How to purchase official OS Windows 7 Pro & MS Office 2007 Pro Plus

Your best possibilities will be from a computer that has been or is going to be trashed.  Software does not wear out.  Lots of people have old laptops they haven't used in a long time.  People often just don't trash the unit, but squirrel it away somewhere.

Second requirement is that it have a Windows 7 licence that was bought in a retail store.  Those licences (often called upgrade licences) are transferable to another PC.  Licences that came pre-installed from an OEM like Dell are not transferable to another PC.  Many people bought these Upgrade packages to upgrade an XP machine.  I bought several "family pack" licences that were good for three installations.  I bought them at Amazon or BestBuy.

Look for Office software that was purchased at a retail store, as well.  In my opinion, 2010 Office is the best version there ever was.  From that point on, it was downhill.  Today, i would not buy it, but use one of the free ones instead.

You will need to have the Microsoft Product Key that came with each of those purchases.  Those MPK's are really serial numbers.  Without them, you cannot activate the product and it will be useless.

You will also need an installation DVD.  Lots of people have them.  The install DVD is not serialized or really branded.  They are basically all the same.  The only requirement is that the install DVD windows 7 edition (home, pro, etc) match the MPK.

Starting in about January 2015, Windows Update started to become quite a problem.  If you will follow the procedure I outlined here, you will avoid all those problems.

https://www.askwoody.com/2019/canadian-tech-how-to-rebuild-a-win7-system-with-minimal-snooping/

Of course, you are going to be needing Windows 7 drivers for the hardware inside the laptop you are building.  That should be a condition of your selecting that hardware component.

Your best possibilities will be from a computer that has been or is going to be trashed.  Software does not wear out.  Lots of people have old laptops they haven't used in a long time.  People often just don't trash the unit, but squirrel it away somewhere.

1. Most laptops and desktops are OEM licensed.

Don't fall for that.

If the Laptop/Computer came with the Windows Operating System preinstalled (Dell, HP, Acer, etc) , that Product Key that came with the Laptop/Computer is for the preinstalled OEM License and is non-transferable.

The OEM License/Product Key (preinstalled Operating Systems on Dell, HP, etc machines) is tied to the first machine it is installed on and dies when that machine dies.

The above rule also applies to OEM System Builders Licenses.

Retail Operating System License, that you buy and install yourself, are allowed to be transferred to another machine.

But Retail Licenses can also only be installed on one machine at any particular time.

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2. Upgrade licenses need a qualifying license to upgrade from.

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You will also need an installation DVD.  Lots of people have them.  The install DVD is not serialized or really branded.  They are basically all the same.  The only requirement is that the install DVD windows 7 edition (home, pro, etc) match the MPK.

3. I have already advised you to NOT buy product keys by themselves.

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4. Windows Updates were released for Security and Performance enhancements.

And that is one of the issues with End of Support for 7:

What this basically means with Microsoft no longer supporting an operating system is that even though hackers may find "holes" and vulnerabilities to be able to access the operating systems and cause security problems, Microsoft will no longer be monitoring or rectifying those problems by way of Security Updates each month.

Microsoft stopped selling them years ago and as per Microsoft's policy so did their Resellers/retailers.

As you have seen, what you find is expensive and dodgy; or cheap and definitely pirated.

There is no recommended place to buy either of them from.

Warning:

You do not buy a Product Key by itself, as they are normally stolen/pirated, Volume Licenses which are not for private use, or MSDN keys which are not to be sold by the original subscription holder.

Make sure that you buy the complete sealed package (DVD, license)

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/Shop.aspx

Read Section: Beware of Product Keys sold separately.

You are most certainly correct.  Consequently their popularity.  However, the facts remain the same.  If you are concerned about the longevity of your investment, desktops are a better investment, for a number of reasons.  The biggest of which is they much more durable.

Not wishing to start a debate, I will also point out that ergonomically speaking desktop designs with separate and larger screens and keyboards are superior, especially for long periods of usage.

<< You are not going to get a cheap, legal Windows 7. >>

If that is the case I will use my Windows ME Retail with my Office 2000 Professional (both with legitimate/original product keys) both of which were purchased in 2001.