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1. Modded Windows 7

In case you missed it, Windows 7 is available now. October 22^nd was marked with a moderate amount of hoopla to introduce the new flagship operating system. Now, users are faced with the task of not only deciding whether or not to upgrade, but of choosing which of the many variations of Windows 7 to install.

Software Windows 7 comparison: Which edition is best for you? With six version of Windows 7 scheduled for release, we needed to answer one question, once and for all: 'Which version of Windows 7 do I buy?'

Microsoft has 6 different versions of Windows 7 available: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise. The Windows 7 Starter version is aimed primarily at low-end netbook devices, and the Windows Home Basic version is only available in emerging markets, so we can rule those two out right away.

Microsoft thinks that it is doing you a favor by essentially making Windows Home Premium the de facto version. A quick browse through the systems available from Best Buy or Amazon shows that almost every system available now comes pre-installed with Windows Home Premium, with a significant percentage being the 64-bit version of Windows Home Premium.

Windows Home Premium is OK, but it lacks key features. Microsoft has this habit of adding all kinds of eye candy and multimedia bells and whistles to the home version, but leaving out important security features and customization capabilities. I chalk it up to an effort to provide a dummy-proof entertainment system and be more like Apple, but the result is that consumers get an inferior version of Windows that doesn't come close to the Mac OS X experience.

Microsoft isn't Apple and Windows isn't Mac. If Microsoft focused more on providing the best version of Windows for consumers and less on trying to be cool or dummy proof, it would be doing itself and you both a favor.

Microsoft aims the cream of the crop of the security features at enterprise customers. Granted, they need them as well, but enterprises tend to have IT administrators and technical support personnel who install, manage, and oversee firewall and antivirus products, monitor the network for outbreaks, and provide security remediation and cleanup when necessary. Home users don't have those resources so they need the operating system to be as secure as possible by default.

Home users should have Windows 7 Ultimate in order to have the full range of Windows 7 features and capabilities. Laptop users in particular should upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate so they can take advantage of BitLocker Disk Encryption to protect the data on the laptop in the event that it is lost or stolen.

Small businesses are more or less ignored by Microsoft. They are not an enterprise or a consumer. Microsoft intends the Windows 7 Professional version for small and medium business customers. Windows 7 Professional has some enhancements such as the ability to join a Windows network domain, but still lacks key features like BitLocker, as well as the enterprise capabilities like DirectAccess and Branch Cache.

Granted, small and medium business customers need to have a Windows Server 2008 domain environment to take advantage of these advanced Windows 7 features, but it is worth it for organizations with remote and roaming workers or branch locations. To gain access to these features, I suggest small and medium businesses also invest in Windows 7 Ultimate.

There you have it. If I were calling the shots at Microsoft we could instantly narrow the field down to three options: Windows 7 Starter for netbooks, Windows 7 Enterprise for large corporate customers, and Windows 7 Ultimate for everyone else.

If you are going to spend the time and money to upgrade to Windows 7, you may as well invest a little extra and get the version that has all of the features, and capabilities rather than choosing one with limited functionality. You'll thank me later.

Tony Bradley is an information security and unified communications expert with more than a decade of enterprise IT experience. He tweets as @PCSecurityNewsand provides tips, advice and reviews on information security and unified communications technologies on his site at tonybradley.com.

It doesn’t really matter what version of Windows you have, the best way to get your system working at its full speed and as issue free as possible is with a clean install of the operating system. Many small things can go wrong with your system over time which eventually will degrade performance and cause stability issues. Even with Windows 10, it’s recommended to clean install after upgrading so you are not transferring any problems from your old Windows install onto your new one.

It’s relatively easy to get hold of a Windows 10 ISO image, burn it to DVD or write to USB and do a clean install. However, it’s more difficult to source official install media for older operating systems like Windows 7. Of course, there are many unofficial sources like torrent sites but most of the well best seeded files will have been cracked, tampered with or altered in some way. That makes it more difficult to verify safety and stability. Using a trusted source is always the preferable option.

