Installing windows 7 ultimate on a PC DOS

EDIT: Nevermind - I just looked it up and saw that it's not legal unless you have the full version already installed, so will just purchase laptop with it already installed, thanks

 

To be in compliance with the license terms you need to have a previous version of Windows installed on the machine to use the upgrade license. If you buy a ThinkPad with DOS, there would be no Windows license to upgrade. You'd therefore be in violation of EULA even if it works.

 

Anywhere to buy a full version of Win 7 for students or other discounts that you know of? Dont want to buy the DOS version if it's going to be illegal to install Win 7.

 

Why not just get the version with Windows. I was looking the other day and it didn't seem much cheaper to the the DOS version, but these thing change frequently.

 

Check if your university has Windows for free. My university has Windows 7, Vista, and XP freely available for all paying students.

 

The more recent coupon does not with the DOS models, so in the end you might only save tens of dollar if you go with the DOS option.

 

Yep, I think a lot of the coupon codes don't work on Lenovo's DOS-option machines, so they can turn out to be even more expensive than their W7-preloaded options. Probably a better idea to go for those.

 

The DOS version is almost exactly $100 cheaper for the exact same setup with 90W AC adapters rather than 65W (getting two adapters). Got the deal off of the Hot Deals forum in Slickdeals (there's a new DOS deal on there)
So it's not significantly cheaper, but enough so that I've been looking around for Win 7 options.
@Kirayamato - thanks for the heads up - I just emailed the school to see if they'll give or heavily discount full versions Win7. Otherwise, I may just opt for the Win7 Preloaded version.

 

Try snooping around your school's website, too. At first, I had a hunch they did because they have an agreement or something with Microsoft. Then the other day, I saw on their website "If you do not have Windows XP, Vista, or 7, you can go to [link] and download it for free." And when I read the finer details, it was indeed free to use for students at the university as long as it wasn't for commercial purposes.

 

just found out they dont give any software free, only the upgrade version of Ultimate for $35, which doesnt really help me much

 

You still can clean install Windows 7 with an upgrade DVD. Method 2 described in the article linked below always works for me.

Clean Install Windows 7 with Upgrade Media

However, as others pointed out, this may violate the EULA. Check your school's contract with Microsoft. It may not have a clause prohibiting you from clean installing (regardless of whether it's an upgrade version or a full version) or better contact the appropriate school dept.

 

Oh thanks for the info ivybridge. I asked my school about a full version, and they said that I should just try the double install with the upgrade (two people in the IT dept separately mentioned it as a "work around"), and said that they cant guarantee it will work, but it probably would. So I'm guessing it's alright.

 

trudat15. if they are suggesting a workaround, then it means it's OK to clean install with the school provided DVD. in that case, save yourself time and go for method 2 (registry hack). it takes a minute or two and is pretty easy to do. as mentioned, it has always worked for me. just make sure you follow the instructions.

 

you can download the normal installation iso from notebookreview and it can be activated by the upgrade media's serial number. But obviously you have to check to make sure that you are allowed to do that in terms of licensing.

 

Will purchase - Windows Vista Ultimate

And the Win 7 Ultimate upgrade via my school, then just do the double install method. Total cost of the OSs will be 122, and the configured computer still comes in at 18 bucks more than if I bought the computer with Home Premium (and 25 bucks or so LESS than if I bought it configured with Pro) installed through Lenovo