installing Win7 without admin privileges
April 21, 2011 5:12 AM Subscribe
Tech help - trying to install Win7 over XP Pro, without administrator privileges.
I've been allowed to take an old work PC that was superfluous. It's on XP Pro with some network management system overlaid (probably novell client 4.91 if that means anything). I would like to upgrade the OS to 7 but only have an upgrade disc.
I can log in to the PC in the usual way (through Novell offline using my stored password), I can get the upgrade disc to run, but then it requires administrator privileges and an admin password to begin the upgrade process. I can't get the admin password, IT dept wont be giving that to me or giving me admin privileges, not without serious blagging.
Is there any way around this? Sure I can reformat the drive, but I only have the upgrade disc. This doesn't boot the machine I expect.
I have all the time in the world to fix this, but only limited tech skills.
I've been allowed to take an old work PC that was superfluous. It's on XP Pro with some network management system overlaid (probably novell client 4.91 if that means anything). I would like to upgrade the OS to 7 but only have an upgrade disc.
I can log in to the PC in the usual way (through Novell offline using my stored password), I can get the upgrade disc to run, but then it requires administrator privileges and an admin password to begin the upgrade process. I can't get the admin password, IT dept wont be giving that to me or giving me admin privileges, not without serious blagging.
Is there any way around this? Sure I can reformat the drive, but I only have the upgrade disc. This doesn't boot the machine I expect.
I have all the time in the world to fix this, but only limited tech skills.
Oops. Premature eclickulation.
Do as Rubbstone says, and if that doesn't work, burn Konboot onto a CD, boot from CD, you should see the admin account (or if not, you can log in and make one). If you can see the admin account, the password will be blank after using Konboot.
If you can't see the admin account, at the login screen press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice to get the old fashioned login to pop up (or you may already be seeing it with your novell login), type in "Administrator" and no password.
posted by TomMelee at 5:34 AM on April 21, 2011
Do as Rubbstone says, and if that doesn't work, burn Konboot onto a CD, boot from CD, you should see the admin account (or if not, you can log in and make one). If you can see the admin account, the password will be blank after using Konboot.
If you can't see the admin account, at the login screen press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice to get the old fashioned login to pop up (or you may already be seeing it with your novell login), type in "Administrator" and no password.
posted by TomMelee at 5:34 AM on April 21, 2011
Best answer: This doesn't boot the machine I expect.
The upgrade disc is absolutely bootable and if you let it format the drive before installing it will even be kind enough as to note your previous activated copy of Windows so that you're good to go. But even if you have a completely blank and already formatted drive you can still install and activate using an upgrade disc.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:49 AM on April 21, 2011
The upgrade disc is absolutely bootable and if you let it format the drive before installing it will even be kind enough as to note your previous activated copy of Windows so that you're good to go. But even if you have a completely blank and already formatted drive you can still install and activate using an upgrade disc.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:49 AM on April 21, 2011
Response by poster: thanks guys, very simple, it boots from CD, which is not what it says it does on the box.
Now of course I realise I'll need another key. I' expecting that's only worth getting from www.microsoft.com?
posted by wilful at 5:51 AM on April 21, 2011
Now of course I realise I'll need another key. I' expecting that's only worth getting from www.microsoft.com?
posted by wilful at 5:51 AM on April 21, 2011
Best answer: You've got 120 days before you need to worry about it. Theoretically, if you were THAT kind of person, you could rearm indefinitely.
posted by TomMelee at 5:57 AM on April 21, 2011
posted by TomMelee at 5:57 AM on April 21, 2011
I' expecting that's only worth getting from www.microsoft.com?
Yes. You could, I suppose, use someone else's key but MSFT checks keys against its internal database and will pester you to use a valid key and may eventually lock you out of the system if you use a key that has already been used elsewhere.
posted by dfriedman at 5:57 AM on April 21, 2011
Yes. You could, I suppose, use someone else's key but MSFT checks keys against its internal database and will pester you to use a valid key and may eventually lock you out of the system if you use a key that has already been used elsewhere.
posted by dfriedman at 5:57 AM on April 21, 2011
Response by poster: yeah I' installing from the genuine software that I used on my laptop. I will go and buy a key from microsoft soon then. I am sure this just has to be dodgy.
posted by wilful at 6:02 AM on April 21, 2011
posted by wilful at 6:02 AM on April 21, 2011
Response by poster: fukcers want to charge me $249 australian for a faily licence, when the will charge americans $149 for a licence. Have they looked at the exchange rate recently? What bullshit.
posted by wilful at 6:12 AM on April 21, 2011
posted by wilful at 6:12 AM on April 21, 2011
Well hypothetically you just need to get friends with an American who can buy you the license at substantial savings, even including a few bucks bribe for beer money. (They aren't doing any location checking on install, are they? I only deal with Win7 academic volume license versions...)
Entirely hypothetical of course. Because if you were to pay the same price for the same product as someone in another location it would clearly be unfair to the manufacturer.
posted by caution live frogs at 11:52 AM on April 21, 2011
Entirely hypothetical of course. Because if you were to pay the same price for the same product as someone in another location it would clearly be unfair to the manufacturer.
posted by caution live frogs at 11:52 AM on April 21, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Rubbstone at 5:24 AM on April 21, 2011