Windows 7 wanted for an old computer, I don't want to pay for it.

I want to install windows 7 on an old computer but don't want to put any money into it.  Microsoft says the old PC can run it.  

Anyone have an old disc and product key laying around.

The ISO should be downloadable from here.

What brand is the old PC?    someone might have an old OEM sticker in  a salvage pile.

I really want a ND RF but don't want to pay for it. Can someone steal it for me?

I tried the download from Microsoft with a product Key, they said it was manufacturer installed and did not work.

I'm not looking for a bootleg version, just maybe a previously purchased and no longer used version.  This is for a computer that may just get thrown away, but if I can make it useful my kids can do their homework on it.

I have found that I can buy it for $30 now that it is obsolete, I guess that's not too much to risk. 

Dell Dimension E510

You'll have to get a Win10 disc image from your particular manufacturer to work with an OEM license key, try this:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/bb/es/bbbsdt1/sln300195/how-to-install-windows-10-from-the-dell-iso?lang=en

(BTW, if you'd installed Linux, you'd be finished already )

Grtechguy said:

The ISO should be downloadable from here.

 

What brand is the old PC?    someone might have an old OEM sticker in  a salvage pile.

That's exactly what I do whenever we outprocess machines for recycling; take a pic of that sticker. I just checked in the back and we have a pallet with some Vista 740s and one Win7 notebook missing its HDD and its sticker. If I find anything I'll send you a note. I just used the last one from my photo album for my MIL the other night. For those keeping score, if someone refurbs a machine they get a reseller's license for it so I'm not double-dipping -- but our recycler isn't reselling anyway; they scrap for metal.

Oddly one of my old notebooks was a refurb/reseller with a reseller sticker for Home edition. The machine was originally Pro and that sticker was still visible so I used the Pro key for my OS reinstall. As an aside, if you can live with the Home edition let me know since I have that one

Also, what didn't work with the key you had? The d/l or the install? I've found installs work just fine with generic OS ISOs. My most recent was a BootCamp install with a certainly non-Apple MFG's sticker.

ALSO Microsoft is still allowing activation of Win10 with a Win7 key. I think you have to initiate the upgrade thru Windows using an ISO though, or at least that's the combination that I used successfully last week.

I ran into a similar situation, I bought an old toughbook to use for garage/car stuff. Downloaded a win 7 iso version that matched the sticker on the bottom and it registered no problem. Apparently at some point I'll have to call to finish registration but it hasn't happened yet.

I have good luck with just not typing in the product code at all.  I have a few 7 workstations for my kids, and all you have to do it hit escape when the warning pops up.  Mine are also legit licensed windows workstations that happened to need a reinstall because of hard drive failure or hardware upgrades. I can't even read the codes on the stickers because they are so worn.

If the machine will run it, you can put Win 10 on it and never activate it legally.  

10 is only 64 bit, I tried.

Now personally I would leave 7 on it because they keep breaking things for end users with 10. Which is precisely why my MIL now has a Mac and a Windows 7 partition just in case, but 10 would be good for them to learn

Oh well.  I have a few Dell XP disks, you are welcome to one if you want.

P3PPY said:

Now personally I would leave 7 on it because they keep breaking things for end users with 10. Which is precisely why my MIL now has a Mac and a Windows 7 partition just in case, but 10 would be good for them to learn

Strongly disagree, the trouble with Win10 seems to be greatly exaggerated in my experience, and sticking with Win7 means less years of security-updated Windows for your hard-earned dollars, considering the EOL date.

GameboyRMH said:

P3PPY said:

Now personally I would leave 7 on it because they keep breaking things for end users with 10. Which is precisely why my MIL now has a Mac and a Windows 7 partition just in case, but 10 would be good for them to learn

Strongly disagree, the trouble with Win10 seems to be greatly exaggerated in my experience, and sticking with Win7 means less years of security-updated Windows for your hard-earned dollars, considering the EOL date.

I would have agreed with you as we upgraded all my office computers to 10 with out issue.  Then it came to my ASUS laptop ran the tests and it said it would upgrade no problem.  Windows 10 worked for about a week or two (all drivers were updated) and then things started to slowly go wonkey and it would boot to a blue screen only some times and eventually not boot.  I wiped it clean and reinstalled Win7 and it worked fine so it was blasted down again and installed Win10 and it only booted 3x before It went to the blue screen of death and refused to boot again.  I blasted it down again and put Win 7 back on it and it has been working fine ever since (one of my employees uses it as a 2nd computer for the field and work at home)  I ended up having to purchases a new computer as I could not be with out one for the time it took to figure out what was the issues on the ASUS.  I was told it was something to do with one of the chip sets on it.  Don't know if that makes sense.  In fairness it was an older laptop. One of the first I7 64 bit machines offered by Asus. 

The issue is real but I would agree that it is over blown and I bet in many cases it is because people try to update machines that are to old or don't have the capabilities to run win10

Yeah a chipset (critical mainboard component that handles general I/O, and these days often lots more) incompatibility could happen. All the computers at my office were upgraded to Win10 except for a couple of laptops (of one particular model) that had some incompatibility related to the video adapter (and of course the servers and a few Linux desktops). My gaming PC runs Win10 as well.

You can buy OEM licenses on eBay. Technically, they're selling the scrap computer with the sticker but "may" decide not to ship you the physical part if it's deemed too badly damaged. Legal tapdancing, but the end result is a legal key and legit copy for about $25. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago so I could put Win7 on a dual boot Apple laptop. Worked a treat, even the online registration.

Linux is totally the way to handle this.

Windows 10 doesn't require a key to be fully functioning.  You just can't change certain theme settings.  Nothing illegal or piratey. You can install windows 10 and not activate it and everything will work other than certain theme settings.

I just googled that particular PC model, and it appears to be from 2006. I'm not sure this PC is worth saving.

szeis4cookie said:

I just googled that particular PC model, and it appears to be from 2006. I'm not sure this PC is worth saving.

Yikes!

I'll mail you a Latitude E5400 notebook for the cost of shipping if you want it. It's from 2009, look up service tag D30KXG1 on support.dell.com. Core 2 Duo 2GHz so nothing special but maybe better than the single core you have. It came with Vista

or an HP G71 notebook with a big fat 17" screen. MIL asked me to throw it in the recycle bin and i'm too slow about putting things up on eBay. it came with Win7 home premium and even still has the sticker

https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-g71-449wm-17-3-p-t4300-windows-7-home-premium-64-bit-4-gb-ram-320-gb-hdd-series/specs/

szeis4cookie said:

I just googled that particular PC model, and it appears to be from 2006. I'm not sure this PC is worth saving.

It worked in 2006, right? 

Well just for fun I downloaded Win7 from the interweb, then used a key from, P3PPY.  The smoke did not come out yet so that's good.

I have to agree that this thing is old and may just end up in the trash.  My kids will be fighting for computers soon as more of their homework goes paperless, so It may just get used for that.  Google docs doesn't take much of a processor to run.

Thanks for helping the illiterate try to get by, I did learn something from it so not a total loss.

In reply to tuna55 :

Can someone burn me a Linux  install DVD   so I can try it on my old Dell laptop that came with XP ?

I would like to try it but have not been able to figure out the downloads and get it working !

PM me if you can help

Thanks

PM sent.

If anyone wants to run one of those MSD Ignition boxes that have timing curve and other functions I have an old laptop with the software on it.

Its good for this purpose due to the old school port on the side that hooks directly to the ignition box.

I wanted one real bad, then realized that I don’t own any carbureted cars.