I was looking at getting windows 7 and hoping to do clean installs on a couple of machines and don't know which version to choose. I was looking at the w7 professional upgrade because I read that you can do a clean install with the upgrade disc and it's cheaper but I was not sure because I have an xp pro upgrade disc which says in the manual you can do a clean install but I could not (tried to put it on my laptop and do a clean install over vista but wouldn't let me.)
If you can do that, what is the difference between an upgrade clean install and the regular install disc? My other question is, if I buy the full retail version how many machines can I install it on and will they go into non genuine mode after the product key is used once?
so I'm confused with upgrading to windows 7. i am currently running the windows 7 RC and for upgrading to the full version I'm unsure if i need to buy the retail version of windows 7 or if i can use the upgrade disk for windows 7.
Are all the pre-order deals for upgrade software rather the full retail versions?
I have shelled out quite a bit on WinXP over the past few years and more recently due to both desktop and laptop falling over at the same time.
I want to be able to install any new operating system I buy on new hardware when that becomes necessary.
I have to be very sure. I am not wasting any more dosh on OEM versions.
It seems to me that just because you get a full version rather than an upgrade, that is something different to the license being OEM or Retail.
Full or upgrade version is not really the issue (although full is obviously better). For me it is about the license to install on new hardware as I upgrade that without buying a new copy of windows.
Does 'full' also mean that the install will not be tied to a previous copy of windows being installed first (or having the key for that version to hand)?
I am waiting to be approved by my school for msdnaa access but am not sure what it offers is what I need. Is what they offer equivalent to a retail version of windows 7, oem or upgrade?
I did a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate on my dell computer. When I was deleting partitions I noticed a Dell OEM partition. It was very small so I didn't delete this.
My thought was, if I ever wanted to sell this computer I would need to put Vista back on the computer and was afraid that my OEM disk would not work because I had deleted the partition.
I want to be able to put any computer back to the same state when purchased in order to avoid locking my Retail Version to one computer.
Does this little OEM partition have any bearing on the ability to revert the computer back to the original state?
If so, those of you putting retail might want to keep that partion available.
I am wondering what the process is to switch computers with a retail version of Windows.
Say you have Windows 7 installed on one computer and need to do a clean install on a different one. How do you "de-activate" one to make the new install activate? I don't understand how this works. I will have to do it in the next few days with Vista and will need to do it with Windows 7 this winter.
I assume you would just install on the new computer and have to call MS but I'm hoping it's easier than this.
I have bought an Windows7 Ultimate on ebay and I can't get it activated. I tried the automatic service with the telephone, but I keep getting a notification that my windows can't be activated in my region.If I try to get help from microsoft I have to pay 70� to get support.
I made an ISO of my genuine Windows 7 Professional upgrade DVD and then downloaded a genuine Windows 7 Ultimate ISO. While I was deleting the ei.cfg file, I noticed that the folders and files are all the same. So is there any difference between the upgrade DVD and the retail DVD?
i use xp pro sp2 retail on my main well gaming rig. i ordered the Windows 7 hp upgrade and will ship 10-22-09.
if i read right. when i upgrade to Windows 7 my key for my retail xp pro sp2 will be no more good. i will not be able to install or use my retail xp again. is this right?
well. a bud sent me a oem sp3 copy of xp pro some months ago. its still sealed and i never opened the package. i am afraid of sp3 is why i have not used it yet. so.. but. my question is and if i will lose my retail xp key if i upgrade to Windows 7. should i upgrade to Windows 7 using my oem xp sp3 disc. and keep my retail key etc.
so. id guess first i need to back up and save what i need to keep. files etc. then nuke reformat and install my oem xp. just basic install and i guess register it. and then upgrade fresh install Windows 7. if this will work im fine with it. yes its the extra steps to first install the oem xp version maybe. but id like to save my retail xp key. i do have another computer i guess i could use xp on for a while to come. i have not been using my second pc. ive been afraid to install or use xp sp3.. so i have not used my oem xp sp3 yet.
I have purchased 2 retail copies of Windows 7 Pro for 29.99 with my student discount. If you have questions as to how I achieve this go to this thread
Full Retail Version of Pro For Students only 29.99
I now have another computer that I want to put Windows 7 pro on. I am thinking about purchasing an upgrade key and just using the retail version to install so I don't have to reinstall Vista in order to do the upgrade.
