Replacement Disks Windows 7 Pro OA (OEM)

Okay, so I'm not an expert but I find this interesting so that I can learn something.

When you say check for the latest BIOS update (download that and flash the BIOS) and see if it has SLIC 2.1 why are you saying that? If I look at the image Joe provides of the SLIC-Toolkit information it says:

(Fine with that. However the information following information is also given):

And Joe says that he successfully saved off the Product ID and the Cert. for that.

However, Joe previously said that his Thinkpad was originally Win Vista but when he bought it it was Win7. I am assuming that when he bought it Win7 was actually activated and that the activation was achieved by using SLIC 2.0, the Cert. and the Product ID. (Or did the person who activated the setup have to use the COA serial?)

So my questions are: Can't Joe just use the files he has saved now, fresh install Win7, and use the files he has to activate even though the machine has SLIC 2.0 and not SLIC 2.1? (Doing that would seem to duplicate the setup the machine already has - which I assume is running sufficiently well to be able to boot into the system and actually use it.)

Also if Joe did download a BIOS update and flashed the BIOS wouldn't the machine lose the current information in the BIOS SLIC 2.0 table? Or would that information be retained after the flash even if the SLIC table was converted to 2.1?

Hope my questions make sense.

 

I sense great confusion.

The oem:slp method used a slic 2.0 for Vista. Win 7 is similar except a newer 2.1 slic is needed.Slic 2.1 is backward compatible, and could still be used to activate Vista.

Some machines sold around 2009 were sold with the promise of a free upgrade to Win 7 when it became available, and updated bioses with slic 2.1 were sometimes available for download from oem support site. Alas, I now believe Lenovo does not have anything better than what Joe already has. It would appear that his machine was upgraded to Win 7 using a method other than oem:slp. Probably the coa key was used, which would not need a slic at all.

Edit: I see Tito replied while I was typing - do as he says.

 

Okay Tito and CaptainKirk thanks for the response. Lot of information there to take in so I'll have to give it time to gel.

So, as I'm confused (which I'm fine with - I am), then Joe is going to be doubly-confused. So to keep it simple for Joe it seems to me that what is being said is that Joe's next best step should be to go ahead now and try the fresh install using the COA serial/key. When Tito says:

Is the 'key' that Tito is referring to the COA key/serial? So what Tito is saying is to use the COA serial when the installer asks Joe to enter a serial. (Then Joe might have to contact Microsoft to get activated.) Is that a fair summary of the next step that Joe would be best to take?

 

Yes, the coa keys are generally nonslp and do not need a slic table. A phone call to ms for activation may be needed, but that is not really a big deal.
As I said before, too much contradictory advise is being pumped out too fast in this thread ...