Windows7 or Windows 10?

[Alfa404]

I recently( 3days ago) built a new PC.

 

And before you call me stupid... I really didn't know this... It's that you can only use Windows activation code in 1 PC.

 

I had an OEM copy of windows 7 ultimate lying around, which came with my old PC, so I conveniently installed it into my new PC.

 

So here is the problem: I can't activate this new PC, the old windows activation code does not work.

 

What can I do to activate my Windows 7 ultimate without losing all the files I already setup?

 

I can't seem to find the Win7 ultimate codes on microsoft website. There's only Windows 10.

[techguru]

2 minutes ago, Alfa404 said:

I recently( 3days ago) built a new PC.

 

And before you call me stupid... I really didn't know this... It's that you can only use Windows activation code in 1 PC.

 

I had an OEM copy of windows 7 ultimate lying around, which came with my old PC, so I conveniently installed it into my new PC.

 

So here is the problem: I can't activate this new PC, the old windows activation code does not work.

 

What can I do to activate my Windows 7 ultimate without losing all the files I already setup?

 

I can't seem to find the Win7 ultimate codes on microsoft website. There's only Windows 10.

activate it for free ..or buy a key from one of the cheap places online

[Alfa404]

1 minute ago, techguru said:

activate it for free ..or buy a key from one of the cheap places online

Will upgrading to Win10 and buying a new Win10 code help?

[TheGamingBarrel]

Just run without it being activated, on 7 It doesnt do anything at all apart from remove your background, I did the same on my benching install when I switched motherboard, if you need it you can type "slmgr /rearm" in an elevated command prompt

[techguru]

Just now, Alfa404 said:

Will upgrading to Win10 and buying a new Win10 code help?

you could buy a win 10 key for like 20$ usd

[alexhelvetica]

Just now, TheGamingBarrel said:

Just run without it being activated, on 7 It doesnt do anything at all apart from remove your background, I did the same on my benching install when I switched motherboard, if you need it you can type "slmgr /rearm" in an elevated command prompt

You don't get updates so your computer is vulnerable to viruses. 

[TheGamingBarrel]

Just now, Comic_Sans_MS said:

You don't get updates so your computer is vulnerable to viruses. 

Can still use other things such as malware bytes.

 

 

[alexhelvetica]

31 minutes ago, TheGamingBarrel said:

Can still use other things such as malware bytes.

 

 

Yes you can, but your PC is still more vulnerable to viruses, you also don't get bug fixes.

[NeoFrux]

7 hours ago, Alfa404 said:

And before you call me stupid... I really didn't know this... It's that you can only use Windows activation code in 1 PC.

Actually, you can activate one copy of Windows on multiple computers... As long as you're transferring the license. Technically, the EULA says you can't do this, but if you call Microsoft and enter the Activation ID at the prompt, respond that you've activated it on one PC and that you've replaced the motherboard, they'll usually roll with it.

 

Doing it this way will invalidate the license the old PC had, however, and only the new PC will be activated.

 

If you mean that the installation media refuses to accept your key, you'll need to track down a different disc image. With Windows 7, it matters whether you're using a retail, upgrade, or OEM installation disc, and in your case you'd need an OEM disc. You should be able to grab a new image over at Microsoft's site, but I've found that since they discontinued the DigitalRiver downloads, they've become more strict about OEM copies. If your OEM license for Windows 7 Ultimate came from a pre-built machine, you'll either need to track down a proper image or use the installation media that came with that machine.

In any case, Windows 10 isn't bad, and if you're looking to game, Windows 10 is definitely the future there. Artificially so (like Vista was with DX10), but 10 definitely doesn't have the same teething problems Vista did, and comes with much better multi-monitor support among other things. I'd recommend the upgrade personally.