How to ID Windows 7 version from drive only?

[RegEdit]

Got a damaged drive (bad sectors and unbootable) that I'm replacing. No identification on the computer or COA sticker as to which version of Windows 7. How would I figure this out from looking at the drive files (which are somewhat in tact)? I remember with XP you could look at the sizes of certain files or look at the boot.ini file.

 

[Vicenarian]

> 4GB RAM = x64
< 4 GB RAM = x86

Probably Home Premium; try installing with a Home Premium disc and see if it accepts the key?

 

[Boston Pro Comp Serv LLC]

If you can get the SYSTEM registry hive, then the key Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion has the product name in it I think. ProduKey can read an offline hive. Most of us have used that I am pretty sure. I don't think that tells you 32 or 64 bit but the folder structure, it either has a program files(x86) or not I believe.

Only thing about the Windows key (if you use Produkey to get that), is that it might be a 'mass' key and not the same one on the COA. I find that if I pull the key from a Windows 7 install, that is original from the factory it is not the same key on the COA. I read somewhere that the factory installs Windows once and clones all the drives for the same laptops, may even have been here that I saw that.

 

[RegEdit]

It does have a program files folder AND a program files (x86) folder so I assume that it's 64 bit even though it only has 4096 MB of RAM.

I will try it with Home Premium 64.

The Window product key sticker is also very worn. I think I got the product key but I'm not sure. Used a very powerful magnifying glass. Does Toshiba keep record of the Windows product key by service tag number? I'm guessing not.

 

[Xander]

If you know the model (and I don't see why you wouldn't), look up what version came with the box originally.

 

[Romaniac]

You can also check the drivers page - usually it doesn't specify, but it's worth a shot.
If they shipped with just x64, then the only option for drivers will be x64. It is likely HomePrem.

 

[RegEdit]

If you can get the SYSTEM registry hive, then the key Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion has the product name in it I think. ProduKey can read an offline hive. Most of us have used that I am pretty sure. I don't think that tells you 32 or 64 bit but the folder structure, it either has a program files(x86) or not I believe.

Only thing about the Windows key (if you use Produkey to get that), is that it might be a 'mass' key and not the same one on the COA. I find that if I pull the key from a Windows 7 install, that is original from the factory it is not the same key on the COA. I read somewhere that the factory installs Windows once and clones all the drives for the same laptops, may even have been here that I saw that.

Produkey did the trick. I wound up reading off the subject drive itself. Not what I wanted to do but it worked. I previously copied the regback folder's sam, system, software and security hive files to my bench test computer, then tried to get ProduKey to read off of just those files. No luck. Perhaps Produkey requires some of the other files found in the config folder such as "components" and "default"?