Clean Vista install WITH NO ACTIVATION

If you want to "upgrade" from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit Windows 7, you must do a clean installation. However, the serial key and certificate that ABR extracts from your laptop should still be able to work.

The Windows Anytime Upgrade disks are no longer distributed by Microsoft nor are they available through download of the Internet through legal means. You can choose to buy them from eBay or Amazon (not sure whether they are still available or not) or borrow them from a friend. A retail Vista disk can also be used for the clean install.

There's really nothing to be nervous about (this statement does not assuage your fears one bit, I think ). As long as ABR is successful in extracting the serial key and certificate from your computer, just plop in the DVD and restart the laptop. The laptop will automatically boot from the DVD (at least it did on my HP laptop) and just follow the steps given by orev and you're done.

 

I'm using the DV6-1253 model and there is no WAU folder. Where can I download the files to burn the disk? I'm not allowed to order anything online and no stores in my area sell the damn thing. This is starting to get very annoying because I've been searching and can't find any helpful solutions. Does anybody at all know where I can download the files to make a 64 bit home premium ISO to make a bootable DVD?

 

HP NEVER provides the WAU folder on their laptops. So, stop wasting your time looking for it.

As I said above, NOBODY sells the WAU disk anymore. Also, NO websites offer the WAU ISO for download anymore. Your only courses of actions are borrow from friends or buy the disk from eBay or Amazon or buy/borrow the retail disk.

 

I know it's frowned upon but the only option I had was to find a reliable torrent and make a bootable disk. I found a good and safe torrent that I used to create my DVD so know I'm in the process of going through the clean install. Now, I might do this a couple of times to get used to the process because I might have screwed something up(luckily I have recovery disks).

How would I format and partition my drive so that I have a c drive which is 120-150 gb and a d drive that has the same amount or a little more?

Edit: I accidentally deleted the second partition earlier today lol. I had to figure out how to use vista's disk management to shrink the drive, and create another partition using the unallocated space. Is that a good method?

 

You can shrink main partition and gain 20-40 GB of free space. You don’t have to create a new partition – VISTA setup can create partition on unallocated space . I recommend to install second VISTA on that unallocated space. This you will check you ability to install Vista OS, check if you VISTA disk is a good one, and you have all the drivers you need. By installing second Vista you still will have access to the original installation. You see a boot menu and you can choose what OS/partition to boot. You can edit the menu with "EasyBCD 1.7.2" if you want distinct names in the menu.

 

So the ABR version Orev gave us in the first page will work for windows 7 OEM when we decide to reinstall windows7 in the near future?

 

I have not done any testing with Windows 7 and there is currently no evidence that it will work. I don't know how much the activation system changed on W7, if at all, and there's no way to test as there are currently no shipping OEM versions of W7.

 

I purchased a 64-bit version of Vista home premium but after I did the clean install, when I looked under System information it says I'm running 32-bit. Did I do something wrong? There was only one Home Premium option to choose from when installing, and my license key should have automatically been for 64-bit right?

 

The license is only for "Home Premium". It is not tied to 32-bit or 64-bit, so you can install either version. 64-bit comes on a separate disc, so there is no option during the install. If the package you purchased had another Vista disc, that's probably the 64-bit one. If you only have 1 disc, you did not receive the 64-bit version. There are probably some clues on the disc. 32-bit will say "32-bit" or "x86"; 64-bit will say "64-bit" or "x86_64".

 

Hey Orev, thanks for such a great tool. I have done clean install of vista using this, and it was much more pleasant running vista "lean". Now with windows 7 coming out, will this tool backup and restore Windows 7 activations?

 

ABR currently only works with OEM installations. W7 is not currently on sale, so there is no way to support OEM versions since they don't exist. There are plans to look into W7 support, but I have nothing for that at this time.

 

If the OEM's come out, can you make ABR's for 7? That would be sick. Thanks Rev

 

Registered just to say that I'm so happy that this guide exists, and I look forward to doing a clean install of Vista.

 

is there a reason why i only get 1 file when running the backup file? i don't see the backup-cert.xrm-ms" anywhere.

i tried running the restore executable, and it says "the activation certificate is empty!" ... so it's definitely empty. what's going on here, anyone know?

edit: so what's happening is the backup file goes into dos and backs up the key, but the dos windows closes immediately and then i'm unable to save the certification file..

btw, i'm on a gateway if that matters any. maybe it doesn't work on gateways?

 

If you only get one file then something is not working correctly. If the DOS window is closing, then it is probably crashing and not completing the backup process. First, download ABR again to make sure the file it not corrupted. Then, make sure to disable your antivirus software when running the backup. When you run the backup, right-click and select "Run as Administrator".

