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Newbie: run-time error
emptypockets:
No worries about the battery error--I took it out for now. I agree with you Boggin--I think we're "beating a dead horse" at this stage of the game. I'm not concerned about saving anything on it.
NEWS FLASH--I did some snooping around and found the BIOS shows the OS is supposed to Vista, and this is Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit, plus the MS COA on the back has been partially torn off so as to be unreadable. Looks like something shady has been going on before I got it. This probably explains why I'm having all these troubles. lol
By the way, no factory reset is available--the Recovery partition is non-existent. I'll hold off doing anything else for awhile--maybe something else will rear its ugly head with this.
I want to thank you for the time, help and education I've gotten working with you.
Boggin:
It sounds like the machine has been upgraded which is why it will no longer have a recovery partition and the COA sticker key will no longer apply.
Run this MS Genuine Advantage Diagnostics Tool and that will show you what sort of install it is.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/help/genuine/submit-request
Don't bother with the submitting a report bit, just click on the link for the tool.
Belarc Advisor will also list what you have installed along with the product key, but you will only be able to do a repair or reinstall with a Win 7 ISO if you have a valid retail key, so a lot will depend upon what the diagnostics tool finds and you can use the Snipping Tool to post its output.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
emptypockets:
Thanks for reminding me about Belarc.
MS Diagnostics Tool, Belarc Advisor, and 2 little programs I located (ShowKeyPlus and ProductKey) all show a matching product key so it looks like I may be good to go. But first I'll find the drivers at HP.com to put on a flash drive--found them!!
Should've done this in the first place, but I would've missed all the fun I've been having.
I've done this many, many times, but do you have any tips for me before I take the plunge?
Boggin:
What does the Diagnostics Tool report ?
A tip before you start - create an external system image so you have something to go back to.
You can copy the drivers folders from C:\Windows\System32 and plonk them back in after the reinstall - I have three of them on my Win 7 Home Premium.
Are you doing a clean or a repair install and where did you get the disk from ?
To ensure your key is a retail key, enter it into https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows7 and if it accepts it, it will allow you to download a SP1 ISO for your version of Windows and then you can use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool to create bootable media of your choice.
If it doesn't accept the key then while a repair/clean install will accept it, your install will return invalid key when you enter activate windows from Start, but sometimes the Verify may not accept a valid retail key for you to download the ISO.
emptypockets:
Uh-oh. Just as I suspected. Microsoft encountered a problem with the product key I provided.
Was going to do a clean install with an ISO disk borrowed from an honest and trusted friend. I suppose I could go ahead anyway and be aware that the activation will return an invalid key. Win 7 will still work, is that correct? But then, this OS won't actually be legal, will it? Don't like that too much.
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