Download Windows Vista SP1 Retail/OEM (Dell OEM and HP OEM) .iso

Windows Vista End of Life

This is a Legacy Guide that instructed in Downloading Windows Vista Setup Files from Digital River Servers and using them to make an Installation ISO for Windows Vista Reinstallation on a Dell PC with a Dell Windows Vista OEM License.

Windows Vista was released in January 2007 and reached End of Life in April 2017 and Microsoft Removed the Download Links in 2015. This guide is a Legacy Archive and will not be updated.

As Windows Vista is now passed its Supported Lifespan it should be regarded as unsafe to use online and there is no modern Browser support for this legacy Operating System.

Computers manufactured at the time of Windows Vista are now approximately 12-15 years old and should be considered as Legacy Systems. They do not have the capabilities of running modern versions of Windows such as Windows 10 or Windows 11 as they are below System Requirements. Moreover there is no Free Upgrade and the cost of a Windows 11 Retail License is far higher than the worth of such Legacy Hardware. Legacy Systems no longer have any support from their computer manufacturer (as they have outlived their warranty period by about 4 or 5 fold).

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Zorin OS 16 Lite and Zorin OS 15 Lite

There are a handful of Linux Lite Editions aimed for use on Legacy Computers. One of the most noticeable is Zorin OS 16 Lite which is a Linux distribution designed with a Windows Like Desktop Environment. Installation of Zorin OS 16 Lite will allow one to continue to use their computer for basic tasks such as web-browsing, word-processing and viewing multi-media such as videos. Note that Zorin OS 16 Lite requires a computer with a 64 Bit Processor. For older systems with a 32 Bit only Processor, you will need to use the last 32 Bit Version which is Zorin OS 15 Lite.

For more details see:

The rest of the guide below is obsolete and no longer works due to the Download Links being Removed…

Windows Vista Licenses

Although the Downloadable Retail Installation Media could be used with all Retail and OEM Licenses, a number of workarounds were required for Product Activation…

Retail (Full) Licenses

The Windows Vista Setup Files could be downloaded directly from Digital River which could then be converted to a ISO and used to make Retail "Full" installation media.

This installation media accepted Retail Product Keys and could be used for a Clean Installation.

Retail (Upgrade Only) Licenses

Many Windows Vista licenses were "Upgrade only". The original installation media for these licenses required the user to run them within a previous version of Windows… In short the installation media that came with such a license was restricted and could not be used for a clean installation.

Retail Full Installation Media did allow for a direct clean installation however for an upgrade license one would have had to skip entry of their product key during installation otherwise they would have got an error message stating their key was an upgrade only key.

Skipping the product key on the other hand allowed them to circumvent this and proceed with direct clean installation with a 30 day trial. However if one tried to input the upgrade key normally within system properties, post installation they would get the same error message. Inputting the product key and activating online via the command prompt worked. This allowed direct clean installation of an upgrade license and is a perfectly valid workaround when used on a computer which came with an eligible version of Windows to upgrade from.

Open the Start Menu and search for CMD. Right click CMD.exe and select run as an administrator. This will open up the elevated command prompt accept any user account control prompt.

To input your product key type:

slmgr /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Where xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx is your product key and then press [↵].

Select ok and then to activate type

slmgr /ato

This will activate your product.

OEM Licenses

OEM Licenses were Licenses that were designed to be preinstalled by computer manufacturers and sold on as a complete product to the end customer.

These computers had a Windows Vista COA affixed to them with a unique 25 Digit Product Key however they were activated using OEM System Locked Preinstallation. With Dell OEM SLP for example, each Dell system included a System license Internal Code (SLIC) embedded in the computers system BIOS and the Dell OEM Reinstallation Media used a Generic OEM System Locked Preinstallation (SLP) Key. For Windows Vista, the SLIC had to have a version of 2.0 (or 2.1 via Windows 7 Downgrade Rights). The end result was Dell OEM Reinstallation media would activate automatically offline on eligible Dell system.

Originally each Dell system came with a Dell Windows Vista Reinstallation DVD however Microsoft invoked an OEM Media Reduction Policy and failed to allow OEMs to provide a Download Link.

