The fastest way with Windows 7 on a Dell is to find the OEM SLIC media - either through a site like eBay, a site like Internet Archive or a tool like the Helidoc Windows ISO download tool. I am not providing links here, but if you search for '''Windows ISO downloader''' and find the Helidoc link, you will find it. I have an image of a DVD I wrote to a USB stick, or if need be I can buy a small set of DL DVD+R media and write a DVD to boot the computer.
The other way is retail media and activation, but this may no longer work since Win7 has been EOL since 1/14/2020 and Microsoft will not help you. The best route today is SLIC.
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For Windows 8, the key has to be integrated into the BIOS - and in many cases it doesn’t work to save it’s life. Best approach for Win8 OEM systems with the BIOS key is a custom OEM SetupComplete image (use NTLite) but this DOES REQUIRE a BIOS key. If you bought it on it’s own and it’s not part of the BIOS, you’ll need to enter it manually. The other issue is keys from shady 3rd party sites will typically get blocked at some point, so if you got it from one of those sites then it may be blocked; call Microsoft and play dumb to see why.
The fastest way with Windows 7 on a Dell is to find the OEM SLIC media - either through a site like eBay, a site like Internet Archive or a tool like the Helidoc Windows ISO download tool. I am not providing links here, but if you search for '''Windows ISO downloader''' and find the Helidoc link, you will find it. I have an image of a DVD I wrote to a USB stick, or if need be I can buy a small set of DL DVD+R media and write a DVD to boot the computer.
The other way is retail media and activation, but this may no longer work since Win7 has been EOL since 1/14/2020 and Microsoft will not help you. The best route today is SLIC.