The best way to guarantee you are getting a clean and untouched Windows ISO image is going directly to the source, which is Microsoft themselves. It used to be easy to download Windows 7 ISO images until they were all removed from Digital River after sales of Windows 7 were discontinued in 2014. Microsoft doesn’t even want ordinary consumers to download a Windows 10 ISO direct anymore and instead pushes you to use the Media Creation Tool.

Thankfully there are ways around these obstacles and it’s possible to download Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 ISO images directly from Microsoft’s own servers, whether it’s through an officially recommended method or a workaround. Here we show you several ways to download the ISO you need so Windows can be installed cleanly and safely.

Things to know about Windows ISO images and Reinstalling

• Your Windows license only allows you to reinstall the edition of Windows that you have a license for. If you have Windows 7 Home Premium, for example, you must install that same operating system again.

• You can switch between 32-bit and 64-bit as long as the Windows edition is the same. For example, you can replace Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit with Home Premium 64-bit.

• You do need a legal Windows license or the new install will be in trial mode. Windows 7 users will have a product key sticker. Windows 8.1 or 10 users will either have a separate key if Windows was purchased as a standalone product or the key will be embedded in the system BIOS. It will be read automatically on reinstall if your computer is from a manufacturer such as Dell or Lenovo etc. If you upgraded to Windows 10 for free the license is tied to the computer hardware and will reactivate automatically on reinstall without entering a key.

• If you are using Windows 7 with a computer purchased from a manufacturer and cannot read the product key on the sticker, it’s still possible to reinstall and activate without it. Read our article on backing up and restoring the Windows 7 license for help on what to do.

Download a Windows 10 ISO With the Media Creation Tool

There are a couple of ways in which you can download a Windows 10 ISO. One is the Microsoft Media Creation Tool which allows you to download a Windows ISO file, upgrade to Windows directly or download the installation files onto a flash drive so you can install from USB.

1. Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and run it. Accept the license agreement, select “create installation media for another PC” and click Next.

2. The language, version and architecture type will be chosen that best matches the operating system you are running the tool on. To change these untick the recommended options box and chose what you want from the drop down menus. Click Next when done.

The “Windows 10” option in the Edition menu will include Home and Pro versions, so if you also choose Both in the Architecture menu you’ll get an all in one ISO image with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 Home and Pro on the same disk.

3. Select “ISO file” to download an ISO image file and click Next. You’ll then be asked to supply a save location and filename. The files will then start to download.

Once complete you can open the DVD burner directly or click Finish and create the install media later. An all in one image with both 32-bit and 64-bit editions included will not fit on a single layer DVDR and you’ll have to use either a USB flash drive or dual layer DVDR. Once downloaded, you can burn the image to DVD, write it to USB or store the file for later use.

Download Windows 8.1 With the Media Creation Tool

There’s still a lot of users around that have Windows 8.1 installed and they might want to keep hold of it and not upgrade to Windows 10. After all, Windows 8.1 is supported until 2023. Windows 8.1 also has its own Media Creation Tool although this one has fewer options than the Windows 10 version.

1. Download the Windows 8.1 Media Creation Tool and run it. The first window offers the language, edition and architecture download options. Select from the drop down menus and click Next.

This tool offers Windows 8.1 and 8.1 Pro as separate downloads as well as 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The N versions are mainly intended for European markets and have media related features missing like Windows Media Player.

2. Choose “ISO file” and click Next. A file requester will ask for the save location and filename, after supplying that the download will begin.

The ISO images for windows 8.1 are from late 2014 and include the major autumn update.

Download a Windows 7 ISO From The Disc Images Page

The last official Windows 7 ISO is from 2011 which includes Service Pack 1 and a minor hotfix that fixes an install bug. There will be tons of updates after installation so creating an integrated ISO is also worth considering. The one official method left available requires you to enter your Windows 7 product key before downloading the image file.

1. Visit the Windows 7 Disc Images page at Microsoft.

2. Enter your 25 character product key into the box and click Verify. If the key is accepted you will be able to download a Windows 7 ISO that corresponds to the license key you entered. Select the required language and a 32-bit or 64-bit version then download the file.

