Reinstalling Windows 7 W/anytime upgrade.

[Allen Drake]

You said you have 3 systems running Ultimate from Anytime Upgrade, if the
two other systems are working you could run the key finder program on
those and don't use those keys on the system you have to rebuild.

BTW, the way I understand your first post, the key Belarc reported is the
key for Ultimate but you tried to use it with Home Premium which of
course would not work. What I would do, is install Home Premium without
entering a key (and without activating it) and try to upgrade it
immediately with the Anytime Upgrade file this time using the key
reported by Belarc and see if it works.

HTH

That's what I will do first.

Thanks for the help.

Al.

 

[VanguardLH]

I saw the app but it needs to be purchased and for all my systems it
is a bit out of budget.

You can't recognize the difference between a *related* product link and
the *download* link for Nirsoft's ProduKey utility? Go LOOK at the
Nirsoft web page which Dave gave you, which was:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

to find the *DOWNLOAD* links (to files, not to some other web page)!

http://recover-keys.com/en/order.html

That is *NOT* the web page link that Dave gave you!

 

[VanguardLH]

Ok, Now I get it. My bad. What I have been wondering is what keys to
use if MS has no way of finding them. If I am asked if I am using that
key on any other computer I can't have a way of truthful answering
"No". In the end, after I do a clean install all my Win7 machines,
which is 4 right now, I might end up with some that have the wrong
keys. Probably that will be the case. Then when I try the Ultimate key
I have in email will that key work on each machine if the original
key is wrong?

Use the same install CD for a fresh install of Windows 7 Home on all 4
computers. Put the COA stickers (if not already attached to the
computers) or paper strips with the product keys on them into a hat and
mix them up. Take one out at a time and use that product key to do the
install. Since you are wiping all 4 computers and doing fresh installs,
it's not possible that you are "using that key on any other computer".
If these are retail versions, you can [re]install on any computer. If
OEM, you "should" reinstall on the same host (and why you use the COA
sticker on that host). If the hardware is same for all 4 computers, it
really doesn't matter on which one you install an OEM version. If
you're required to do the phone-in validation then just tell them you
had to replace a crashed hard disk on which was the OS partition and
they'll verbally give you another product key to use. Then you upgrade.

However, in the past, you didn't have to install the prior version to
install the following upgrade version. You just did the install of the
upgrade version and when queried you inserted the install CD for the
prior version upon which the upgrade was based. You only did one
install (the upgrade), not two installs (base + upgrade). Sorry, I
never do upgrades because I don't want to bring along a polluted OS to
migrate to a newer one. I wipe and do a fresh install of the OS version
that I want installed at the time (but then I buy full retails versions
instead of hoping I can move forward with an upgrade version, especially
since the install CD for the prior version might not be around anymore
or I can't find it or don't want to spend the time hunting for it).

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/windows-7-clean-install-part-1_9.htm
See the "Important" note.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
How to do a clean install using an *upgrade* version of Windows 7. Be
sure to note item #1.

You delay activation until AFTER the install of just the upgrade version
has completed, then you activate using your new product key for that
upgrade version.

 

[Allen Drake]

Ok, Now I get it. My bad. What I have been wondering is what keys to
use if MS has no way of finding them. If I am asked if I am using that
key on any other computer I can't have a way of truthful answering
"No". In the end, after I do a clean install all my Win7 machines,
which is 4 right now, I might end up with some that have the wrong
keys. Probably that will be the case. Then when I try the Ultimate key
I have in email will that key work on each machine if the original
key is wrong?

Use the same install CD for a fresh install of Windows 7 Home on all 4
computers. Put the COA stickers (if not already attached to the
computers) or paper strips with the product keys on them into a hat and
mix them up. Take one out at a time and use that product key to do the
install. Since you are wiping all 4 computers and doing fresh installs,
it's not possible that you are "using that key on any other computer".
If these are retail versions, you can [re]install on any computer. If
OEM, you "should" reinstall on the same host (and why you use the COA
sticker on that host). If the hardware is same for all 4 computers, it
really doesn't matter on which one you install an OEM version. If
you're required to do the phone-in validation then just tell them you
had to replace a crashed hard disk on which was the OS partition and
they'll verbally give you another product key to use. Then you upgrade.

However, in the past, you didn't have to install the prior version to
install the following upgrade version. You just did the install of the
upgrade version and when queried you inserted the install CD for the
prior version upon which the upgrade was based. You only did one
install (the upgrade), not two installs (base + upgrade). Sorry, I
never do upgrades because I don't want to bring along a polluted OS to
migrate to a newer one. I wipe and do a fresh install of the OS version
that I want installed at the time (but then I buy full retails versions
instead of hoping I can move forward with an upgrade version, especially
since the install CD for the prior version might not be around anymore
or I can't find it or don't want to spend the time hunting for it).

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/operatingsystems/ss/windows-7-clean-install-part-1_9.htm
See the "Important" note.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
How to do a clean install using an *upgrade* version of Windows 7. Be
sure to note item #1.

You delay activation until AFTER the install of just the upgrade version
has completed, then you activate using your new product key for that
upgrade version.

Thanks. That was a perfect and complete outline. All the OS disks I
have are full retail versions. I never bother with OEM or Upgrades
and always do clean installs. I finally located all the Ultimate
numbers from emails that were sent by MS. Using Belarc Advisor I was
able to determine which system they belong to. I will try using those
codes which I am pretty sure they should work.

Thanks again.

Al.