SOLVED Official Windows 7 SP1 ISO Image Downloads

[TrainableMan]

As Digerati said, you will need to buy W7 with a legal product key. Having the disk is of no value without a unique product key. As you can see this thread provides link to essentially the same DVD you have. The value of the DVD and the reason these links are here is for people that have a legal license but never got a physical DVD and need to run startup repair or reinstall.

Also if the computer came with Ubuntu installed then it is my understanding it uses a bootloader called GRUB, GRUB must be removed before you can ever install W7.

As for your BIOS. Yes it can be updated after W7 is installed without effecting the installation. Something to know about upgrading your BIOS: although the process normally takes less than 30 seconds, if you lose power in those 30 seconds you could end up with a "bricked" motherboard, so it is best to do it with your computer attached to a Universal Power Supply (UPS).

 

[Samatar Dahir]

Hey I recently just built first ever gaming PC and I'm currently downloading the 64 bit Ultimate, Home and professional just to be safe incase 1 of them doesn't work i dont have to wait for the other to downloads. I just want to make sure these iso's actually work because all the other ones wasted my time. Thank you.

I forgot to mention that I'm downloading these files, extracting them and then burning them onto a blank DVD dics

Also is it a problem that im using Windows Media Player on my windows vista laptop to burn the dvds?

 

[TrainableMan]

First, these ISOs probably ARE "wasting your time" in your situation because you cannot use them without a valid license key. You need to go buy W7. We have listed these ISOs for people who already own a valid product key but either have lost/damaged their DVD or bought a PC with windows 7 pre-installed and so they never got an actual Installation DVD.

As for your second question, Windows Media Player does not understand the ISO extension. If you burn the DVD with WMP you will end up with only a single file and that is NOT correct; ISOs are images that can contain hundreds of files and folders.

 

[Samatar Dahir]

I have a valid license key but no disc. I'm almost finished one of the downloads because my laptop died and had to restart it. I tried a different DVD burning software and it downloaded all the files (based off of the coloring of the DVD data on the disc. But when I try to boot it. It basically says reboot or find proper boot device.

 

[Samatar Dahir]

I had the DVD long ago from but I think I may have through it out by accident.

 

[Digerati]

Understand the license you have MUST be for a full "retail" version of Windows to be legally transferable to a new computer, and NOT an OEM license. OEM licenses are inextricably tied to the "Original Equipment" and are NOT legally transferable to a new computer under any circumstances. So if the license you have was for a Windows that came with a computer, then it is most likely an OEM version and you will need to purchase a new, legal copy.

Alternatively, you can always go with one of the many free and capable Linux operating systems.

 

[Samatar Dahir]

The disc did not come with the PC.. It was purchased separately.. If what you're saying is true then there should be no problem.

 

[Samatar Dahir]

If I were to download Linux first would I still be able to install Windows after?

 

[Digerati]

The disc did not come with the PC.. It was purchased separately.. If what you're saying is true then there should be no problem.

It still matters what type was purchased. It still needs to be a full retail version. If the disk is “branded” with a computer maker’s brand name, or is labeled with “OEM", "OEM/System Builder”, “Upgrade”, “Academic Edition”, or "For Distribution with a new PC only", it is not transferable to a new PC (or upgraded motherboard). And most importantly, as users, we agreed to the terms of the end-user licensing agreement (EULA) when we decided to continue to use the software on the original computer. And that makes it legally binding.

You can install more than one OS, but I don't - so I don't have enough experience in that area to offer advice.

 

[Samatar Dahir]

I assure you its transferable as I've used it before for my friends PC build.

 

[Digerati]

No - not what I mean. Yes, I know it is "technically" possible to install from a disk to as many computers as you want. The problem is, if using the same license, that's illegal, regardless if OEM or retail. The disk is just the media the program was distributed on.

When you buy Windows you are buying a license to use Windows. When you first decide to keep using the new installation of Windows (or any program), you accept the terms of the license agreement - the EULA, for that program.

