Clean Vista install WITH NO ACTIVATION

i forgot something. If i delete the recovery partition,and if i will ever use the recovery discs that i made will they repartition my hard drive and copy on the recovery partition all the files that were there?
btw: how comes that i made a recovery image(that i saved on hdd) and it has only 1.9gb?

 

Are the files output from ABR (key & certificate) specific to a PC, or specific to a model of PC?
I had already went ahead and clean-installed my PC prior to discovering this website, and I also didn't bother creating a recovery cd because I thought I would not have a need for any of the vendor's crap.

If I understand correctly, it is a combination of the ABR files (key & certificate), along with information stored in my PC's BIOS which allow the OEM activation method to succeed. In that case, if a relative of mine purchased the same model of PC, would I be able to use their ABR files to activate mine? It should still be considered legit because of the data stored in my PC's BIOS.

I suppose in the worst case I will have to call Microsoft every time to re-activate.

 

When you use the recovery dvds, it will put your system back exactly like when you opened the box, so all partitions will be removed and changed back to the original setup.

As for the size of the recovery image, they normally fill 1.5 DVDs, so that image sounds like it's too small.

 

Worked like a charm for me (HP dv2500t CTO). Thanks mate!

Now I have a question, I'm pretty sure I came across the answer somewhere in this thread before but I really don't want to have to go back and read across 76 pages....

Now that I did a clean install and reinstalled all of my necessary software and made updates and optimizations, is there anyway to create a restore DVD like the one's HP creates for you so should my computer ever crash, I'll be able to make a clean install from this point?

 

If you have Vista Ultimate you can use "Complete PC Backup" to make an image. Otherwise take a look at Acronis TrueImage. Many people have good things to say about it. Ghost is another option.

 

DriveImage XML is a great free alternative to those mentioned.

Here's a link.

http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm

 

Thx for the reply...what I did is borrow a real vista dvd from my friend and copied the 'BOOT', 'efi' and the 'bootmgr' to my folder, used vlite to finish the process and it booted....

thx to ur thread I successfully re-installed vista to my laptop

Although ur ABR didn't work for me (I used the one in the label), I can say that your method sucessfully worked on my packardbell ~ thx a lot

 

hi
I have dv6626us and want to try this install.The question is:may I order and use another language then my curently Vista is?
I have premium and is enough so I want premium but Polish instead English.
It works(key from english to polish) with windows XP but don't know how it is with Vista.Has anybody tried?
On anytimeupdate I found The "Windows Anytime Disc must match the current language and system type of the computer you want to upgrade" ,so?
thanks for great tutorial

 

Hmm, that's a good question. I think the activation backup and restore will work OK for you, but I do not know if the Vista discs contain other languages. The installer (the one that I have) only allows you to choose English. So I don't know, maybe there is another disc with Polish? Or you might be able to change the language after you install. Sorry I don't know

 

Method worked great on a few HP's and a Compaq I did but not a gateway with the ABR had to phone home (actually call) MS to validate the Gateway..

 

now... im not sure if it was me or the prayer but it went smooth as butter. i would consider myself to be a novice geek. and a very happy one right now. Last night I opened my new dv6700 out of the box and today proceeded to clean it up thank you thank you thank you. this is MUCH better than the program removal app in the control panel. If youre on the fence bout this I say jump theres no comparison ! I already had the jumpdrive laying around and I ordered the WAU a couple months ago from Circuit city ..which by the way only cost me the postage. and a blank dvd for burning the swsetup from the Cdrive . thanks again

 

forgot to mention whered I go wrong? I have a 160gb hdd that now shows 135 with 126 usable?? In the steps for formating I deleted the recovery partition and reformatted the O/1 ? Anyone ? thanks

 

Glad the install worked well for you.

Take a look at my "Where's my disk space?" guide and maybe that can answer some of the question. Is it possible that you did not delete the 2nd partition? You have to delete both of them first, then create 1 new one.

 

Digitol, you already may be experiencing a big gain in HD space. I purchased a 160GB HDD with my DV6500....and with vista and bloatware in place I had 120GB with 116 usable to start off....I've since upgraded to the 6700 but am still waiting for my WAU disk tk from microsoft...can I ask you how long it took to ship from circuit city?.....thanks

 

Will a memory stick pro duo or a SD work instead of a USB flash drive when using ABR?

