Download Dell Windows 7 Pro OEM Skylake Reinstallation.iso

Obsolete Guide

This guide has been superseded by:

Download Dell Windows 7 Pro ISO (Media Refresh January 2016) from Dell and Make a Bootable USB

January 2020

Windows 7 Reached End of Mainstream Support in January 2015. Extended Support lasts until January 2020. For more details see End of Support.

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Your Dell Windows 7 OEM License is eligible for a Free Upgrade to Windows 10 for more details see Windows OEM FAQs and Downloads.

Contents 1: Dell Windows 7 Pro OEM

Tutorial Video 1

Contents 2: Dell Windows 7 Home Premium + Ultimate OEM

The Dell Windows 7 Home Premium Reinstallation OEM and Dell Windows 7 Ultimate Reinstallation OEM ISO are not available to Download.

If you need to install these, download the Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation OEM ISO, delete the EI.cfg File in the sources folder. Use the Windows USB Installation Tool by Gigabyte Tool to Add USB 3.0 Support to the Install.wim and then manually Apply OEM SLP. This is documented in detail below:

Introduction

Dell released an up to date Windows 7 Pro .iso – the "Dell Windows 7 Pro Skylake Reinstallation .iso" which is multilingual and includes USB 3.1 and Storage Controller support necessary for installation of Windows 7 Pro on up to 6th Generation Intel Skylake systems. This installation media is Updated until January 2016 and includes Internet Explorer 11. It will automatically activate on eligible Dell systems using Dell OEM System Locked Preinstallation.

dell-windows-7-reinstalaltion-dvd31

USB Flash Drive

You will need a USB Flash Drive. If you don't have please click see more and use the affiliate links below for Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. These will help fund the website costs for my installation guides.

These are the USB Flash Drives I have tested (note there is no point getting a larger capacity USB flash drive for Windows Installation Media as you need to format the USB as FAT32 and the ISO is far less than 16 GB, usually closer to 8 GB.

The Dell Windows 7 Skylake Reinstallation .isos in this guide will apply Dell OEM System Locked Preinstallation meaning it will automatically activate offline on eligible Dell systems.

Eligible systems have a Windows Pro sticker:

win10ProWin8Pro

Or alternatively a Windows 7 Pro COA (key not required, often found under the battery compartment):


The Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Download Tool

The Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Download Tool is available here:

https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/technology-science/microsoft/67-microsoft-windows-and-office-iso-download-tool

This has been updated to Download the Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation ISO and addresses some of the issues experienced with the Dell OS Recovery Tool.

Launch the Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool. You will be asked whether you want to use some of your idle resources to help with the development of the tool. Select [Yes] or [No] as desired:

To the right hand side, select DELL:

Here it doesn't matter what Model you select, as you are Downloading a Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation ISO which only has the necessary drivers inbuilt to recognise USB 3.0 Ports and Storage Controllers. These ISOs work on any Dell with 6th Generation Intel (Skylake) Hardware or Older that are Licensed for Windows 7 Pro OEM/Windows 8.x Pro OEM or Windows 10 Pro OEM. Just ensure you select a Model that has a 64 Bit ISO or a 32 BIT ISO as desired (likely you want the 64 Bit ISO):

I will select the Latitude E7470 as the model and Windows 7 SP1 Professional 64 Bit as the image:

Now you can copy the link for 64 Bit:

Select OK:

Now paste it in Chrome to Download the ISO.

Dell OS Recovery Tool

I recommend using the Windows and Office ISO Download Tool opposed to the Dell OS Recovery Tool as it is less problematic.

If running the Dell OS Recovery Tool on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The Microsoft.Net Framework needs to be installed, if it is not, the tool won't run. To download it see here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55167

This is inbuilt into Windows 10.

Download the Dell OS Recovery Tool:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/uk/en/ukdhs1/drivers/osiso/recoverytoolhttps://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/OSISO

Install the tool following the on screen instructions. Launch the tool.

