Hello dear friends. I have vista home basic (all bought for and legal with Certificate stuck to the side of the computer). When I bought the computer I tried to do the recovery disks as requested and it didn`t work. I didn`t have a DVD since they are no longer supplied at big stores anymore. But the woman at the store told me that if I couldn`t get a DVD from the manufacturer, she would gladly supply one. But all that changed once I realized that I couldn`t do the recovery disks. I figured I need the DVD in case I need to reinstall since Vista Basic hadn`t been out that long (almost a year now) and there were no service packs and it was unstable. I called the manufacturer who then told me the only way I could get a DVD was to purchase it at the store where I bought it and that they did not supply it under $150.00. I went back to the store and told the lady that I couldn`t get the DVD from the manufacturer and told her the story.......only to get answered that I couldn`t get it there either and that the salesman should have not said that. The only way I could get it there was by buying a retail version that sold at around $200 or $250 I think at that time. I told her that I paid $1,300.00 for that small laptop and that I need the DVD. Well it didn`t take long for the program to bug where I needed a DVD to reinstall but didn`t have it. So rather than stay there with no computer, I installed (my also legal) copy of XP Pro in the laptop. I used it for awhile but now I would like to revert back to Vista because there is a service pack out and I would like to learn how to use it. I don`t have anything vista in the laptop anymore since I deleted all the partitions that weren`t working with XP Pro anyway. I have the drivers in a file on an external hard drive. What I need is a DVD (or OEM DVD) so I can reinstall Vista Home Basic from scratch and put my very legal license to it. I`m not trying to rip anything off or do anything to jeopordize my place here on the forum. I just think it`s awful to charge a person for a DVD when I already more than paid for it in the first place. My COA is very legal and stuck to the bottom of my computer. I tried borrowing a DVD from another person but the very few people I know in this new town are using XP and the other doesn`t want to lend it out. Help please if you can. Frustrated but grateful if you can help. vistagirl
Thats using your noggin. Get those backed up to a cdr as well. What is the name brand of the laptop? Do you have a broadband connection?
Got your PM, i can make you a Toshiba Vista Home Basic SP1 disk. I trimmed alot of the crap out of it using vlite so it should run alot better than the original you had. The disk .ISO image will be just over 1 GIG and i will have to split the downloads into about 10-12 parts of 100MB each. You will need access to a DvD writer to burn the ISO once all parts have been downloaded and joined back together. I will get it done and uploaded sometime next week as i have a really busy weekend and wont be online. Will throw you a PM when its done and uploaded.
I noticed a bunch of keys for different machines. I have an ASUS in my main machine. Can I use my license from my defunt laptop (toshiba) and make it work in a vista home basic there?
For Vista the install key isnt the main objective. Its a Vista supported bios and matching cert file. Vista keys only tells setup which version to install. Read your PM and if the main machine came with Vista the bios is ready. I will need to know the model name of the machine so one knows which cert file will be needed for the disk. The cert file has to match the bios SLIC data. The best cd key to use will be a factory SLP key and not the one on your sticker. SLP keys are what came on the machine originally. The COA sticker key is a backup key you actually paid for but they have to be phone activated as stated above.
Here`s my stuff CPU Specs Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4 gb ram core speed 1601.6 MHz Bus Speed 266.9 MHZ Rated FSB 1067.7 MHz Mainboard Motherboard ASUSTek Computer Inc. Model P5B Rev 1.xx Chipset: Intel P965/G965 Southbridge: Intel 82801HB/HR (ICH8/R) LPCIO: Windbond W83627DHG BIOS Brand : American Megatrends Inc. Version : 1604 Date: 07/13/2007 (I bought it in September 07) Graphic Interface Version: PCI-Express Link Width: x16 Max. Supported: x16 Here is my stuff. If you are missing anything, just ask The main machine was built originally from scratch by a small company where I use to live and it came with Vista Basic. But I told the guy at the time I didn`t want Vista and he told me to bring it back with the DVD, books and everything. He took the Vista Sticker off my main machine, installed XP Pro and put the XP Pro sticker on my main machine. The laptop was bought at Staples with the vista sticker still underneath it but it also has XP Pro installed in there when vista jammed on me. I took everything vista out of the laptop cause I couldn`t make the recovery disks and didn`t have any replacement disks. So I knew it was only a matter of time where I would have to reinstall and since I didn`t have a vista DVD, I installed my XP Pro CD instead. I deleted the partitions and anything having to do with vista in the laptop. On the main machine, there isn`t anything vista there either cause when the guy changed it to xp pro, he removed vista. But when I first bought the machine, it did have windows vista basic in it. Hope this helps
Hi . Did that with your program but I don`t see any SLIC. Could it be somewhere else in the file? I looked at your example. Could it be in one of the closed files? I opened a bunch of them and clicked on them but no SLIC so far. Maybe I can send you a screenshot or something if you need. The laptop (the one with the vista home basic sticker on the bottom) is the toshiba one bought at a big store. The desktop PC which had vista home basic originally in it and then I had the guy change it for XP Pro is a custom built computer from a local computer store.
On this one I think I`ll sign off now. It`s 2:00 AM and it`s been a long day for me. I`ve never flashed a BIOS and I don`t know too much how. If you can make me the ISO to flash the bios. (I`ll understand the language sooner or later. lo. ) I`ll read up on your link tomorrow when I sign in. Boy, you`re really good at this stuff. I can reinstall a clean install with drivers and programs but I never played around in the bios or anything like that. I`ll leave that to the techs like yourself Thank you my friend. I`ll read on tomorrow. [/QUOTE]
I`m back Hello my friend. Just to let you know I`m back and will be around to check mail throughout the day and wait for next instructions. Thank you again for your valued assistance. vistagirl
Wiill do and get back to you later. going out for about an hour and will work on it as soon as I get back. thanks
You only extract the zip file download which has a .ISO file extension. A ISO is a cd image. You dont extract the ISO you open your burner software and choose to burn a cd image and point to the ISO file. You then have to place the cd inside the cdrom and restart the computer. It will boot from the cd like a Windows cd and you then see the menu and follow the directions gave prior.
Hi Again OK assuming that the last post I sent you with a screenshot of the ISO file on the cd, I put it in the drive and rebooted. It didn`t recognize the drive so I went back in and made sure I had the computer to first boot with CD ROM and it still bypassed it and didn`t recognize it. I`m not sure what to do next since I`m back on the forum and the cd is still in the drive and the computer doesn`t sem to recognize it. My computer always did that. It`s hard for it to recognize when I put something in unless I reboot with the XP Pro CD, then it will ask me if I want to reboot from CD to press any key. This time, it just bypassed the cd altogether. I could hear the cd turning in the drive but no more than that. vistagirl