types of Windows, mine was an OEM / Upgrade.
Windows installations are tied to the Motherboard/BIOS--not to the hard drive.
Magic Jellybean program retrieved a "default product code" that could not be used.

On the phone with MSFT and even though I could not produce the original product key, they eventually bought my story. Although we had access to the original HD via USB, Magic Jellybean could NOT retrieve the product key from it--since it was not the boot CD. Due to disk read or controller errors, the old HD took 15 minutes to boot. They offered to stay on the phone with me while I reconfigured my system (HD from external to internal) to boot and bring it up, but I suggested that it would take 15-20 minutes and would be a waste of their time--offering to call them back when the old HD was driving the system. After another two minutes of consultation while I was on hold they GAVE ME A NEW AND WORKABLE product key, which they installed using remote desktop.

It is interesting to me that the original CD (provided to me w/out any product key--AFAIK) worked the first time (18 months ago), but not the second. The answer may have been the this OEM copy was actually an Upgrade copy (perhaps not really an true full OEM version) that I had installed into an XP partition. The second installation was attempted on an HD that had not had a prior O/S installed on it.

Interestingly, MSFT used the Magic Jellybean program in their initial attempt to retrieve my key. First they got the same data I had failed with ("default product key cannot be used to activate Windows"--paraphrase, and second it failed to access the registry of my USB-connected originial hard drive.

 

[gregrocker]

This is why I said you'd need to swap the old HD in place of the new to read the Product Key - obviously Windows needs to be booted to do so.

If this is a Win7 Upgrade kit from Vista, then it included a Product Key with the disk which can be clean reinstalled. It's key should be work when audited from the HD.

Any Upgrade from XP you bought would have to be retail or possibly from the manufacturer in which case it could be OEM and/or Upgrade. You should know this since it is within recent history. The Product Key would be readable from the HD and should work.

If this is the original OS preinstalled at factory then the key would be on the COA sticker. The Product Key audited from HD would not work since it is a factory mass activation SLP key.