Chances are, your new laptop or PC didn't come with a Windows 7 installation DVD or a way to make one. With most new PCs, you only get the opportunity to make a system recovery DVD that restores the hard drive to its pre-shipping state, with all the adware, bloatware and trialware that slows down your otherwise zippy machine.
Similarly, if you bought an OEM Windows 7 installation DVD, you had to choose between 32-bit or 64-bit, even though the Windows 7 End User Licensing Agreement entitles you to install either configuration on one PC. If you bought the 32-bit because the laptop you acquired from a relative only had 2Gb of RAM but now you've maxed it out and want to make full use of all 8Gb, you DON'T have to buy the 64-bit DVD.
All you need is a blank DVD (because you most likely have access to a PC with a DVD burner [also called a SuperDrive, NOT a Combo drive]), a fast internet connection (you're going to be downloading 5Gb of data) and a simple utility that lets you select Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate from a single .iso image. The DVD you create CAN'T be used to install Windows 7 without a legally obtained product key.
Just follow the instructions in the link below.
I installed and activated Windows 7 on a MacBook Pro using Boot Camp and a 32-bit OEM DVD purchased from Amazon.com. I then burned my own 64-bit DVD and used it to reinstall Windows 7 on the same MacBook Pro. It activated without a hitch using the product key from the 32-bit DVD case.
If just one bit was out of place or anything about the installation looked suspicious to Microsoft's activation server, the activation would have failed and, even worse, the Windows 7 partition might have been bricked. The Product ID fields have been blurred for privacy.
Similarly, if you bought an OEM Windows 7 installation DVD, you had to choose between 32-bit or 64-bit, even though the Windows 7 End User Licensing Agreement entitles you to install either configuration on one PC. If you bought the 32-bit because the laptop you acquired from a relative only had 2Gb of RAM but now you've maxed it out and want to make full use of all 8Gb, you DON'T have to buy the 64-bit DVD.
All you need is a blank DVD (because you most likely have access to a PC with a DVD burner [also called a SuperDrive, NOT a Combo drive]), a fast internet connection (you're going to be downloading 5Gb of data) and a simple utility that lets you select Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate from a single .iso image. The DVD you create CAN'T be used to install Windows 7 without a legally obtained product key.
Just follow the instructions in the link below.
I installed and activated Windows 7 on a MacBook Pro using Boot Camp and a 32-bit OEM DVD purchased from Amazon.com. I then burned my own 64-bit DVD and used it to reinstall Windows 7 on the same MacBook Pro. It activated without a hitch using the product key from the 32-bit DVD case.
If just one bit was out of place or anything about the installation looked suspicious to Microsoft's activation server, the activation would have failed and, even worse, the Windows 7 partition might have been bricked. The Product ID fields have been blurred for privacy.
