Download Windows 7

Like most versions of Windows in the past twenty years, Home Premium is available in both 32 Bit and 64 Bit editions. Care should be taken to ensure the correct version is used for a particular system, as installing the wrong one can cause issues, or even fail to run at all.

Windows 7 Home Premium is not free, however it is something of a moot point as it is no longer officially sold by Microsoft. The software itself can be downloaded from the Microsoft website at no cost, however an license is needed to activate it. Licenses may still be available from third party retailers.

The Home Premium edition of Windows 7, also referred to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) is an already activated version of Windows intended for use on specific hardware. Such versions are often sold to hardware manufacturers in bulk at a much lower cost than the regular retail editions, allowing the OS to be bundled with new computers.

Full support for Home Premium ended in January of 2015, and in this respect it is no longer supported by Microsoft. However, extended support will continue through to 2020, meaning Windows 7 will continue to receive security updates and critical fixes until then. After which it would unwise to continue using this version.

Ultimate has a number of features which are missing from Windows Home Premium, such as remote desktop, and Bitlocker drive encryption. Home Premium only supports up to 16GB of RAM, whereas Ultimate can handle 192GB. However, Home Premium was cheaper, and at the time, these limitations weren't as limiting as they are today.

In order to activate the Home Premium edition of Windows 7, a license key for that version of Windows is needed. When installing Windows, you will be prompted to enter the license key. Failure to enter a valid code will cause Windows to run in a trial mode for a limited amount of time.

Using Windows 7 Home Premium installation media, you can simply run setup from within Windows and follow the instructions to reinstall the operating system. If this is not possible, you will need to boot your device up from your Windows installation media. This may involve changing settings in your computer's BIOS. 

Though there are unofficial (and potentially illegal) workarounds, there is no way to change the language on the Home Premium edition of Windows 7. Windows 7 Ultimate supports multiple languages, so an upgrade to that version is one option. Alternatively a license for one of the different language versions of Home Premium would be needed.

To update the Home Premium edition of Windows 7, simply open the Windows Update application and click "Check for Updates". If any updates are available, they will be listed for you to select which ones you wish to install. When that is done, click "OK". The updates will then download and can be installed.

If you have an upgrade key or license for Windows 7 Ultimate, you can run the upgrade from within the Home Premium edition using the Windows 7 Ultimate installation media. If you do not have a license or upgrade key, you will first need to obtain one before going through the upgrade process.