I know you can get "upgrades" of Windows 7 to install on an older machine running XP or Vista very cheap if you're a student (as I am now), but can you get a full version with a license cheap as a student? That is to say, I have a machine that has never had a copy of Windows on it before, and want to put a copy of Windows 7 64 bit on it, but don't want to pay silly money as I am a student...
Oh, and anybody know how/where to pick up 32 bit XP user licenses (obviously non OEM) on the cheap?
http://www.software4students.co.uk/ is the normal place to look. Try contacting them?
yeah cheers druidh, been navigating my way through that website for last 30 mins... Can't find what I'm after, only "upgrades" for machines already with XP or Vista installed...
druidh - Member
http://www.software4students.co.uk/ is the normal place to look. Try contacting them?
Anything wrong with the obvious way?
you buy the upgrade and do a fresh install from scratch, i think
Anything wrong with the obvious way?
You've lost me there...
you buy the upgrade and do a fresh install from scratch, i think
Yeah, but that would entail owning a Windows license already. I don't currently have a Windows license.
The "slightly more legit than straight piracy but only just" route is to buy an upgrade copy and do a search on the internet about how to circumvent the registration process so you can install on a clean machine without previously installing xp/vista first. maybe like this
The next best method is to buy an OEM full version of windows which is only valid for a single pc (i.e. you can't bin the PC in the future and install on a new one) which is much cheaper than buying a full fat retail version.
Never seen a student and teacher full version of windows which is annoying.
Yeah, but that would entail owning a Windows license already. I don't currently have a Windows license.
yeah i know, i was a student last year and hunted around for an old pc with an xp licence for a day or two, but pretty sure I didn't need it in the end, just installed from scratch as it was a new build, upgrade cds have the full version on anyway,
You've lost me there...
Clearly not so obvious then.
convert, cheers mate, much appreciated
amt27, was hoping that might be the case, will keep my fingers crossed...
Just checked the price of another HD, and... Well... Won't be doing it any time soon, at least not until supplies are back to normal after the floods in Thailand... HD's are 4x as expensive as they were only a few weeks ago!!! 
It's an upgrade but as mentioned there's ways to install it fresh. It's A genuine copy of windows too so perfectly fine.
If you were to purchase one of the upgrade disks, you will only need the key. You can then download a legit copy of Windows 7 from here.
http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/
Ensure that you download the correct version you bought, as far as I'm aware the key you have will activate either 32 or 64 bit windows, but once activated you will be commited to that bit version. I'd recommend 64 bit, especially if you have 4gb+ RAM. 64 bit is the future.
After downloading, you will then have a file you can either burn to DVD or mount to a USB drive to install.
Follow these instructions to mount to USB.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_install_windows_7_usb_key
Simples
Check if your uni has a microsoft academic alliance account. If they do then you may be able to get an account - say you need software for research or coursework and windows 7 will be available to you for free.
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