Downloadable Retail Full Installation Media was not intended for use with an OEM License. However it could be used with an OEM License in a number of ways.

The key had be skipped during installation as the Retail Installation Media rejected the OEM Product Key. The Key could be input within system properties. Online Product Activation was not possible under this circumstance and an automated phone line had to be used to activate Windows Vista. This activation mechanism could not be used if the 25 Digit OEM Product Key was faded.

The second way was skipping the Product Key and manually applying Dell OEM Activation. There was a script file to backup your old cert file and SLP key and then reapply these post-installation. This was known as the Activation Backup and Recovery Program and required the user to be proactive, running the utility on their old Windows installation to Backup.

However as the cert file and SLP key were both generic, these could be Downloaded and manually applied to any eligible computer using a similar script to ABRs Recovery Script. For more details see my written guide:

This would create a clean install identical to the Dell/HP OEM install which you would of got from a Reinstallation DVD with the exception of superficial touches (Dell/HP branding).

OEM System Builder Licenses

There was another type of OEM License which got often confused with Retail licenses. It was designed for smaller system vendors, such as local computer shops who would put together a motherboard, processor, ram, drive, graphics card, computer case and then preinstall Windows onto the PC. These motherboards never had a SLIC key and therefore only the 25 Digit OEM Product Key on the COA could be used for Product Activation as indicated above for the OEM License.

Checking the Size of Downloaded Files

In the days of Windows Vista, internet connections were not very good and it was common to get an incomplete download.

Verifying that the download sizes were correct, reduced the chances of this problem:

  • For Windows Vista 64 Bit English the file sizes should be Boot.wim 147,856 KB, Install.wim 3,503,069 KB and MicrosoftInstaller.exe 89,847 KB
  • For Windows Vista 32 Bit English the file sizes should be Boot.wim 130,010 KB, Install.wim 2,717,937 KB and MicrosoftInstaller.exe 83,182 KB
Vx64
Vx86

If one makes the installation media with the incompletely downloaded installation media, then the install.wim was typically corrupted and the following error message would display during installation.

A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash driver, please insert it now.

Note : If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step.

Incomplete

Building the Vista ISO

You will need ImgBurn to create the ISO. The installer for ImgBurn unfortunately includes the Open-Candy Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP). In the days of Windows Vista, Open Candy was included in a lot of software installers as essentially embedded advertisements are in websites. Instead of displaying an advert it would install an additional program such as a game. This practice has been abolished by Microsoft for later Windows Versions and any installers that carry out this process are flagged up. Unfortunately the installer for ImgBurn was never updated to remove this. You can still install ImgBurn but make sure to uncheck installation of Open Candy. For more details see:

Once you have downloaded the 3 setup files boot.wim, install.wim and MicrosoftInstaller.exe (previously X14-xxxxx.exe) of your desired architecture to the same folder run the MicrosoftInstaller.exe (x14-xxxxx.exe) to extract the Vista installation files.

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Once extracted the Vista setup Windows will open, these can be used to install Windows Vista directly but don't allow for a complete clean install or for installation on a new hard drive or unbootable Windows installation. Therefore its recommended to use these setup files to instead create a Windows Vista .iso and a bootable USB for clean installation. Close the setup.

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You should now note that there is a Vista folder which contains the extracted setup files.

Vista3.5Launch ImgBurn and select create image file from files/folders

imgburn1

Select the folder icon and then select the Windows Vista folder.

imgburn2

Next select the destination folder you wish to save the .iso

imgburn3a

Select save.

Next go to the Advanced tab and select Bootable Disc. Under options tick Make Image Bootable. Click the folder icon and select the etfsboot file within the extracted Vista/Boot folder.

Vista6

Select open and change the rest of the options as specified:

Platform ID 80×86
Developer ID: Microsoft Corporation
Load Segment: 07C0
Sectors to Load: 4

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Check all the settings match and when ready select this button

imgburn7

Select ok at the next few prompts

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Imgburn will inform you that the operation completed successfully and now you will have your Windows vista .iso.

