Need to Replace HDD without HP Media

boweasel

Member
Messages
32
Have an HP Pavilion p7-1439 tower. The hard drive has gone bad so I have to buy a new one. I also have no reinstall media from HP, although I do have several W8 disks, two of which I downloaded from links supplied by this forum.

If I pop in a new drive will I be prompted for a product key? Of course W8 no longer has the COA sticker with the 25 character key. Since it's now embedded in the BIOS I have no clue what the key is.

HP wants to charge me $63.55 for reinstallation media which would be a flash drive, not a disk. If I can't use any of my non-HP W8 disks I have to consider whether this is worth the price of a new HDD + the HP media.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 home premium
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3521
Exactly what Windows, and which Windows OEM or MS retail, did this computer originally ship with?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Pro 64bit [MS blue-disk set]
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2 Acers & 1 Antec[?]
    CPU
    i7 in 2 Acers, i5 in desktop
    Motherboard
    Desktop w/Gigabyte
    Memory
    Two w/16GB, 1 w/8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Laptops GameWorthy; Desktop maybe GameWorthy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    flatscreens; 2 are BluRay worthy
    Screen Resolution
    1368x768; 1600x900
    Hard Drives
    1TB internals; 2 ext usb WD 1TB HDs
    PSU
    what's PSU?
    Cooling
    Regular plus external fans
    Keyboard
    desktio w/PS2
    Mouse
    desktop w/PS2
    Internet Speed
    DSL middle level [160?]
    Browser
    from Netscape 0.9 to FF 36
    Antivirus
    well-balanced, well-configured mult-layered defense is best
    Other Info
    From MS-DOS 3.3, MS-DOS 6.22, from Windows 3.1 to WFW 3.11 to Windows 95-98SE, now to Windows 7 Pro.
    Security for now: Windows 7 Firewall, Emsisoft AM, MSE [scan-only], SpywareBlaster, Ruiware/BillP combine
If you install the correct version of Windows (Home or Pro), it will not ask for a product key, it will automatically read the key in the BIOS and install the version that matches your key. It will also automatically activate. If it does ask for a key, you are installing the wrong version. If your computer came with Windows 8 Home N, and you try to install Windows 8 Home without the N, it will not activate.

The new Windows 8.1 ISO's will now accept Windows 8 and 8.1 product keys.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
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