You can download my utility for doing this here and read my explanation of why this works here. I have installed many computers from a plethora of different manufacturers using the same Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7 SP1 retail installation discs and never had a problem activating them with their original OEM product keys.Įven if the original product key has rubbed off of the bottom of the computer and cannot be read, it is often still possible to activate the computer the same way the OEM did when it shipped from the factory.

It may be used to install and activate either Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit. Similarly, a product key for, say, Windows 7 Home Premium is not specific to 32-bit or 64-bit. As far as I am aware, any Windows Vista or Windows 7 disc will accept OEM, Retail, and Volume License product keys. (Although, it is technically possible to change the type of keys an XP installation disc will accept.) Starting with Windows Vista, however, Microsoft changed their approach. Install Windows cleanly on each Workstation and use the pulled key to activate. Download a Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Retail ISO from Microsoft. Create a spreadsheet that matches the key to the serial of the workstation. Each type of key required the same type of disc. Pull the OEM Windows 7 key along with any OEM key for Office etc. How to activate Windows 7 manually (activate by phone) 1) Click Start, and in the Search box type: slui.exe 4 2) Next press the ‘ENTER’ key 3) Select your ‘Country’ from the list. To elaborate, in the days of Windows 2000 and Windows XP, there were seperate discs for OEM, Retail, and Volume License installations. Be sure to check the log file if something didnt work, because the script will exit automatically. The usage is 'Win7-OEM-Activator MODE ' UNATTEND - Requires no user interaction. Double click 'Win7-OEM-Activator.bat' or use a command line switch (see below) Switches The script supports several modes. Pretty sure since Vista you can use any disk to install, key determines version Download the zip and extract to a folder.

Lenovo windows 7 oem iso