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Creating a Legacy BIOS Bootable USB

You may use Rufus to create a bootable USB. The last version compatible with Windows Vista was 2.18:

Rufus does not need to be installed and can be run directly by double clicking on the application

1

Use the drop down arrow to select your device.


2

Press the disc button and browse for the Windows Vista .iso and select open


3

The partition scheme and target system type should be set as MBR partition Scheme for BIOS or UEFI Computers by default and this should be used.

Select Start.


4

Select Ok


5

It will begin  creating the bootable USB.


6

The status will say done and the progress bar will be full when complete, you can now close down the program.

7

Evaluation

If you want to install Windows Vista for a 30 day evaluation period you may skip entry of a product key.

84 thoughts on “Download Windows Vista SP1 Retail/OEM (Dell OEM and HP OEM) .iso

  1. Hello

    I followed all of the steps to create a USB bootable disk. After starting the computer with the USB disk, I get the error: "Windows cannot open the required file f:\sources\install.wim. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070570".

    I have downloaded the install.wim file at least half a dozen times and went through this whole process the same # of times with the same result. The WIM file is in the Sources folder and the size is 2,097,153 every time I download it. How can I tell if the file is corrupt?

    Regards,
    Rod

    1. I have this problem too Rod.

      Can anyone give any help/advice on this?

    2. The file is being truncated at exactly 2 GB (2147483648 bytes, or 2,097,153 KB). This could be related to your file system. FAT32 should work with 4 GB but FAT is limited to 2 GB. Check if your system is partitioned using FAT, in this case you need another partition or disk to be able to write a file larger than 2 GB.

      1. Daniel, I am having the same issue listed above (“Windows cannot open the required file f:\sources\install.wim. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070570″.) I tried to convert my USB drive to NTFS and was told it is already formatted that way. Any idea what I am missing?

        Thanks in advance,

        Sean

      2. If the file size is not the same as the file sizes I've listed above then you have an incomplete download and won't be able to proceed with the install. Try to use a different browser.

  2. There is a message that pops up that says "You Have Not Selected a File to Act as Boot Image" where is the file that is needed or how do I make the file

    1. I forgot to add that part in when copying this wiki from a later revision.

      Select the browse folder button and then navigate to your Vista folder and then select the boot folder and finally select the file called etfsboot.

  3. When i want to extract it, there is the message: Cannot extract Windows Vista Setup to your hard drive: Please ensure you can create files and folders in the same folder where VistaSetupPrep.exe was downloaded.
    What is wrong?

    1. I had the same error message popup. According to Microsoft's site, this message comes up when you are extracting the 64-bit version on a 32-bit system. I found a friend's system that was a 64-bit system by which it extracted without issues or messages and then I was able to proceed with the following steps.

    1. If you have your old version of Windows Vista installed, you should run the activation backup and recovery program to backup the OEM system locked preinstallation files. When installing you can skip the input of a product key and select Vista Home Basic. For product activation run the activation backup program to restore the product activation and restart the computer. If the system is Dell and you have not backed up the product activation you may use the files I have provided which are valid only for eligible Dell systems with a Vista COA or later COA (via downgrade rights). The procedure of using the activation backup and recovery program is explained in detail in Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean Install of Windows Vista Step 2 and 11b. A demonstration of what happens in an ineligible system of product activation failure is demonstrated in Step 11f. If the system is not Dell and you haven't backed up the product activation then you may follow Step 11e and input your OEM product key, you will then need to activate using phone activation usually to an automated Microsoft Activation centre. Step 11e was previously the most recommended mechanism for the OEM install in my guides but is more hassle and can be problematic if the COA is faded.

  4. The third of the three files for the 32 bit install (ending install.wim) is not downloading.
    All others have downloaded in seconds. Is there a problem with the hosting?

  5. The instructions you give never refer to the two WIM files. You use the extracted Vista folder as the source of the ISO, but never copy in or do anything with the WIMs. It's going to take me a couple of hours to download the install.wim and I'll try this when it's done, but right now I don't see how this can possibly work.

