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Where to buy OEM windows online and 7 or 10?

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  • 16-07-2017 10:30am
    #1
    rowanh
    Registered Users Posts: 703 ✭✭✭


    My girlfriends hdd drive died and i have been using macs for years so have no clue about windows , the last pc I had was win XP as far as i remember.

    Any ideas on a cheap place to buy win online, seems its available for under 20 euro for 7 and just over 20 for 10, any specific non scammy sites that are recommended?

    Is Windows 10 the way to go or is it buggy?

    Any info appreciated :)

    Rowan


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    #2
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Buying it for 20 is a scam. They are ripping off volume licensing.


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    #3
    DopeTech
    Registered Users Posts: 6,767 ✭✭✭DopeTech


    Those cheap ones are all just scams, they could get cut off at any stage. Same as using an activator/keygen which I am not encouraging. Be on the lookout for a discount in a reputable store/website. If it's too good to be true it usually is.


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    #4
    Wheety
    Registered Users Posts: 5,510 ✭✭✭Wheety


    I don't understand your first sentence. Seems like 3 different sentences together?

    Are you just replacing the hard drive? You should be able to use the same OS as was previously installed.


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    #5
    Ursus Horribilis
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,168 ✭✭✭Ursus Horribilis


    Has the hard disk in your girlfriend's Windows laptop died? If that is the case, you can simply reinstall Windows using her existing Windows serial number. It's usually on a sticker on the underside of the laptop or inside the battery slot. I'm no fan of these recovery partitions that the manufacturers all seem to be doing now. They work wonderfully until your hard disk fails, then you're left high and dry without a disc. You can find legal disc images of Windows online but you'll have to do some detective work.

    I was a Windows 7 user and upgraded to 10 when it was free to do so. I've no regrets - only one piece of software I used stopped working and it was quite old anyway. It might be worth double-checking if there's anything specific she uses. You can still upgrade to 10 using this method https://www.howtogeek.com/265409/you-can-still-get-windows-10-for-free-from-microsofts-accessibility-site/


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    #6
    rowanh
    Registered Users Posts: 703 ✭✭✭rowanh


    First sentence corrected, I had just woken up..


    Ill have a look at her laptop, maybe it has a key, I thought that would only have worked with the disk she got with the laptop though.


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    #7
    Ursus Horribilis
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,168 ✭✭✭Ursus Horribilis


    She could have a problem if the label has worn. I just looked at the underside of my laptop here (it's 7 years old) and the serial number's long gone. I have it backed up elsewhere though. If you have a disk and a Windows key, you're laughing (almost...)


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    #8
    CatInABox
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,268 Mod ✭✭✭✭CatInABox


    Ursus Horribilis wrote: »
    She could have a problem if the label has worn. I just looked at the underside of my laptop here (it's 7 years old) and the serial number's long gone. I have it backed up elsewhere though. If you have a disk and a Windows key, you're laughing (almost...)

    Some laptops have the OEM key built into the BIOS, which is picked up when installing Windows. Not sure how'd you'd tell though.

    Windows 10 is a very good improvement over 7, looks of quality of life improvements throughout. Well worth getting, and is something I recommend to people on a regular basis.


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    #9
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    CatInABox wrote: »
    Some laptops have the OEM key built into the BIOS, which is picked up when installing Windows. Not sure how'd you'd tell though.

    Windows 10 is a very good improvement over 7, looks of quality of life improvements throughout. Well worth getting, and is something I recommend to people on a regular basis.
    Machines which had Windows 8 or 10 preinstalled would have the key embedded. You can lift it with Nirsoft ProduKey or get_win8key.

    I don't share your enthusiasm of Windows 10; from having to support it for other corporate users I now hate it and am using 8.1 myself. But that's off-topic for this thread.


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