Important Note: This page has a massive problem because it only accepts retail license keys which you get only when purchasing a full boxed copy of Windows 7. If your computer is pre-built from a manufacturer such as Dell or HP your key will be of the OEM type which cannot be used. The same also applies to volume licenses and system builder OEM versions. This restriction excludes most Windows 7 users from downloading an ISO image from the only official source available.

Third Party Methods To Download Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 From Microsoft

Ever since Microsoft removed Windows ISOs from Digital River it’s been more difficult to find a clean and untouched image. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can get to the ISOs on Microsoft’s own servers using other means. Here a selection of easy ways to do it.

Adguard.net Techbench Download Page

Adguard is a Russian website (not related to the ad blocker) that releases custom ISOs for Windows. They also have a separate page which is a simple frontend allowing you download Windows ISO images from the Microsoft servers. This is an easy and quick way to get access to all Windows downloads at Microsoft without using hacks or separate third party tools.

Simply visit the page and in the drop down menus select the Windows version, then the edition, then finally the language. After a few seconds, the download links will appear to the right with 32-bit and 64-bit versions if both are available. Also displayed are SHA1 checksums for the download so you can check the ISO file integrity once downloaded.

Besides Windows 7, 8.1 and various versions of Windows 10, the Adguard Techbench page also offers ISO downloads for Office 2007 and 2010. The TechBench Dump link at the bottom of the page offers all available ISO download links on a single page. The middle button top left also does the same but shows checksums and has direct links for quicker access.

Visit Adguard Techbench Download page

Techbench Dump

Techbench Dump is another easy to use way of downloading Windows ISOs, this is based on a Github script. It does the same thing as the Adguard site but with a different layout. With this page, you click on the button for which Windows (or Office) you want to download, select the version (Home, Pro etc) on the following page, then the language on the next page.

Finally, you will come to a page with download buttons for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the ISO. There’s also a set of direct links so you can quickly redownload the image from Microsoft servers without going through the steps again. Another very clean and efficient method to get the ISOs you need.

Visit Techbench Dump

Heidoc Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

Heidoc is a website that has been hosting ways to get ISO images from Microsoft for a number of years. They also have a dedicated tool which is able to download not only Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 ISOs but also ISOs for Office 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 (also 2011 for Mac). The tool is kept updated so any potential problems should get fixed quite quickly.

Run the program, select what you want on the right and the main window will show a copy of the Microsoft Windows 10 ISO download page, but with the specific ISO file code injected. Select the edition from the drop down and click Confirm, select the language and click Confirm. Finally, click the button to download the 32-bit or 64-bit version. The Office 2013/2016 downloads are slightly different because they open and download the file in your browser.

Download Heidoc Windows and Office ISO Download Tool

Universal Windows Downloader

This little 22KB tool is by nummerok, who like Adguard, is associated with WZT. With it, you can download Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 ISOs, as well as Office 2007 and 2010 images. Sadly, Universal Windows Downloader has not been updated since mid 2016. That means it does not currently include downloads for Windows 10 Anniversary Update or previews/final release of the Creators Update. Everything else, such as Windows 7 or 8.1, is up to date.

All you have to do is find the Windows version you want from the Product drop down and select the language from the other drop down. Then the x64 and x86 download buttons or a single button will become available depending on what version of Windows is selected. Like the other methods here, the file will then download from software-download.microsoft.com.

Download Universal Windows Downloader

Note: There’s another Windows ISO downloading tool around that was released in early 2017, called MSDN Downloader. The program looks nice and is quite intuitive with a built in hash checker. The problem is it pulls all of its ISO images from a Russian server and not from Microsoft. The files may or may not be identical to the originals and you are free to use it if you can find it, but please be aware the files are not coming from Microsoft’s servers.

Verify The SHA1 Checksum of Your Windows ISO

All Windows ISOs are over 2GB in size so it’s wise to check that the download is not corrupt. You can do this by comparing the SHA1 checksum of the downloaded ISO with the checksum from Microsoft. If they don’t match there is a problem with the file. Rather than searching Microsoft’s MSDN pages looking for the correct checksum, it’s easier to use the Adguard download page or its database list (middle button top left).