Your Service Tag may be rejected or you get the Wrong Architecture of Windows 7.

You are best to input a Latitude 7270 Service Tag (9C03J72) for Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit as the installation .iso is more up to date than the installation .isos Dell offer for Download for other models. In all my cases, the up to date .iso worked on all the Dell's I tested from an OptiPlex 790 however one or two users reported issues with the updated .iso and for this reason I've also listed the older versions.

The Windows 7 Download will display, 7.12 GB (January 2016 – assuming additional drivers are slipstreamed here), 7.06 GB (January 2016), 5.23 GB (November 2010) for Windows 7 Pro 64 Bit or 5.45 GB (January 2016) for Windows 7 Pro 32 Bit.

Select Download.

For Windows 7 64 Bit the file size is 7.06 GB for most Dell's but the Latitude 7250 is updated to 7.12 GB:

It should say Download Completed! DO NOT SELECT NEXT!

You may now close the program


The .iso appears in a Downloads subfolder in:

C:\ProgramData\Dell\OS Recovery Tool

The ProgramData folder is hidden by default. Open Windows Explorer and copy and paste the above into the address bar:

You will see a Downloads folder. This is by default locked:

When you select it, you will get a warning, select continue to access the folder:

You will now see the Dell Windows 7 Professional Skylake Reinstallation .iso:

I advise copying the .iso to your Desktop or to an external hard drive.

The Dell OS Recovery Tool should in theory allow one to make a Bootable USB Flash Drive however in my testing the following occurred. Therefore I recommend using Rufus to check the .iso checksums and make the Bootable USB:

The Dell OS Recovery Tool.

Installation .iso Checksums

Open your Downloads folder. You will see a subfolder called Dell. The installation .iso you have downloaded will be present there. The installation .isos will have the following names with a suffix including the time you downloaded the .iso e.g. _20171207_0202

Windows 7 Profession 64 Bit Multi-Language:

  • G13K9_PW4KGA00_W7SP1PRO64_ROW(DL).iso

Windows 7 Profession 64 Bit Multi-Language Variant 2:

  • V24C6_GGFY7A00_W7SP1PRO64_ROW.iso

Windows 7 Professional 32 Bit Multi-Language:

  • MT5KY_N6N9GA00_W7SP1PRO32_ROW(DL).iso

Ensure that the .iso checksums match before using the .iso as there are often issues with incomplete downloads.

.iso checksums can be checked with Rufus (which we will also use to make the Bootable USB):

https://rufus.akeo.ie/

Rufus doesn't need to be installed. Launch Rufus:

Accept the User Account Control Prompt:

You will be prompted to check for updates, there is no point in doing so if you have just downloaded Rufus:

Select "select":

Select the installation .iso you have just downloaded and select open:

The name of the loaded .iso will be displayed at the bottom:

Select the tick mark beside "select". This will compute the installation isos checksums:

The progress bar will show at the bottom:

Ensure they match the installation .iso checksums I list below:

G13K9_PW4KGA00_W7SP1PRO64_ROW(DL).iso (7,404,138 KB):

  • MD5: d363f535afae79139fe8632702613ffb
  • SHA1: f52615d64ebe9b7c7aeb754746356bc3a052c415
  • SHA256: 2bfa2ebbee84804c8e643bf829644e6c5ef373e63bdeae3a6ac927d371f4c0d0

V24C6_GGFY7A00_W7SP1PRO64_ROW.iso (7,521,254 KB):

  • MD5: 4da7a972664e6db1091d7c5959d2b94a
  • SHA1: f0cdd94c0aa2a28bc48c82b65c83ac24e5c6fc52
  • SHA256: cc1a650e9fac2f89ffd68f64a272203fd7581e66c729a7e8a89bcbcfb4d7b101

N87PW_X00-00_D0V2KA00_7601_W7SP1_PROFESSIONAL64_RTM_DELL(DL)_.iso (5,488,294 KB)

