Working Legal Vista Download Links (Nice Try, but you still need a key!)

Thanks! That info looks helpful. I think I will try using that utility so I don't have to call Microsoft.

 

My thanks to the original poster. I was able to download the files and burn a bootable VISTA install DVD. The key code on the bottom of my ASUS F3Sa worked like a charm and now I am running a totally clean install of VISTA Home Premium.

After installation of VISTA: ~32 services
After installation of necessary drivers: ~80 services (a little too many)

The recovery partition has been deleted; hard disk space has been reclaimed. Now I will rely on my new VISTA install DVD and drivers posted at the ASUS ftp site for future recovery.

Thanks!

Jeremy

__________

 

Hi.

I manged to get Vista32, download, works great with my original key.

But i was dying to try Vista64, A dame shame the link did not last long.

I have 66 services running.

And the only driver i had to install was the one for my nvidia 8600GT, Vista took care of the rest.

Regards

John.

 

Hi, did you download the files today? I am trying to figure this out because if you downloaded today, the links should be up for everyone, right? Thanks!

 

no the links have been down for quite a while.

 

shucks!, lol! Thanks for clearing that up

 

Not a great time for these links to stop working.

 

I hate that I missed this.

 

Are the links still working????

I am getting a lot of denials....
(I want to have a Fresh Install of vista copy)

 

Hi.

It makes me sick, I buy a computer with Vista, So i have paid for the licence.

But they don't give me a Vista Disk, To re-install, Just some stupid Restore Partition or Disk, full of bloatware.

I have a right to a disk, even if it`s a copy, I am not doing anything wrong!

so why is the link blocked Now!.

Regards

John.

 

Yeah! I feel the same way...I buy a computer AND an OS, but I don’t really get the OS...I don’t even get the normal set of features coz I cannot do fixes with the Vista DVD. Besides I'm stuck with bloatware...

I have no problem paying for Vista, but I don’t want to do it twice to get a clean install...that’s just ridiculous

 

Anybody have new links? Clean installs are very appealing...

 

Take a look at my clean install guide for other options and ideas on how to get the install discs, as well as a guide and tools to help you do the clean install.

 

BTW orev - I just bought the Sony FZ below and it does not have any files onboard that I have been able to find that are WAU related (with just about every forum thread suggestion I have found for generic or Sony specific). My theory is that just like we are now seeing at Digital River (disks and these Vista file dl's are virtually impossible to get) since the release of SP1, I would also bet that OEM's are not putting WAU files on the PC any longer. The WAU icon in the Control Panel is now just a link to the Windows Storefront where you purchase and dl the software. And none of my OEM keys (internal or external) will allow me to buy the 32-bit CD disks (they only ship 64-bit in DVD).

 

orev, I've taken a look at your clean install guide. The laptop didn't come with a 64-bit installation disc, nor have I been able to find one anywhere. (Apparently, x64 is a lot loss prevalent than I thought)

 

Yeah, you have to get more creative to find them now

 

i might have found new dwnld links...
i hope...

 

Did you already change it??? itried it but it still denied me...

 

nope never mind they are not valid
sorry for getting your hopes up

 

Saw this post on the digitallife pages:

It seems to work for me here.

 

Seems to work for me as well. Now maybe I can get a clean vista install on my dv9700t I received last week

 

Just so that everyone knows, it looks like the original forum post has been deleted, too funny. I am so glad a workaround has been found and hopefully it will remain viable for sometime before they close it down too. Thanks for finding the post and, as important, giving us the content of the post as it has now vanished!

 

These links work:
x64
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/01/2/msvista/pub/Vista_WIM/X64/install.wim
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/01/2/msvista/pub/Vista_WIM/X64/boot.wim
thanks orev!

 

x32
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/01/2/msvista/pub/Vista_WIM/i386/install.wim
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/01/2/msvista/pub/Vista_WIM/i386/boot.wim

 

YES!!!
it works for the X13-49120 and 49121 files too:
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/01/2/msvista/pub/X13-49120/X13-49120.exe

 

ok all links are back up on the OP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry for the multiple postings, i just couldn't keep it organised in my glee )

 

sweet - dl'ing as I type! All I needed was the install..... thanks all!

 

i think that if we get 'DENIED' ever again, we just change the 2 (which i used in the links) to another number

 

Just so I know I'm getting it right, how big should each file be after the download?

 

Not withstanding my appreciation of the OP, if you don't want to spend time downloading, configuring and making the installation disc, you can order Windows Vista keyless DVD from Windows Markeplace.

