Post Tagged with: "Guides: Windows 7"

So you bought an upgrade copy of Windows 7 to save money or you got it for $30 with a student account. However, an upgrade is not cutting it for you and a clean install is just the thing you need. While the upgrade disc allows a clean install, you hit a roadblock with activation. At the SuperSite, Paul Thurrott, with the help of Kevin Fisher, has come up with the solution to activate Windows 7.

1. Ensure there are no Windows Updates pending. To check for this, look for an orange shield icon next to the Shutdown button in the Start Menu. If it’s there, reboot.
2. Open ‘regedit.exe’ from the Start Menu
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/
4. Change MediaBootInstall from ’1′ to ’0′
5. Open the Start Menu again and type ‘cmd’ — use ctrl+shift+enter to run it as an administrator
6. Type: slmgr /rearm – and press enter
7. Reboot
8. When Windows 7 reboots, run the Activate Windows utility and activate windows.

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