If you don’t already have a hash checker handy, we have a list of 10 File Integrity checking tools so you can download one of those. Then verify both SHA1 checksums match.

For your convenience, we’ve listed some English language SHA1 checksums for ISOs downloaded from the Windows 10 download page and third party methods above. The Media Creation Tool ISOs for Windows 8.1 and 10 will not be the same though and will not match these checksums.

Windows 7 Starter SP1 32-bit
SHA1: E1653B111C4C6FD75B1BE8F9B4C9BCBB0B39B209

Windows 7 Home Basic SP1 32-bit
SHA1: 080EC1DE94B88B0F7E8D000690A4AAAA031E2719

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit
SHA1: 6071B4553FCF0EA53D589A846B5AE76743DD68FC
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit
SHA1: 6C9058389C1E2E5122B7C933275F963EDF1C07B9

Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit
SHA1: D89937DF3A9BC2EC1A1486195FD308CD3DADE928
Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
SHA1: 0BCFC54019EA175B1EE51F6D2B207A3D14DD2B58

Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 32-bit
SHA1: 65FCE0F445D9BF7E78E43F17E441E08C63722657
Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
SHA1: 36AE90DEFBAD9D9539E649B193AE573B77A71C83

Windows 8.1 and Pro (Autumn 2014 update) 32-bit
SHA1: C7FA828E01E98B601E0ACA8019F1CB223EB23223
Windows 8.1 and Pro (Autumn 2014 update) 64-bit
SHA1: A8B5DF0B0816280AE18017BC4B119C77B6C6EB79

Windows 8.1 and Pro (Autumn 2014 update) 32-bit (English International)
SHA1: 39C57B6D35EAAAB64A971C374FB35004709E1F2C
Windows 8.1 and Pro (Autumn 2014 update) 64-bit (English International)
SHA1: C99A6EC2DE4A71DEF522989D2242CB34AB860A0D

Windows 10 Home and Pro (Anniversary update) 32-bit
SHA1: 5A4D2C953D884578A6ADB448BEE5753B80EC1CFA
Windows 10 Home and Pro (Anniversary update) 64-bit
SHA1: 99FD8082A609997AE97A514DCA22BECF20420891

Windows 10 Home and Pro (Anniversary update) 32-bit (English International)
SHA1: 7B4645863209FFE5B2F1E2044CAC8D4085046FC5
Windows 10 Home and Pro (Anniversary update) 64-bit (English International)
SHA1: 47D274A604E38B8B80B47630BEAA8FFCC7D2980D

If any the checksum you want isn’t listed, you can still find it using the Adguard database if required.

Unlocking Windows 7 Versions From a Single ISO

Many users will know that each Windows 7 ISO contains all other available versions, except for Enterprise. For instance, the Home Premium ISO also contains Starter, Home Basic, Professional and Ultimate, but they are hidden from view. To unlock the extra versions all you need to do is remove the ei.cfg file from the image.

A simple way to do this is using a small program called the ei.cfg Removal Utility which tells the file system of the disc to ignore the file. This is a handy and quick method because opening the file, deleting it and then resaving the ISO is not required, the process here is near instantaneous. Below is a Home Premium 32-bit install disk with ei.cfg removed.

All you have to do is run the ei.cfg Removal Utility and locate the downloaded Windows 7 ISO, a small window will pop up to say the file is removed, running the tool again will restore the ei.cfg. Using this method means you can save time and bandwidth and get all Windows 7 consumer editions by downloading a single Windows 7 ISO file instead of four or five.

On page 2 we’ll show you how to use the original method to download WInbdows 7, 8.1 and 10 ISOs that the third party options above rely on.

12Next › View All

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Iv a dell inspirion 1545 on wind 7 but got 2nd hand so wanted re-install wind 7 but no disk and am a beginer using the internet ,How do i no whitch i want use ? How do i download coz at the min the windows help keeps popping up wen i click open ? Or is there a way of downloading to my iphone then getting it on iv a 32b dell

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The script works fine but when I choose language and confirm, show me this error:

Error
We encountered a problem processing your request. Please try again later.