It took me about a week to arrive.

32 bit:
Vista Home Basic
http://store.digitalriver.com/store...059300/quantity.1/ThemeID.636200/Currency.USD

Vista Home Premium
http://store.digitalriver.com/store...059600/quantity.1/ThemeID.636200/Currency.USD

Vista Business
http://store.digitalriver.com/store...059000/quantity.1/ThemeID.636200/Currency.USD

Vista Ultimate
http://store.digitalriver.com/store...059800/quantity.1/ThemeID.636200/Currency.USD


64 bit:

Vista Ultimate
http://store.digitalriver.com/store...059900/quantity.1/ThemeID.636200/Currency.USD


Please note that Microsoft actually do not make different discs for different version of Vista. All 32 bit discs are identical and all 64 discs are identical. The only difference is the label. Everything inside is identical. The difference is purely cosmetic on the label of the disc.

 

thanks hendra - that's how I got my 64-bit - and that went away for about 3 weeks too. However, I am burning my dl'ed 32-bit version right now and saving the $13!

 

Take a look at my clean install guide, that info is listed there.

 

Thanks for your hard work guys.. I know have a bootable 64-bit disk!

 

What are the legalities of all of this? I know that even if your PC ships with Vista 32-bit, you can do a clean install of 64-bit. However, what exactly is MS giving you a license to? Is it only the 32-bit version or both?

And these are really legal download links? You can download from here, but is it alright to do? MS obviously doesn't want just anyone hitting these links, otherwise they wouldn't be changing them.

Want to clear this all up before I give it a go.

 

They are legal links, they are from a Microsoft official reselller, licenced to sell the disks without the activation key. The idea is that you have access to 64 bit (or 32 bit) if you only have 32 bit (or 64 bit); you have to use your original key and cannot use both 32 and 64 bit together. I hope that makes sense. By the way, the links to buy the disks are only valid in the US, no other country can get the disks sent to them so the download links are invaluable as we then know that these files are safe and virus, spywear, etc..., free. Very glad the links are working; hopefully they will remain up!

 

Do these include SP1?

 

No, it does not apprear to include SP1 as they are the same size as they were before SP1 was available.

 

Thanks I am downloading mine right now.

 

i need to get a hold of x64 vista disc w/ SP1 integrated. ill trade for a original 32bit vista WAU disc

 

Thank you !!

 

Hi.

I have been using CDCheck to check all files have been burned successfully to the DVD.

Even thought i get Nero 8.0 to verify on the write.

CDCheck has spotted a couple of CRC errors on some burned files that nero did not spot.

Below is a 30day trial of CDCheck

http://www.kvipu.com/CDCheck/dlfile.php?fn=CDCheckSetup.exe

Regards

John.

 

Hi all

The checksum and size of the 13X-49121 (renamed from 13X-49120) does not match the file size and hash (61439ff5fb372a1084751ec990cf1d23 X13-49121.exe 81,790,840 bytes) posted in another thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

Why is this file different in size and checksum? and does it matter?

Cheers

 

The checksums I posted in that thread are based on the files I downloaded. There's no way to know for sure if they are correct -- only someone at Microsoft and DigitalRiver can verify for sure. he best way would be for everyone here to post their md5s and come to a consensus about what the correct values are.

For those EXE files, the best way to tell is to just run them. If there's a problem with extraction, it should tell you. Another thing you could do is right-click and open them in a zip program like winzip or 7zip, and try to verify them from there.

EDIT: Oh, I see what's going on. Of course the md5 will not match the 49121 file, because it is really the 49120 file, renamed to be 49121. The md5 should match the *20 file.

 

its because you renamed the file to 49121 so the md5 will still be the same as the 49120 file

 

The md5 hash of the other files match the hash values from the thread I mentioned. As the hashes of these files are the same, the possibilities of a change in code/bytes of these are almost non-existent. But I wonder why and how they can just use the same file for both versions…just wondering…

 

Yes, if you change the name property of a file - the hash will change as well...this is not rocket science (at least not understanding the intention and implementing the algorithms - maybe coming up with them)

 

They are technically different files, but the *21 file does not contain a particular boot file that's needed to make the DVD. Why, I don't know. Also, the *21 file is meant to be run on a 64-bit machine, but the *20 file works on both. There might be a slight difference after you burn the disc, but it won't make a difference when doing the install.

 

Standard MD5 tools do not look at the name of the file, or any of the other properties. You can make the name whatever you like, and as long as the file contents are the same, the md5 will be the same.

 

The links don't seem to work anymore