Thinkpads Forum

I'm looking for a genuine copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Full Retail.

Thanks

No one in the vast land of Thinkpadia, with its verdant forests, and gleaming seashores, has a copy?

Amazon has a couple of DVDs for $60, with Amazon's protection. https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing ... 7+ultimate

Because of all the counterfeiting and other problems, I'm hoping to find one on this forum, as there are so many upright people here.

Thanks, Bill, for running one of the best websites and forums anywhere.

I will pay a fair and good price for the real thing from the members of this forum...one of the most trustworthy communities I know.

You don't need to buy a copy of the product. All you need is an activation key.

You can download Windows 7 directly from Microsoft and create a USB-stick installer; for example, start here:

http://wudt.codeplex.com

When you have an activation key, you can download Windows 7 from Microsoft here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/softwar ... d/windows7

To get the activation key, you can buy any old copy of the version of Windows 7 (Ultimate, etc.) that you want:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/seven-perf ... even-free/

If you don't insist on a retail code, you can buy a COA code legally and cheaply here (for example):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scrap-PC-Laptop ... Swu1VW5pqE

And if you already have an activation code for Windows 7 somewhere else, just use it again. Microsoft's servers typically accept the same code a second time - though maybe not a third or fourth.

This (download directly from Microsoft to a USB key; use an existing code) is exactly what I do whenever I install Windows 7 on a new machine. Guaranteed to work.

I was hoping to buy a retail copy at a good price, rather than the price that Microsoft charges, which is somewhere around $300 if I recall correctly. I managed to buy a retail copy of 7 Ultimate for another computer that I have not yet used. It was apparently installed only on a server once, for testing, so I believe it must be re-registered. From my understanding, this one copy can only be used on one computer at any time.

I wanted a retail company rather than OEM, because OEM then becomes tide to that one computer.

I want to try an in place upgrade from Vista Ultimateto on my ThinkPad

If you are buying to test 7 versus Vista, you might backup your Vista and just do the download. It will usually run for awhile without the activation. You might find that win 7 runs too slow on an older machine.

taichi wrote:I was hoping to buy a retail copy at a good price, rather than the price that Microsoft charges, which is somewhere around $300 if I recall correctly. I managed to buy a retail copy of 7 Ultimate for another computer that I have not yet used. It was apparently installed only on a server once, for testing, so I believe it must be re-registered. From my understanding, this one copy can only be used on one computer at any time.

I wanted a retail company rather than OEM, because OEM then becomes tide to that one computer.

I want to try an in place upgrade from Vista Ultimateto on my ThinkPad

My experience (and I've installed Windows 7 on more than a dozen machines) is that Windows is very tolerant of more than one installation using the same activation code. Also, that OEM codes work on different machines from the originals. If the second activation of a retail code doesn't work, and you're only using it on one computer at a time, call Microsoft; it takes a while to get through, but they'll set it up so you can use the activation on your new machine if it's not being used on the other machine.

There's really no reason to spend piles of money and time on this when simple methods are so likely to work.

Edward Mendelson wrote:
My experience (and I've installed Windows 7 on more than a dozen machines) is that Windows is very tolerant of more than one installation using the same activation code. Also, that OEM codes work on different machines from the originals. If the second activation of a retail code doesn't work, and you're only using it on one computer at a time, call Microsoft; it takes a while to get through, but they'll set it up so you can use the activation on your new machine if it's not being used on the other machine.

There's really no reason to spend piles of money and time on this when simple methods are so likely to work.

+ 1

About a year ago I bought a pristine copy of Windows 7 Ultimate retail from a well reviewed Amazon marketplace vendor, an IT specialist who installed it on a server as a test. Since that time I have not installed it on any machine, and was saving it for a different machine than my T60P. However, it seems a good idea to upgrade my ThinkPad to 7 as well.

Does this mean (the previous server test install) that I have to call MS to reregister the software even though I've not installed it?

That's great news, Edward Mendeson, about Windows being tolerant of more than one installation. I always thought MS was very rigid about this issue, only permitting one license for one computer.

So the dual activation is more or less automatic, without interaction with MS?

Many thanks!

taichi wrote: Does this mean (the previous server test install) that I have to call MS to reregister the software even though I've not installed it?

No.

My best guess is that you'll have no issues activating it over the web, given that the COA has been inactive for a year or so. Only if it fails activation, it will be time to pick up the phone and call MS.

Just to sum up the collective wisdom here for the sake of anyone who visits this thread looking for a summary:

There's no way of knowing in advance whether a previously-used Windows activation code will work on a different machine. It often works, but not always.

You'll only waste your valuable time if you ask for advice about your specific situation, because no one can possibly have a definitive answer. The only thing to do is to try it yourself. The worst thing that can happen is that you'll need to get another activation code or restore your previous system from a backup - or, if you're not currently using the existing code on another machine, call Microsoft on the phone and ask them to release the code for reuse, which (in many people's experience) they have been willing to do.

The very short answer is: Just try it.

I understand your point, Edward, but my original post, and follow ups, were not requests for advice, but attempts to find a legitimate copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, which I'm still pursuing. The whole point is to find a copy at a reasonable used price. I never contemplated buying another license from Microsoft.

taichi wrote:I understand your point, Edward, but my original post, and follow ups, were not requests for advice, but attempts to find a legitimate copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, which I'm still pursuing. The whole point is to find a copy at a reasonable used price. I never contemplated buying another license from Microsoft.

Understood! But some of these posts explained how to get a copy of the installer ISO file directly from Microsoft's servers at no cost at all. All you need is the activation code, and the one you have already may work perfectly well.