For OEM Windows, it (the license) is not legally transferable to any other computer. And it is only transferable to a different motherboard if and only if the first board failed and had to be replaced as part of the repair. BUT it has to be the same model number from the same maker, or the maker's suggested replacement if no longer in production. If you want to "upgrade" your system with a current motherboard you must buy a new license.

And the builder, the "System Builder" of that computer (whether factory, custom, or you build it yourself) must provide 1 year Windows tech support too. That's why OEM/System Builder licenses are so much cheaper than full retail; (1) non-transferable, and (2) builder provides 1 year tech support.

All you get with "full" Retail is Microsoft support for 1 year and you can use that same license on a new computer AS LONG AS you uninstall it from the first machine.

So regardless the license type, that license key can only be used on one computer at a time. And if OEM, the key can only be used on the original computer it was purchased for. Otherwise, it's an illegal use of the license agreement you, or someone agreed to.

 

[TrainableMan]

If your friend is using it on his computer then you do not want to use the same product key on yours; when Microsoft realizes there are multiple computers with the same license they can disable that key and then both computers will start showing as not legal. You need to be absolutely certain you are using a legally transferable key on one and only one PC.

Also you mentioned downloading multiple versions, Ultimate, Professional, & Home Premium - a product key is only valid for the version it came with, not all three so there is not much reason to download the others.

And if you burned a DVD from the ISO and it does not boot properly then you did not burn it with software that properly handles the ISO image because software like IMGBurn will burn a bootable multi-file W7 Installation DVD.

And you mentioned downloading Linux, you can download anything, downloading has no effect but if you installed Linux then the GRUB bootloader must be removed before you can install Windows.

 

[kblo55]

Would I be able to use this to install while I'm waiting for windows to be shipped to me so that I can activate it? If windows 7 was available in stores this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm hoping I can just activate it a few days after installing using an iso.

 

[TrainableMan]

Yes. I can't remember which but you have 30 or 60 days to activate.

 

[Jaymz.308]

When I built my PC a couple years ago I bought an OEM Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit disc.

The product description on it is 'Win Ult 32-bit English 3pk DSP 3 OEI DVD' which enables me to run it on 3 pc's. I bought this to allow me to install it again after I upgrade my pc in the future. I have already used it once.

What I want to know is if I can download the 64 bit version of ultimate from the first post and use the cd key again, effectively using the 2nd activation will I have any issues?

 

[Digerati]

What I want to know is if I can download the 64 bit version of ultimate from the first post and use the cd key again, effectively using the 2nd activation will I have any issues?

Unfortunately, no.

As you noted, you bought the 32-bit license, not the 64-bit license. OEM licenses are packaged and sold in separate bit versions which are selected at time of purchase. So if you want to upgrade to 64-bit, you need to buy a new license.

Only full "Retail" boxed versions of Windows come packaged with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions - though only one can be used at a time.

Separate versions for the OEM license is another reason OEMs are cheaper. This means you (we) must ensure we buy the right version at time of purchase.

 

[jan_ilo]

Hi everyone. I would just like to ask if there is an available *.iso of Windows home basic 64 bit that I can download? I wanted to do a clean re-install of my OS.

Thank you in advane

 

[TrainableMan]

jan_ilo, what you would have to do is download the 64-bit versions of one here (example Professional) and then use an ISO tool to edit the image and remove ei.cfg. Once you burn the ISO without ei.cfg it will give you all the version options including home basic. See the thread HERE for more information.

 

[btb601]

Just a quick question, sorry if it's been answered before as I only went through half of the thread.
I downloaded Win 7 64bit @ 309GBs. I burned with Power2go and then again with ImgBurn.
When I try to see what's on the dvds, it shows notta, says it blank. But if I boot it up, I get the install screen.
I figure that's about all I get if I try to proceed since it does not show any files on the dvd? I am not using for now and I don't have a empty hard drive to test on.

Anyway, I might solve my own question as I am downloading it again on my 4g phone, maybe a better connection than my home internet 3g.
Thanks.

 

[TrainableMan]

You should be able to see files and folders, lots of them. And you say if you boot to the DVD you do get the installation menu so there is no way the DVD is blank. I have no explanation for why you can't see them. Have you tried to look at the DVD in another computer?