Hi, I am interested in trying out Windows 7 Ultimate on my machine. I am a bit confused with all of the different methods there seem to be with activating Windows 7. Can anyone please explain to me or direct me to a post explaining everything? I didn't see any sticky posts that were of any help and I think I might not be the only with some questions. 1) What are all the different ways to activate Windows 7? 2) What are the pros & cons of each method? 3) Is there a preferred or BEST method? 4) Is it safe to activate Windows 7 now, before the official launch?
Thanks for your help. I now have a better understanding. I just have a couple of more questions: 1) Is the softmod method noticeable? (visible bootloader on startup)? 2) Is there any other method of activating Windows other than using an OEM key? (Generating Retail Key, etc)
1. Most of the softmods don't have any text on start up. 2. There is no keygen for Win 7 so either you do it the OEM way or you beg your buddy for a MSDN/Technet key
Are the Windows 7 softmods different than the ones used for Vista? I see the Grub bootloader text flashing for a few seconds before the Windows loading splash screen with the Windows Vista softmods. Is it possible to hide this to make it truly invisible? Are all BIOSes able to be modded? I have an old Dimension 4600 I would like to try and flash if possible.
I believe both Hazar and Daz have no text showing on bootup with there softmods. Most of all the BIOS's are capable of getting modded. Just do a search for your Motherboard and if nothing comes up you can request one to be modded in the proper thread.
There really is no major difference between the loaders. The Daz loader says recommended because Daz put it there. Personally I use Hazar's loaders and had no problem but Daz fixed some bugs that are present in Hazar's loaders. So I would guess you would have better activation success with Daz's loader over Hazar's loader. As for Ultramensch loaders, I have never even heard of them before so I can't say one thing about them.