 

Hi,
Thanks orev for the help.
I have hp pavilion , i am looking for WAU folder and found WAU_Reg folder under C:\HP\HPQWare\WAU_Reg
Is this the one?
It has .reg files and the files are in KB.

 

Look at the properties (size) for that folder. If it's over 2GB, then it's probably it. Any smaller and probably not. I can tell you better if you send me a lit of all the files in that folder.

 

A friend of mine got a DV6707 laptop today and we want to do a clean install on it.

I already followd Orev's guide on my Lenovo with great succes. Now with the HP I have 2 questions:

1. Where could the WAU folder be placed? (if this laptop has one)

2. If it doesn't have this folder, can I use the Clean Install CD I made from my Lenovo and just use the certificate and the serial number from the HP ?

Thanks.

 

AFAIK, there is no WAU folder on the HPs.

Yes, you should be able to use the clean install CD you used for the other system.

 

Did a fresh Vista install. Activation was successful. Thanks to Orev. My laptop, however, does not display some linked images from photobucket, etc. Any idea what I might have missed. Thanks.

 

Are you talking about when using web sites? There's nothing a clean install could do to effect that, unless during the install you also installed some sort of security software that monitors your web browsing and blocks certain items.

 

Yes, I am talking about when using web sites. I am thinking I might have missed a driver or something like that.

 

OK. No, there is no driver that would control something like that. As long as you're getting video, then the video driver is working, and any network working at all means that the network drivers are working. That's a problem with your browser or other 3rd party software.

 

Everything is Ok now. Both Vista and Firefox have auto update and updated at the same time during windows start-up. So it's either Vista or firefox that was missing something. Thanks again.

 

oh yeah ...it did take as i recall 10 to 14 days .....a little long but worth the wait

 

after doing a clean install, is there a way to install recovery center software.....if not then atleast software/driver for finger print reader....webcam volume control buttons etc.........av buttons etc....


also i wanted to know despite hiving a x3100 video chipset on my vaio cr24 why cant i update my graphic card software from intel website....it refuses to upgrade givin some error with regards to compatibility....

also plz suggest some good quality registry cleaner for vista incase i do not opt for clean install and i go by the add remove method :-(

 

All of the software on the system is in the C:\swsetup folder (for HP systems), so anything that you want to reinstall would be in there. Can't help with the other 2 questions.

 

ThanX Orev.I use DELL OEM Vista HMP disk to clean install (My notebook is Acer 5920G)

I got DELL Vista HMP DVD form my friend.I copied all the dvd data to HDD & delete the $oem$ folder & PID.txt file .Recreate the Vista HMP bootable dvd using vlite.It works fine on my Acer 5920G.No problems so far

 

Those OEM DVDs are a little more tricky than the vanilla Anytime Upgrade Discs, so I'm glad the instructions worked for you. vLite is really the shining star in that process though.

 

how long were you waiting to get dvd vista from windowsanytimeupdate.com?
I ordered it 10 days ago and still have been waiting.
Thanks

 

good luck wojtoo...I've been going on 3 weeks for my disk and nada. I emailed customer service after 2 weeks and they quickly responded and sent out another one, but that was 7 days ago and I'm stilll waiting.

They go out regular USPS so there is no way to track the package. jeez at $7 for shipping, you'd think you'd get a little better service. C'mon bill, you can do better..!

ATTENTION CLEAN VISTA INSTALL FANS: If I can borrow your WAU disk I will return it to you via fedex with a $10 starbucks card attached....

 

You may want to go down the 'Download from Windows Marketplace' route, which is described in the OP. That's how I was able to get a good copy going for me. Then again, if you can't burn a DVD, you're SOL.

Also, want to say thanks to orev. I can confirm this method works with a Dell XPS M1330 which came with a Japanese-language Home Premium pre-install. Was able to do a clean install, selecting English, without any problems. Am able to connect to Windows Update and what not as well.

 

Thanks Orev!

Did my clean install via the download method on my Asus GS1. My recovery install, after uninstalling the Asus bloatware and installing my own programs was just over 19gigs - after the clean install I'm on 17gigs!

Just wondering - I'm on 32bit Vista, is it possible to jump to 64bit via the same method? Or are Vista Oem keys tied to 32/64 bit licences?

Anyways - thumbs up to this guide.

