Posted by BboyEatsbacon

Haha, it's all cool. No more bread references!

If you know what version of Windows 7 you have, I'd go to the direct links download. If you're less tech-savvy when it comes to this kind of thing and you don't have any real data that you'd like to save, I'd just do a clean install and forget about saving things.

Download the correct ISO from that link, insert a blank DVD-R disk into your DVD slot, then right-click the newly downloaded .ISO Windows 7 file and select "Burn Disk Image." Select your DVD drive and go through the interface to burn the disk.

After the disk gets done burning, insert the disk into your laptop. Turn off your laptop and as it is rebooting, it should say something about "Boot Menu" and "BIOS Settings," hit the button on your keyboard that corresponds with the Boot Menu-ish option.

Select your DVD drive and go through the self-guided installation process for Windows 7. You should have a sticker on your laptop either somewhere on the surface or under your battery. I would recommend taking a picture of this so that you can have easy reference to it. When it asks you for your product key during the installation, go ahead and provide the one listed on your sticker.

The installation may tell you that the key requires you to call a phone number or so to activate it since it's already in use. Call this number and IIRC it's an automated system that will activate your new install and deactivate your old one. If it's not an automated system, just explain to the tech what you're trying to do and he should be able to sort out the activation codes.