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DPete27
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Location: Wisconsin, USA

How to do a clean install using Windows 7 Upgrade Disc

Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:42 am

Hello everyone, this is more of an informative post based on my recent "hardships" with using a Windows 7 Upgrade Only disc to install windows on a new SSD.

First a little background. About 1.5 years ago I used this same disc and product key to put Windows 7 on my new/current computer. I got it from school through a professor discount and it only cost me $25. I ended up having to call microsoft tech support because Windows would not accept my product key and activate since I was using an "Upgrade" disc on a new hard drive. (Upgrade discs are only supposed to work if you have a pre-existing version of Windows on your hard drive.) I was stuck on the installation screen where you input your product key, couldnt boot to windows, do not pass GO. Anyway, tech support told me to enter all zeros in the product key line which allowed windows to boot. After this they mysteriously saw my computer pop up on their system (All they had was my first name and phone number which was from a different area code from where I was at the time) and installed some "packet" on my computer that allowed me to enter my product key which worked and I was on with my way. Free of charge.
Fast forward to two days ago. I was installing the same copy of windows on my new Vertex 3 120GB MAX IOPS (which I got for $180 = SCORE!!) and ran into the same problem. Having had this problem before, I was prepared with microsoft tech support phone number and began the same process. This time however, the rep on the other end told me that they could not help me because my product key was a volume licence key (volume licences of Windows 7 Pro? I thought those were only given for Enterprise), but she did want to charge me $60 to send me to a technical support rep. (I thought thats who I was talking to already?) I politely told her about my previous experience with the same disc, what had been done, and that I had been helped free of charge, to which she said that "it must have been some sort of first time free support" (I call BS). She told me that microsoft technicians are not trained in volumne licence keys so they cannot help me, and that I should contact my IT department to solve my problem and possibly get me a new product key. (BS number 2). She still wanted $60 to put me through to their "technical support reps" which she had just gotten done saying could not help me. (to which I sternly refused, stating that I had recieved the same service in the past for free) Long story short, ended up speaking to the supervisor who game me the same BS which resulted in me ending the call in disgust.

So, I was determined to try and get windows legitamately activated. A quick google search gave me the link below. I followed the instructions in "Option Three" since that seemed to represent the closest match to the microsoft service that I recieved 1.5 years ago. Took me roughly 2 minutes and I had genuinely activated Windows. SO for all of those who have windows upgrade discs and do not want to do a double install of windows just because they got a new hdd, save this link for future reference.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31402-clean-install-upgrade-windows-7-version.html
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