    1. The .exe extracts the Windows setup files from the two Wim fles when you run the .exe at the start of the video.

  6. Hi !
    I was happy for your good explication, i did all good. and now when i put the istallation i have problem 0x80070570 windows cannot open the required file E:\Sources\install.wim
    What to do ? Where can be my error :/
    Thank you for your answer

    1. What files did you download? 32 Bit or 64 Bit? English of another language?
      What size were each of the files, its possible you got an incomplete download for one of them.

      1. 32bit english. have: boot.wim 130mb install.wim 2,097 gb and x14-63452 83mb

      2. i did the same stuf. i build windows vista in ImgBurn i rip new cd. and the same problem ! in imgburn say me that i have 742 files 140 folders Size 2,484Gb
        on the cd total size 2,372gb 1214624secteurs! pls hellp this make me crazy :@

      3. Install.wim for the 32 Bit version should be ~2.6 GB therefore you have an incomplete download.

        X14-63452 81.2 MB
        Install.wim 2.6 GB
        boot.wim 127 MB

        I'll download all the English files properly and check their exact sizes when I am next on a fast internet connection.

      4. but my pc is 32bit, its ok if i download for 64bits? i download again install.wim for 32bits and show me that is 2,6Gb i will try the new download.. i hope will work

      5. Ivana sorry I made a typing error that is for the 32 Bit, the 32 Bit Install.wim is 2.6 GB, if you have only downloaded a file of 2.097 GB then the error message you are receiving makes sense because the file hasn't completely extracted. The 64 Bit install.wim is 3.3 GB.

  7. you had right, i dowloaded again install.wim and was 500mb plus.. the instalation begin ! Big thank you for your answers !

    1. Just realised the screenshot had the size of all the 32 Bit files in KB. 130,010 KB for boot.wim, 2,717,937 KB for install.wim and 83,182 KB for X14-63452

      1. I came back ! 🙂 All the installation is finish good, i did all windows update but the service pack 2 shout down my pc ! is lest just that in windows update. is iportant for do that installing or not ? Thank you again

    1. Vista is not "free" you need a license to use it.
      This may be an OEM license which came with the computer or a purchased retail license.

      If you do not have a Vista license its not worth buying as 7 is superior in all ways.

      The above instructs you in how to download Windows Vista which you can use if you have the Vista license.

  8. I love you man…Just re-trying my install of vista after failing. Your instructions are pretty detailed but I have a question, when it says on imgburn platform ID 80×86, should I check it?

    Thanks so much for your time and help!!!!

    1. You are using a newer version of ImgBurn then I did when I wrote this tutorial however it should be the correct setting to use.

      From here the 80×86 was the default in the older version so should work fine with this setting: http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?/topic/21695-new-2580-update-question/
      http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?/topic/22106-help-with-platform-id-setting-imgburn-version-2580/
      A Vista PC won't have a Dell UEFI BIOS.

      If you have any issues let me know.

      At some point I'll redownload the 3 files and make the .iso with the newer version of ImgBurn and test the .iso on a Virtual Machine and update the tutorial.

  9. Hi. I can't seem to get the exe file (X14-63453.exe ) from anywhere. in digitalriver it says file not found. in all other places I am getting dead links. Does anyone have a copy of this? I have already downloaded the other 2 WIM files. Thanks!

    1. I had the same problems, there have been issues with Digital River.
      Fortunately all X14-63453.exe does is extract the setup files from the boot.wim and install.wim.

      X14-63452 for Windows Vista 32 Bit can be used in the place of X14-63453 to extract the 64 bit wim files and I have tested it the other day.

  10. Thanks for the prompt response. Unfortunately, I can't find a working link to X14-63452.exe either. Any suggestions? If you can forward me to a working link were I can find the exe files that would be super great! I've been at this for hours with no luck. Thanks.

      1. Thanks for the working link to X14-63452.exe. I've been looking for half an hour.
        Do you know where to find the 64 bit version too?

      2. Peter I don't have X14-63453 however X14-63452 will extract the install.wim and boot.wim for the 64 Bit install.

      3. hi Philip. can u tell me what file it is onedrive plz? by the way watched ur youtube vid are u from bonnie Scotland by any chance? thanks mate.

      4. Hi Jason

        I'm from Scotland yeah, did you detect my accent in the video?

