Windows 7 - The Best Way To Get A Copy, Which Version For Daw, W10 Upgrade, Etc

Hi all

I've been having problems with my WinXP PC and have decided it's time to move into the modern age Well, modern-ish....

As I understand it, until the end of the month it is still possible to get a Windows 10 FREE upgrade (via accessibility), so I need to move quick! My plan is to install W7, get the W10 upgrade, then compare the two. If I decide to roll back stick with W7, at least I'll have a copy of W10 waiting for me in the future. So here's what I'm hoping to find out:

1. Which is the best W7 for a DAW?
2. What is the best way (and cheapest preferably) of getting W7? Should I be looking at OEM, retail, etc?
3. Will the OS be tied to my system/HD, and if so is there a way to prevent this? As part of my PC shake up, I'm considering buying an SSD for the OS, but this will need to be done later down the line. I don't want to find out then that the OS is tied to the HD it was first installed on.
4. Will the Win7 version I get determine which Win10 version I can access for free?

Any help with these questions would be most appreciated, as well as anything else I might have overlooked.

Huge thanks

Max

 

The Win10 upgrade excludes any Ultimate version of Win 7 or 8.
No idea what DAW is.
An OEM licence is the one tied to the hardware so wont activate on anything different to its original install.
Win 7 is still very old so I see no reason to waste time on it.
In terms of your existing XP system, whether its current MB will support even Windows 7, let alone Win 10, is something you would have to research.

 

Hi

Off to bed in a moment, so a more thorough response will have to wait until tomorrow...

But first wanted to say thanks for the help.

Secondly, I've added my PC details to my profile. Not sure how to add them to a signature or if that's possible? Anyhow, here's my details again:

Self Build PC
CPU: Intel Q6600.
MOBO: Intel DP35DP.
RAM: Corsair DDR2 2x2GB XMS 6400C5.
HDs: WD5000AAKS x2, WD2002FAEX.
GPU: AMD HD5450.
SOUND: EMU 1820m.
PSU: Seasonic SS-400ET.
CASE: PaQ.

Thirdly, I am on a tight budget and just found this:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/operating...anual-and-key-can-deliver-or-post-/1276685710

Granted that no-one can tell me if all is well with it and the seller, but can anyone say:

1. Whether there are fake retail Windows 7 packages that look that good?
2. What would happen if this was already installed on another computer and I tried to install it?
3. Is it a good price?
4. Anything else I need to consider?

Many thanks and see you in the morning!

 

Oh, and a DAW is a Digital Audio Workstation. A computer mainly for music production

 

The edition of Windows 7 you're running is not relevant to the DAW you're using.
As a matter of interest...
Which DAW are you using?

 

The OP is running XP.

The OP should run the Windows 7 upgrade advisor

 

GeekGeek asked...

 

Yes - but

suggests they are already running Win 7. They are not. It was simply a clarification.

 

With 7 Ultimate, you end up with W10 Pro. There is no "Ultimate" version of Windows 8.

 

The Win 10 upgrade never applied to any system with the Ultimate version If you read the thread again, the OP is considering installing Windows 7 (which did have an Ultimate version) and wants to then get the assistive technology upgrade to Windows 10. They can only get that with Win 7 versions excluding Ultimate. You cannot get the free Win 10 upgrade from Win 7 Ultimate. That was the question they asked.

 

I can only say on W7 that I have been using W7 Pro for quite some time now, and it's going to have all of the configuration options you could want. Also, it will upgrade to W10 Pro, which has basically the same configurations available and others.

Should you go for a W7 pre-packaged installation disk and key, you will need an unregistered copy of Windows 7 with I assume its working retail key. Can't think of a way to verify that the key is good though. Here in the U.S., there are techs who claim to be able to install Windows 7 with a working key for $35. Maybe you can find that where you are locally. Make sure you get W7 Pro x64 at least, so you can use above 4 GB of RAM. x86 (32 bit) will only use 4 GB max.

With a quad core processor, you might want to be able to go with 8 GB. I see your board will support 8 GB. If you have 2 x 2GB sticks now, you could just add two more of them. If you have 4 x 1GB sticks, you would have to replace all 4 with 2 GB sticks, which could be a little bit expensive, depending on what kind of deal you can find...maybe $50 for 4 2 GB sticks of Elpida, Hynix, ADATA or Nanotech.

