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    Installing Win7 Home from Win7 Ultimate?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by jsteng, Sep 10, 2010.

  1. jsteng

    jsteng Notebook Consultant

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    Is it possible to install Win7 Home Premium from a Win 7 Ultimate CD?

    My Toshiba Laptop did not come with any Win 7 Home Premium, just the standard recovery partition. But now, I want to cleanly reinstall Win7 "my way" without the excessive Toshiba packaged garbage.

    What I have is a Legit Win7 Ultimate from Alienware.

    I can download Win7 Home Premium via Torrent.. But Im suspicious of the "legalitity" of it as well as the integrity of the software (it could have been infested/infected with virus).
     
    jsteng, Sep 10, 2010
    #1
  2. Nick

    Nick Professor Carnista

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    Nick, Sep 10, 2010
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  3. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    That legit license from AW is probably an OEM copy, if so that cannot be transferred.
     
    Greg, Sep 10, 2010
    #3
  4. no1uknow

    no1uknow Notebook Consultant

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    While you could edit the Win7 Ultimate CD to install any edition, it's just easier to use the link above to download a fresh image of Win7, and use the ei.cfg removal utility so that you can install any edition, but you can only legally install Home Premium since you already have an OEM key for it. Remember to use Activation Backup and Restore to backup you key.

    Don't download from a torrent.
     
    no1uknow, Sep 11, 2010
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  5. jsteng

    jsteng Notebook Consultant

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    however, the link mentioned to use a 3rd party software to backup the activation?
    Why so? Last Feb, I reinstalled Win7 Ultimate on the Alienware. And I used the License code at the bottom of the laptop without problem.
     
    jsteng, Sep 12, 2010
    #5
  6. timtravel42

    timtravel42 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Sometimes (even depending on the manufacturer) it will make you call microsoft to activate the key from the bottom of the notebook. If it has worked for you in the past, then you should be able to use the key again without having to call microsoft.

    Otherwise, the 3rd party software backs up the OEM cert and key (different from the key on the bottom of the notebook) and then allows you to restore the factory activation after the clean install.
     
    timtravel42, Sep 13, 2010
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