Art said:
The three trouble spots I encountered with Windows Anytime Upgrade:
1. The Control Panel link to Windows Anytime Upgrade did not link to
anything. To get there, I went to the MS website and searched for Windows
Anytime Upgrade and was able to perform the function correctly in this manner.
2. Windows Anytime Upgrade does not provide the User with a new Product Key.
This may worry some that reinstallation after fatal Hard Drive errors may
revert them back to the original version. But, MS assures us that our license
will be maintained forever in the Digital Locker for download providing a
means to upgrade to Ultimate again. Unfortunately, this means you would have
to install the original XP, 2000 or Vista as Home Premium without the Product
Key as Trial Software to get a clean install to work from your original
upgrade disk followed by a second install using the downloaded license.
Pretty cumbersome as I'd rather have to only install once as a recovery
measure. (But, of course, this is my fault for buying the cheaper model.)
3. The license you purchase will not show up in the Digital Locker for four
days after your purchase. So, if things go wrong on the install, you may be
stuck for a few days.
For the slightly savvy:
If you right-click the downloaded license file and open with Notepad, you
can simply scroll to the right a little ways and get your Product Key from
the file. This makes future installations easier.