I remember XP product keys used to be SPECIFIC for that exact CD you had.

For example, if I bought XP with SP1...then my key would not work with someone who had the original XP (with no Service Packs), or my key would not work with someone who had XP with SP 2, etc...

So if you had XP with SP1 and the disc broke, you couldn't use your friend's CD unless he also had XP with SP1.

Is this the case with Windows 7?
in other words, I bought a laptop (comes with Win 7 but no CD/DVD), can I download win 7 from that site listed in post #2 and then install using the CD Key for my current install? (if I decide to do a fresh format, etc)

Thanks