Buying Vista Installation Disc

I'm going to be purchasing HP's dv5t when it comes out. As far as I know, HP does not include the OS disk with there notebooks; the consumer would have to buy the disc from HP for $19.99 (US).

I'm considering waiting until I get my laptop, then I would run Belarc Advisor to get my License Key. I would use that License Key to order a "Windows Vista Home Premium w/ SP1" back-up disc from Windows Marketplace which would cost $12.99 + shipping. I'm not sure how much shipping would be to NJ, but I would guess it would be less than $7 (hopefully). Once I get the back-up disc, I'd do a clean install using the License Key that Belarc Advisor provided.

Does anyone forsee any potential problem that could occur or have another idea?

 

explain what that program is and does? i recently bought vista home premium and then i boought the 64 bit upgrade. the 64 bit did not come with its own key which i consider b.s. so id love to find a program to help "discover" a new key! when i questioned microsoft by phone of this situation they told me id either have to buy a new licence key (200 dollars btw) or use the one with the 32 bit version again b.s.! so tell me would this program help me?

 

You would need your OEM certificate for the key to pass off as validated. Using just the key would not work.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

The ABR utility copies both the product key & the OEM certificate, which you'll need to activate your clean installed Vista.

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firbrdformula, your 32-bit key (the Vista you purchased before) will most likely work with your newly acquired x64 media, or so they say.

 

You need a RETAIL key to order disks from Microsoft. The key on the HP will be OEM.

You'd have to go about it differently.

There's threads on this already. Look at Orev's clean installation guide in the HP forum.

 

Yea, the backup media from Microsoft can ONLY be purchased if you have a RETAIL KEY. Any version of Windows that comes pre-installed on a computer is an OEM version (yes, there are exceptions but they are few and far between) and CANNOT be used to purchase backup media from Microsoft.

Buy the disk from HP if you want a backup/reinstall disk. The recovery partition on the computer works too, but it restores the computer to factory conditions (ie w/bloatware, etc).

 

The $20 HP disc isn't a real Windows disc... it's a restore disc, i.e. with all the HP bloatware on it. Unless that's changed or something.

 

I don't think it has changed... it's still a restore disk and not a Windows reinstall disk.

 

Belarc Advisor tells you info about your system such as what updates you have, what software you have, and some of the license keys as well as other stuff. It advises you on your system. Here's the website for more info.

I thought it did change after having this chat:

But after this more recent chat, I'm not so sure:

 

Well, I think it'll just be a recovery disc, regardless of what some rep says, but I suggest asking about the recovery disc in the HP forum before spending your money on it. Or search... it's probably been discussed in the HP forum plenty of times already.

 

That second "techie" hadn't a clue what was going on!
Seems like the disk justs clones a factory image onto your HD - that's what my old Gateway disk did. Thanksfully, the factory image had no bloatware on it anyway!

 

I remember doing this a while back they didint say me what i expected. they sent me 5 black CDs so i could put the data on them..")))))