Windows 7 OEM for laptop models
Windows 7 OEM for laptop models
Hello, I own this laptop I purchased 2-3 years ago. It came with an OEM version of Windows 8. After a year it began crashing, so I installed the technical preview of Windows 10. When Windows 10 was released officially, my laptop showed a warning that if I didn’t upgrade to Windows 10 it would start crashing and fail to boot. Eventually I bought a Windows 7 SP1 OEM key from Kinguin, downloaded a clean Windows 7 SP1 ISO and installed it. Now my laptop displays a message saying my Windows key isn’t valid. Some articles suggest that the OEM key from the first Windows installation is tied to your motherboard, likely the Windows 8 key. Can I recover that key or reinstall Windows 8? Please let me know. Thanks! Robijntje
Without the COA sticker it's unclear what to do. Regarding the Win7 key, it seems you were tricked there. OEM keys work anywhere once you have them. You can also reuse non-brand OEM keys later. Each machine should only be activated with one key.