bootleg Windows Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why does my Windows 7 say it’s not genuine?

Posted on December 18, 2014

Question from Carol: Hi Rick. I paid a man I used to work with $220 to install Windows 7 Ultimate on my Dell laptop (it originally came with Windows Vista). Now every time I boot the computer into Windows it tells me that my Windows isn’t genuine.

I tried to call him to ask him to fix this error, but his phone has been disconnected and I don’t know how to get in touch with him. What should I do to get this fixed? I really appreciate your help.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I upgrade a bootleg version of Windows 7 by buying the Windows 8 Pro upgrade?

Posted on August 25, 2013

Question from Aaron: The hard drive crashed on my Dell Inspiron 14z laptop so I took it to a guy I know who works on computers. He replaced the bad drive and installed a bootleg copy of Windows 7 since I didn’t have a set of recovery disks.

My question is if I buy a Windows 8 Pro upgrade will it make my Windows installation “legitimate”? I’m not out to rip off Microsoft, just get my laptop back “legal” with a fully working version of Windows.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]