I can never find what I am looking for when I need it.
There is probably a thread on this already but I couldn’t find it. Just point me in the right direction.
I am trying to do a fresh install of windows on my mother’s laptop. I know there are legitimate sites that sell licenses at a discount. In this case I don’t trust a Google search to find the a site that is above bar.
Could someone point me in the right direction?
I’ve used https://www.stacksocial.com to get a license. They have been around for many years
How old is the computer, and is the copy on it NOT licensed? Most modern systems have the windows license burned in by the OEM, a fresh reinstall of the same OS will auto activate.
You can query it on the exiting by using powershell.
(Get-CimInstance -Query 'Select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey
I just bought a new Windows 11 license and was able to activate it from mychoicesoftware.com.
Almost everything from windows10 and newer had the key embedded in the BIOS, so reinstall and activation should not be a problem.
The only time this might get wiped is if you had to replace (or force flash) the BIOS, and even then there might be the info you need to put the key back. On HP T740 (and probably most other HP), this is the Feature Byte code that is probably on a sticker on the device. Guessing this is a has between product SKU and serial number, only really dealt with NO OS feature bytes so far.
Thanks everyone i am also going from home to pro. Purchased from stack social.
What do people recommend for installing the iso? Rufus, Etcher, or Ventoy?
For Windows ISO, I usually use Rufus or Ventoy.
I typically use Ventoy the most just because it’s easier than having to reflash a drive each time I need a new ISO I can just copy the ISO to the drive and go. However, at least at work with Lenovo devices, installing Windows (the newest version of 11 at least), using Ventoy the screen is really enlarged and you can’t always see the buttons. If you can get to the option to use the old installer it resolves it, but it can be a bit tricky.
Ventoy or Rufus. Rufus has a portable version and there is also a version on the Portable Apps ecosystem.
There has been a bit of a toss up with the data collection that etcher has been doing, so it’s off my list unless I have no other choice. I’ve generally had poor luck with it anyways so it has been last for years.
You can use this for regular versions of Windows: Create installation media for Windows - Microsoft Support
You might also try USB Imager USBImager