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Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

Windows 7 on ThinkPads
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JohnD.
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Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#1 Post by JohnD. » Tue Dec 20, 2016 4:44 pm

Good day everyone,

Awhile ago I bought a Win 7 Pro disk from a forum member and I installed the OS about a month. I found out it was a Win 7 Enterprise version (I thought I bought a Win 7 Pro OS0.

When I got online to activate the OS, I couldn't activate it. I don't remember the message I got from MS. Funny thing, I can use the OS, which was strange to me since I thought the OS would just not work but it does, after I click twice and see the message in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Anyway, if you have a disk or COA that you can sell me, that would be perfect.

Thank you again,
John
Too many machines!

RealBlackStuff
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#2 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Dec 20, 2016 7:01 pm

Alternatively, you might be able to find and install a BIOS with Slic2.1.
That allows you to install any W7 variety from Lenovo Recovery discs.
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dr_st
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#3 Post by dr_st » Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:15 am

Or just any other software-based crack of your choice. What's the difference? :)
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TonyJZX
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#4 Post by TonyJZX » Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:09 am

dr_st wrote: Or just any other software-based crack of your choice. What's the difference?
Slic 2.1 at least, is arguably legal.

eg. I bought a 420/420s w/ Win10. Removed the HDD and for an SSD and put on Win7.

The machines have a Win7 Pro sticker.

By the standards of this forum, this is pretty legit and I dont think I would face any derision by doing this. Its also a permanent solution.

Using cracks and MBR loaders is something else and often not permant and not accoruding to the EULA.

To answer the OPs, question, I believe Enterprise is only activated by a VLK server, every 180 days I beleive.

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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#5 Post by dr_st » Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:50 am

TonyJZX wrote:Slic 2.1 at least, is arguably legal.

eg. I bought a 420/420s w/ Win10. Removed the HDD and for an SSD and put on Win7.

The machines have a Win7 Pro sticker.

By the standards of this forum, this is pretty legit and I dont think I would face any derision by doing this.
The key here is "the machines have a Win7 Pro sticker". This is what makes it legal. In fact, you probably don't need to "hack" anything. If they have a Win7 Pro sticker, they probably already come with all the necessary SLIC tables to activate it.

The standards of this forum or any other forum do not really have anything to do with actual legality or licensing terms. The law is pretty clear that to use the software legally you must have a license, which you can either buy from Microsoft, receive with a system that you buy from an OEM, or from a person who previously received it via one of the two methods (i.e., reselling systems or retail licenses). If your Thinkpad does not have a license for the OS you are running, you are in violation of the EULA, and according to the law, in the US at least, are doing something illegal. Whether you used one hack or another to "trick" the activation system does not matter.
TonyJZX wrote:Its also a permanent solution.
Yes, and that is its biggest advantage, no doubt. Hence people will continue using it, people on the forum will continue endorsing it, because, frankly, nobody gives a darn about what's actually legal or not in this aspect. People only care whether they personally feel good with something or not. And when you apply a BIOS mod (in itself of questionable legality, BTW), which people here do all the time to bypass whitelists or unlock features, you don't feel "guilty" as you might if you went to a "dubious" website, downloaded an executable which has the word "CRACK" in it, and ran it.

Using the BIOS method you also avoid exposure to potential malware in the crack or in the websites distributing it, since the BIOS mods come from trusted sources. You are a little bit at risk of bricking your PC if you do something wrong or if the process hangs for a bizarre and unlikely reason. But it is a small risk. I can certainly understand why people like these BIOS mods, and would certainly use them myself if I felt the need to.
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exTPfan
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#6 Post by exTPfan » Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:05 am

Apparently the German courts have decreed that it is legal to sell Win 7 OEM Activation codes without hardware. As a result you can find them on ebay for about $6. I've bought several from "cheapercodes" and they have all worked.

MikalE
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#7 Post by MikalE » Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:06 am

I have a T510 with a legal COA for Win 7 Pro and had to replace a hard drive several months ago. I loaded up the OS to the new drive and Windows doesn't recognize the legitimate COA from the bottom of the machine. I need to do a telephone activation but haven't gotten around to it yet since i don't use the system much.

I mean though, should that really be necessary? I thought it would recognize its own code. ???
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RealBlackStuff
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Re: Looking for Win 7 Pro/Ultra/Enterprise COA

#8 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:01 am

1) The W7 COA from any Lenovo laptop is only valid for the matching Lenovo version of W7 (e.g. W7-Home does not work on W7-Pro etc.)
2) Using a straight-from-Micro$haft (or Dell, HP, whatever) version does not accept the Lenovo COA-key, it needs a matching COA (or ...).
3) If a Lenovo laptop has Slic2.1 in BIOS, then any Lenovo W7 or Vista Recovery set will automatically activate, regardless of COA.
4) If your Lenovo laptop has NO Slic2.1 in BIOS, then Option 1) applies.

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