Re-Install Windows7 ?

[THAIPHUKET]

My hard disk crashed, a new one was installed, I gave the repair man the W7 starter disk that came with the new Acer lap top.

May be he didn't use it. But after some 2 months a warning shows = Not genuine W7.

What to do?

Simply upload the original W7 disk? Will it over write the non-genuine version?

Now, I pray that no code is needed in addition to the original disk, I sure not to find it.

If all fails, buy a new W7 online? Cost?

[HeavyDrinker]

If your copy of Win 7 is genuine and you are getting warnings simply contact Microsoft. If you make a fuss you may even get a nice freebie from them....

A clean install should also do the trick.

It will overwrite your existing installation as well as save all of the files in a "Windows Old" file in your new installation. You can then move anything you wish to save from there to your new install and then zap it.

[happynthailand]

never mind,HeavyDrinker beat me to it 8^)

[MJCM]

Do you still have the Win7 Product Key ??

New it is around 4000 THB depending of course which version (Home Basic, Ultimate etc)

Link:

http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/operating-systems-windows/

[Crossy]

If the Windows installed by the shop is the same variant (Starter) as you have a disk and number for it could be as easy as using the "Change Product Key" function in "Control Panel\System and Security\System" and re-activating.

Otherwise time to boot from the DVD and install over the top of the shop stuff

[aarn]

should have 25-figure unique key for your genuine win7 starter on a sticker underneath your comp.

The service guy probably installed a pirated win7 home premium/whatever

[THAIPHUKET]

should have 25-figure unique key for your genuine win7 starter on a sticker underneath your comp.

The service guy probably installed a pirated win7 home premium/whatever

Thanks, you prevented a heart attack, I detest searching for things of which I have no idea where I could have them , presumably safely, stored away.

What absolutely is flabbergasting, and what I don't understand, I took a picture with my Android close-up of the product number on the back. This was to avoid turning the laptop upside down when typing the number. It was very poor light in the room, shot taken in the shadow of the desk, certainly not enough light to take a sharp handheld close-up shot with a normal camera and yet the pic came out very well, no flash.

I have been wondering, do these toys have a military kind of light amplifier built in?

Pic cropped not to show complete prod number

[BlackPuddingBertha]

The shop has surely installed a dodgy version of Windows. They tend to do this by copying from a disk image which saves them time.

A side-effect of this is that not only do you have a dodgy version of Windows (which probably wont auto-update correctly, or if it does will then start warning you about it being fake) but you probably have other nasties that may have been on the image, either with or without the knowledge of the repair person. Programmes may also have been installed that will render antivirus and antimalware software ineffective.

Reinstalling Windows is NOT sufficient to remove these, no matter what anyone says. You need to back up your own data (if any) on some external device, then completely erase the hard drive and then reinstall Windows using your original disk and key. Then copy your data back onto the drive. This is the only way you can be reasonably sure of ending up with a clean installation.

Many repair shops here cannot be trusted to do a proper job so you should do it yourself.

[rakman]

The shop has surely installed a dodgy version of Windows. They tend to do this by copying from a disk image which saves them time.

A side-effect of this is that not only do you have a dodgy version of Windows (which probably wont auto-update correctly, or if it does will then start warning you about it being fake) but you probably have other nasties that may have been on the image, either with or without the knowledge of the repair person. Programmes may also have been installed that will render antivirus and antimalware software ineffective.

Reinstalling Windows is NOT sufficient to remove these, no matter what anyone says. You need to back up your own data (if any) on some external device, then completely erase the hard drive and then reinstall Windows using your original disk and key. Then copy your data back onto the drive. This is the only way you can be reasonably sure of ending up with a clean installation.

Many repair shops here cannot be trusted to do a proper job so you should do it yourself.

It is possible you could have some malware or keyloggers if it's pirated. My GF's desktop and her daughter's desktop both had the same key logger. Both were cleaned up. Also, they both had a TCP stack bug that created a huge number of "IPV6 to IPV4 tunnels" that slowed down the machines. The GF used wifi in the apt connected to her PC. Every startup created a new "ipv6 to ipv4 tunnel".

It is easy to get the OEM version which is legal.

