Which files within a win 7 cd report info about exact license type

Solution 1:

Open sources\ei.cfg from the disc in any text editor and it may give you a hint. It will contain text like the following:

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

EditionID is obviously the version that should be installed (Starter / HomeBasic / HomePremium / Professional / Ultimate). If you delete ei.cfg from the setup media (say by creating your own disc or if you're using a USB stick to install), Windows Setup will prompt you to select the version to be installed. You can also use OEM or retail keys with the same media, unlike the case earlier before Vista.

Channel can be either OEM / Retail.

VL stands for Volume License and can be either 1 (for True) or 0 (for False).