Windows 7 downloadable ISO activation question?

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bgc99

Senior member
Aug 13, 2004
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Does anyone know if the Windows 7 SP1 ISO files that are available at digitalriver will activate with an upgrade key or do they require an OEM key?

I've got the original Win7 Home Premium Upgrade discs from when it was first released. I want to download the SP1 ISO so I don't have to install 10,000 updates when I build my new system.

Thanks,
BGC
 
Arkaign

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
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At worst you can call in and manually activate it over the phone. I've done the exact same thing for the same reason hundreds of times. If you do some reading, you can even make a version that has updates rolled up as well to save even more time. A raw SP1 disc will still have ~140+ updates after installation.
 
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G73S

Senior member
Mar 14, 2012
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yup, calling always works

then save the activation code they give you somewhere.

For me, if I don't change my hardware, that activation code also works on future formats of the same laptop
 
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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,905
556
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bgc99 said:
I've got the original Win7 Home Premium Upgrade discs from when it was first released. I want to download the SP1 ISO so I don't have to install 10,000 updates when I build my new system.
Click to expand...
You will still need to install 9,993 updates for Win7 SP1. I've actually done both and there were like 3 more updates for pre-SP1. It was something like 112 updates vs. 109 (not including SP1 itself).
 
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G73S

Senior member
Mar 14, 2012
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yeah it's 142 to 150 updates after SP1 now around 600 MB it's ridiculous. MS sucks for not releasing an SP2 and they won't
 
postmortemIA

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
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Install twice is the trick to get past activation with upgrade key. Second install shall be from running first install.
 
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bgc99

Senior member
Aug 13, 2004
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postmortemIA said:
Install twice is the trick to get past activation with upgrade key. Second install shall be from running first install.
Click to expand...

I think that was one of the ways to do a clean install with the upgrade disc. From what I've read, the keys for the OEM version and the upgrade/full versions are not interchangeable.

I didn't want to waste time downloading the ISO if I couldn't activate it with the key from my upgrade disc.
 
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bgc99

Senior member
Aug 13, 2004
472
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71
Arkaign said:
If you do some reading, you can even make a version that has updates rolled up as well to save even more time. A raw SP1 disc will still have ~140+ updates after installation.
Click to expand...

I read that to make a slipstreamed Win7 install disc, you have to have to do it on a PC that has Win7 installed on it. Unfortunately, I don't have access to one of those.

BGC
 
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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,905
556
126
bgc99 said:
I read that to make a slipstreamed Win7 install disc, you have to have to do it on a PC that has Win7 installed on it. Unfortunately, I don't have access to one of those.
Click to expand...
Technically, its a pain in the ass because you can't do 'offline' patching of the installation files like you could do in Windows XP. You need to 'mount' the installation image (either install to a reference PC or in virtual machine), apply the updates as normal, then run some Microsoft utilities to recapture the image and convert it back to install files (WIM based). Worth it if you expect to do numerous installations but not otherwise.
 
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88keys

88keys

Golden Member
Aug 24, 2012
1,854
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81
If they can't let people integrate, the least they could do is offer update rollups as executables ever 6 months so we can keep them offline.

Updating a fresh Windows 7 SP1 is absurd at this point. The OS still has mainstream support and there is no reason that it shouldn't get one.
 
postmortemIA

postmortemIA

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2006
7,721
40
91
... And good luck if you try to do the 140+ updates on a pc without SSD... It takes hours. The best part are .net 4.x updates... There are dozen or so of them. Why not make it a single update?
 
blankslate

blankslate

Diamond Member
Jun 16, 2008
8,788
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G73S said:
yeah it's 142 to 150 updates after SP1 now around 600 MB it's ridiculous. MS sucks for not releasing an SP2 and they won't
Click to expand...

Try WSUS offline
http://www.wsusoffline.net/docs/

Basically it's an executable that grabs Windows Updates and stores them on local storage like an external hard drive so that you don't have to redownload every single update again when reinstalling a windows OS.

Video explanation from a 3rd party.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXAOvbNJYyE

it saves time.


....
 
C

coolpurplefan

Golden Member
Mar 2, 2006
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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,905
556
126
bgc99 said:
Anyway, it sounds like that with all the updates that will have to be installed it will just be a waste of time to download the SP1 ISO.
Click to expand...
It's always worth having the latest install bits, especially if getting them is as trivial as downloading over broadband and burning to DVD or creating installation USB key. I was just saying, if you think there are only like 25 updates for post-SP1, you're going to be disappointed. There will be almost as many as for pre-SP1 install bits.
 
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bgc99

Senior member
Aug 13, 2004
472
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71
I have the discs, so the only advantage downloading the ISO was to cut down on the updates. I wonder if those ISO files on Digital River contain any of the post SP1 updates? Good to know the upgrade keys work on the ISO files.

Thanks
 
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