Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

[streckfus]

Hey folks. I hope the solution is just buying a retail version of W7, but due to conflicting info I thought I'd run it by this forum.

I used a Win7 Home Premium OEM disc on a previous build; upgraded from WinXP. The Dell logo is on the disc. I installed Windows just fine, activation went through, Genuine Windows.

It was time to upgrade my beast, so I got a new mobo, CPU, HDD, the works. Started the installation process. Entered English as my language, selected the hard drive and off she went. After the files were copied and the PC restarted, I was brought back to the first screen to select a language, then a new partition had been created. This began the infinite loop.

I called Microsoft and they told me that I needed to get a "password" for the new HDD from the manufacturer then contact my mobo manufacturer to make some configuration changes in the BIOS. They said that newer hard drives require BIOS passwords in order to continue with the installation. News to me.

So I called Western Digital. Tech Support was closed. Neat.

Then I called EVGA tech support, and THEY said that there's no password/BIOS configuration that needs to happen. They said that the problem is that the Dell OEM installation was tied to my old mobo chipset and cannot be used for a fresh install on a new system. Makes total sense, but I wonder why Microsoft didn't just tell me that to begin with. I gave them my product key so they knew I had an OEM.

But here's the kicker: if my OEM from Dell can't be used on a new build, shouldn't that have come to light during the activation/product key phase? My install never even got to that point. Just an infinite loop of Restart/load from CD/choose language/install files/restart/repeat. At no point did I boot from he hard drive or finish the install, so how did Windows "know" that I was using OEM instead of retail?

I'm going to buy the full retail version to be in compliance with the EULA of course, but I'm thinking there might be something else going on in regards to hardware...

Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Western Digital Velociraptor 10,000RPM 300GB SATA6
Core i7 2600K
EVGA Z68 FTW mobo
EVGA GTX570 HD
G. Skill 16GB DDR3 2133

 

[benji720]

You definitely should be able to install the OS regardless. After one cycle, try taking the DVD out of the drive and see if it boots from the hard drive. You definitely shouldn't need any sort of password and it sounds like for whatever reason it just isn't finishing the install process OR it is just getting a forced boot from the DVD.

Take the DVD out and let me know what happens!

 

[smorizio]

first start with the mb make sure the bios is the newest one for the mb before you redo the install. if your using a ssd or hard drive check that the hard drive/ssd firmware is the newest. (hd tune to read the drive info. in your bios make sure your sata ports are set to achi not ide or raid. on your mb make sure your using the intel sata ports. also make sure the mb reading your ram right and the speed and timing is set right. look at the cd you have does it says upgrade or full version if it an upgrade it going to loop unless you have an xp cd sitting around so that it can read the os on the installer cd and then continue.
another thing you can do is download full version of windows 8 beta. it free then pick up windows 8 full version when it comes out in oct.

 

[streckfus]

Yeah, it's a reinstallation DVD for. Dell PC. It worked when I used it to upgrade from XP, but this would be the first attempt at a clean install.

 

[streckfus]

Also, the SATA is set to ACHI, drive is plugged into port 0 (SATA6) straight into the mobo.

To reply to the previous reply: no, taking out the DVD didn't work. The hard drive won't boot, prob because Windows didn't get far enough in the install process for it to be recognized as a formatted system drive.

 

[benji720]

Take out all but one piece of RAM and try again. If possible (ie you don't have any files you need on it) delete the existing partition on the Velociraptor and try again with the one piece of RAM in there. If that fails try with a different piece of RAM in a different slot.

From what you're tried so far I almost feel like something is bad; either you have a piece of hardware that's not working well or your DVD was damaged. You can test the DVD the way smorizio listed above, with a download of Windows 8 beta. Hope you figure this out!

 

[noise]

OEM manufacturers produce OS install media which are tied to their motherboards. Not per model usually but they look for BIOS flags to confirm that a Dell disc is being used on a Dell motherboard.

OEM installations are tied to the motherboard so you're right in saying you need a new licence.

You can download a 'plain' install of Windows 7 from digital river; Microsoft's online distributor. If you uncheck the activation tick box on the license key screen you can run it 'free' for 30 days while you wait for your license key to turn up.

http://techdows.com/2011/07/download-windows-7-integrated-with-sp1-iso-official-direct-download-links.html

 

[benji720]

OEM manufacturers produce OS install media which are tied to their motherboards. Not per model usually but they look for BIOS flags to confirm that a Dell disc is being used on a Dell motherboard.