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Sir I am confused between Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 and Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 COEM. What is coem? Which one you will recommend to download from your given website- adguard.net. Thank You.

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There’s very little or no difference between the two and both should work equally as well, but to avoid any unforeseen issues, use the non COEM version.

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exelent resource here

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This hack does not work anymore.

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why not you use toolkit microsoft

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SHA1 generated for windows 8.1 pro downloaded from media creation tool is not the same as the one that u provided, whats the diffrence ?
and does windows 8.1 pro downloaded from media creation tool contain latest major update ( update 3 ) ?

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The article clearly states: “The Media Creation Tool ISOs for Windows 8.1 and 10 will not be the same though and will not match these checksums.”

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thanks for the quick reply ray, one last question if u allow me,
whats the diffrence between windows 8.1 from media creation tool and techbench ?
and does windows 8.1 pro from media creation tool include update 3 ?

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I don’t think there are many differences between the two if any. The media creation tool version installs from a .ESD file where the normal ISO installs from a standard .WIM file, that’s why the checksums don’t match.

Both have the latest major update from late 2014, I think that is classed as “update 3”.

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thank you so much, by the way i figured out the diffrence, the iso from techbench is 4.02gb where media creation tool give us 3.27gb iso its because iso from techbench contain pro+core version, in the other hand media creation tool give separate iso for core and pro ( i think you mentioned that in your article i just didnt notice) i hope this will help others too, thanks again.

Hi….dears frindes
plzzzz solve my problem to download boot iso image from WDS (windows deployment server)
any one whoe solve my problem?

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Hal, can you provide me sha-1 checksum of Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB ISO Eng?

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Now the MSDN site requires login to even view SHA-1 hashes :(

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There are several checksums because there are several ISO releases, your best bet is to Google it and go through the list of available checksums.

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Thanks for this and for the exhaustive article

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Can anyone confirm that downloading Windows 7 Pro using this technique *DOES NOT* work anymore?

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If you want Win 7 Pro English, then that is technically correct. However, the Heidoc tool is able to download Win 7 Home Premium English, so you can get that and unlock the Pro version on the ISO as mentioned in the article.

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in case you still need it. check this tool: win710isodownloader.blogspot.com

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Just to point out none of the ISOs coming from that program come from Microsoft servers, so download the files at your own risk.

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Using Heidoc Windows and Office ISO Download Tool for windows 10 iso, how do I get ” the specific ISO file code injected” since its not on a browser? Or if its already applied then how to I get to choose between Home and Pro when getting the windows 10 iso?

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That’s telling you how the tool works, you don’t have to do anything. You simply choose which version of Windows you want on the right and choose the version of Windows 10 you want from the drop down menu in the program where it says “select edition”.

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I understand how it works, after you click on your select edition….the iso’s are different builds of home/pro. Is there a way to choose home or pro on that iso, from my install memory I don’t think there is a choice when installing.

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For the third day I received this message (and a Kitten drawing).

Oh, something went wrong.
Please retry the request later.
If this does not work, please contact the Site administration: adguard

Please tell me what to do?

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forget it. sites such as Adguard and techbench dump are no longer working.

best bet is to use the latest version of the Windows ISO download tool from Heidoc.

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Thank You ;)

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There used to be a different method of downloading Windows ISO’s here. It involved copy & pasting some js into a Microsoft webpage. Is that method no longer a fix? Or am I missing it somehow?

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Doh! Found it. Never mind (sorry).

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Thanks RAY, for this wonderful article, i can’t think anything easier !

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I don’t find Win7 Home Basic x64

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For some reason Microsoft does not host a Home Basic 64-bit ISO but you can still download a HP/Pro/Ultimate ISO and use the ei.cfg removal method to get the Home Basic x64 version.

