Clean Installation - Upgrade Copy - First Time Activation

  • Thread starter Thread starter xridr
  • Start date Start date
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xridr

I currently have WinXP installed, but want to purchase an upgrade copy of
Vista and perform a clean install on a new hard drive. Can I perform a clean
install on a new hard drive using the upgrade disk and activate only once?
Basically, I don't want to have to upgrade, activate, install and format new
HDD, and then install and activate a second time.
 
No. You'll need to purchase a "full version" license
of Windows Vista if you wish to install Vista on a
blank hard drive. Otherwise, an upgrade version
would require that a qualifying Windows XP installation
be in place in order to use and activate an upgrade license.

How to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista by using
the upgrade version of Windows Vista:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931226/en-us

Installation choices for consumer versions of Windows Vista:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932616/en-us

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

---------------------------------------------------------------

I currently have WinXP installed, but want to purchase an upgrade copy of
Vista and perform a clean install on a new hard drive. Can I perform a clean
install on a new hard drive using the upgrade disk and activate only once?
Basically, I don't want to have to upgrade, activate, install and format new
HDD, and then install and activate a second time.
 
Hi,
Can I perform a clean install on a new hard drive using the upgrade disk
and activate only once?
Click to expand...

Sort of. You perform the clean install, do not insert the product key when
prompted (just click next and choose the appropriate version), and do not
activate when the installation completes. You then boot into the unactivated
installation, insert the Vista disk and do an in-place upgrade using the
Product Key and activate when the second installation completes.

But, I believe you can bypass all that by starting the upgrade from within
XP and use the custom installation options.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
 
Thank you everyone. This all make sense. I'm not trying to find a workaround
that is not a supported method, it's just that one of the two SATA drives
that I have in RAID 0 is causing faults and the diagnostics recommend to
replace. Because I don't have any ghosting software, when I unplug one of the
two hard drives in RAID 0, I must reformat the good one before installing an
OS again. I do have the full retail version of XP on disc, and I have all my
important files already backed up. So I guess the best way for me is to
simply fix my hard drive issues and then re-install XP. After purchasing
Vista Home Premium Upgrade, I can install the upgrade how it was intended.

Thank you for all your help, and if there is anything I'm missing, please
feel free to let me know.
 
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