OEM installations are tied to the motherboard so you're right in saying you need a new licence.

You can download a 'plain' install of Windows 7 from digital river; Microsoft's online distributor. If you uncheck the activation tick box on the license key screen you can run it 'free' for 30 days while you wait for your license key to turn up.

http://techdows.com/2011/07/download-windows-7-integrated-with-sp1-iso-official-direct-download-links.html

You can totally install a Dell copy of Windows 7 on any computer; you will just have to enter in a valid OEM product key. Any OEM disc works with any OEM product code. I've done and tested this multiple times when transferring licenses between dead and replacement computers.

OEM discs DO, however, often detect the BIOS of a correspondingly branded computer and will automatically activate with a default product code.

 

[Brett928S2]

OEM manufacturers produce OS install media which are tied to their motherboards. Not per model usually but they look for BIOS flags to confirm that a Dell disc is being used on a Dell motherboard.

OEM installations are tied to the motherboard so you're right in saying you need a new licence.

You can download a 'plain' install of Windows 7 from digital river; Microsoft's online distributor. If you uncheck the activation tick box on the license key screen you can run it 'free' for 30 days while you wait for your license key to turn up.

http://techdows.com/2011/07/download-windows-7-integrated-with-sp1-iso-official-direct-download-links.html

Hi

The above is TOTALLY correct... some OEM DELL discs are locked to the BIOS CHIP (not the motherboard as such)

So you wont get it to work...

LEGALLY you MUST buy a new retail disc anyway...

All the best Brett

 

[benji720]

Hi

The above is TOTALLY correct... some OEM DELL discs are locked to the BIOS CHIP (not the motherboard as such)

So you wont get it to work...

LEGALLY you MUST buy a new retail disc anyway...

All the best Brett

No offense intended, but you are 100% wrong about the Dell disc being locked and even if it were, he would not be having this problem in this way.

Dell OEM discs can be installed on ANY hardware. Install discs that load a premade image will not usually work on other models of computer. From a legality standpoint, he does need to get a new license but from a functional standpoint, it should work. If he gets a new license and uses a new disc, I believe he will have the same problem.

 

[Brett928S2]

No offense intended, but you are 100% wrong about the Dell disc being locked and even if it were, he would not be having this problem in this way.

Dell OEM discs can be installed on ANY hardware. Install discs that load a premade image will not usually work on other models of computer. From a legality standpoint, he does need to get a new license but from a functional standpoint, it should work. If he gets a new license and uses a new disc, I believe he will have the same problem.

Hi

Sorry but you are wrong... we have done HUNDREDS of Laptops that lock the OEM to the bios chip... these are the same laptops where if you put in a Bios password and forget it, you CANNOT clear the bios chip...its chip out and reprogram...

Not Towers but laptops.... no idea why the differentiation but its true...

All the best Brett

 

[benji720]

Hi

Sorry but you are wrong... we have done HUNDREDS of Laptops that lock the OEM to the bios chip... these are the same laptops where if you put in a Bios password and forget it, you CANNOT clear the bios chip...its chip out and reprogram...

Not Towers but laptops.... no idea why the differentiation but its true...

All the best Brett

I dunno, I have around 2k clients and I've never, ever once had this fail. Maybe your experience in the UK is different but in the US this is what's up, bro.

 

[streckfus]

Hey guys. I bought the full version of Windows 7 Home Premium and tried that instead. Once again, I received a disk read error and wasn't able to get out of the infinite loop. So, I figured that I got buggered with a faulty HDD.

I picked up an Intel 520 120GB SSD and installed that instead, and Windows installed without a hitch. Once I got Windows installed I plugged in the HDD I was trying to install and went into Disk Management. There were two partitions created already, so apparently when I kept getting the "cannot write to this disk" error in Windows I wasn't able to fully delete the partitions and format the drive within the Windows setup utility.

I'm guessing that my boot priority was messed up on my first attempt, so instead of loading from the HDD Windows restarted the install process again.

I repartitioned/formatted the HDD and ran a disk diagnostics on all drives and they all passed, so I guess all's well that ends well.

And although it was a frustrating process, it is kind of nice to have an extra 300GB I wasn't planning on, and I certainly like how quickly Windows starts and applications launch with that SSD....

Thanks for the help and feedback.