Best price for US shipped Windows 7 Pro 64

[Lil'John]

Title sort of states it.

I was looking for the best price to get a legal copy Windows 7 Pro 64bit.

I've got the install DVD from another system so I could even do product code only.

I know I can get "product codes for ~$15" at various places but it sounds like they are MSDN or "student" type versions that could be canceled out at Microsoft's whim.

I can do OEM or full retail.

Last look at Newegg was ~$140. Any better bets?

Or is my best bet to just call Microsoft on this? Their web site claimed to have product codes available for 7 but all links go to 8.

 

[Dahak]

pretty much the pricing for Win7 Pro oem is set, rarely will you see it on sale the lowest would be about $129. where regular pricing is around $140-$160

 

[B-Riz]

Go to a local Mom and Pop shop and see if they will sell you a digital key.

A store near me sells Win 7 Home for $60.

 

[coolpurplefan]

I hesitate to say this since some say it's illegal but if you try a Dell or HP etc. key on a computer you built yourself, I read it will still work. Some of these you can find with sites like Nextag or whatever. (I use shopbot.ca or pricebat.ca in Canada.) I don't know if those installation discs have crap software included though. I know I had some on an HP disc I had of Win98SE. There may be a chance you could still use the product key with a "clean disc" like the ISO images available on mydigitallife. They say they have the same ISO files Microsoft uses to give to customers who buy online.

Something I read I haven't tried yet: Apparently you can use these ISO images to make a disc and try a trial install without entering the product key. I plan to try that in a couple of months (just don't have the money now for a hard drive lol).
http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/comment-page-1/

 

[escrow4]

Go for 8.1. Paying $100 for a 5yr old OS is . . . . . strange.

 

[Dahak]

I hesitate to say this since some say it's illegal but if you try a Dell or HP etc. key on a computer you built yourself, I read it will still work. Some of these you can find with sites like Nextag or whatever. (I use shopbot.ca or pricebat.ca in Canada.) I don't know if those installation discs have crap software included though. I know I had some on an HP disc I had of Win98SE. There may be a chance you could still use the product key with a "clean disc" like the ISO images available on mydigitallife. They say they have the same ISO files Microsoft uses to give to customers who buy online.

Something I read I haven't tried yet: Apparently you can use these ISO images to make a disc and try a trial install without entering the product key. I plan to try that in a couple of months (just don't have the money now for a hard drive lol).
http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/comment-page-1/

For the win7 iso links, yes those are valid MS images and you just need the key
and yes, for windows 7 you can install it without a key and it will work, it gives you 30-days to enter one

For using keys from HP/Dell etc... while there is no technical limitation for them to be used there is from a legal/licensing point of view as you are removed the key from the oem system that it is tied to and its not suppose to be removed / sold

 

[postmortemIA]

I got win 7 premium home oem for $79.99 by newegg... i would think that there will be some promotion as xp doom date approaches

 

[Lil'John]

Thanks for all the input. Thought I'd comment on this:

Go for 8.1. Paying $100 for a 5yr old OS is . . . . . strange.

I don't care for the looks of Windows 8 at all. So my options are paying $100 for something that I hate or something that is old

You don't want to see what I paid for the 40 year old car that is my daily driver:whiste:

 

[JackMDS]

I really do not understand all of this "Drama".

Win 7 Pro on NewEgg is $139.

If you really needed it for something purposeful, it like a price of Good pair of sneakers. If you do not need it use something else.

Another solution is to substitute all of these hours spent for nothing over the Internet with few hours working in some minimum wage temp Job type, and you will have the money to solve this "terrible problem".

 

[88keys]

Go for 8.1. Paying $100 for a 5yr old OS is . . . . . strange.

And some might say that paying $1 for Windows 8.1 is strange.

I hesitate to say this since some say it's illegal but if you try a Dell or HP etc. key on a computer you built yourself, I read it will still work. Some of these you can find with sites like Nextag or whatever. (I use shopbot.ca or pricebat.ca in Canada.) I don't know if those installation discs have crap software included though. I know I had some on an HP disc I had of Win98SE. There may be a chance you could still use the product key with a "clean disc" like the ISO images available on mydigitallife. They say they have the same ISO files Microsoft uses to give to customers who buy online.

Something I read I haven't tried yet: Apparently you can use these ISO images to make a disc and try a trial install without entering the product key. I plan to try that in a couple of months (just don't have the money now for a hard drive lol).
http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/comment-page-1/

I know that didn't work with Windows XP, and it won't work with Windows Vista or 7 without modifications to your hardware.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I just took a peak at my favorite software vendor and even their prices for win 7 are up these days. http://www.viosoftware.com/microsoft.php?osCsid=enit7lf4cao0egkjsh3vi6rlm7

 

[Oyeve]

Go for 8.1. Paying $100 for a 5yr old OS is . . . . . strange.

I wouldnt take win8 for free, let alone actually pay for it.

 

[sm625]

If you install win7 but never activate it, it will still work. It will just yell at you every time you boot up but it will not disable the OS like it does with XP.