If none of those things work, manually open a DOS window, "cd" into the location with the backup program, and run it by hand. The DOS window should not close and you will be able to see any error message that comes out. Post that or send me a PM, and I will take a look at it.

Remember, this must be an OEM version that was installed at the factory. If you installed it yourself or upgraded an existing OEM installation, the backup won't work.

 

aw crap, thanks.. the version of windows i'm running is no longer the OEM factory installed version. i already contacted gateway for the recovery discs, but they didn't even work. i guess i'm kind of stuck right now.

 

I followed everything correctly and the activation was successful with no future issues. However something odd I noted is that my laptop says I only have 3.96GB of ram, where as the Factory OS install said I had 4.

Exactly what caused that? I'm 100% sure I used 64 bit (as I don't even think I'd get a number past 3 if I used a 32 bit install anyway).

 

3.96 is awfully close to 4, don't you think? If you really want to know where it went, you should read up on how computers count memory ( in chunks of 1024), and how humans count things ( in chunks of 1000). You'll probably find that accounts for it... oh, and I think you lose a little to the infamous 640K.

Even with all that info, it's good to know that in the computer world, sizes like these are often considered "close enough", because the measurements vary slightly depending on who's measuring and why. Also, things like drivers, BIOS, and other internals can effect the readings slightly as they use RAM for themselves.

 

That's an Interesting read. So 4GB as stated in the system really isn't 4GB usable, no matter wherever it says its actually 4GB?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v676/gf1991/DeskScreens/Capture.jpg

 

OREV,

Thanks for putting this together. This is awesome and it worked flawlessly on a brand new HP Pavilion dv5t I am working on.

Thanks,

Jerry

 

The 4GB or RAM is really 4096MB. With 3.96 available, the missing RAM is approximately 128MB. This could be used for your video card or something else in the system.

Whatever the case, you're really splitting hairs here and the RAM is not really missing. It's just in use somewhere and that's why the system isn't reporting a nice round number of 4GB total. These days missing RAM would be measured in gigabytes, and you're clearly not missing that much.

 

i know it should work, but i will just ask here to confirm. will this clean install guide work on a compaq v3700 laptop?

 

Yes, it should work. This guide is just a walkthrough of installing Windows Vista. It is the same no matter what kind of computer you have.

 

I think 1.3GB is a bit much now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v676/gf1991/DeskScreens/ramiswhar.png

I doubt installing the Windows Virtual Machine software had anything to do with this though; and I can't figure out exactly what would be using 1.3GB of ram, since my graphics card is only 512MB. All i know is that when I first installed 7 today, it came up as 4GB.

 

Good question. Not sure on that one. Please post a new thread in the forums with a descriptive title, and maybe you'll get some help from others. Try the Windows forum here, as this is Windows related, not HP related.

 

Got that fixed.

I tried running the ABR-Backup and all it did was give me was the key I used to install windows 7. Wasn't expecting it to work but just wanted to see what it would do.

 

ABR only currently works with OEM installs, and there's no OEM installs of W7. It might work right away when OEMs ship, but I won't know that until it does

 

I'd try helping, but I don't get my OEM disc until the end of October.

Feel bad for those that have to wait though..

 

Alot to ask, but can someone tell me ALL the disks i need (bought or to make myself)....drivers, recovery, etc....for doing a clean install on a HP DV7?

Ive never done a clean install with Vista but i did plenty with XP on my old Dell laptop. Home Premium on service pack 2 if that matters.

So much rubbish i dont need on here and i have 80 processes running at start up.. .hoping that after a clean install it runs a little faster.

 

All you NEED is a Vista install disk, and also the downloaded drivers from HP. You can save those on a disc if you like. The recovery discs you should make yourself using the software tool that's already on your computer. That's it!

 

Thanks dude for this post. I am sure this guideline helped many users. This is actually helpful not only in unloading "crappy" preloaded SW but also in case you want to reformat you're PC/laptop.

 

Orev,

Thanks a lot for this thread, and for the ABR utility, everything worked flawlessly on my ASUS G51Rx05, i followed your instructions and had not issues at all.

Take care,

 

I tried doing this on my ASUS G51 as well. Installed Vista Home Premium 64. Ran the restore from ABR. Says its all set. I rebooted machine and I am being prompted after login to enter my key. My key is not working

 

The original install of the OS must be the OEM version, not upgraded or changed to another version. It sounds like your install was not the OEM version.

 

I purchased a new HP dv6-1264ca (Artist Edition). It came with SOOO much bloatware. I'm glad I found this thread. Very useful!

Worked flawlessly. Would recommend to anyone else!

 

Is there a reason I can't format my hd and the use the vista recovery CD to reinstall windows ?

