[iron mum]

With some help here I replaced my daughters faulty HD with a new one but am now hit with another problem.
A she didn't have a copy of her OS I installed mine and used her Validation key (as advised here)
The install ran smoothly but when I went to validate it said it 'Windows 7 Home Premium product key you typed is invalid for activation'
So what do I do now, it gave several choices including ringing for a new key but I'm worried this will mess up my version and the key on my PC will be invalid?
Her version was an OEM so that's possibly the problem.
Maybe I should cut my losses and buy her the CD.

[Advertisements]

Um, you can't do that.

If your daughter wants Windows 7, she is required to buy a licence of her own if the machine does not not already have a Windows 7 licence on it. Under Microsoft regulations, Windows is licenced on a per-PC basis

What does her machine have a licence for at the moment?

[Neil Jones]

Um, you can't do that.

If your daughter wants Windows 7, she is required to buy a licence of her own if the machine does not not already have a Windows 7 licence on it. Under Microsoft regulations, Windows is licenced on a per-PC basis

What does her machine have a licence for at the moment?

[Dark Player]

Sorry dude, Windows does not allow using any CD-Key for more than one computer, and that is the one installed. You have to buy a new Windows 7 Key to validate it.

[deggitt]

If the comp. came with Win 7 preinstalled the licence will be an OEM licence. You could obtain a recovery disk from the maker of the comp., they would charge for this or you could use an OEM disk and use HER WIN 7 oem key.


just read an earlier post of yours. You stated that your comp. was custom built so i presume you have a retail version Win 7 disk. If this is the case then you cannot use an OEM key with it. You would require an OEM Disk.

Edited by deggitt, 03 October 2010 - 07:35 PM.

[Bartez]

-

Edited by Bartez, 04 October 2010 - 06:42 PM.

[dsenette]

just read an earlier post of yours. You stated that your comp. was custom built so i presume you have a retail version Win 7 disk. If this is the case then you cannot use an OEM key with it. You would require an OEM Disk.

this is the answer. if her system came with the OS pre-installed from the factory then it's an OEM key (should actually say it on the COA sticker). if your disk came with your computer but was purchased as a separate portion of the purchase then it's probably retail (also, if it came in it's own shiny packaging and it's not a branded disk then it's probably retail) your COA sticker (or the package that the disk came in) shouldn't say that it's OEM (if it is OEM then it SHOULD say it somewhere on the packaging. something like "this software is OEM licensed and only to be installed on qualifying hardware").

your best bet is to contact the manufacturer of her computer and have them ship out a recovery disk. they probably had a recovery partition build into the old hard drive, which is now dead and gone so it's not usable. they may/may not charge for this disk but if they do charge it will be something like $30 - $50 which is much better than buying the OS again.

if the manufacturer refuses to help, then you'll need to contact microsoft.

[Neil Jones]

just read an earlier post of yours. You stated that your comp. was custom built so i presume you have a retail version Win 7 disk. If this is the case then you cannot use an OEM key with it. You would require an OEM Disk.

this is the answer. if her system came with the OS pre-installed from the factory then it's an OEM key (should actually say it on the COA sticker). if your disk came with your computer but was purchased as a separate portion of the purchase then it's probably retail (also, if it came in it's own shiny packaging and it's not a branded disk then it's probably retail) your COA sticker (or the package that the disk came in) shouldn't say that it's OEM (if it is OEM then it SHOULD say it somewhere on the packaging. something like "this software is OEM licensed and only to be installed on qualifying hardware").

All current Windows 7 OEM stickers say OEM on them, regardless of how it was obtained. You can buy OEM software on its own. Microsoft don't like you doing it, but you can do it and there's noting bad about doing so. Buying Windows as a separate part isn't always a retail copy, it's more likely to be OEM. Most people only buy retail for two specific reasons: 1) to upgrade. 2) by mistake. Many custom builds you can get from smaller computer shops go out with OEM licences and they tend to be "custom" builds as such, except you haven't done any of the hard work (apart from handing the cash over).

[dsenette]

just read an earlier post of yours. You stated that your comp. was custom built so i presume you have a retail version Win 7 disk. If this is the case then you cannot use an OEM key with it. You would require an OEM Disk.

this is the answer. if her system came with the OS pre-installed from the factory then it's an OEM key (should actually say it on the COA sticker). if your disk came with your computer but was purchased as a separate portion of the purchase then it's probably retail (also, if it came in it's own shiny packaging and it's not a branded disk then it's probably retail) your COA sticker (or the package that the disk came in) shouldn't say that it's OEM (if it is OEM then it SHOULD say it somewhere on the packaging. something like "this software is OEM licensed and only to be installed on qualifying hardware").

All current Windows 7 OEM stickers say OEM on them, regardless of how it was obtained. You can buy OEM software on its own. Microsoft don't like you doing it, but you can do it and there's noting bad about doing so. Buying Windows as a separate part isn't always a retail copy, it's more likely to be OEM. Most people only buy retail for two specific reasons: 1) to upgrade. 2) by mistake. Many custom builds you can get from smaller computer shops go out with OEM licences and they tend to be "custom" builds as such, except you haven't done any of the hard work (apart from handing the cash over).

i concur taht you can buy OEM disks separately and that not all OS disks bought off the shelf are automatically retail. however, based on the assumption that the computer in question is "less than custom" then it's highly likely that it is an OEM install. given the fact that when using the OEM key that came with the computer, in conjunction with a disk that didn't, its relatively likely that the install disk isn't an OEM version (otherwise the key should have worked).

of course this assumes that the install disk is the same "revision" of the OS as the original (home premium, home basic, whatever)