Computers & Networking

[JND76]

Hi,

I have a Toshiba laptop that is almost five years old.  I have only used it for light music downloading and data processing, and moderate internet usage.  It came with Windows Vista, and after having a lot of trouble with it, a coworker offered to install Windows 7 for me.  Little did I know it would be a pirated version of Windows 7 Professional, with a 30-day trial!!  Upon expiration of the 30-day trial, I asked my coworker to help me once more and I was adviseed to just pay for a new barcode for Windows 7 Professional and I can take care of it myself.

Here are my questions:

1.  Is it really this simple to fix?  Can I repair this myself, or would it be best to have a professional do it?

2.  Can I install Windows 7 Home Premium instead of Windows 7 Professional?

3.  Will all of my existing programs be deleted again?

I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of investing money in this laptop versus getting a new one.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

[RealGeorgeW Emerging Expert]

If your co worker used a pirated version, I STRONGLY recommend completely re installing Windows. The number of rootkits and spyware in pirated versions is quite high, and not worth risking your personal data.

[JND76]

Could I install Home Premium instead of Professional?

Do I uninstall the version that's on there now, and then proceed to install the new version once I have the disc?

[Rrrrrrr]

Home Premium is fine for 90% of the people. Unless you have a specific need for something that is only available with Pro, no need to waste the money.

Just have it do a fresh install which wipes the hard drive before installing.