Question on using Vista upgrade version

[Jim]

I currently have 3 (somewhat aging) Windows XP Pro computers running on a
LAN. I'm planning on building a new system within the next several months
and I'm starting to consider Windows Vista as the possible OS.



I recently started reading this newsgroup to get myself up to date regarding
vista, its features and problems.



Based on what I've read so far, I'm focusing in on using Windows Ultimate
since I want both Remote Desktop and Media Center features. What I'm trying
to determine is if I can use the upgrade path or must I purchase a new
edition (expensive).



I read a post the other day
(http://www.vistax64.com:80/tutorials/68767-clean-install.html) which
explains how one can use the upgrade version to do a clean install of Vista.
My question is does this procedure work and if so, why would anyone spend
the money to purchase the full version?



Appreciate any and all comments.



Jim

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

I'll work, however your computer will eventually
flagged as "non-genuine" since it is only an upgrade
license and not a "full license". So you should
purchase a "full license" for absolute clean installations.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

I currently have 3 (somewhat aging) Windows XP Pro computers running on a
LAN. I'm planning on building a new system within the next several months
and I'm starting to consider Windows Vista as the possible OS.



I recently started reading this newsgroup to get myself up to date regarding
vista, its features and problems.



Based on what I've read so far, I'm focusing in on using Windows Ultimate
since I want both Remote Desktop and Media Center features. What I'm trying
to determine is if I can use the upgrade path or must I purchase a new
edition (expensive).



I read a post the other day
(http://www.vistax64.com:80/tutorials/68767-clean-install.html) which
explains how one can use the upgrade version to do a clean install of Vista.
My question is does this procedure work and if so, why would anyone spend
the money to purchase the full version?



Appreciate any and all comments.



Jim

 

[Mike Glenn]

Hello.. this is a workaround that works now...

MS knows this of course but does not really endorse it.

This means that when SP1 comes out, or SP2 they may make this workaround
impossible to do, thus forcing everyone to install another OS before you
install Vista.
Of course I am talking about then having Vista with SP1 slipstreamed inside
it (SP included in the dvd).

If you ask me I dont think they will make this impossible.. but you never
know what MS will do.
They made vista for crying out loud.. I would never had thought MS was
capable of such incompetence...
so with MS anything is possible.

 

[Mike Glenn]

Oh? and how will it be flagged?

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Jim;
"does this procedure work"
Yes it works.

"why would anyone spend the money to purchase the full version?"
Because they do not want to tie up their Windows XP or do not have a
Windows XP license to tie the the Windows Vista upgrade computer.
A great many people are honest and will do what is right regardless
the additional cost.

 

[Jim]

Do I still need a full license since I already own a "genuine" copy of
Windows XP Pro? What then is the purpose of the upgrade license?

I would prefer NOT to install over an existing XP installation because of
possible problems mentioned in the posts.

Jim

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The answer is you need a "full license" for Windows Vista
if Windows XP will not be present on the computer.
An "upgrade license" means exactly that. If you are
not upgrading from Windows XP, you are not upgrading
from anything but thin air.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

Do I still need a full license since I already own a "genuine" copy of
Windows XP Pro? What then is the purpose of the upgrade license?

I would prefer NOT to install over an existing XP installation because of
possible problems mentioned in the posts.

Jim

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

If you already have Windows XP Pro not installed on any computer or
only installed on the computer you plan to install Windows Vista
Ultimate, you qualify for the upgrade.

 

[Mike Glenn]

I would suggest you get a full version...if you can afford it.
It gives you more flexibilty and you are sure it will work.

On the other hand.. I would remain with XP since it is so much better than
vista and wins hands down in performance flexibility and compatibility.

 

[Mike Glenn]

Because they do not want to tie up their Windows XP

unless the XP was an OEM version and you want to install vista on that
machine.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

The Vista upgrade must be started up from within a working copy of a
suitable Windows version. (That does not apply when changing from 32 bit XP
to a 64 bit version of Vista. The 64 bit installer can't boot from 32 bit
XP. I believe that the installer checks for a qualifying OS on the hard
disk, even though the installation DVD is not booted from that OS.)