Rade

 

Yes, you can switch to 64bit using the same method, except you will need to reinstall again (you cannot do an in-place upgrade). Your product key and registration will work fine. There is also a F-A-Q about this entitled "Can I install a 32bit or 64bit architecture if I have the other one?"

 

hi thanks for excellent guide for clean install.i have got few problems with hp quick play stuf.where can i get the software for same.please help me thats the last bit remaining

 

HI,

From the digitalife links, I've downloaded the 3 files and created the Vista .ISO image file sucessfully on my HD, using CDIMAGEGUI.

The file is .iso and is owned by sonic record now. (my default burner utility)

I've selected the 'burn bootable file option' but the burner only wants to recognize .img .bin and .ima files. It does recognize .iso as a bootable file, but I burned it anyway after changing to *all files

When booting, I get message "missing operating system" and I can only then shut down.

any thoughts? I thought once the files were imaged to .iso a standard burn was all that reqired. Do I need to use a different burner utility?

oh and thanks to laptop 9 for reminding me of the download possibilty...forget ordering for microsoft...its been 3 weeks since I've ordered it..

Thanks

 

Orev,

I am running with Clean Vista 64 with SP1 (RTM) and I haven't reformat just yet but just wonder if your ABRbeta3 will work with Final SP1 ?, rumors SP1 have some protection and OEM bios blacklisted.

thx for your guide really helpful for my laptop running solid and responsiveness.

Dg

 

You'll need something that can handle burning an ISO file. ISO files can be made bootable, so it's your software that's the problem. Download iso recorder, install it, then right-click on the iso file and choose "Burn iso to disc".

 

quickplay is in the c:\swsetup folder that you saved at the beginning of the process. It is in the QPW and QLB folders.

 

I know of no reason why ABR will not work with SP1. My tool does nothing with OEM bios or anything like that. It activates the system the same way the OEM does, using the same legitimate activation certificate.

 

Thanks, you rocks.

Dg

 

I ordered wau disk from anytimeupgrade and I have been waiting more than 2 weeks and nothing.I was fed up with that so I downloaded vista.wim.
I wdlk to confirm than on dv6626us there is no problem do activate vista.
Thanks for nice tutorial

 

When news reports say Vista SP1 kills the OEM activation hack, I'm assuming they mean the BIOS emulation hack. For those of us who used ABR (and an OEM serial #) to upgrade to a higher version of Vista, I think the change should not be detectable. Unless somehow SP1 would include information about what version of Vista was originally installed on a given model number? That would seem unlikely.
I do plan to install SP1 because I have found Vista to be rather slow, and SP1 is supposed to improve performance somewhat. So I guess I will find out.

 

OREV OREV. May children everywhere sing his name around campfires for generations to come. Thanks for the thorough guide and the vigilant follow up for all our questions..

For newbies considering a clean install...do it

I've found the process relatively simple and painless if you follow the steps. The hardest part for me was getting my hands on the WAU files and then making them boot ready once I've obtained them.

**Note: don't bother ordering from Windows Workplace. They will gladly charge your credit card $7 and then not deliver any files. (At least its been over 3 weeks for me and thats after they sent a second disk after a follow up complaint) Others have documented the same problem.

Instead, use the digitallink files that are posted in Orevs walk through. A one hour download vs. 3+weeks? hello?

 

I have vista for dell from my friend.
The problem is that it automaticly goes for vista ultimate and don't ask for product key.
How to fix it?maybe remove or change some file?

 

This is discussed in the guide under "Obtaining The Vista Installation Discs" in the "OEM Re-Installation Disc" section. Please take a look at that, and if you run into any problems (or if it works for you), please let us know!

 

if you have an HP. it should ask for a key/serial during installation. If your pc was a dell, that would be normal. since it's a dell reinstall disk and doesn't need a key on a dell and it was purchased as ultimate- thats the way REAL oem's work.......... I'm not sure why it isn't prompting you for a key/serial...

 

The Dell discs use parts of the unattended install features to make the system install one SKU of Vista. If you take a look at the part of the guide I pointed to, you will see they they add some files to the disc that cause it to install only the specific version. If you remove those files, it lets you choose your version.

There are rumors that OEMs have keys and things in the BIOS that allow Vista to know what version it was installed with, but that is not true. There is some licensing information in the BIOS, but none of that information is used by the system to know what Vista version to install.

 

lol, you sure don't like me posting in your threads, do you OREV

 

I'm only opposed to incorrect information.