 

Yes. Read the section in the main guide titled "Recovery Disc"

 

Has anyone tried this on a DV9500: Clean install Vista using this guide then upgrade to 7 over this clean installation? Probably not the correct place to post this question but I was concerned that the Vista drivers would not work in 7.

 

I don't see why that wouldn't work. Vista and W7 are the same underneath, so drivers should work (though I haven't tested to be certain).

 

Vista drivers should work just fine in Windows 7. Most of the drivers I'm using are technically Vista drivers, but they work fine in Windows 7.

 

Okay ..... i have searched everywhere. Ebay, Digital Drivers, amazon, even called up microsoft and told them my computer has crashed and my recovery disks are not working ..... but my luck with findiong a windows anytime upgrade disk is just pathetic. i bought a dv7 a while back wiht vista 32 loaded. its slower than my v6000 i havd. i wish to upgrade to home premiun 64 bit and any help and i mean any help is more than welcome.

 

To Orev, I'm expecting a new HP pavilion and your guide seems great but a little confusing.

1. The system will come with no recovery discs so how should I make my own?
2. The Windows Anytime Upgrade thing is really confusing me, what if your system doesn't come with that?
3.What IS EXACTLY NEEDED to perform a clean install? HP's don't come with system recovery anymore, would I need to order them?

Thanks

 

1. HP laptops come with a recovery disk-making software. It should be listed in the Programs list in the Start Menu. Just follow the instructions to create the recovery disks.

2. Then you'll just have to get the installation disk for Vista. Also, HP laptops never have the upgrade folder in their laptops, so don't waste your time looking for it.

3. You will need a retail installation disk (or an Anytime Upgrade disk, which is no longer distributed by Microsoft), your recovery disks (in case something catastrophic happens), a backup-ed copy of your license and key using ABR and a copy of all the drivers that you will need after the installation of the OS. (most important are the graphic and network cards drivers and the wireless adapter drivers, so that you can surf the Internet for the remaining drivers that you may have forgotten to get a copy of)

The HP system recovery partition is separate from the C drive; you can see it in "Computer", though you can't change anything in it (and it is imperative that you do not change anything in it ). What is burnt to your recovery disks is the data inside this partition.

 

Thanks, so once I do a clean install my recovery partition will still remain right? One last thing, if I don't do a clean install and just unistall bloatware can't I just clean my registry?

 

Hey mate,

I just bought a Envy that has windows 7 factory installed. Will this procedure work for me on that laptop??

I have a clean Win 7 disk made from v3loc1ty2.0 thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=428068&page=19

Cheers

 

As long as you don't format the recovery partition during the clean install (you format the primary partition aka the C drive, instead), the recovery partition will still remain. However, make sure you create the recovery disks before you begin the clean installation process as clean installing will remove the recovery disk-making software, hence making another set of the recovery disks impossible. (Actually, it's not impossible, but it requires a "hack" and still must be done before clean installing). It is also possible to burn the recovery disks into ISOs and make copies that way, though I've never recovered my laptop using disks created by this method.

I should also warn you that clean installing formats the Master Boot Record (MBR), meaning that you will not be able to access the Recovery Partition during boot-up anymore by pressing F11. In theory, before clean installing, pressing F11 when the "HP" logo shows up during boot-up starts the recovery process. Clean installing removes this function.

What I did to restore this function was before I clean-installed, I created a copy of the MBR when I backup-ed my hard disk via Acronis True Image. After the clean install, I restored the MBR using Acronis again and the F11 function worked again.

However, making the recovery disks makes the recovery partition redundant, hence you can delete that recovery partition if you want the extra 10GB space (may differ on different laptops). However, if you're afraid that you can't take good care of the recovery disks like me, keep the recovery partition.

To answer your last question, as Orev and many others have said, it is completely up to you whether you want to go through the tedious process of uninstalling all the bloatware, or just perform a clean install. The problem with the former method is that some people are not sure whether uninstalling 1 program will cause problems on another program or whether some files will be left behind by the uninstaller or whether there are any hidden programs not listed the the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. As for the registry, it's a virtual jungle and if you don't know what you're doing, you could be looking at a situation where you will need to do a clean install anyways.

 

You could, but the only thing you won't be able to do while perusing Orev's guide is that ABR may not work. Hence, you might want to wait until ABR is updated before clean installing. Also, you need to make sure that you're doing a clean install and not an upgrade; both are totally different.

 

Hey what does everyone think of this program:

http://rongchaua.net/blog/windows-7-activation-backup-and-restore/

as a replacement for the ABR for Win 7???

 

I just used this to do a clean install on my dm3 and windows activated! Thanks for the link.

 

I just wanted to say on Friday I followed this exactly and backed up my activation and it failed to reload it. ??? I ended up activating with my OEM sticker on the bottom of my laptop.