Are these retail or OEM version? I would like to have both as some computers I work on have been pre-installed with Windows 7 and others were upgraded by their owners.
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A Windows 7 DVD actually contains all versions within it and the version that gets installed is determined by the contents of a file named 'ei.cfg' that is in the 'sources' folder. The contents of the ei.cfg file looks like the following example.
[EditionID]
Professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0
The above example shows that it is set up to install Windows Professional Edition and will use a Retail key during installation. It could easily have shown 'Ultimate' or 'Home' but as I mentioned all versions are on the same DVD. If you want the menu to display all versions during setup, so that you can select which version to load, you have to inhibit the ei.cfg file from being read easiest way to do this is using a small utility called 'ei.cfg removal utility'. This utility doesn't actually remove the ei.cfg file from the Windows 7 .iso but merely switches it off. If for some reason you wish to enable it again you simply have to run the program a second time and it will put it back to normal.
So how do you actually make a 'multi' boot disk using this utility?
The first step is to download any 32bit (or 64bit) Windows 7 iso and save it to your hard drive. Download ei.cfg removal utility at bottom of page and save it in the same place as your Windows 7 iso. Now all you have to do is run the utility, guide it to the Windows 7 .iso file and let it mark the ei.cfg file as 'inactive'.
The final step is to use your favourite burner program and make the bootable Windows 7 disc.
When you use the instal disc that you just prepared you will be presented with a menu of all versions that are within the disc so all you have to do is select which one you want and supply the appropriate key. This will work on either the 32bit version or 64bit version. You could of course make 1 disc that contains all versions, both x86 and x64 and use that for all of your installs.
Just one last thing in case you were not aware, is that there is NO difference between a Retail DVD and an OEM DVD as supplied by the likes of Dell, Acer, HP etc. It is only the information contained in the ei.cfg file that determines whether it is Retail or OEM i.e ([Channel] Retail or OEM).
credit to PeckishLast edited by davvo; 22 November, 2012, 20:03.Comment
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nice one gazz..
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Would I be able to get Win 7 Starter out of this?Comment
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if you use the eicfg utilty tool on the iso before it is burned to disc you will get a universal disc which will then give you win 7 basic plus all the other variants of 7 on the disc, then you can choose which to install.
read the following post for more info.
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Digital Kaos friends need help with windows 7 in Spanish ..... thank you very muchComment
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Download the ISO file for Ultimate install the OS then download and install the Spanish language pack quite painless and easy to do, its a full package, so will change menus command line etc
Google search for the language pack and install instructions
if Google ES produces few results try Goggle.com
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i always use a good quality disk, for these burnsComment
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is it really can make both x64 and x86 all version in 1 dvd?
i need the untouched dvd after my windows severe from trojan...to many damage registry to fix...to lazy for it...Comment
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When will Windows 8 ISO's be available for download?Comment
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