Advice Downloading Windows 7?

[Access Denied]

I'm looking at a laptop for a mate and the HDD is comptetely fucked. Unfortunately he only has a restore disc for Windows 7 which is no good now. He has a product key for Home Premium but the Microsoft websites are monumentally unhelpful so I have two questions:

1: Where do I go to download Windows 7 using the product key?

2: Can I use a torrented copy and activate it using the key?

Muchas Gracias.

 

[Tuthmes]

1. Dunno! Can't find it on the site of Microsoft.

2. Yes.

 

[old.Osy]

On #2, make sure the one you get says RTM and/or "untouched".

 

[soze]

It also depends what key you have. Windows have VL, OEM and Retail you need the right media for your key.

 

[GReaper]

Ars Technica has a useful article for this one: Blowing away bloatware: a guide to reinstalling Windows on a new PC.

Just download the appropriate ISO file and away you go! (assuming you've got the right type of key)

 

[Access Denied]

Hmm, so I went to that website, checked the licence sticker and it says Home Prem OA. Also has CO.7P201.001.

I'm assuming it's a x64 version but I'll download both versions. Now all I have to do is convince him that it is ncessary to buy a new HDD. Cheers guys!

 

[Access Denied]

On a related note, I'm only assuming the drive is fucked. It started saying "A disk read error has occured" and therefore won't boot into windows. I plugged it into my computer and the following happens.

If I plug it in and THEN boot up my computer it doesn't get past the Windows loading screen, just sits there doing nothing. (I'm booting to my own copy of Windows)

If I plug it in after I've booted to Windows then the only thing that shows up in Computer is the System Reserved partition.

Disk Management won't load at all.

Sits on the Shutting down screen and does fuck all.

 

[Syri]

That certainly does sound like the drive is knackered

 

[Access Denied]

This is somewhat odd. I dropped the drive into a dock and turned it on after the disk manager had loaded. A minute or so later it showed up but it would crash disk manager if I tried to do anything other than delete the main partition. So I did that and I also deleted the system reserved partition. the only thing that's left now is the restore partition and otherwise the drive works perfectly.

Seems I can now get the restore disk off him and use that to sort it out. Saving him £50 or so for a new HDD.

 

[Zenith.UK]

There is another option to consider.
Find out the manufacturer of the hard drive, then download the diagnostics program from their site.
Next make a note of the model and serial number of the hard drive.
Run the diagnostics. If you get an error code, make a note of it.
Now visit the manufacturer's support site and go through the process of performing an RMA (Return Materials Authorisation). Part of this involves keying in your serial number. If it turns out that the drive is still within warranty AND you have an error code for it, you can send the drive back to them and they will provide you with an equivalent refurbished drive.

I did this for a neighbour last week. Her 250GB Hitachi drive was fubar from the laptop being dropped on the floor by her little boy. Diagnostics, RMA check, sent off by special delivery, wait a few days, replacement drive turns up in the post. The I've dealt with Seagate and Western Digital drives for RMAs as well and the process works well. The bad one is Toshiba as they won't have any dealings with the public. They ONLY deal with service centres or OEM partners.

 

[soze]

Depending on who made the machine HP for example the drive will show up on the manufactures website as non OEM and send you off to speak to HP about getting a replacement. This can be infuriating as the disk could have a 3 year warranty but the PC a 1 year which means you lose 2 years of warranty.

But I agree you should run disk diagnostics as if it had a bad sector when you deleted the two partitions you may have cleared that sector and masked the problem. But it would re occur as soon as the sector is used again.

 

[MYstIC G]

Depending on who made the machine HP for example the drive will show up on the manufactures website as non OEM and send you off to speak to HP about getting a replacement. This can be infuriating as the disk could have a 3 year warranty but the PC a 1 year which means you lose 2 years of warranty.

But I agree you should run disk diagnostics as if it had a bad sector when you deleted the two partitions you may have cleared that sector and masked the problem. But it would re occur as soon as the sector is used again.

Not really. The drive goes to consumers with multi year, that's likely not part of the deal for manufacturer to manufacturer sales.

 

[soze]

Not really. The drive goes to consumers with multi year, that's likely not part of the deal for manufacturer to manufacturer sales.

I see what you are saying. But if Seagate is happy to sell a drive to Joe Public who could be installing it with a octopus and powering it with a mouse running on a wheel and give that a 3 year warranty I can't see that they would not offer the same to HP? They only want to know would be seeing where they go if you swap one out over a care pack after the first year. If they are scrapped then HP do not get the 3 year if they end up going back to Seagate it is obviously honored.