Delete corporate domain or factory recover laptop

[Belowground]

I recently aquired a laptop from a job I am working on.  It is a Folio 9470m running Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit.  I wanted to do a factory restore / recover on it, but it appears that those options have been hidden or removed.  I have a few questions:

-Am I able to remove the corporate domain settings from the laptop?  The company logo shows up in the Control Panel>System page.  There is a company prompt when the laptop starts up after you press Control/Alt/Delete to login.

-If there is no way to factory restore / recover the laptop, is it possible to obtain the OS / recovery material from HP?  This laptop has to CD/DVD tray so I don't know how I would even introduce the OS / recovery media.

Thanks,
Mark

[banhien]

Hi,

I don't know the rules of your company BUT please check with them first. This is a very simple matter: keep the job or get sacked.

Regards.

[Belowground]

To add...

This is not my work laptop or a laptop issued by my employer.  It is a laptop that I saved from going in the garbage on a jobsite that I am working on.  A company moved out of a building and left alot of stuff behind that they didn't want.  I am a technology contractor on that jobsite.  I'm just trying to decide if this laptop is worth my time.  I would like to use it, but not if it is still configured for the company that owned it.

Thanks,

Mark

[banhien]

Hi,

Probably that is a small company because many companies will destroy the HDD/SSD before leave computers behind or for auction.

Anyway, please check with support of the company because they may deploy Windows different way and HP did not create factory recovery for those machines. But you can always try:

             http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/bph07143

Regards.

[Belowground]

HP is sending me the Recovery Media.  I noticed that they are sending Windows 7 Pro 64bit, however, currently the laptop has Windows 7 Enterprise 32bit.  Is that going to be an issue going from 32bit to 64bit?

[WAWood]

Belowground

Couple of comments ...

First, there is no LEGAL way to acquire Win7 Enterprise as an individual -- unless it is provided to you as part of a Home Use Program from an established company. And their Corporate license with Microsoft restricts them to providing that Program ONLY to their employees.

Second, if what you mean by "going from 32 bit to 64 bit" is some kind of Upgrade or Migration -- that can't be done.  Instead, you have to do a Clean Install with the 64-bit install media, which will overwrite the existing installation.

[Belowground]

-As I stated, I obtained the laptop after it was left behind by a company that no longer exists. 

-Regarding my question about going from 32bit to 64bit.  Currently the laptop is running Windows 7 Enterprise 32bit.  I thought maybe 32bit was a setting/limitation of the physical laptop and if a new set of recovery media was ran, it had to be 32bit as well. 

-I do want to wipe the laptop and overwrite the existing installation.  I want to end up with a new version of Windows.  There is nothing on the laptop that I want to save.

Thanks

[WAWood]

I understand what you want to do ... so, installing using the 64-bit recovery media will overwrite what's on the laptop today.

When you get the disks, simply boot from the first disk and follow the directions on screen

HOWEVER .. since the PC was originally installed with Enterprise edition, if the recovery media you receive is any other version, it won't activate.

Good Luck

[Belowground]

I believe I gave HP the serial# and what not and they determined that the laptop originally shipped with Windows 7 Professional 64bit.  If it all doesn't work, no biggy, I was just trying to save the laptop from the trash.

Thanks

[Belowground]

I attempted to run the Recover Media to re-install the OS.  I get an error message when I try to run it, though.  It says "The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running.  Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86(32bit) or x64(64bit) version of the program and then contact the software publisher".

Is this simply an issue because the computer is running 32bit and I'm trying to run a 64bit Recover Media?

Or, is this an issue with the computer being setup to a corporate domain?

Thanks,

Mark