Clean Install Method posted

  • Thread starter Thread starter R. McCarty
  • Start date Start date
Jon said:
Looks like the problem with that method comes when you later try to
activate your product key .. but useful for trial purposes.
Click to expand...

Activation shouldn't be a problem if I read it correctly as after you do the
clean install it has you turn around and do an in-place upgrade that should
accept the upgrade product key. I'm not sure what you save. With the MS
default you install XP and then upgrade to Vista. With this workaround you
install Vista and then upgrade to Vista. You still have to do two installs.
 
Colin Barnhorst said:
What problem did you encounter trying to activate after this procedure?
Click to expand...

I haven't tried it - but lower down the page are comments from people who
seemed to have problems when they did.

The tone of the article also suggested that the writer may not tried the
actual activation ('should be able to activate'
). But I'll reserve judgement until someone who's tried it successfully says
that it does. Tom may well be correct in his analysis.
 
Tom Porterfield said:
Activation shouldn't be a problem if I read it correctly as after you do
the clean install it has you turn around and do an in-place upgrade that
should accept the upgrade product key. I'm not sure what you save. With
the MS default you install XP and then upgrade to Vista. With this
workaround you install Vista and then upgrade to Vista. You still have to
do two installs.
Click to expand...

Yes, but MS reasoning for removing the compliance check (so you could do a
clean install & it would ask you to insert your previous version disk as
WinXP upgrade would do) was because "Compliance checking was so easy to beat
in XP that Deployment decided to skip it and just limit the use of the
Upgrade Key to installing from within a running OS." (quoted from PSS)

Well, this does make it just as easy to work around.

In the end, this just inconveniences legit users who would like to do a
clean install with the upgrade version.


--
Arie Slob,
MVP, Windows Shell/User


http://www.helpwithwindows.com
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Jon said:
I haven't tried it - but lower down the page are comments from people who
seemed to have problems when they did.
Click to expand...

I read all the comments and the only problems reported were from folks who
tried to bypass the 2nd Vista install by simply changing the product key
using that facility within Vista. That didn't work but the article never
said to do it that way.
The tone of the article also suggested that the writer may not tried the
actual activation ('should be able to activate'
). But I'll reserve judgement until someone who's tried it successfully
says that it does. Tom may well be correct in his analysis.
Click to expand...

I agree, this is less than a definitive way to word it and does lead one to
believe that they didn't actually try this. It would be very interesting to
hear from someone who has the upgrade version and tries it to report back on
what level of success they had.
 
What happens if you format your disk first? Will this method still work?
Click to expand...

Yes, since all Vista discs are the same. If you don't enter a product key
at the first prompt, it just assumes you will enter one later so you can
install whichever version you'd like. Then you can do the upgrade install
from your temp Vista install.
 
That article doesn't make any sense. How can you run an upgrade on an OS
that is already the most current?
Even XP would tell you that you are running the most recent version and
not allow you to upgrade from within XP.
If it does work why do you have to install twice?
If you install without a product key you can add the key after install.
Either way installing an OS 2 times to get arround booting into XP to
install is crazy.
Click to expand...

But XP does have the repair install, aka in place upgrade, started by
booting the XP CD. In Vista that option is not available by booting the
DVD. We have been looking for info on whether one can do an in place
upgrade on a current Vista install by running the install from within Vista
as a repair mechanism. We'll know for sure pretty soon.
 
Except you have to install twice - and who wants to take 3+ hours to
install an OS?
Click to expand...



I agree, especially since the Vista install is an image based install, so
even with an in place upgrade the Vista install is clean.
 
Dave said:
But if you have to wipe your drive and reload, you have to install twice
anyway, XP, then Vista.
Click to expand...


It also makes it cheaper to buy Vista. You don't have to buy full retail
or OEM.
 
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