Big online retailers that serve business markets should have similar selections covering a wide range of brands and the full spectrum of prices. There are plenty of sites where you can find "factory reconditioned" PCs for sale at legitimately low prices. Amazon-owned Woot, for example, always has lots of choices in its Computers section , although you'll have to dig into the specs to confirm that the operating system you're looking for is included.
I don't recommend taking a chance with random sellers on eBay or Craigslist--not when there are so many well-established merchants that offer proper warranties and return policies, as well as an assurance that the underlying Windows license is legitimate. Under Microsoft's arcane licensing rules, you can legitimately purchase OEM copies of Windows 7 any edition.
However, the license agreement with those copies explicitly prohibits you from using that software on a PC you build or refurbish for your own personal use. Crazy, huh? ZDNet takes a look back at very best tech stories and features of From the year's tech turkeys to products and services that get business done, we round up top gadgets, cloud highs, security lows -- and much more. Read More. There are no technical limitations to prevent you from using OEM software on your own PC, although this software will work only for a clean installation and not for an upgrade.
In the past, Microsoft has been remarkably inconsistent in its advice to customers about whether this practice is allowed. Don't ask Microsoft. To make the subject even more confusing, Microsoft briefly changed its licensing rules with Windows 8, adding a Personal Use Rights clause that allowed individuals to buy OEM Windows and install it on personal PCs. That change lasted exactly one year: with the launch of Windows 8. The bottom line?
Yes, you can install an OEM copy of Windows 7 on a PC for your own personal use; I recommend that you avoid doing so for your business, however, especially if you have a licensing agreement with Microsoft. Most of the readily available options for new PCs include the latest version of Windows--that's Windows 10 today with many Windows 8.
If you love a particular piece of hardware and your preferred version of Windows 7 isn't available on the build-to-order options list, don't despair. You have four choices available.
If you purchase a new PC with a business version of Windows 8, Windows 8. Note that downgrade rights are not included on systems that ship with the core version of Windows 8, 8. To exercise downgrade rights, you can use media for Windows 7 Professional that you acquire from any source. During installation, don't enter a product key. After completing installation, you'll need to activate your newly installed copy of Windows 7 by using the telephone activation option and explaining that you are using downgrade rights.
Did you purchase a retail copy of Windows 7 any time in the past six years? Any full or upgrade license purchased through the retail channel or directly from Microsoft can legally be transferred to another PC.
That includes any of the deeply discounted upgrade offers that Microsoft made available when Windows 7 was new, including the three-license Family Packs of Windows 7 Home Premium. If you have the original Windows 7 installation media and product key and have removed the operating system from the PC on which it was originally installed, you can reuse that key on any PC. You might be required to activate over the phone; when asked, be sure to specify truthfully that your copy of Windows 7 is installed on only one PC.
Note that OEM copies of Windows 7 that were installed on PCs by the manufacturer are locked to that device and cannot be transferred. If the PC on which you want to install Windows 7 originally included a license for any version of Windows, you can buy a Windows 7 upgrade license from any vendor that has the software in stock and install that upgrade on your PC. You don't need to reinstall the old operating system; if you want to perform a clean install using upgrade media, you can use the workaround I describe in this post : Boot from the upgrade media and do an installation without entering a product key.
Then use the same media to "upgrade" your brand-new installation. Follow the instructions in this post. The most expensive option is to purchase a full retail license for Windows 7. It's guaranteed to work with any PC, with no installation or licensing complications. The problem is finding this software, which Microsoft stopped selling years ago. Most online merchants today offer only OEM copies of Windows 7. All the options I described earlier apply to PCs you plan to use in the home or office.
Now, you can also make another tweak that will let you use the slmgr -rearm command up to 8 times. If you are okay with using slmgr -rearm command after every 30 days, then you can easily use Windows 7 for free with all the features for almost a year. Once restarted the trial period will reset to 30 days.
Note: To take full advantage, make sure you go through the process when there is only 1 day left before the trial expires. If you do it before, the trial period will reset and you will not receive the remaining days of previous 30 day trial period.
For this Trick, you will have to tweak the Windows registry. Note: Use this trick when you have used all the three attempts of slmgr -rearm command i. If you have any questions or would like to add more information, let us know in the comments below. Filed in Computers. Read more about Download , Free and Windows. Method 1: Download Windows 7 Legally from Microsoft Software Recovery You can find Windows 7 for free everywhere on the internet and it can be downloaded without any hassle or special requirements.
You can find super-cheap OEM keys for Windows 10 all around the web. The issues with these are numerous. Second, your OEM key will lock to a single machine. Just to save you the trip, the full versions of Windows 10 —if purchased directly from Microsoft—will set you back the following:.
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