Computer People, Need Help!!!
 

Wife's at least 10 or 12 year old laptop with Windows 10 Pro died. The diagnostics in ROM, I guess, showed a bad hard drive. Put a new one in that passes the test.

Now I have no OS. I tried to download from Microsoft to make a bootable USB drive. The computer that I'm using is Windows 7. Unsuccessful, I think because I have no Windows 10 Activation Key.

How do I buy a Windows 10 activation key from Microsoft Store? I'm thinking of buying a bootable usb stick, too. Any recommendations?

A manufacturer's Windows 7 activation key will activate Windows 10.

Start here.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

You'll need a blank usb drive 8gb or larger.

What brand is your laptop? I might be able to retrieve a key off one of our workstations in the eWaste bin.

It is an HP ProBook 470 G4. Tried to use the serial number and product ID in HP Support Assistant to get an activation key but the serial number and product ID were not recognized.

Have a 64GB usb drive that I formatted to clean up. Tried downloading from MS, but on this computer running Windows 7, I'm unsuccessful. I think I need the activation key.

I don't want you to get into trouble getting me one off of a workstation though.

Thank you for advice on size usb needed.

You dont have to have a key. Just install it. You will have a nag message at the corner of the screen but you can ignore it.

Thanks

I tried that and installed Linux Mint instead on one. I have another with Win 7 on a LT but the Win install is already a 3rd party. The pop ups are super annoying so I wouldn't go that route. I've never been successful in getting a key out of an existing machine. Is that even possible?

It's 25 years old, so I really shouldn't care but it has a huge screen, something that is hard to come by now.

That model should have the activation key in the Bios, so reinstalling windows should just recognize it and you'll be good to go.

Thanks

I just did an install. Just tell it you do not have a key and tell it you have no internet. Ive done it so many times I dont even think about what I am clicking.

If it's a 10-12 year old laptop it is a brick that needs to be mercifully sacrificed to the DOS gods.

Will likely run Linux (Mint MATE edition ftw!) quite well

I'm gonna experiment with Linux as well.

Especially since MS is deciding all your OS and proprietary data are belong to them, and be online only.
AI will monitor and sort through it.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3625515/what-is-windows-365-microsoft-s-cloud-based-os-explained.html

Oh. And that AI needs to be worshiped..
https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/meet-microsoft-copilots-evil-twin-supremacyagi-not-your-friend-or-equal-but-your-superior-and-master-that-demands-to-be-worshipped-or-suffer-dire-repercussions-you-rebel

^^^^^^^ This. Mint is super user friendly. My main OS.

I've recently picked up a bug on my home pc, sometimes locking up with no clickity click click action of the mouse.

I do the 3 finger Salute of CTRL/ALT/DEL to open task manager, then without even clicking on any apps consuming resources, I simply close the Task Window and it fixes the no clickity click. I think I need to edit my executed files upon start up to see if anything unusual is loading in the background......any other suggestions?

Sucks you lost the old drive.

12 year old laptop with no hard disk? It has negative value. Don’t waste your time buying hd and reinstalling. Just Buy another laptop off Craigslist. $250 will get you a pretty sweet machine.

True. But if he is asking how to get an activation key for Windows, does this sound like a Linux users? Also....ubuntu 4evar :D

Thanks to everybody for help. I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge.

Rusty Heap said I ought to sacrifice the old laptop to the DOS gods, but not following his advice. It was a pretty good one in its day. 1 TB HD and 16 GB memory. It has optical drive for CD and I think a 2 core processor with over 2 GHz speed. It does/did what my wife wanted except for occasional Windows 10 stuff.

Yesterday morning going through HP Support and MS websites, RockFan4 and Jack Didley's advice was verified. I tried downloading to Win10 on this Win7 laptop to send to a reformated USB stick but was unable due to 2016 limit (I guess). With the pretty day, I quit to take care of some outside stuff. Before I did, ordered sealed Windows 10 off ebay. It should be here between Mon and Wed next week. Will let you all know how it goes.

Thanks for suggesting Linux. Read the Linux.com "what is Linux", but am sticking wit Windows on this one.

I'm rather surprised you didn't buy a new laptop.

I wish you would have posted here before buying the Windows 10. I just downloaded it free 2 days ago. I'd have posted a link.

That computer is ancient in the world of computers. Win 10 will not be supported for much longer. No way will that one run Win 11. Win 7 is from 2009. That is 15 years ago, and stone age.

I guess it it to late now, but a new Win 11 laptop would be a ton faster, and more secure from hackers and malware. Good luck with antique computing.

