back to seven

It's actually the SP1 that won't work on the non SP1 install. That was in discussions over at SF back in 2010 when SP1 shortly after SP1 was first out and people had been asking about the DR disk images for laptops back then. The SP1 key was intended for late release media installs of 7 after SP1 was added to OEM media as well as subsequent retail full and upgrade disks after the first year 7 was out.

Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key

If you receive an error indicating that your product key is not valid when installing Windows 7, it could be for the following reasons:

• You might have mistyped your product key. Try retyping it.
• You might be using a product key that doesn't match the version of Windows 7 that came preinstalled on your computer. Check the product key to make sure it is for the version that you are trying to activate. You can't use a product key for Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) to activate a copy of Windows 7 without SP1.
• The product key is for an upgrade version of Windows 7 and a previous version of Windows wasn't on your computer when Windows 7 was installed. To install an upgrade version of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP must be installed on your computer. If you formatted the drive before starting the installation process, you won't be able to use the upgrade product key to activate Windows 7. To activate Windows 7, you'll need to install your previous version of Windows, and then reinstall Windows 7.

For more information about Windows 7 activation errors, see Windows 7 activation error: 0xC004F061 and Activation Error Codes.

That's a notation in the How to Activate Windows 7 Online guide over at SF as I thought. For 7 you have to do more reading of the 7 guides.

When first going for the initial 10 upgrade unlike what was seen with older versions you had to unplug all other drives while with 7 only the second OS needed to be unplugged while testing the 8 CP! In fact the Reset on the 8 CP saw 7 added in automatically after the initial add 8 into the 7 BCD ended up trashing both! With 10 however the installer gets confused and places the BT, WS, QT also seen temp folders on one drive and the boot files on another!

As I was saying earlier the need to match the keys correctly was what needed to be done since there was the problem of the SP1 not working for the non SP1. One way to test the non SP1 key on SP1 Ultimate would be the second VM while the one thing I am still looking at is the "dvd" and "dvd u" as for why the letter is seen in some but not with others. The OP will need match the correct link for the present key.

The non SP1 without the U in the file name went on like a breeze. Whether the other download with the U makes any difference is the only other item of interest besides the 7 and 7 N.

The Ultimate torrents there are strictly SP1 unlike what you see for the Home Premium and Pro editions that see both 32bit and 64bit downloads without or with SP1 as the options. Remember a pre-SP1 key won't work on the download that saw SP1 included just like the newer SP1 keys won't work on a pre SP1.

I have never run into this and I've installed a lot of Windows 7. I don't see why this would matter but MS has done stranger things. How can I tell if a computer has a pre SP1 key or not?

If SP1 was already on that would have been a system manufactured in late 2010 or afterwards once SP1 went RTM(Released To Manufacturing). That would be automatic for all OEMs to incorporate the service packs into all preloaded Windows 7 machines from that point on. To use an Ultimate with SP1 iso I would have to see on that since the key would be a Retail for the full version not any OEM key.

With SP1 slipstreamed into an iso later made into a usb key the 2013 clean install activated on the same hardwares without problem while the second 7 Pro key bought on an OEM disk would have to see the 7 Pro iso with SP1 type iso not simply SP1 slipstreamed into it afterwards. MS made a slight change in how SP1 was incorporated into the later releases for 7 which is where the problem would be for the newer keys.

For the next VM project here on the main build where 7 Ulitmate resides the "dvd u" not "dvd" 7 Ultimate iso will be in the works to see if the U part makes any difference that extra letter needs a look. When you look over every "en_Home, en_Pro, and then the "en_Ulitmate torrents you will see right off you will notice all are with SP1 while the Home Premium and Pro torrents also see the torrents without SP1. Those will only take the pre SP1 keys not the newer keys once SP1 was found included.

​REMOVED

You will also note that one of the two x86 torrents lacks the U letter seen with the other and the 64bit Ultimate being looked at here. The VM is now being set up where that will show if the 2009 retail key will work or not.

As for the release dates for SP1 beta and the general according to Wikipedia......

Win 7 SP1 release date



Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) was announced on March 18, 2010. A beta was released on July 12, 2010. The final version was released to the public on February 22, 2011.



Windows 7 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7