I need to reinstall windows 7 64bit on my mothers laptop which came preinstalled with it. I tried searching how to and found that it is possible with the serial. Did you check that Windows 10 actually activated before you went for the clean install there have been problems with this due to the activation servers being heavily. Lets make a very long story very short. Earlier this year, I purchased 4 copies of Windows 7 Ultimate Full 64 bit from an internet mrechant and loaded these on 4. You Dont Need a Product Key to Install and Use Windows 1. Microsoft allows anyone to download Windows 1. There are several reasons why a product key might not be accepted You mistyped it. The product key you typed doesnt match the key assigned to. Microsofts free Windows 10 upgrade offer is overor is it Theres still a way to activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7, 8, or 8. Microsoft. It would seem that there should be web resources to quickly find an answer to this question but I couldnt find any, so Im trying my luck here. I used the Win10. Reinstall-Windows-7-Without-CD-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Reinstall-Windows-7-Without-CD-Step-2-Version-2.jpg' alt='How To Install Windows 7 Without Activation Key' title='How To Install Windows 7 Without Activation Key' />Itll keep working for the foreseeable future, with only a few small cosmetic restrictions. And you can even pay to upgrade to a licensed copy of Windows 1. Whether you want to install Windows 1. Boot Camp, put it on an old computer that isnt eligible for a free upgrade, or create one or more virtual machines, you dont actually need to pay a cent. How to Download Windows 1. Install it Without a Key. Reinstall-Windows-7-without-product-license-key_thumb.jpg' alt='How To Install Windows 7 Without Activation Key' title='How To Install Windows 7 Without Activation Key' />First, youll need to download Windows 1. You can download it directly from Microsoft, and you dont even need a product key to download a copy. Theres a Windows 1. Windows systems, which will help you create a USB drive to install Windows 1. If you arent on Windows, you can visit the Windows 1. Adobe Acrobat Reader Mac Os X Download Deutschland. ISO download page to download an ISO directly say, if youre installing Windows 1. Boot Camp on a Mac. If you visit that page on a Windows machine, itll redirect you to the download tool page instead. Just begin the installation process and install Windows 1. One of the first screens youll see will ask you to enter your product key so you can Activate Windows. However, you can just click the I dont have a product key link at the bottom of the window and Windows will allow you to continue the installation process. You may be asked to enter a product key later in the process, tooif you are, just look for a similar small link to skip that screen. If you dont see this option, you can also provide a KMS client setup key to continue. These keys wont give you an activated copy of Windows unless youre in an organization with a Key Management Service, but they will allow you to get through the Windows installation process. When you select this option, youll be able to install either Windows 1. Home or Windows 1. Pro. Bear in mind that, if you plan to pay to upgrade to the paid version later, itll be cheaper to upgrade to Windows 1. Home, so you may want to install the Home version. Whatever version you choose, Windows 1. The Cosmetic Limitations. After youve installed Windows 1. However, an unactivated version of Windows 1. With Windows XP, Microsoft actually used Windows Genuine Advantage WGA to disable access to your computer. These days, Windows just complains at you in a few minor, cosmetic ways. Initially, you wont notice a difference. Eventually, Windows will start nagging you a tiny bit. First, youll notice a watermark in the bottom right corner of your screen. Youll also see a Windows isnt activated. Activate Windows now. Settings app. This is the only form of nag youll seethere are no pop up windows, for example. Second, youll be unable to change your desktop wallpaper and from the Personalization Background screen in the Settings app. Youll see a You need to activate Windows before you can personalize your PC message at the top of this window, and the options for changing your wallpaper will be grayed out. You can still change your wallpaper in other ways, however. For example, you can right click an image in File Explorer and select Set as desktop background. You could also open an image in the Photos app, click the menu button, click Set as, and click Set as background. Windows 7 eventually switched you back to a black background, but Windows 1. Youll find Windows 1. C WindowsWeb folder in File Explorer. Aside from these basic limitations, your Windows 1. There are no nag prompts aside from the watermark, youll get all the system updates, and everything else is completely functional. The only thing that could change this is a Windows 1. Microsoft has become increasingly lenient since Windows 7. How to Upgrade Windows 1. Activated Version. With Windows 1. 0, you can now pay to upgrade a non genuine copy of Windows to a licensed one. Open the Settings app and head to Update Security Activation. Youll see a Go to Store button that will take you to the Windows Store if Windows isnt licensed. In the Store, you can purchase an official Windows license that will activate your PC. The Home version of Windows 1. Pro version costs 2. This is a digital purchase, and it will immediately cause your current Windows installation to become activated. You dont need to purchase a physical license. We installed Windows 1. Professional as an example here, so the Windows Store will only let us purchase the 2. Windows 1. 0 Pro license. This option may not be available in all countries. The prices here are for the US version of the Windows Store. Microsoft charges different prices in different countries and currencies. Windows 7, 8, and 8. Microsoft just didnt officially allow you to download Windows without a product key, and there was no way to fully upgrade to a licensed system from within Windows. That makes this all the more tempting with Windows 1. Windows 1. 0 in Boot Camp on your Mac for free and, if you find yourself using it frequently, you can quickly pay to remove the watermark if thats worth it for you. Its like a free demo, and you can use it to make all the virtual machines you like for testing purposes. Sure, the license agreement may say youre not supposed to use it without a key, but Microsofts license agreements say all sorts of confusing things. Microsofts license agreement still forbids using the popular OEM copies of Windows 1. PCs you build yourself. If Microsoft doesnt want people using unactivated copies of Windows 1. What do I do if my Windows product key isnt accepted Thanks for the comments Marnok and DJChris this process helped. After successfully completing these steps, however, I decided to try the following for kicks Installed Windows 7 Pro 6. Upgrade disc by selecting Custom Install when prompted. Deleted all disk partitions when given the chance so as to completely start fresh and then clicked Next to allow the default partition creation. Left the Product Code field and Activate checkbox blank when prompted. Once Windows 7 had finished installing I was brought to the Desktop, here is where I deviated from the previous suggested comments. Instead of reinstalling Windows 7 as an upgrade taking another 3. I simply launched the System applet Control PanelAll Control Panel ItemsSystem. From here, I launched the Change product key link under the Windows activation section, entered my Windows 7 Pro product code and followed the prompts to Activate. Done this instructional deviation took less than 5 minutes and accomplishes the same goal without the reinstall. Note I was previously running Windows XP Pro 3. Windows 7 Pro 6. 4 bit.