Select Windows 7 SKU Version On Install & Create SKU Specific Install Discs

manan

Following up from my article on Moving To Windows 7 this is an article for the enthusiasts who’ve got their Windows 7 RTM discs & will be deploying them across machines. Unlike Windows Vista, Windows 7 does not allow you to select the edition you want to install in the first few steps, it does not come in a ready-to-use All-in-One installation disc. Perhaps. Apparently sometime during the Windows 7 pre-RTM leak cycle some geniuses figured out a way to install versions other than Ultimate by editing a file. Here are the manual & one-click method to enable the SKU Edition Selector during Windows 7 install. And methods to create specific SKU discs from the ones you downloaded.

To Enable Edition Selector
  • The Automatic Method

Recommended. Tried. Tested. One-click (maybe two.)

  1. Download eicfg Remover tool:

  2. Extract it some where
  3. Run the file eicfg_remover
  4. Locate the Windows 7 ISO file & let the tool do the magic.
  5. It will prompt you once done. Screenshot:

Doing this will show you the following screen when you use the disc for installation:

2. The Manual Method:

  1. Extract the ISO in a directory
  2. Navigate to Sources
  3. Delete the file ei.cfg
  • To Create SKU Specific Discs

Alternately, you can configure the ISO to act as installation disc for any one of the SKUs. To do this:

1. The Automatic Method:

  1. Download the ISO patcher

  2. Extract it some where.
  3. Run the file bin_patcher
  4. Navigate to 7600.16385-disc_switch_patches (within the directory you extracted the files)
  5. Select the SKU edition you want.
  6. Locate the Windows 7 ISO file & let the tool do the magic.
  7. It will prompt you once done.

2. The Manual Method:

  1. Extract the ISO in a directory
  2. Navigate to Sources
  3. Open the file ei.cfg in Notepad

    The contents of the file should be:

    [EditionID]
    Ultimate
    [Channel]
    Retail
    [VL]
    0

  4. Edit Ultimate & choose any of the following depending on the SKU you want:
      Starter
      HomeBasic
      HomePremium
      Professional
      Ultimate

Also, incase you’re planning to upgrade from Windows 7 RC (which you shouldn’t) you can do the following to enable it:

  1. Extract the ISO in a directory
  2. Navigate to Sources
  3. Open the file ei.cfg in Notepad

    The contents of the file should be:

    [HostBuild]
    MinClient=7233.0
    MinServer=7100.0

  4. Edit 7233.0 to 7100
  5. Save the file & burn the disc.

NOTE: I will strongly recommend that you do NOT upgrade from RC to RTM.

Both one-click tools are courtesy klio You can download a tool from Microsoft to burn the ISOs to disc or create bootable USBs.

~Enjoy

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