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Thanks

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Modded Windows 7

Error

The product key you entered appears to be for software pre-installed by the device manufacturer.

the product key is valid, if used to install windows 7 professional x64

The slimey bastards just won’t allow you to download what YOU OWN, whether it was preinstalled or not, you still have a valid working product key, which should be more than enough to download a genuine copy of windows from the source, ie microsoft.

And they wonder why they are targetted all the time. This is not about who owns what, because it’s established i own the key and it cost microdickheads nothing to give me a digital download….yet it is ironic, windows 10 is completely free if you download the enterprise edition. after the trial you can keep on using it, nothing gets locked off…yet try to get software you should already own by having the key they tell you to do one.

The sooner we have a better operating system from a different company the better! it wouldn’t take much to kill off m$

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There already is a better OS than Windows, and it is Totally Free for everyone, and includes loads of free open source software. LINUX !! there are hundreds of special editions as well. I recommend Ubuntu for 1st timers, loads of software, support options and Forums for troubleshooting. :)
(and you can run lots of SteamPowered Games as well)

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Cisco uc560 software pack. There are many reasons why Linux has not taken off, it’s had plenty of chances…;)

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Brilliant! Thank you SO MUCH.

I needed an ISO for Windows 7 for my laptop. I had a legit key but could not download the ISO from the Microsoft site. This worked a treat.

Thank you so much again.

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Hi, I don’t know where you live, I don’t know who are you but you are a good man. I bought a Dell laptop having a window 8 64 bit. I was very upset when I tried to install Illustrator and Photoshop. I want to install a clean copy of window 7 ultimate 64 bits and your instructions helped me a lot. I am your admirer since 1999.
May God bless you and your loved ones. I will contact you once I install the same.
Thanks & Regards,
Sharman Vishu

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Downloaded w7 ISO easily, just wondering if you do a reinstall with one of these, it will not be considered genuine and will not be activated unless you have a product key?

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Like with every Windows 7 install disc, you need a genuine product key to activate it. That can be a key from a sticker or if your computer was made by the likes of Dell or HP, you can backup the OEM key before reinstalling.

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/backup-and-restore-vista-oem-activation-license/

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Thanks for the reply. Amazing site btw, a lot of great information. One more question. My windows is activated and i have a product ID: with the OEM in the 20 digit code, but i’m almost 100% sure my windows is not genuine, i think i got the CD from someone a long time ago… So can i reuse that ID with the guide you posted?

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Thank for the nice words :)

No, you can’t use a Product ID number to activate Windows, only a legit Product key. If you use our Windows 7 OEM License Installer from the link I provided earlier, it will tell you if your license is an OEM type from a major manufacturer. You don’t have to do anything just launch the program and it will tell you.

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It said… You are using:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
OEM Information in the Bios
Dell
Does that mean the copy i have can be used on a new machine (building a new pc)? My current PC was not prebuilt it was also assembled by me, i just don’t remember where i got the Windows Disk. Bouzouki sample free download free software programs online. I’m a bit confused since it’s activated, but i don’t have a Product key.

Sorry for bothering you :)

If it says Dell, you either have a Dell motherboard or someone has flashed your BIOS with Dell information to activate it.

If you use our tool after reinstall it should reactivate your Windows with a Dell license.

BEWARE, if you are running a Windows crack such as Daz loader, the tool will pick up that as the Daz tool emulates the BIOS. If that is the case your computer will not activate after reinstall.

Fantastic post. I have downloaded Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (Brazilian Portuguese) and it worked for me (04/01/2017).

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Brilliant article and resource.
Just got a clean W7 32 bits thanks to you!

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Great info, loved the java trick. Thank you – now i can reinstall my oem build from legit source.

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Win7 Ultimate SP1 ISO is d/ling now, thank you very much….!

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No, the Windows 7 ISO only has updates as far as Service Pack 1 which was 2010. Downloading and installing KB3020369 and the Rollup update KB3125574 will save a lot of time during updating though.

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Great tutorial! I wanted a Win 7 SP1 ISO for a clean install instead of an OEM recovery. On a geek scale from 1-10, I’m maybe a 3. Everything I need know, in terms I can understand, and steps I can actually perform. I was able to create an all consumer editions bootable DVD. Solutions (or a link) to everything I needed to do from start to finish. Far more than I hoped to find in a single source. THANK YOU!

