Upgrade edition VS Full edition

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bobby
  • Start date Start date
If you got your computer before the manufacturer started offering an Express
Upgrade coupon then I don't think you can. If you are eligible for the
Express Upgrade then that solves your issue. If not, then buy where you get
the best deal. You may need Vista drivers and utilities from the
manufacturer, however.
 
I have just confirmed that there are no Advanced Options when starting Setup
from an XP Pro SP2 (C:) desktop and using custom install on a second (E:)
drive. Once I chose the target (E:) volume Setup began installation. I do
know that Setup will do a quick format on the a raw drive if needed.

I also confirmed that if I chose upgrade install I was not offered a choice
of target drives. Setup began an upgrade installation on the C: drive.
Again there were no Advanced Options.

Advanced Options only appear when booting with the dvd.

This was with an MSDN Business full edition product key. (Upgrade edition
product keys are not available.)
 
Thanks, Colin.

If I understand you correctly, and just to make this crystal clear in my
simple mind (and using simple language that I can understand!), this means
that no "clean install on formatted HD" is possible from an Upgrade key,
because you have to run Setup from the XP (or earlier OS) desktop. If you
want to do a clean install on a formatted HD, you have to boot with the
Vista DVD, with which you need a Full Edition key.
 
I don't have an upgrade edition pk, but if setup works the same way for all
pk's when starting from the desktop, then a classic clean installation
cannot be done from the desktop. You would have to boot from the dvd. That
means catch 22. If you use the tools available when you boot the dvd to
format the drive, you don't have a legacy Windows desktop to launch an
Upgrade Setup from.

Here is how I would do it. Format the target partition with your legacy
Windows cd and then do a fresh installation of the legacy Windows. Don't
add anything. Just the basic installation of the legacy Windows (plus any
NIC driver needed to get online and activate the legacy Windows). Then run
Vista setup from the desktop. Setup will roll up the legacy Windows files
into a windows.old folder. You can delete the windows.old folder after
Vista is installed. This should have virtually the same effect as a clean
installation of Vista.
 
I don't have an upgrade edition pk, but if setup works the same way
for all pk's when starting from the desktop, then a classic clean
installation cannot be done from the desktop. You would have to boot
from the dvd. That means catch 22. If you use the tools available
when you boot the dvd to format the drive, you don't have a legacy
Windows desktop to launch an Upgrade Setup from.

Here is how I would do it. Format the target partition with your
legacy Windows cd and then do a fresh installation of the legacy
Windows. Don't add anything. Just the basic installation of the
legacy Windows (plus any NIC driver needed to get online and activate
the legacy Windows). Then run Vista setup from the desktop. Setup
will roll up the legacy Windows files into a windows.old folder. You
can delete the windows.old folder after Vista is installed. This
should have virtually the same effect as a clean installation of
Vista.
Click to expand...

Thanks Colin - I shall probably do this. I've seeen you suggesting exactly
this on another thread.
 
I'm glad I've decided to get the Full version of Home Premium! Sounds like
too much hassle to use an Upgrade DVD!
 
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