Windows 7 ISO

[GeoffF100]

I have an old PC that came with Windows 7 Home Starter (32 bit) and an OEM key. I have been running Lubuntu on this machine, but want to reload Windows 7 because that appears to be the easyiest way of flashing the BIOS with my motherboard. Bree gave this link:

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technolog ... nload-tool

I have downloaded the tool. It looks like I need "Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 COEM English" and the "IsoX86" download. Is that right?

[GeoffF100]

I think the basic question is: do I need the OEM ISO because I have an OEM key, or is the retail ISO the one I want? COEM appears to be Commercial OEM, which refers to someone building to an OEM's specification. I believe X86 means 32 bit, which is what I want.

[GeoffF100]

The other issue is the the download tool did not show Home Starter, just Home Premium, and some more upmarket options. Is Home Premium going to work?

[Breelander]

The other issue is (that) the download tool did not show Home Starter... Is Home Premium going to work?

No, you have to have a key that matches the exact edition you are installing if you want to activate it. A key for W7 Starter will only activate Starter, it won't work with Home, Home Premium, Pro, or any other edition.

want to reload Windows 7 because that appears to be the easyiest way of flashing the BIOS with my motherboard.

Surely there must be an easier way than that? What is the make/model of the machine? Does your OEM provide different bios updates for Windows vs Linux? I believe some OEMs do that, each bios is tailored to the needs of a particular OS.

If you have no option but to install W7, then you can install it without using a key. It will work for 30 days...

...skip entering your product key for the time being and click Next. Complete task such as setting up your account name, password, time zone etcetera.

By doing this, you can run Windows 7 normally for 30 days before requiring product activation.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 094c1d477b

[GeoffF100]

Thank you very much for that Bree. I believe that I have to keep trying until the Starter version is shown for download. Should I download the COEM version or the other one, or does it not matter?

My options appear to be:

* Using a Windows program with nice easy instructions.

* Using a floppy drive that I do not have.

* Setting a jumper and doing a BIOS recovery.

* Mastering a baffling procedure that makes a CD look like a floppy to the BIOS, and setting that up properly.

Loading Windows looks easiest, and is perhaps a good educational exercise.

[Breelander]

Thank you very much for that Bree. I believe that I have to keep trying until the Starter version is shown for download. Should I download the COEM version or the other one, or does it not matter?

However many times I try, I cannot get it to show a download of Starter.

There's reported to be a way round that (though I haven't tested it myself). Apparently you can modify the ISO to make it 'universal' and give you a choice of which edition to install...

...You can choose Win7 Ultimate SP1 and erase the file ei.cfg from the ISO with the eicfg_removal_utility.zip

after that you can choose during installation every version from Starter up to Ultimate (x86) or Basic up to Ultimate (x64).

https://www.wincert.net/forum/index.php ... ent-122512

download the 32-bit ISO (Starter is only available as 32-bit) then try modifying it.

[GeoffF100]

Thanks very much Bree. It looks as though the easiest method is to download any old 32 bit W7 ISO, boot from that, flash the BIOS (within 30 days), and reinstall Lubuntu. Getting hold of a Home Starter ISO is a problem for another day.

I have just got a second GB of RAM, and I am going to try to install that as my next task.

[Breelander]

Thanks very much Bree. It looks as though the easiest method is to download any old 32 bit W7 ISO, boot from that, flash the BIOS (within 30 days), and reinstall Lubuntu. Getting hold of a Home Starter ISO is a problem for another day.

Sounds like a plan

As that forum article says, apparently you can turn 'any old 32 bit W7 ISO' into one that lets you install Starter. You may even find that it activates. There is an SLP marker embedded in the firmware to show the PC is entitled to run W7 Starter, setup may pick up on that.

[GeoffF100]

Thanks for that. I always assume that everything will go wrong. That way I am not disappointed, but it might just all work without any hassle.

I have just installed my extra memory. I now have 2 GB with dual channel operation. I was given the wrong DIMM initially, had to go back and get a replacement, and then I tried to insert the DIMM the wrong way round, but it is all working now.

The recommended memory has been upped from 1 GB to 2 GB with the release of Lubuntu 18.04, so I was going to have to upgrade the memory sooner or later.

[cinelli]

Forgive me, I am coming to this discussion a little late. Does "flashing the BIOS" mean the same as updating the BIOS? If so, surely this is nothing to do with the operating system. You download the latest BIOS file, copy it to a USB memory stick, then load it from within the BIOS. Bob's your uncle.

Apologies if I have misunderstood.

Cinelli

[GeoffF100]

Flashing the BIOS does indeed mean updating the BIOS. It is not as easy as copying it to a USB stick on my machine. Indeed, I would need the OEM's help to do it for my mother board. Fortunately, I probably do not need to update the BIOS anyway. I have given a more detailed account on the CPU Upgrade thread.

[superFoolish]

Thanks for that. I always assume that everything will go wrong. That way I am not disappointed...

Loved this!

[didds]

If you are only installing win7 so make the bios upgrade easier, then the key won;t matter presumably as you'll be in and out and done well within the activation window?

So install win7 from whatever ISO/DVD, avoiding the serial key bit, flash the bios then go back to lubuntu/whatever immediately afterwards.

??

didds

[GeoffF100]

If you are only installing win7 so make the bios upgrade easier, then the key won;t matter presumably as you'll be in and out and done well within the activation window?

So install win7 from whatever ISO/DVD, avoiding the serial key bit, flash the bios then go back to lubuntu/whatever immediately afterwards.

??

didds

That is what I did. The BIOS update failed because I did not have a retail motherboard. I then looked more closely at the BIOS versions needed to support the old and new processors, and found that they were the same. The CPU upgrade should not fail because of that. Nonetheless, upgrading to a used CPU from China (when it arrives) clearly has its risks.