I looked through the other threads but couldn't find anything specific to my issue (apologies if I missed it).
The hard drive on my Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 recently failed (recovery not possible, FYI). I took this as a great excuse to upgrade to an SSD, which I have ordered.
The laptop operated on Windows 7 Home Premium x64. It did not come with a recovery disk. There is a valid product key affixed to the bottom of the laptop.
Obviously, I will be doing a fresh install of Windows on the new SSD. In the past, you could download a valid [and free] Windows ISO from Digital River, but their links seem to have disappeared, and neither Microsoft nor Digital River has any comment about it. That led me to consider buying a copy of Windows for the standard $99.99. (Yeah, it sounds like a waste, but I hate Windows 8. I am assuming (correctly, I hope) that if I purchase a copy myself, I can load it onto my current laptop, and when that laptop dies, load it onto my next one.)
Is my understanding correct? Can I purchase a new copy of Windows 7 and load it onto my laptop with the new product key? Or do I have to go to Lenovo for a recovery disk because my laptop is stuck with its own product key? The reason I ask is because I saw this comment in another forum: That OEM key is licensed to the original motherboard.
You might be able to call MS and convince them to authorize on new hardware, but they are under no obligation to do so.
The hard drive on my Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 recently failed (recovery not possible, FYI). I took this as a great excuse to upgrade to an SSD, which I have ordered.
The laptop operated on Windows 7 Home Premium x64. It did not come with a recovery disk. There is a valid product key affixed to the bottom of the laptop.
Obviously, I will be doing a fresh install of Windows on the new SSD. In the past, you could download a valid [and free] Windows ISO from Digital River, but their links seem to have disappeared, and neither Microsoft nor Digital River has any comment about it. That led me to consider buying a copy of Windows for the standard $99.99. (Yeah, it sounds like a waste, but I hate Windows 8. I am assuming (correctly, I hope) that if I purchase a copy myself, I can load it onto my current laptop, and when that laptop dies, load it onto my next one.)
Is my understanding correct? Can I purchase a new copy of Windows 7 and load it onto my laptop with the new product key? Or do I have to go to Lenovo for a recovery disk because my laptop is stuck with its own product key? The reason I ask is because I saw this comment in another forum: That OEM key is licensed to the original motherboard.
You might be able to call MS and convince them to authorize on new hardware, but they are under no obligation to do so.
Yeah, I just talked to Lenovo tech support. They want $59.99 for the recovery CD, which includes the OS, the drivers, and (of course) the software bloat. Which is a shame, really - I can download and install the drivers myself. And I always remove most of, if not all of, the bloatware.
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