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Amazing article, thank you so much.

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This still works flawlessly as of 30 October 2016. At least with the 8.1 ISOs. Thanks a lot.

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thanxxxx….

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This really is a superb article. Many thanks. It got me out of a hole as I needed to install a Win7-32bit Home Premium on a new hard disk for a friend’s laptop whose disk had corrupted horribly and which was unrecoverable. All he had was the Licence Key and no restore disk or anything.
The procedure you describe worked a treat, and thanks for having the forethought to provide the SHA1 checksums for the various ISO files downloaded. Microsoft seem to have taken that page down for some reason.

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Congratulations for the fantastic article. Very good work. Very usefull

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Thanks! working perfect!
now i have untouched windows 7 sp1 iso.

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Microsoft seems to be watching when we download the ISO’s for Win 7 and 8.1 from the Win 10 download page. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to use a proxy to hide your IP address and to use a computer which does not have any MS products installed. (I would be very surprised if MS does not include spyware whenever one of their products is installed so that they can identify the computer .)

While downloading the two versions of 7 and 8.1 (a total of four ISO’s) I received an E-mail from MS saying that they have detected “something unusual about a recent sign-in” to my account, even though I had not logged in to any MS account recently. The E-mail from MS included my IP address and a link to log in to Live.com to view information about the “unusual” activity. It took many rounds of account verification and entering codes before it would finally let me log in to Live.com, and when I checked to see the unusual activity there was no additional information.

My conclusion is that by sending the E-mail, MS was really saying: “We know who you are and what you are doing.” I am not concerned about them knowing I have the ISO’s because I have no intent to use them for anything other than reinstalling software on systems that originally came with the products. But since there are few companies more slimy and sneaky than MS, I am concerned that they might do something like block access to their web site or product updates. Before this I had never thought I would have a need to use a proxy to hide my identity.

My downloads continued and the SHA1 checksums verified correctly. I did have trouble getting to the pages that had the links to download 7 and 8.1. Usually the web site would hang on the white page that says: “Validating your request. This may take a few minutes”….

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In my opinion a “something unusual about a recent sign in” is not related to downloading ISO files in the slightest. Transformers sound effects wav files. There is actually nothing illegal or dodgy at all about downloading ISO files directly from Microsoft’s own website, even though you are using a small hack to get them.

I’ve had occasional emails like you mention long before downloading ISO files from that page and it could be due to a number of reasons including someone else trying to log into your account, which happens from time to time when hackers are running scripts on the Microsoft servers. The timing is unfortunate but they are not related, I’m 100% convinced of that.

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Man U are a God in Human body ,thank a lot!!! Cheers!!!!

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You’re amazing dude !
Since the time I search a clean version of win7, problem solved in few seconds (except the downlading ;) )
Thank you !

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Thank You Brother Thank You So Much

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what edition of Windows Vista do you have, prassri?
No free upgrades from Vista to Win7 are available.
Although Hewlett-Packard [HP] did have some free Windows 7 upgrade offers for qualified desktop & laptop computers for a limited time when Windows 7 was first released but it’s way too late for that now.

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To good

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Thnx. You’re the best.

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great tips, thanks

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Just great. Thank you.

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Are these ISO files free of the windows spy/telemetry updates? Or do we have to surgically remove all that telemetry that Microsoft has slathered on these operating systems lately?

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It depends which Windows you want, Windows 10’s ISO will have all the telemetry included as it’s built into the OS from the beginning. For Windows 8.1 and 7 the extra telemetry was added in updates over the last year or so, the ISO’s won’t have the telemetry but the updates you install will so will have to be careful when updating.

Microsoft don’t make full telemetry and no telemetry ISOs…;)

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What a great discovery! :D Thanks!

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Amazing, as usual! Thanks for sharing!:)

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Haha that non-JS method is just hilarious. Let’s hope they’ll never stuff that hole. Although by tomorrow, I’ll probably have burnt 10 copies (just to make sure…) of Windows 7 updated as much as possible to use for my offline machine for years to come.