        The backed up cert file and pid.txt file for each Dell and HP version of Vista/7 are on my OneDrive. Its essentially a couple of text files.

        The download links are here and the ABR program are here:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/a-clean-install-of-windows/microsoft-product-activation/the-activation-backup-and-recovery-program-windows-vista-7-version/#slpkeys

        You need the ABR program to use them.

  11. The boot.wim & install.wim files I've downloaded show up as "wim archive". Could you let me know how I can turn them into "wim file"? thx!

    1. It shouldn't matter. Likely you just have a program installed that recognises the .wim extension. They should still work following the instructions above.

  12. Hello, I'm having problem downloading install.wim. The file size is too big for me downloading in the Philippines, usually, if i download big files like Windows 8, stream videos, my internet speed is reduced to between 132kb/s~240kb/s. Can anyone give me a compressed install.wim

  13. And also, my files is been downloaded at this links:
    [http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/boot.wim (That's the small file)]
    [http://web.archive.org/web/20130308184940/http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msoffice/pub/X14-63452/X14-63452.exe (and the other one)]
    and
    [http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/msshus/vista32/install.wim (The large file. This is the file where i can't download.)]

    1. The install.wim is already compressed. You are best to attempt the download late at night when your isp has less traffic alternatively at a friends or at a library.

      I can't upload the .iso installation files as this site will likely be taken down if I do. If I could I would of had direct links to all the .isos and the .isos split into 100 MB chunks with 7zip. As mentioned several times on this site, Microsoft seriously lack in their distribution and deployment of Windows making life severely difficult for its end users.

      For Vista there are the 3 setup files and some work has to be done to make the .iso, for Windows 7 deployment was great a direct download to a .iso and for Windows 8 and 8.1 its absolutely ridiculous the lack of a direct download link and the lack of a standalone service pack update.

  14. Wait a minute, the file is not compressed. Im sorry, i don't have any idea that how to download that big file.

    1. The file is compressed as mentioned above the .exe extracts installation files from the 2 .wim files. They are still large however. In the end the Vista SP1 x86 .iso is 2.90 GB, the downloads are 2.79 GB collectively. Install.wim being 2.59 GB by itself. If your internet connection limits you to 0.9 GB for a month you have no chance downloading it. You simply need to use a better connection e.g. at a public library or coffee shop or get a better home broadband service. Theres not much else I can advise.

    2. Ok, i will make a plan for download that file. Thnk U for the support.

  15. When i start the installation it works fine until it comes up with the Install Windows window and starts copying the files i get an error that says. :
    Windows cannot copy the files required for installation. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code 0x80070070

      1. Hi Phlip

        I apppreciate your effort and patience in claryfing our doubts, THANKS IN ADVANCE!
        I have followed your recommendations for the Windows Vista 32 Bits SP1 installation, I am creating the image in windows 7 64 bit using the following files and sizes: MicrosoftInstaller 81,2 MB (83182 KB), install.wim 2,59 GB (2.717.937 KB) and boot.wim 126 MB (130.010 KB). It completes successfully the first three phases: 1) Copying files, 2) Expanding Files and 3) Installing features but I find this the following error after starting the 4th stage: Installing updates, it doesn’t complete this phase nor the 5) Completing installation, the error message is the following: “Install Windows: Windows could not set the offline locale information: Error code: 0x80FE0000”
        After of that I try without creating a new image (I use the same pendrive), it only completes the first and the 2nd phase and this error arises: “Windows cannot install required files. The file may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070017”.
        I am deleting the partition, creating a new one and then formatting it before start the installation process. Regarding the Driver for SATA the installation wizard discard all the options downloaded both from Intel and Dell websites.
        The other option: I have tried installing Windows Vista 64 bits SP1 and it is installed, however the big issue is that once is installed it does not allow me to install the SP2 neither update any drver such as video, RAS Async adapter plus the computer is very slow, it is a Dell Latitude D630.

        Sorry for the long explanation, I will appreciate your kind support!

        Best regards!

        Pedro.

