Windows 7 product key/activation question..

[soulcougher73]

I have a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade DVD i bought when it came out. At the time i upgraded Vista to Windows 7. Since then ive moved and cant seem to find my Vista OS anymore. This past week my HD crashed so i bought a new 1TB HD and went about installing Windows 7 on it.

It wouldnt take my prodcut key so i left the field blank and let it finish installing. I have it Windows 7 full updated and installed all drivers etc i need. But my product key still wont activate.

Is there some trick i need to do in order to activate it since i have a new HD? Would be silly if i had to buy a new full version of Windows 7 for a new key. Any help please?

Thanks,

 

[RebateMonger]

While in Windows, put the DVD disk in the drive and "upgrade" the PC to Windows 7 Professional. Yes I know you are already running Windows 7 Professional. This time you can use your Upgrade Key because it'll be an Upgrade rather than a "Full Install". You'll have to re-install any patches for Windows, but your installed applications and your settings should be retained.

 

[soulcougher73]

While in Windows, put the DVD disk in the drive and "upgrade" the PC to Windows 7 Professional. Yes I know you are already running Windows 7 Professional. This time you can use your Upgrade Key because it'll be an Upgrade rather than a "Full Install". You'll have to re-install any patches for Windows, but your installed applications and your settings should be retained.

Hmm odd lol. Ill give that a try when i get home. Thanks.

 

[Elvis2]

Why not activate by phone? I've had to so many times because of upgrades / reformat that MS knows me on a first name basis .

 

[soulcougher73]

Why not activate by phone? I've had to so many times because of upgrades / reformat that MS knows me on a first name basis .

I tried this last night, but they are only open M-F 8am-6pm. Well im at work during those times so it kind of sucks lol.

 

[tcsenter]

I installed W7 HP 64-bit on my sister's PC a couple weeks ago using retail upgrade media. She had XP Home, but rather than using the "upgrade" option, I booted from the W7 disc and selected the "custom" option, formatted the HDD using W7 setup, then performed a 'clean' install. Did not input product key during setup.

I completely setup the system, installed all the latest updates, drivers, her apps, then copied her data back. Lastly, I activated Windows using the product key from the retail upgrade package. It activated online with no problem.

 

[RebateMonger]

I completely setup the system, installed all the latest updates, drivers, her apps, then copied her data back. Lastly, I activated Windows using the product key from the retail upgrade package. It activated online with no problem.

The "problem" with Retail Upgrade Keys has always been that Windows knows you did a "Full Install" and not an "Upgrade" and refuses to accept the Upgrade Key. Perhaps in your case the Windows 7 Installer kept track that you started the install with XP already present on the hard drive? As I'm sure you know, there's a Registry Key (MediaBootInstall=0) that some folks use to "fool" Windows 7 into thinking Win7 had been installed as an Upgrade from inside Windows, rather than as a Full Install from a boot disk.

If the current Win7 install won't accept his/her Upgrade key, the above Registry hack method could also be used. I'm a little nervous about that technique, since there were early reports of upgrades to WGA causing Registry-hacked (modifed "MediaBootInstall" key) Win7 installations to be declared "non-genuine". The "double-install" method is tried and true and I haven't heard of any issues with it. With Vista, that was supposedly the method that Microsoft's Support folks were given to allow Activation of "Retail Upgrade" installs on bare disks.

 

[tcsenter]

I forgot to mention that I installed a new hard drive as well. The hard drive on which I installed W7 previously contained an unactivated copy of Vista Home Premium, which I had used for testing some other components. So I didn't install W7 to the drive with XP Home on it. I just booted the system from the W7 upgrade disk, selected "install now", chose the Custom option instead of the Upgrade, formatted the disk (it was already partitioned the way that I wanted it), and setup proceeded like a normal clean install.

I half-expected there to be some problem with activating W7 but it successfully activated online.

 

[RebateMonger]

I half-expected there to be some problem with activating W7 but it successfully activated online.

Of course, the one difference between your situation and the O.P.'s is that he/she started with a blank disk and you started with Vista files on yours.

Note this quote from the article I link below:

"Windows 7 Setup does its compliance checking before the phase of Setup where you format the disc. (Unlike with Windows Vista.) This means that you can format your existing hard drive, and blow away a previous Windows version, and not worry about activation. If it was there, Windows 7 will still activate."

I suggest the O.P. try his/her Upgrade Key again and see if it accepts it. If not, there's the choice of the Registry hack
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp
or the double-install technique I mentioned. No matter what, there should be no big problem Activating the Win7.

Hopefully the O.P. will report back on the results.

 

[VirtualLarry]

"Windows 7 Setup does its compliance checking before the phase of Setup where you format the disc. (Unlike with Windows Vista.) This means that you can format your existing hard drive, and blow away a previous Windows version, and not worry about activation. If it was there, Windows 7 will still activate."

I have heard that, but I haven't found it to be true. If you boot off of hte Win7 DVD, and select Custom, and then choose to delete the partition containing the prior OS, then continue with the install, it will tell you that your key is invalid, because it considers it to be a clean install.

You have to do the "custom" install, and choose to install to the SAME partition that the prior OS was installed into, and then it will move your old windows install to "Windows.Old", then perform a clean install.

 

[tcsenter]

You have to do the "custom" install, and choose to install to the SAME partition that the prior OS was installed into, and then it will move your old windows install to "Windows.Old", then perform a clean install.

Nope, I formatted the drive (using the advanced options) but did not mess with the existing partition, and there was no Windows.Old directory created and no remnants of the prior Vista installation.

Oh, and the previous Vista install was not only unactivated, but I never input a product key, either.

 

[RebateMonger]

Oh, and the previous Vista install was not only unactivated, but I never input a product key, either.

Other than the rumors floating around before Win7 was released, I've never heard any further discussion or evidence that the Activation state of the prior OS made any difference. The Win7 Installer is likely looking for certain folders or files indicating a prior installation of Windows.