purchase a laptop to recycle windows product key

I need to activate Windows 7 ultimate x64 on my workingstation and I have to buy a product key.
I'm considering opting for a solution with a greater value for money: purchasing a cheap used laptop with Windows already preinstalled, uninstalling it and recycling the product key for activating Windows in the workingstation I am currently using. (I would install a distro Linux opensource on the new laptop instead).

I have several doubts:

1) Product keys used for x86 operative systems do work for the x64 of the same version as well (for example, do they work both for Win 7 ultimate x86 and Win 7 ultimate x64) ?

2) the laptop I would buy comes with Windows preinstalled: after having uninstalled it, is there the risk to face any additional troubles while using its product key for activating Windows on a second device?

3) If any troubles by attempting doing that, could I still apply for Microsoft technical support?

4) I saw that product keys come with different names (OEM and so on): should I keep those differences in mind for my purpose?

OPTIONAL - - -

I'm also considering purchasing a laptop with Windows PROFESSIONAL installed instead than ULTIMATE: in that case I should downgrade my windows 7 ultimate to the professioanl edition in order to use the product key of the former -> is there any remarkable implication I should considere before doing that? (I mean data loss, the necessity of reinstalling softwares, any kind of incompatibility with the product key, etc...)

Answer

This cannot be done. The product keys on the machine you purchase will be tied to that hardware, and as such won't activate against new hardware. Note that OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) keys are the bulk of keys you will find with machines direct from a manufacturer (EG. Acer/Dell/Lenovo etc...). Retail keys are ones you purchase direct from a store, or Microsoft directly, without the PC itself, just the software/key.

See here and here for more information, specifically this part of the site (aimed at manufacturers issuing OEM licences)

The Microsoft Software License Terms is granted to the end user by
you, the system builder. It is related to the OEM System Builder
License for the PC on which it was originally installed.

You are required to support the license on that original PC, but you
cannot support a license that has been moved from a PC that you
manufactured to one that you did not. This is one of the key reasons
why an OEM System Builder License can’t be transferred.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

and here

Q. Can my customers transfer or sell their OEM software licenses?

A. After an OEM software license has been installed on a PC, the
license may not be installed on or transferred to another PC.
However, the entire PC may be transferred to another end user along
with the software license rights. When transferring the PC to the new
end user, the software media, manuals (if applicable), and Certificate
of Authenticity label must be included. It is also advisable to
include the original purchase invoice or receipt. The original end
user cannot keep any copies of the software.

Now, if you purchased a machine with a retail version of Windows, you may be able to transfer this. However, this is only really likely on a custom built computer, and will be quite hard to track down, as the user is more likely to have retained their key for their own use.

To answer your questions, although you cannot go down this particular path:

1. Yes, Windows 7 and above keys are valid for 32-bit and 64-bit installations.


2. See above :)


3. You will not get technical support.


4. Yes, OEM and Retail keys are the world of difference in your case.


5. You cannot downgrade from Ultimate to Professional without completely reinstalling, or doing an in-place upgrade of the OS. You will lose any activation status, you may need to reinstall software and data should be backed up before attempting either.