      2. Pedro it sounds like you have some hardware failure or hardware thats about to fail. This is probably the hard drive or memory modules. Please run the full F12 preboot diagnostics to check out your system:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/f12-preboot-diagnostics/

        If they pass then the next guess is theres some Malware on the drive interfering with the Windows installation and I advise securely wiping it with DBAN:

        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/securely-wipe-your-hard-drive-with-dariks-boot-and-nuke-dban/

  16. That's all way to complicated. I got a new hard drive for my Sony vaio, that is quite old now, but I need vista os for it (so I read), and I'm not to keen on buying the same product I've already paid to have. Any help/ advice appreciated. Thanks.

    1. Its not too complicated just take your time. You need to download 3 files, then create the .iso. From the .iso you create a bootable USB. You will need to run ABR on your old hard drive in order to backup the product activation. Then its a case of installing and then activating with the ABR program,

      1. You're right. It's a fear of failure that's stopping me trying. Putting time into it and it not working. But if it does work I'll have saved some money I don't really have, so I guess I'll try. Thanks. 🙂

  17. hi Philip aye I heard ur accent in the vid.im also from Scotland . thanks for the files. what program do you use to open the files? is it wordpad? am looking for the installer .exe file as the one on heidoc is not working. many thanks mate.

    1. the files on onedrive I am trying to open just to clarify. thanks.

    2. Give the ones on Heidoc.net a try again, its working for me again now. Sometimes there are temporary issues with those files on the Digital River server.

      The 3 files from HeiDoc.net are 2 .wim and the .exe. The .exe extracts the 2 .wim files.

      The OEM product key.txt and cert files are used with the ABR program and apply the OEM product activation when a system is eligible. The ABR program comes as .exe which extracts the program into a folder called ABR. The 2 files must be copied into this folder and then the activation restore from the folder ran.

  18. Hello Philip – Nice detailed instructions. I believe I followed them correctly; however, I was not able to get the system to boot (Dell OP960sff) form the burned iso. All file sizes mentioned in the instructions check out OK.
    ===
    Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause…
    Status:0xc000000f
    Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.
    ===
    I burned the iso to DVD using a Mac (AppleDiskUtility) – the only computer I have w/a DVD burner. Burned DVD is UDF format. If I execute the setup file on the DVD using a Win7 box, the Vista Install slash screen comes up. Is it possible to run the setup.exe on a Win7 box and install to a DiskDrive connected via USB?

    Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks

    1. I would first recommend copying the .iso to the Windows 7 install and then creating a bootable USB (4 GB or superior USB flash drive). Burning DVDs are usually much more problematic which is why my guide mentions use of a bootable USB. I have not done any testing, making media from a Mac but its likely even more problematic.

  19. hi thanks for the info…i have an old desktop with the label still intact but no current operating system. can i just follow your instructions do a clean install then use the product key on the machine?

  20. thanks!…before i call is it possible to clean install windows 7? then call with my vista activation #? I saw somewhere you can upgrade for free.

    1. The free upgrade to Windows 7 expired many years ago. It was also only for systems sold within 6 months before Windows 7 was released and their BIOS was updated to accept the OEM SLP.

      I would advise you install Windows 10 Technical Preview which is free for evaluation and then take advantage of any promotional deals as soon as Windows 10 is released opposed to reinstalling Windows Vista.

  21. Thanks man! Installed and working great so far, much better than Vista. The internet needs more guys like you helping people out that don't necessarily get computers, and puts into lament terms for us. One more question if you don't mind. I plan on using this older PC basically to just hookup an external drive with all my music, photos and movies on it to stream to different devices. Is there any better options than windows 10? Thanks again!

    1. Glad it helped. I just found out that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade to all Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs. I'm not sure how much it will cost to upgrade a system which came with Vista.

      Windows 10 should have the same multimedia capabilities or enhanced multimedia capabilities as Windows 8.1 and 7. It should work the best. Others may recommend Ubuntu but I'd advise staying with Windows 10.

  22. I would like to report my experience with the Activation Backup and Recovery program with Vista and Windows 7 on several HP computers.

    I have tested several HP computers and there is a problem with license activation. ABR will change the Key to the appropriate version of Windows 7 but it will not activate the license. I install the correct key but I just get "30 days to activate".