  • MD5: bcd068249a4d00e124a0c2c597da42d7
  • SHA1: 10529a3a46bf8cb917e317512640e6846e1c3f16
  • SHA256: 0510cec214db80ce811040daebd7e2e494290e87d2afd8f0c0cfffb49a59fa27

MT5KY_N6N9GA00_W7SP1PRO32_ROW(DL).iso (5,715,252 KB):

  • MD5: 488ae6c2a7e587e87c12101fde083458
  • SHA1: c36a77d3dbbe1d248a04a496e2f88ab268ff6ce9
  • SHA256: b33b6b5a5c98ad33729741b2f2fe4c74bc7a8677f7c13d0c4966fd9ae5ed2c14

If they do not you have a corrupt installation .iso and should retry the download using the Dell OS Recovery Tool again:

Checking if your System has an UEFI Boot

Power down your Dell and then power up and Press [F12]. This will take you to your systems Boot Menu.

If it mentions at the top "Boot Mode" then you have a UEFI BIOS.

For Windows 7 64 Bit Installation:

  • The Boot Mode should be set to UEFI.
  • Secure Boot should be Off.
  • Legacy ROMs settings (not shown on the Boot Manager Screen) should be Enabled.
  • Note that early UEFI systems may not have Secure Boot and hence no need for Legacy ROM Settings.

For Windows 7 32 Bit Installation:

  • The Boot Mode should be set to Legacy.
  • Secure Boot should be Off.
  • Legacy ROMs settings (not shown on the Boot Manager Screen) should be Enabled.
  • Note that early UEFI systems may not have Secure Boot and hence no need for Legacy ROM Settings.

For details in Enabling these settings see Unified Extensive Firmware Interface (UEFI).

If it doesn't mention at the top "Boot Mode" then you have an older system with a Legacy BIOS.

Creating a Bootable USB Flash Drive

Note: All Data on your USB Flash Drive will be formatted, so check there is nothing important on it before using it to make a Windows 7 Bootable USB.

If Rufus is closed, relaunch it and load the installation .iso. Insert a 16 GB USB Flash Drive. Your USB flash drive should display under Device:

The Partition Scheme: Windows 7 64 Bit (2012-2016 Computer)

If you are installing Windows 7 64 Bit, the default settings will use the GPT Partition Scheme. GPT has the advantage that it contains multiple Boot Records opposed to a Single Boot Record, can support many more partitions (128 versus 4) and can work with larger drives (>2 TB). The Target System, File System and Cluster Size will be updated correspondingly.

It is advised to change the Partition Scheme from FAT32 to NTFS. FAT32 has the advantage that it can pass through Secure Boot, which Windows 7 cannot do anyway. NTFS can support file sizes >4 GB and your install.wim may be >4 GB if you follow my instructions to perform a slipstream.

The Partition Scheme: Windows 7 64 Bit (2007-2011 Computers) and Windows 7 32 Bit (2007-2016 Computers)

For earlier computers that don’t possess a UEFI BIOS you have have to change GPT to MBR. The Target System, File System and Cluster Size will be updated correspondingly. If you are using a Windows 7 32 Bit installation .iso you also have to use MBR but this will be automatically selected:

Creating the Bootable USB

It is advisable to change the Volume Label to something recognisable such as Win7Pro:

Press Start to begin making your Windows 7 Bootable USB:

You will be warned that your USB Flash Drive will be formatted. Select OK:

Rufus will now begin making your Bootable USB Flash Drive:

Once finished it will say "Ready". You may now close down Rufus:

Standalone Updates for Windows 7

The time it takes to patch a Windows 7 install can take 2-3 times as long as the installation process of Windows 7 itself. I have made a Windows 7 Slipstream Script which slipstreams the Convenience Rollup and it’s perquisite updates, Internet Explorer 11 and it’s perquisite updates, the NVMe Hotfixes, Intel USB 3.0 Drivers, Intel F6 Storage Controllers and the latest Security Rollup for Windows 7 see Slipstreaming Windows 7. I have made the slipstreaming guide as easy to follow as possible but it is still fairly advanced. If it is too advanced for you, download the updates and save them to your Bootable USB then manually install them post installation, see Standalone Updates for Windows 7.

