Buying laptop with no HD (But has Windows COA)

[GoodEnough]

If hard drive has been wiped, but laptop comes with windows COA, all I need to do is download windows from one of those mirror sites and install it, right? This is not a huge deal, right? In fact, I'd prob. get an SSD and do that anyway (new image), so that's my best deal, correct?

Where do I download Win7 ?

 

[GoodEnough]

If laptop is X201 Lenovo with no CDROM,
Would it be possible to create some sort of restore partition?
Or is this only possible with factory installs of the OS?

 

[ArisVer]

Not sure about the recovery partition but I think you need an OEM disk from the manufacturer for that. As long as you have a normal installation and backups, you'll be okay. Otherwise you'll have to reinstall in case of a major screw up. Save the ISO you'll download and the installation disk (or USB) you will burn.

Links to downloads of Windows 7 (from digital river) are found on this post.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...snt-seem/4789ffda-14d7-419c-92cf-662b56ef408c

 

[GoodEnough]

Wow, I haven't heard the name "Digital River" since the late 90s dotcom bubble that was almost 20 years ago.

 

[GoodEnough]

So, all I need is a $5 hard drive caddy, a $100 SSD drive, a Win7 COA, and a download from DigitalRiver. Burn that image to CDROM or a flash drive. How big a flash drive do I need to hold a Win7 install?

 

[ArisVer]

The Pro and Ultimate x64 ISOs are 3.1GB. Others would be equal or less. You'll be ok with a 4GB stick or a DVD. Not sure what you need the caddy for. To burn on the USB stick I use the Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool, simple and it works.

http://wudt.codeplex.com/

 

[GoodEnough]

Caddy in case the used laptop doesn't come with HD or caddy.
Lots seem to have these missing for some reason.