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Windows 7 License Key Transfers

DeciusDecius I'm old! I'm fat!I'M BLUE!Registered User regular
edited July 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
So a local computer store has a promo right now where you can buy a copy of Win7 Home Premium OEM for $99.99 and get a free 500GB HDD. I want to get my mom upgraded to Win7, but her system and usage patterns are better suited to the x86 version.

Basically I wanted to ask, can I use the license key for the x64 OEM Home Premium version that comes with this promo to install x86 OEM Home Premium. The sales people at the local computer store say no, and I have a couple others say yet. I turn to PA for my final answer.

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I never finish anyth
Decius on

Posts

  • eternalbleternalbl Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I wouldn't count on it. In my experience with windows the keys are very specific to the version they can be used with. Even trying to use a non-OEM product key with a retail copy of the same version would fail, IE; using a retail home edition xp key wouldn't work with an OEM home edition CD.

    eternalbl on
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  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    x86 and x64 keys for both Win7 and WinVista are interchangeable

    you will need to have x86 install media, though

    Dehumanized on
  • eternalbleternalbl Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Lol, sucks to be the OP now eh. :P

    eternalbl on
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  • ashridahashridah Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Dehumanized wrote: »
    x86 and x64 keys for both Win7 and WinVista are interchangeable

    you will need to have x86 install media, though

    This is not correct for OEM editions.

    If you get an x64 OEM key for windows, you'll need to use an OEM install disc for the x64 version to get the key to work. It won't work with a retail disc, and it won't work with a x86 OEM install disc.

    This does not apply to retail editions, however (retail keys will work with retail x64 or x86 install discs)

    It's also worth pointing out that a vendor's OEM disc (dell/hp/whatever) won't work with a generic OEM disc. annoying, since i'd love to be able to use that to remove chum from a retail computer :)

    ashridah on
  • ronyaronya Arrrrrf. the ivory tower's basementRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Removing 'chum' from a vendor's OEM disc entails just deleting a folder from it, then re-creating the ISO image and burning it. Vendor OEM discs generally don't need activation - they're activated via a specially configured BIOS. I've forgotten where the folder is, though...

    OEM Windows 7 x86/x64 keys are interchangeable, but generally not from the same installation DVD. If you can acquire the x86 image, it should work.

    ronya on
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