Anyways, do you think I could purchase an upgrade key, install with my retail disk without filling out the product key and then activate with the upgrade key?
I was just consulted on by a teacher who had a student that purchased Windows 7 and just received it in the mail. It was an upgrade, he couldn't find a product key. He was wondering if your current os's product key doubled as your 7 key. I would assume it wouldn't, and he just over looked Microsoft's master of disguise product keys.
I apparently cannot change the product key from a Windows 7 Ultimate eval copy 7100 to a retail Ultimate product key and have it activate properly. The process tells me my key is not valid...is that correct? I do not see anywhere an activation phone number to call.
I have Vista x64 right now and I keep wanting to install the 7100 build beta that I downloaded a while back. I plan to buy the 3 pack of Windows 7 when it comes out but I am wondering if installing the beta build now will make upgrading harder down the road. Doing a clean install is just way to hard considering all the terrabytes of programs and data that I would have to either re-install or manually try to put back into it's original places.
I know a lot of people preach that doing clean installs is so much better. In my experience this has never really helped. I have on numerous occasions done clean installs and they never did seem to work any better or any faster than the upgrades that I have had installed for years. The only time I think you need to do a clean install is if you have stability issues with your hardware causing your OS to go flaky or if you neglect your OS and leave all kinds of crap floating around on it. We have one machine running Windows 2000 since 2000 and it is used daily without any problems or corruption whatsoever.
My question involves upgrading a home desktop to Windows 7 Ultimate. I have a copy of Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Ultimate which are Academic versions I purchased at a discount from my university. (I already purchased the Student Windows 7 edition for my laptop).
**Are the academic versions of Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows XP Professional eligible for the Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Box Upgrade?**
I do not want to purchase the Upgrade retail box version to then learn the Academic version of XP and Vista are not eligible for the Upgrade version of Windows 7 Ultimate. Or will I need to purchase the Full Retail Box version to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate?
Having read some threads I am under the impression I won't have to purchase another copy of windows but I was wondering what I will have to do in order to continue using the same copy of windows.
Some people have indicated that I will need to contact Microsoft but I couldn't determine if they meant the automated phone number used to activate Windows or if was another number?
I have bought a upgrade version win 7 ulimate 32 bit, but i want to install a 64 bit one. So can i download a full version 64 bit, and use the license key of upgrade version? Will WAG block it?
I have upgrade my computer (E6750 to i5 750, 3G DDR2 to 4G DDR3) and I am thinking about upgrading to 7 64bit. Currently I have a dual boot system with XP Home 32 and Vista Home Premium 32. I want to upgrade the Vista to Window 7 64 and leave the XP there.
I am wondering can I but the upgrade version for the job?
I was stupid enough to purchase a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate full version for my computer from someone on Craigslist. This copy was brand new and sealed. I thought it was legit. I completed wiped my computer clean and installed the software. Everything went fine - until after about a month I started getting this message saying "Must Activate Computer." After talking to Microsoft, this software was legit, but it is something called a developer's copy and it blocked my activation code because I wasn't using certain features because I wasn't supposed to have a copy like this. Of course I tried contacting the person - who is now ignoring all my e-mails. In any event...I want to go purchase a legit version from a store but am not sure what I need. I can currently use my computer, but it is operating illegally from the Windows 7 Ultimate that was installed. I do not need ultimate...home premium is fine.
1) Do I need an upgrade version or a full version?
2) What can I do with this developer's copy of Ultimate? Can I sell it anywhere to someone who is allowed to use it? I"d like to get something for it to help pay for the new one.
I am Currently running Windows XP Pro. I know I qualify to buy the Windows7 upgrade editions. I plan to install it on a new hard drive but the old hard drive will be there for upgrade verification. What happens if I later decide to wipe out my Windows 7 installation and do a fresh install? Or if my hard drive craps out and I need to do a fresh install? At that time I will not have an activated Windows XP os. Would I be better off with a full version of Windows 7?
I have read here over the past few months that just about every upgrade disc of Windows allows a clean version install from within an already running copy of Windows. Has anyone tried this yet with Windows 7?
I've got the RTM version of Windows 7 installed currently obviously and would like to know if I can just buy the upgrade and not the full version (trying to save my pennies).