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Thanks HAL9000!!!
This is really, really great info.
I was able to download Windows 7 SP1 Home Edition to reinstall in my system, just in case I need it.

Shame to Microsoft to dont provide easy ways to download past versions of his OS.
Thanks!

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Thank you Raymond! You are the best as always ;)

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Thanks!

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Great resource in case your hard drive breaks and your computer didn’t include a rescue disk.

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Thank you, I have also been facing this issue after misplacing my vanilla dvd’s…
Also thank you for detailing the pitfalls of torrent AIO ISOs, all one has to do is install one in a VM and have a peek with TCP View or Curr Ports and watch it calling home to mother Russia…

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thanks a lot

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thnks!

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Great to hear from you again – Simply Awasome

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Many thanks Mr. Raymond keep up the great work

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Greetings from Germany, glad to see that you are back!! Cool stuff !

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This is very good information, however, mostly I need OEM ISOs to reinstall corrupt systems. The full WZor script has Windows 7 “COEM” and Windows 7 “COEM GGK”. What is the difference between these? Are these different from “OEM”? I cannot find any information on this.

Which would reinstall a PC by Dell, HP, Acer, etc on a replacement hard drive that would allow the key code to be accepted?

There are three key codes. First there is an OEM code that can be found with Magic Jelly Bean. Next, in Magic Jelly Bean there is a “match to CD Key data CD Key:” Third, there is a key code on the label on the side of the PC.

Which ISOs, if any, will match which of these key codes? Microsoft makes this very confusing. If you can you shed some light on this, it would be very helpful?

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The COEM ones are commercial OEM versions which are not required and only meant for major companies. COEM GGK is the same but includes the Get Genuine Kit which helps end users purchase a genuine Windows license. As these are not required for general users we left them out of the modified script.

The standard Windows 7 downloads will cover almost everything including retail and OEM so you can use the key from the sticker. The only thing they do not cover is the OEM pre installed keys, which if the computer was purchased from HP, Dell etc will be the key you find in Magic Jellybean and is different to the one on the sticker.

To reuse the OEM key requires extra steps, you can read about that here:
https://www.raymond.cc/blog/backup-and-restore-vista-oem-activation-license/

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Thank you so much. Let me see if I understand this correctly.

If the hard drive is toast and the sticker on the side is unreadable, I can do this:

* Download the x32 or x64 Windows 7 ISO, as needed, per this article.
* Run the ei.cfg Removal Utility to unlock the versions.
* Burn the ISO to a DVD or USB stick.
* Replace the bad hard drive with a new one.
* Install the correct Windows 7 version.
* Do not enter a product key when prompted.
* Download the Windows 7 OEM License Installer
* Run the installer and click “Install Cert & Key”
* This will reactivate the OEM key from the BIOS and
will properly Activate with this downloaded Windows 7 ISO version.

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That is quite correct, I have done similar many times. Just make sure the Windows 7 OEM License Installer tool supports the manufacturer of the computer you are using it on (Dell, HP, Lenovo etc).

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I really really love your website, because it has no ads, and the download links are ‘to the point’. I mean, i don’t have to install anything after downloaded something, not like other websites :) OK, thanks, great website!! I appreciate your work, thank you very much :D

P.S:
Sorry if i had a bad sentences, i’m from indonesia :D

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Thank you for link to Windows 7 Professional French.

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Brilliant!!

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This was very valueable information!!

Thank you for sharing your entensive knowledge, it is appreciated.

Hugo Atlanta, GA

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Thanks mate, much appreciated. I have checked the SHA sums and they are the same as the “refresh” media that was released a while back (last year) I’ve already got two USB Flash drives for Universal install. I remember creating them ages ago and yes, I did use ei.cfg to remove the limitation, so now I’ve got x86 & x64 Super fast SUB Install. Have used WinUSB or WinToFlash.

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Finally manage to download using flashget… tq for the article

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That was awesome!

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