Drew 1, you can put Mint on a flash drive and run it from that. Take it for a test drive. I also have a fully functional Win 10 on a flash drive the I can use.

A year and a half ago I bought a new Win 11 laptop to use for live streaming, as in cutting the cable. It was fast, built for gaming, with an upgrade in memory and solid state hard drive. I bought a fan to go under it and keep it cool. Last summer it got the Windows 11 Blue Screen of Death. Even from the start it wouldn't perform as expected. On a website that had various news and commentary podcasts it would freeze up during breaks and commercials, Besides maybe Norton, no other software was installed.

Two weeks ago I took that one to a computer repair shop. That is why I am not jumping to get a Windows 11 computer. To tell you the truth my favorite Windows was XP. If the Win 11 laptop is beyond repair, might go to a desktop and try Linux from a USB as Jack Diddley suggests.

The Windows 10 laptop did everything my wife wanted. That is why I'm putting time and money into it.

Windows 11 won't even run on 'non-compatible hardware'.

The OS requires quite a lot of space and resources for itself. Slideshow. Plus it's now getting AI Copilot. Whether you want it or not.
Win12 is rumored to be online-only.
Do_Not_Want.

I built my computer myself from parts and pieces ordered from various sources. It was built as a Wiin 10 pro platform. Then Win 11 Pro was released, and I upgraded. I have had zero problems. I did need to download a new BIOS too make it compatible for Win 11, but that was free and only took a short time.

Not so. There is a simple mod to Windows 11 that lets it run on old hardware. Just a couple clicks during the install. I installed it on my 2010 Dell Latitude. I really did not like it and went back to W10.

New problem,
 

I have a dual drive Dell, SSD for C:/ and a regular HD for D:/. The D shows 482 free of 931 GB. The SSD shows 1.5GB free of 102 GB. It's full. I store everything I can and remember to send to the D drive. I have no idea why a printout of System32 might be 6 feet long — there's that much stuff. And there seems to be a lot of files created on some day in '22 that I have no idea about. Like a file for Windows NT.

And like a 1000 files that look like this in something called "TableTextSurviceArray"

"AAJK"="次"
"AAJM"="資"
"AAJN"="恣"
"AAJV"="栥"
"AAJV"="秶"
"AAJV"="楶"
"AAJW"="姿"
"AAJX"="餈"
"AAJ;"="咨"
"AAJ,"="粢"

and that crap is everywhere.

What is the basic remedy?

Edit, somewhat solved removing back up files that should be on an external drive.

zeke, my knowledge seems less than yours, so I won't try to answer.

By Wednesday evening or Thursday morning hope to be installing Windows 10 on the hard drive of the laptop I'm working on. I know zakthor, Rusty Heap, Capt. Carrera, and GH95Carrerra. will be "told you so" if unsuccessful and don't have a working computer. .

Windows 11 streamer hasn't been touched for a week, as far as I know. Will probably check on it once the Windows 10 is working. This one might be one for Linux.

Not that I know but may be a MS update. On the Win 11 laptop the guy working on that computer said an update with a bug made a lot of computers go into BSOD and needed bitlocker code.

Maybe a Win 10 update causes your problem

Capt Carrera, I like to fix problems. So with various equipment, I am a borderline hoarder. Take out the good parts before hauling junk to the dump.

That is why I did not buy a new computer. Plus my wife is happy that she has one that she knows how to use.

I'd suggest not upgrading to Win11.

Windows 10 laptop is working well now. Got back from town Monday afternoon and Win 11 USB had arrived. That evening it was installed. along with Norton and Firefox.

The man checking out the Win 11 Streamer laptop told me that it seemed the motherboard was gone. Paid him for his time and brought it home.

After taxes and planting the garden is done thinking about a computer in mid or full tower size to get plenty of airflow and stay cool. Going to try Linux as won't need to do anything but recieve on wifi and transmit through hdmi cable to tv.

Considering Linux Mint for this Win 7 laptop I'm on now. Norton will offer no more support after end of May. HP offers a driver for the printer we use that works with Linux. Libre Office is an office spreadsheet, word processor, and database. Onshape is a 3D Cad which I'm into the online training. Hve Performance Trends engine analyzer. That and my auto code scanner software may not run in linux. May have to do partitioning. Tried years ago with the Win 7/ XP setup available from MS for several months and unable to get it to work.

Drew you can download Lili to your computer and use it to create a bootable USB and run Linux directly from that. Super easy. No need to install the linux unless you decide you like it.

https://www.linuxliveusb.com/


You can download ISO files of many linux distributions to try here.


https://distrowatch.com/