Installation Instructions

To install Windows 7 see Windows 7 Installation in a UEFI BIOS or Legacy BIOS.

Unlocking Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Ultimate

This is not needed if you are installing Windows 7 Professional.

In order to install Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Ultimate on newer hardware you will have to have slipstreamed the drivers and updates. Again see Slipstreaming Windows 7.

The ei.cfg should be deleted after the Bootable USB is made to allow installation of all Editions of Windows 7 for a Corresponding Architecture.

Open up the USB in Windows Explorer:

Go to the sources folder:

To the top right in the search bar search for ei.cfg

Delete the EI.cfg file:

With the EI.cfg file deleted during installation you will get the following ballot screen:

Adding Driver Support for Windows 7 Home Premium of Windows 7 Ultimate

This is not needed if you are installing Windows 7 Professional as the Install.wim is updated for Windows 7 Professional.

Unfortunately from the screen above one can see that only the Pro Edition is updated. The other Editions are unfortunately from Late 2010 and do not have support for USB 3.0 or many storage controllers. If you try and use it with hardware with these technologies you may get stuck here with a non-responsive keyboard or mouse:

no-usb-3-0

Or alternatively here and get:

“A required CD\DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disc, CD, DVD, or USB flash Drive, please insert it now. Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step.”

no-usb-3-0-or-nvme-or-sata-drivers

To make your Bootable USB usable on up to 6th Generation Intel Skylake hardware you’ll need to add drivers to the Bootable USB.

The Windows USB Installation Tool by Gigabyte adds USB 3.0 drivers and storage controller drivers for Intel and Samsung NVMe SSDs as well as associated hotfixes. It may be found here:

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z170X-Gaming-G1-rev-10#support-dl-utility 

Scroll down until you find it:

Alternatively press [Ctrl] and [ f ] and search for Windows USB Installation Tool.

Download the tool and extract it:

To launch the utility double click the WindowsImageTool.exe and accept the User Account Control:

Check the three boxes to add the drivers:

Leave the Source Path as “None – Add USB Drivers” and change the Destination Path to your Windows 7 Bootable USB Flash Drive:

Select Start:

The tool will mount each index of your boot.wim file, add the drivers and then commit the changes. It’ll repeat the process for the install.wim file:

For a Bootable USB made from the Dell Windows 7 64 Bit .iso Downloaded Directly from Microsoft.

The process took about 20 minutes in my test.

The boot.wim found in the sources folder of the USB was updated from 409 MB to 433 MB.

The install.wim found in the sources folder of the USB was updated from 3.88 GB to 3.97 GB.

OEM Cert Collection

This is not needed if you are installing Windows 7 Professional as OEM System Locked Preinstallation will Automatically be Applied.

Unfortunately switching Edition breaks the OEM System Locked Preinstallation BIOS based product activation and the installation will ask for a Product Key. This can be applied post-installation. During the Windows 7 setup, you are best to install Windows 7 without a Product Key and activate post installation using OEM System Locked Preinstallation – the same BIOS based Product Activation mechanism of factory settings. Doing so will save you from having to call Microsoft to activate by phone.

I have put together the OEM Cert Collection along with an associated 2 line script to install the Cert and Apply the associated OEM SLP Key. After Installation copy the OEM folder containing the cert and OEM SLP key to your C:\ Drive and then run the script file.

It is available as a .zip file here.

2 thoughts on “Download Dell Windows 7 Pro OEM Skylake Reinstallation.iso

  1. excellent work!, i have many troubles with a laptop Dell, but your guide is a greatly help for me, sorry for the bad english.

  2. Thanks! This save my day, and a lot off time. Before this trying 2 days to restore old vostro..

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