If I buy a used PC, can I reinstall Windows legally?

[GoodEnough]

Say it comes with no restore CDs.
Can I access the serial/COA number and use that?
What is that website where I download a clean install of Win7 ?

 

[postmortemIA]

as long as it has COA, you'll be able to do so.. it may require calling Microsoft... but I had luck using COA + generic win 7 HP retail DVD
here are semi-official download links from digital river, Microsoft online retailer
http://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/14-windows-7-direct-download-links

 

[Blain]

Say it comes with no restore CDs.
Can I access the serial/COA number and use that?
What is that website where I download a clean install of Win7 ?

If the PC has a Windows 7 COA, of course you can do a clean install of the OS.
The COA stays with the PC, not the owner of that PC.

 

[GoodEnough]

So, as long as I buy a legit licensed recycled corporate PC, I am good to be able to reinstall Win7?

 

[mikeymikec]

So, as long as I buy a legit licensed recycled corporate PC, I am good to be able to reinstall Win7?

Ensure that it as a Windows 7 product key sticker on it.

The product key looks like 5 groups of 5 alphanumeric digits.

as long as it has COA, you'll be able to do so.. it may require calling Microsoft...

FYI OP - It's an automated phone system normally. If you get the activation screen on, it says 'invalid for activation', choose the automated phone system option, pick your country, it'll give you a phone number and a load of digits. You type those digits in when asked using the phone keypad, it'll give you a load back to type in to your computer, then it should activate the licence.

I've done it plenty of times before, and I can't remember ever having a problem with it (outside of me typing in the wrong digits).

 

[postmortemIA]

the problem with croporate PCs is that often they use volume licensing keys... which is not per computer, but per domain... meaning the key cannot be transferred outside of the company.

 

[mfenn]

the problem with croporate PCs is that often they use volume licensing keys... which is not per computer, but per domain... meaning the key cannot be transferred outside of the company.

Any license key on a Microsoft COA that's affixed to the PC stays with the PC. Whether or not the original owner actually deployed the PCs with that key doesn't matter.

 

[nsafreak]

Any license key on a Microsoft COA that's affixed to the PC stays with the PC. Whether or not the original owner actually deployed the PCs with that key doesn't matter.

This is correct. What typically happens in a corporate enviroment is that when they purchase PCs (usually in bulk from HP, Dell, etc) they get COAs with those PCs even though they have no plan whatsoever to use the COA since they don't get a discount in price by not getting the COA. They just use their volume license key from Microsoft and the COA keys go unused.