Microsoft Windows 7 Software Recovery (for non-OEM computers)

Corrine · January 23, 2015, 03:06:56 PM

It used to be that when you purchased a new PC you received a copy of the Windows software along with it. Then that stopped. Many OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. started charging extra for the software. Some would allow customers to purchase the software for a while and then that was no longer possible. Big box store bought computers no longer come with the software either.

If you have a Windows 7 computer and no recovery software, you can now do one of the following:

Create a Windows 7 DVD for installation on a new hard drive
Create a backup Windows 7 DVD
Create a bootable USB drive with a copy of Windows 7

Instructions are available here: Microsoft Software Recovery.

Note: This may not work with OEM computers. Reading the website link, it refers to "retail":

QuoteThis site enables you to recover and install Microsoft software purchased through a retailer. (bold added)

If anyone with an OEM machine tries it, please let us know the results.

Edited by winchester73

DR M · January 24, 2015, 01:29:40 PM

I tried to do so, and I got this:

Unsupported Product

The product key you entered appears to be for software that was pre-installed on a device. Please contact the device manufacturer for software recovery options.

Corrine · January 24, 2015, 02:07:38 PM

:( Ok, thank you, Panos. It appears that it will only work for Windows 7 systems purchased at stores (Cosco, Tesco, Aldi, Walmart, and the like).

Pierre75 · January 25, 2015, 03:18:29 AM

This one for the books. My DT came with the Windows 7 disc and the serial number checks against the machine by running Belarc Advisor. But the printout shows a small e against the serial number (which means OEM) and the message I get when I try to perform a W7 Software recovery tells me the same. Go figure - time for a beer. :Hammys pint:

Wolfeymole · March 29, 2015, 04:48:54 PM

Quote from: Corrine on January 23, 2015, 03:06:56 PM
It used to be that when you purchased a new PC you received a copy of the Windows software along with it. Then that stopped. Many OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. started charging extra for the software. Some would allow customers to purchase the software for a while and then that was no longer possible. Big box store bought computers no longer come with the software either.

If you have a Windows 7 computer and no recovery software, you can now do one of the following:

Create a Windows 7 DVD for installation on a new hard drive
Create a backup Windows 7 DVD
Create a bootable USB drive with a copy of Windows 7
Instructions are available here: Microsoft Software Recovery.

Note: This may not work with OEM computers. Reading the website link, it refers to "retail":

QuoteThis site enables you to recover and install Microsoft software purchased through a retailer. (bold added)

If anyone with an OEM machine tries it, please let us know the results.

Edited by winchester73

I'm a bit confused here Corrine because are we talking about OEM systems that once came with a disk but do so no longer and instead have a Recovery Partition so as to make Recovery DVD's or are we talking about a system that does not come with any operating system at all?

If it is the latter then one could either use an unbranded system builder OEM or a Retail version of whichever flavour of 7 that you wished.

Corrine · March 29, 2015, 06:54:02 PM

As I understand what I've read since the Microsoft Software Recovery website went live, it can only be used for retail purchases of Windows 7, not OEM machines.

Wolfeymole · March 30, 2015, 07:21:04 AM

Thank you Corrine as that was my understanding too.

Using such a disk on an OEM machine would be utterly pointless.

Digerati · May 01, 2015, 07:29:40 PM

This is very confusing because it says on that site in the purple box in the upper right, "This site enables you to recover and install Microsoft software purchased through a retailer."

It says, "Software purchased", not computers purchased with MS software pre-installed on them. So that can read as you bought MS Windows from BestBuy, lost the disk and this is how you can create a new installation disk.