I want to wipe my Lenovo G550 which came with an OEM copy of Windows 7 Home 32-bit installed but no discs whatsoever. It gives me an option to burn the factory system image to 3 DVDs, but even if i wanted to do that i wouldn't want to reinstall this bloated OS they stuffed with their crapware. So my question is, where can i get a legit install disc for my OS? And more importantly, would it even work on my laptop? I heard some manufacturers only like their own proprietary windows install. Thanks.
you can put what ever you want on any pc/laptop the only advantage of having a manufacturers disc that it'll contain all the drivers needed for that particular machine .You could try something like v-lite to strip all the crap out, it'll work with win7 but I'm not to sure how you'll get on with it using 3 dvd's, it's not something I've tried myself. The other option is to down load a copy from 1 of the torrent sites and the use licence code that came with your machine...if you go this route just make sure you virus check it , open it up with power iso then scan it, it'll take about 1'1/2 hours but it'll check every single file. What ever option you decide to take make sure you make the 3 DVD's 1'st just in case anything goes wrong ,at least you can return it to factory specs...There is 1 last option and that is to install the factory disc and then whizz through it and remove everything you dont need
The 3DVD thingy is not a windows installer ISO, it's a cloned image of the HDD contents - at least i assume that's what it is, judging by the size, so i don't think it can be "lited" like a windows installer. So there's no official place that supplies ISOs? I really don't want to go with the torrent route.
No where official. loads unofficial..If you want a do anything disc you'll have to buy a retail copy but that seems a bit silly as you everything you need already...The DVD's will have the OS and all the other crap with it. My sons got the same set up as you ,if I get time I'll try to extract the OS and see if I can make a bootable iso from it.I'll let you know if I have any success
I might aswell try to write that system image and see what's on there. I'll report back. I have a 64bit Pro retail disc but i don't think that would let me install home 32.
You'll have to have the code that goes with the pro edition sometimes you can get 2 goes out of a code on 7, I managed to get 4 out of my vista retail copy
If you have a retail disc, doesn't that mean you have the 32-bit disc as well? Also, every Windows 7 disc comes with Windows 7 Ultimate. It is the key you put in that decides what features are "unlocked", if you like. So if you install it from the Pro disc, and then skip the part of the install where it asks you for a key, you can enter your Home key. However, if it is an OEM key, this may not work either. This is how the Anytime Upgrade works. The Windows 7 installed on your PC is Ultimate, but just the features for Home are "unlocked". When you buy a ridiculously priced key through this, it unlocks the features of the edition you bought.
Indeed, i have a 32-bit retail disc aswell, good call. However, i thought this "all editions on one disc" thing was only for Vista. I'll have to give this a try. Thanks!
Your welcome, although I think it may not work if it is an OEM key, although I can't remember Good luck
Hang on lets go back a step.you've got win7 x86 home edition? If you have then I reckon it should work on the laptop simply because of the embedded code for the original install should still be in the laptop and you're using your own code and the same edition of windows. It might be worth a try.Still make the back up DVD's though.
Yes, i have 32-bit Win7 Home OEM on the laptop, and a retail copy of Win7 Pro for my desktop. On a side note, the Lenovo site is piss poor, i can't even download the manual because the link takes me to some japanese 404 error, and there's no link for drivers at all. I think i'll hit up the bit-tech marketplace and see if anyone has a spare OEM Home disc.
Embedded codes? Never heard of those. AFAIK the only thing tied to my laptop should be the license key.
You're right actually I don't know where I got that idea from, I'm still thinking about the activation code being embedded into the machine....what a noob...lol
lol Anyways, it's done making the restore discs. It actually only needed 2 for some reason. If i can't find the drivers i might have to use this bollocks instead of a clean Windows install.