I recently struggled to clone a single-disk Vista 64 onto a RAID array. (The
original Vista installation did not include the Intel RAID drivers.) I found
that I couldn't perform the equivalent of an XP upgrade-in-place (repair
install), because the upgrade had to be booted from within Windows. (I
couldn't do that, as Windows would not boot.). The Vista startup repair did
not install the RAID drivers, so that didn't work. I couldn't even get the
Vista installation DVD to format the boot partition of the cloned drive,
probably because it contained a Vista installation. I ended up using an XP
installation disk to format the boot partition. I then clean-installed Vista
on the partition. (I could have installed XP and then wiped it with a Vista
installation, but I chose to install Vista twice, as is described in the
link you provided.)

I hope that another poster's remark about such an installation failing WGA
verification is nonsense. The double-installation method installs Vista as
cleanly installed upgrade (a legitimate installation mode) from a demo
version of Vista. I suppose that MS could have included code that would
cause trouble if the OS that the Vista upgrade ran from was not activated,
but I have not heard that they have done so.

However, the upgrade version appears to be so limited that I found myself
wishing that I'd purchased the full license. I haven't used a full-version
license to verify its advantages. As far as I know, Microsoft does not offer
a reduced price on the full version license to holders of an upgrade key.

Return address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

 

[Spanky daMonkey]

The Mike Glenn Syndrome is a term used when a person has certain
limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating,
taking care of him or herself, and social skills. These limitations will
cause a poster to learn and develop more slowly than a typical poster.
Brain dead morons with Mike Glenn Syndrome may take longer to learn
to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as dressing or
eating. They are likely to have trouble learning in school, and posting to
Microsoft newsgroups. They will learn, but it will take them longer. There
may be some things they cannot learn. They keep trying. Make sure to
continue your Meds.

 

[Spanky daMonkey]

The Mike Glenn Syndrome is a term used when a person has certain
limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating,
taking care of him or herself, and social skills. These limitations will
cause a poster to learn and develop more slowly than a typical poster.
Brain dead morons with Mike Glenn Syndrome may take longer to learn
to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as dressing or
eating. They are likely to have trouble learning in school, and posting to
Microsoft newsgroups. They will learn, but it will take them longer. There
may be some things they cannot learn. They keep trying. Make sure to
continue your Meds.

 

[Lang Murphy]

I currently have 3 (somewhat aging) Windows XP Pro computers running on a
LAN. I'm planning on building a new system within the next several months
and I'm starting to consider Windows Vista as the possible OS.

I recently started reading this newsgroup to get myself up to date
regarding vista, its features and problems.

Based on what I've read so far, I'm focusing in on using Windows Ultimate
since I want both Remote Desktop and Media Center features. What I'm
trying to determine is if I can use the upgrade path or must I purchase a
new edition (expensive).

I read a post the other day
(http://www.vistax64.com:80/tutorials/68767-clean-install.html) which
explains how one can use the upgrade version to do a clean install of
Vista. My question is does this procedure work and if so, why would anyone
spend the money to purchase the full version?

Appreciate any and all comments.

Jim

I don't know what the price delta is between the upgrade pkg and the OEM
pkg. The only drawback to the OEM pkg is that it's tied to a single PC; you
can't move it to another PC.

If you're building a new PC with no OS on it, then you should buy the full
install, not the upgrade. The OEM pkg is less expensive than the standard
retail pkg. If you have an unused copy of XP lying around, then the issue
becomes murky. Install XP then run through the Vista upgrade process that
gets you a "clean install." MS should have no problem with that, but I guess
there's no way for them to verify you had XP installed previously,
otherwise, why the hulabaloo over using that process? Dunno.

If I were in your shoes, I'd check out the cost of the OEM version of
Ultimate and go that route.

Good luck!

Lang

 

[Paul Randall]

I believe the problem is not whether you qualify by owning a qualifying
product, but whether the Genuine program can verify the you have that
qualifying product. It's kind of hard to verify if it isn't installed. I
believe Carey has posted, and others confirmed, that MS plans to modify the
Genuine/activation program so that it checks the 'upgraded from' info and
flags invalid upgrade paths. Right now it ignores invalid upgrade paths.

It seems only reasonable to give users of previous versions of the OS a
break. That break should not require putting up with problems caused by
remnants of the previous installation. Maybe M$ is waiting to get some
things worked out before starting this firestorm.

-Paul Randall