Windows 7 Product ID

I'm looking to purchase a new laptop with an HDD that has Windows 7 already installed. However, I want to buy a new SSD and have Windows 7 on the SSD instead.

My question is: can I install Windows 7 on the SSD using one of the .iso found below, and then activate it using the Product Key of the Windows 7 on my HDD?
In other words, can I use the same Product Key to install Windows 7 on both my HDD and SSD?

Here are the .iso I was referring to:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-digitalriver-windows-7-sp1-13-languages.html
or
http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-7-download-links-just-like-vista-before.html

 

Thanks Indrek! I would never have known. I'll update my original post.

 

If you're purchasing a notebook with Windows 7 preinstalled then you just need the ABR Backup and Restore application. This backs up your product key and activation from the OS on the hard drive and allows you to restore it back on the SSD once you reinstalled Windows on it.

 

That looks like it'll do the trick. And it seems you wrote a guide on how to do a clean install using ABR too, thanks!

 

The best way to do it is to buy a SSD that comes with the Kit. The kit comes with a USB case and cloning software. When you clone the drive with windows it copies the activated copy and there is no need to activate. Eventhough you would have Windows on both drives you only using 1 and have already paid for that.

If you don't have a kit you can buy Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost to clone the drive. My kit came with Acronis.

 

Typically you do not want to clone/image a HDD onto a SDD. To get the most out of your SSD you should definitely do a clean install.

 

What's the difference between using ABR and simply entering the product key at the bottom of the laptop? Don't they both have the same end result, i.e., an activated copy of Windows 7?

 

Normally the manufacturer (OEM) uses a Master Product Key along with the "Activation Certificate" and "SLIC table" which is embedded in the BIOS to activate. Windows look up on these three things together in order to activate the machine, this mainly saves the OEM time as they can mass deploy the same operating system image without having to manually activate each machine. Pretty useful when you're selling thousands of machines daily!

However each pre-installed Windows 7 machine comes with an unique product key labelled on the system, this most likely will be different to the one used by the manufacturer. When you do a clean install and use this unique product key you may need to ring up Microsoft in order for them to activate, this is probably down to the lack of manufacturer certificate needed to completely verify the activation. If you do this procedure frequently then it may end up being quite time consuming for the end user.

The ABR application does away the need to contact Microsoft by backing up the activation done by the manufacturer (the product key and OEM certificate will be backed up) and restoring it on to the clean installed system with minimum hassle.

 

I can confirm what Hearst said, i had to call MS to activate windows 7 on my JH during ti's first clean install. On any subsequent clean installs, i just used ABR and it worked just great. Nothing wrong with using ABR as long as you backup and restore on the same machine.

 

I see. If I had to call up MS every time I needed to activate, I'd probably start using ABR too.

I guess I should be glad that retail copies of Windows 7 work differently from OEM copies. The only time I had to call MS to activate was after the Sandy Bridge recall. I've reformatted a couple times since then, and online activation has worked flawlessly each time.

 

Motherboard replacement = new machine in the eyes of activation system. Reformats after that without significant hardware changes are just reinstalls into the existing system and should activate automatically.

OEM version works same as that, except it will refuse to activate if you replace motherboard since the license is for one computer only. Then phone activation is needed and the usual explanation "this is the same computer, I just replaced a broken MB".

Retail allows countless MB replacements but you might need to call MS at some point, especially if you install windows multiple times in a short period while also replacing some hardware.

Then there is the manufacturer OEM that just checks "oh, the SLIC says it's still same old DELL system = autoactivate"

 

Edit: I see you pretty much said it in your last post..

Yes, you can use that program to get the used key, but if you use it on a new computer which has a SLP key, you also have to get the .xrm-ms certificate.
Without the certificate it won't get activated.

The SLP key will work even after loads of component changes, as long as you have matching:

- BIOS
- .XRM-MS
- Key

 

My 'studies' were done back in the days when XP came out and back then I remember that motherboard (serial number or something) change was specifically listed my MS as the only single component that would always cause re-activation.

Specifics might have changed after that a few times after that

 

Quite a few times. AFAIK, it changed dramatically in Vista RTM, dramatically again in Vista SP1, and slightly in Windows 7 SP1.