[Gary A]

I had to re-install Windows 7 on my netbook. The worst part was having to download all the updates. It took the biggest part of a day using a good fast connection. I planned the change over because I went to an SSD. I had a backup and supposedly a clone of my hard drive. Both failed for one reason or another. I probably did something wrong. It pays to have a good reliable backup system. Since then I purchased one called Rebit. It was well worth $39.95 not to have to go through that headache again.

The extra RAM and the new SSD saved my cheap HP netbook from the bone pile.

[koolbreez]

One fallacy is thinking that starter disk you got with your new computer is an original Windows 7 install disk. It is not. It is only a repair disk for system problems. It is not a complete version of Windows, and that is why your repairman had to use the system disk he used to get your computer running, without charging you for a new original Windows 7 disk.

Now that you found your Product key, click the start button, right click on "Computer" scroll down, and click to enter your product key, and see if it will activate legally. I doubt it will as he probably installed a different version of Windows 7, but it might. If it doesn't legally activate you will have to buy a new copy of Original Windows 7. You can get a new ligitimate OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Pro for bt3500 at the Banana computer store at Pantip. You will have to format the hard drive to install it, or you can pay more for a packaged version that you can install over the one on there, but that is not recommended as the old crap will still be there, just not visible.

Most people do not know that the disk that comes with a new computer is not a complete Windows original disk that a person can do a brand new install from. It is only a repair disk. Microsoft wants a new version of Windows on all computers, not someone installing the old version off another computer, that is why they do not supply the complete install disk.

Using an image of your computer system, that was made with a backup program, only works if everything hardware wise is exactly the same, that includes the hard drive. Most people when they change out a bad hard drive do not replace the exact same brand, and model, so the image will not usually work, except with very few backup programs, Norton Ghost being one of them. Backup programs that make an exact copy of the system assume the copy is for software failure, not hardware failure.

I hope this helps explain why the repairman did what he did.

[wpcoe]

If it doesn't legally activate you will have to buy a new copy of Original Windows 7. You can get a new ligitimate OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Pro for bt3500 at the Banana computer store at Pantip.

Why can't he simply download an .iso of the appropriate Windows 7 version and activate with his existing product key? I have done that with an Acer notebook with no problem.

There are links to the .iso files here. AFAIK, those linked files are the bona fide Microsoft files. I see this note on that Dell web page:

"Note these .iso files may be used with a Dell/non-Dell OEM product Key but phone activation is required (see note at end). "

And, now that I think about it, I did have to phone-activate my Acer after clean installing that way. It took about five minutes, and since then no problems with updates or validation.

[Dork]

One fallacy is thinking that starter disk you got with your new computer is an original Windows 7 install disk. It is not. It is only a repair disk for system problems. It is not a complete version of Windows, and that is why your repairman had to use the system disk he used to get your computer running, without charging you for a new original Windows 7 disk.

Now that you found your Product key, click the start button, right click on "Computer" scroll down, and click to enter your product key, and see if it will activate legally. I doubt it will as he probably installed a different version of Windows 7, but it might. If it doesn't legally activate you will have to buy a new copy of Original Windows 7. You can get a new ligitimate OEM copy of Windows 7 Home Pro for bt3500 at the Banana computer store at Pantip. You will have to format the hard drive to install it, or you can pay more for a packaged version that you can install over the one on there, but that is not recommended as the old crap will still be there, just not visible.

Most people do not know that the disk that comes with a new computer is not a complete Windows original disk that a person can do a brand new install from. It is only a repair disk. Microsoft wants a new version of Windows on all computers, not someone installing the old version off another computer, that is why they do not supply the complete install disk.

Using an image of your computer system, that was made with a backup program, only works if everything hardware wise is exactly the same, that includes the hard drive. Most people when they change out a bad hard drive do not replace the exact same brand, and model, so the image will not usually work, except with very few backup programs, Norton Ghost being one of them. Backup programs that make an exact copy of the system assume the copy is for software failure, not hardware failure.

I hope this helps explain why the repairman did what he did.

Why would the op buy another copy of windows? If he has a genuine product key he can just download an iso and create the installation media on either a DVD or a USB drive. That is completely legal.

There are many places you can download a copy of windows from but a good place to start is the forum at http://www.mydigitallife.info/