Win7 Home

[semid13]

I bought a Win7 Home disk 2 years old & install on my PC. Last year it was upgraded to Win10 Home. Last week my friend's old laptop hard disk died & I put in a new one & installed using my Win7 Home disk but when I tried to activate using the laptop's product key, it won't activate. Then I use the product key for my disk as a last resort & it can be activated. That means the product key for my Win7 can be recycled after upgrading to Win10. Anyone with similar experience?

 

[tungsten2]

Let put it this way.
You are a software house and a customer buy 1 license put on to 2 machine.
Do you allow this to happen ?

Technically do able does not equate it is legal to so.
M$ is not stupid.

 

[MasterChief86]

You must've gone for that free upgrade MS was offering. Technically, you're now on Windows 10 so the 7's copy is still unused. I think this lengthy post may have the answer you seek.

https://www.howtogeek.com/261053/when-can-you-move-a-windows-license-to-a-new-pc/

 

[OwlJowl]

It happened to me too. Can't complain though

 

[eric3743]

Technically for Retail purchase with CD, it allow up to 4 times to install.
But each time only one computer is allowed to be activated.

So MS may have detected you had uninstall the Win 7 from the computer to install Win 10.
In other word, it allow you to install using the same CD with same key to another computer.
Sometimes there is a need to contact MS support to inform them and they could able to check and verify with you via phone.

 

[cscs3]

I bought a Win7 Home disk 2 years old & install on my PC. Last year it was upgraded to Win10 Home. Last week my friend's old laptop hard disk died & I put in a new one & installed using my Win7 Home disk but when I tried to activate using the laptop's product key, it won't activate. Then I use the product key for my disk as a last resort & it can be activated. That means the product key for my Win7 can be recycled after upgrading to Win10. Anyone with similar experience?

You laptop product key should be reserved for use with your laptop only.
What happen is at win7 day. All laptop win7 is preinstalled from factory with factory volume license key. When that OS crashed, you will need the license key assigned to your laptop for recovery or re-install. You just give that right to your friend!