Re-establishing OEM Key Codes

[lolastephens404]

I purches my Windows 7 computer from a retail store. Well, when I upgraded to Windows 10, it crashed. I am now just trying to get back my Windows 7 Ultimate that I purchased with my computer but am being routed to all the wrong places and giving conflicting answers every where. Please Help!!

 

[clifford_cooley]

You should install Windows 10 and not worry about Windows 7. That is assuming you would rather be on Windows 10.

Back to your question though. You should have license with your machine. It could be in paper work or an OEM sticker on the machine somewhere. Since you upgraded you will only have the option to use the paper trail.

With that said Microsoft has your machine on record for Windows 10. All you need to do is install the OS and then activate online.

 

[TrainableMan]

Clifford, will her Win 7 product key activate a fresh Win 10 install on a new hard drive? or does she have to install Win7, activate that, & then upgrade to Win 10?

 

[clifford_cooley]

I've upgraded several machines to Windows 10. Once Windows 7 has been upgraded to Windows 10, activation of Windows 10 is more or less automated. Microsoft keeps record somehow and will activate without you even knowing. I've been pleasantly surprised with activation when I first started upgrading to Windows 10. Never once have I needed to manually enter a key.

 

[TrainableMan]

Even if the hard drive crashed and this is a newly installed replacement hard drive that never had Win 7 on it?

 

[clifford_cooley]

I'm wondering why you think that would be an issue. I've had deactivation on Windows 7 many times changing hardware such as drives. Not once have I had a deactivation with Windows 10.

I can't answer your question specifically, because I've never had OS drive system crash. I have however fresh installed to new drives, which would technically be the same thing.

 

[TrainableMan]

With older versions of Windows if I swap out the OS drive, I couldn't install Win 7 on a new Hard drive & then activate it with an XP license; I had to install XP, activate it, & then install the Win 7 upgrade over it.

On youtube at least one video did make it seem like you can enter a win 7 product key on the windows 10 activation screen and it would work.
...
So it doesn't sound like Clifford ever had to do that but Lola I would be grateful if you would post back and tell us your experience if you do install Win 10. Does it automatically activate? Do you have to type in your Win7 product key to activate?

 

[lolastephens404]

I went through the steps to try to install Windows 10 back on to my computer this morning. Everyone one told me that when it asked for a product key to just skip over this and after the install the program would activate online. Problem is that when I got to the spot where it ask for the product key, you can not just skip over it. There is no way to and it will not let you go on until something is entered. I do not have a Windows 7 product key. All I have is the Windows 7 Ultimate OEM key that came with my computer when I purchased it. It is starting to look like I am just beat out of a computer and will have to buy a new program. Which makes little sense to me since I feel like I have already paid for one.

 

[TrainableMan]

Did you try to enter the Win7 OEM key, because even OEM versions can be upgraded?

 

[TrustMe]

On the bottom of the screen, where it asks for a key, you should see “I don’t have a key” just click on that to continue the install. It will automatically activate once you go on the internet.

For Windows 10 Microsoft uses the hardware ID’s of the computer and stores them in their activation servers. Once you go on the internet, it matches the ID’s and activates again. Changing out the hard drive is not enough to break activation. Don’t quote on this but I read somewhere, for Windows 10, the hard drive is not in the equation any longer.