There is another way to get W7 on the PC, which is to get an installation disk of W7 (again correct version/bittage) and install the OS and buy a key. You would need an iso of the correct W7 version you want that you could burn to disk. I have one that is W7 Pro x64 that I got from MS back when it could be downloaded. Very useful. I don't know the rules about all of this at this point, but if you can get the OS installed I believe there are ways to buy keys. Think you would need a retail key which is significantly more expensive than an OEM key. There may be an exception. If you have an OEM key for XP at this time, you may be able to upgrade with an OEM key. You would need to be able to see the XP sticker on the case to see if it says it is an OEM key. Take a look at this:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ws-7-oem/7275dc27-7511-4457-be8d-acb767a4638c

BTW, I have a system very similar to yours. System here is core 2 quad Q9400, HD 4550 graphics, 4 GB RAM, and even a Seasonic PSU like your system but 300w instead of 400w. It easily runs W7 and very well. You shouldn't have any problem finding drivers for any of the hardware.

 

Sorry Max, but I've owned every Pro or Ultimate version of Windows (except 8), including 7 Ultimate which upgraded to W10 Pro. I wisely skipped 8. Enterprise editions are not eligible for upgrade.

You're dead wrong. I respectfully request you dump the attitude, as MajorAttitude you ain't.

 

He's confusing Enterprise and Ultimate but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an admission

http://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-upgrades-wont-be-free-for-everyone-do-you-qualify/

 

Hi all

Sorry for the delay in coming back to this... Great replies! To answer a few questions first...

- I will be running Reaper. I've only dipped my toes in so far, but that will be my software of choice.
- I will also be making a lot of use of Superior Drummer 3 (Toontrack) for virtual drums.
- I will definitely be going 64-Bit no matter what. I already have two spare sticks of 2GB RAM and will add that once I go 64-Bit, giving me a total of 8GB.

I'm thinking of forgetting about Win10 for now... From what I understand, if I upgrade to Win10 the upgrade will be tied to my PC/motherboard, and I don't think my current specs would be anywhere near ideal. I've read up on the MOBO, CPU, GPU and soundcard, and all these components get mixed anecdotal reports as to whether they work in Win10 or not. Even if by some lucky chance I DID get them all to play nicely, I'm guessing that Win10 will be more resource hungry than 7, and will therefore leave less oomph for the audio I want to use the PC for.

I have found workthroughs on the net on how to get the Win10 upgrade (via Accessibility), roll back to Win7, but keep the upgrade open for future reference . As I understand it, you don't get a license, but rather a digital entitlement. This is then kept on MS databases and put with the details of your hardware so that when you go to install Win10 in the future it "recognises" you and authorises the installation. Is that correct, or have I misunderstood something? Furthermore, if I've got it right, if you try to use the upgrade on a new PC it won't allow you to as your HW will no longer match the HW you had when you made the upgrade.

I guess this might all be moot now as I very much doubt I'll be interested in Win10 on this PC. And the "license/entitlement" isn't cross transferable anyhow if I have understood correctly. But still interesting nonetheless.

I have found someone selling a Retail copy of Win7 Pro on Gumtree... If I can get hold of the license key for this from the seller, would I be able to use that to find out what the status of the license is? If so, how would I go about it?

More generally on that note, what has to be done for a Retail copy of Windows to be made available for installation on a new computer? If a computer breaks down and is not repaired, and the Windows (Retail) installation was never “de-activated”, how can it then be installed on a new computer?

As for other ways of getting Win7, OEM/Retails etc, I'll return to that later so as not to make this mammoth post mega-mammoth!

@AtlBo - thanks for that info RE your system and its similarities. Very encouraging!

Thanks everyone for all the help https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png

Max

 

I think the only way would be to have the seller activate the OS online using the interface and then send you pics that convince you that the key works.

If it's a retail key, the key is the property of its owner. It can be sold, and I believe it will work for as many as 3 PCs for its owner. Ideally you would get the original disk with the official key on the paperwork, but nonetheless the key should work as long as its not on another PC on another network. That would probably be a flag to MS or if it were on 3 PCs already someplace.

The quad PC I have here is one of the most fun PCs I have, including some much faster i series PCs. However, be prepared for some quirks if the hardware has been out of action for awhile. You might want to disconnect the power connections from the motherboard (PSU and main motherboard power). It will probably come out of its slumber like an old bear out of hibernation. Good luck with the project for sure. Hopefully someone can fill in with the details on the keys.

 

I am still on windows 7.

There is nothing wrong with it.You will continue to get windows 7 updates until 2020.So there are a few more years left in the OS.I and many others don't have any issues with windows 7.As a matter of fact a lot of people preferred windows 7 over windows 10.It's still a great operating system.