Retract Win 7 Licence on old pc.

skywere · Mar 6, 2015

i have installed windows 7 on my new pc but my product key won't work.

is it possible that i can remove the license from my old pc thus making the key work on the new one?

ThatVietGuy · Mar 6, 2015

Do you mean Windows won't activate?

There's no official process of removing a license from an old installation other than reformatting the drive.

Did you try going through with the automated phone activation?

A_Goat · Mar 6, 2015

Yes.
Use the old license key on the new computer.

It will most likely not go through, and at this point you will have to use the phone service and explain what you're doing.

But what do you mean your product key wont work? Is it a genuine copy?
You could use the phone service for your current key and explain its not working as well

skywere · Mar 6, 2015

A_Goat :

i put a hard drive i had in my old hp pc in my new pc and re-installed windows with the hp recovery manager on that same hard disk.
now i have re-installed windows on a new SSD i just bought with my friends original win 7 disk, but the key that i have won't work, because it's already registered as a used key.
i was wondering if it would be possible to boot windows on the old hard drive and disable the genuine win 7 key so i can use it on the new windows i have installed on my SSD.

A_Goat · Mar 6, 2015

Use the phone service and explain that you are the key owner and you switched hardware.
No need to use an old key

skywere · Mar 6, 2015

A_Goat :

i'm going to see if i can contact microsoft about it then

Alabalcho · Mar 6, 2015

skywere :

If your new PC is not similar HP model, your old key won't work.

And what you're doing is illegal - the license from your old PC is tied to that old PC, and cannot be reused.

A_Goat · Mar 6, 2015

I took his explanation as moving computers entirely, as in the old computer will no longer have windows 7 on it.
I assumed if you buy windows 7, you can use that windows 7 on as many computers as you want... as long as it is only active on a single computer at any given time.

FALC0N · Mar 6, 2015

skywere :

What is the new machine, and which windows 7 key are you using? Is a retail key or the HP oem key?

FALC0N · Mar 6, 2015

Alabalcho :

He hasn't provided enough information to draw this conclusion as yet. It sounds like there is a second unidentified PC involved here. Also, very little information on what operating system was installed or its source.

ex_bubblehead · Mar 6, 2015

skywere :

A_Goat :

i put a hard drive i had in my old hp pc in my new pc and re-installed windows with the hp recovery manager on that same hard disk.
now i have re-installed windows on a new SSD i just bought with my friends original win 7 disk, but the key that i have won't work, because it's already registered as a used key.
i was wondering if it would be possible to boot windows on the old hard drive and disable the genuine win 7 key so i can use it on the new windows i have installed on my SSD.

You cannot do this. The license key on the HP is tied to that PC and cannot be transferred to another.

A_Goat · Mar 6, 2015

Yes but what about the other code? He has two codes here... why isn't the first code working.
Should be able to get that one back without jacking the HP key

FALC0N · Mar 6, 2015

ex_bubblehead :

Can't do what? He hasn't properly explained what he doing yet. Maybe this was a retail update. Maybe the recipient machine is also a royalty OEM machine with windows 7. Lets get the full story before passing judgement here.

ex_bubblehead · Mar 6, 2015

FALC0N :

First sentence:

i put a hard drive i had in my old hp pc in my new pc and re-installed windows with the hp recovery manager on that same hard disk.

Tried to use the HP OEM product and key on a new PC. Can't do that per the license.

FALC0N · Mar 6, 2015

That's an assumption on your part. He never said it was the OEM install. Changes could have been made post purchase.

He then mentions using the HP recovery manager on the NEW machine, which shouldn't have worked, UNLESS the new machine was also an HP. Which introduces the possibility that both machines possess OEM licenses.

We really need more info here.

skywere · Mar 7, 2015

i see this has caused quite a discussion, english is not my first language so i might not have said things right.

2 years ago i bought a HP Pavillion desktop pc.
after a year i felt like it needed an upgrade, so i move the entire pc to another case and upgraded the motherboard and the gaphics card and the PSU
to get most out of my system i did a clean windows 7 install, i have only ONE key and the windows was on that hp pc drive when i bought it, the pc also came with hp recovery / re-install software and a partion on the C: containing a file named HP_RECOVERY and this re-install worked no problem even with changed hardware.

now a year later from all that i bought an SSD to speed up my system, i unplugged my original C: disk and a 2TB WD RED i have for storage and plugged only the SSD in.

the hp pc dit NOT come with a Win 7 cd so i used a friends Win 7 cd, also Home Premium just like the original windows on the hp pc.
i figured if i just installed the same home premium the key i have on the now empty hp case would work.
but it did not.

what i exactly want to know if it's possible and even legal what i'm doing, i want to have a genuine windows so i just wanted to use the ONE key i have from the hp pc case.

Some info to clear some stuff up:
i have only ONE key.
the hp pc is NOT active, i only have one pc now and a spare graphics card and a spare mobo and a PSU from that hp pc.
i am NOT using the same HDD as my C: now, the new SSD is not my C: drive.

ex_bubblehead · Mar 7, 2015

No, you cannot use that HP key on another PC, it is locked to the HP motherboard and cannot be transferred to another. You must purchase a new license key for your new PC.

Retract Win 7 Licence on old pc.

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