    I have been testing the following computers from HP with Win7 and Vista.
    Model dc5100 – 915 chip set
    Model mt7600 – 945 chip set
    Model dc7700 – 965 chip set
    Model dc7800 – Q35 chip set
    Model dc7900 – Q45 chip set.

    I download Windows 7 ISO files and installed them on all of the HP computers and then use ABR beta to apply the appropriate key.
    I also installed Win7 Prof 64 bit on to a HP model Elite 8000 (Q45 chip set) using original HP Restore and Installation discs. It gave me a activated license.
    In both cases: I tried those disc drives in the other computers. In both cases, only on the DC7900 did I get an activated license. On all the earlier models I got the "30 days to activate".

    I installed Vista Ultimate 64 from downloaded ISO files and used ABR to install the keys.
    I also installed Vista Business 32 from original HP restore and install discs on a dc7800.
    I tried both disc drive in other HP models.
    In both cases:
    On models 7700, 7800 and 7900, the license would activate. On models 5100 and 7600 it would not activate.

    It appears there is something in the hardware in the HP computers that is required to activate the Vista or Windows 7 license.
    Widows 7 would not activate on anything earlier than the Q45 chip set.
    Vista would not activate on anything earlier than the 965 chip set.

    I use "Magic Jellybean Keyfinder" to read and confirm the license key and "Paragon Adaptive Restore" to enable the disc drive to boot on different hardware.

    1. Thanks for reporting back your findings. I only have Dell hardware so haven't done extensive testing with HP systems.

      Can you retest the ABR program after updating all of the systems to the latest BIOS revision? Can you also list the date of the installed BIOS beside all the systems?

      In the case of most Dell systems it should be if the BIOS is updated past mid 2009 (after Windows 7 was released) the OEM SLP will work for Windows 7. However it also depends if Dell sold any of the systems with Windows 7; if they just released an update and no sold the model i.e. never sold any with Windows 7 its possible the markers weren't added with the update (this was rare, usually the drivers updates just stopped). I am not sure of HP products and their lifecycles…

      Model dc5100 – 915 chipset → There should be little chance of Windows Vista or Windows 7 SLP files working. All these systems should be XP systems or even 2000 systems.

      Model mt7600 – 945 chipset → Probably only Windows Vista SLP files will work (after the latest BIOS Update). The Dell systems with the 945 chipset were sold when Vista was out and never got a 2009 BIOS update so don't work with OEM SLP activation.
      Model dc7700 – 965 chipset → Probably only Windows Vista SLP files working. This model also likely came out just before Windows 7. Most of the Dell systems with this chipset were mid Vista systems, again sold before Windows 7 came out.

      Model dc7800 – Q35 chipset → Should work with both Windows Vista and 7 SLP files. Probably needs the latest BIOS revision.
      Model dc7900/8000 – Q45 chipset. → Should work with both Windows Vista and 7 SLP files.

      1. I always install the latest BIOS. I am pretty compulsive about that.

        Model dc5100 – 915 chip set. BIOS ver 1.09. 08/14/2008. XP only
        Model mt7600 – 945 chip set. BIOS ver 1.61. 07/08/2009. XP only
        Model dc7700 – 965 chip set. BIOS ver 1.16. 10/11/2011. XP or Vista optional
        Model dc7800 – Q35 chip set. BIOS ver 1.32. 12/06/2011. Vista was standard
        Model dc7900 – Q45 chip set. BIOS ver 1.26. 12/25/2011. Vista or Win7 optional

  23. Why do ALL roads lead to the same frickin' broken heidoc.net site???? Isn't there any way for us to reinstall Vista on a computer we purchased that has a valid COA but no install DVD? Microsoft steals!

    1. The Vista Download Links are on Digital River. Jan Krohn used a script to find them and listed them on Heidoc.net. Other sites also listed the direct download links however the Digital River servers have went down and moved the files multiple times.

      It appears Microsoft have made a non-functional tool and want to force users to use it:
      http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery

  24. hi philip i found the windows vista install.wim boot.wim and microsoft installer because microsoft removed them
    and i found them again

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