Upgrade:
Vista Anytime Upgrades FAQ:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/37070041-1b90-4433-be0c-ab2855841b981033.mspx
Upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/3af7e05f-4d2a-4af7-a168-9242f9093bb81033.mspx
Upgrade Paths from Previous Versions
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx
A list of Microsoft Knowledge Base articles is available to help you
troubleshoot error messages that you may receive when you use the Windows
Anytime Upgrade feature to upgrade Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930733/en-us
Downgrade:
I'm not sure why someone would want to have less features, but you could
downgrade. You could do it by formatting and completely reinstalling
Windows XP and then upgrade it to the desired upgrade edition. You could do
it by the unsupported workaround if you formatted, and then did the upgrade
without putting in the legacy OS:
MSFT has set up Vista so that *officially you do have to have the legacy OS
(XP in your case) installed/and activated on the partition you plan to
upgrade on. This workaround isn't supported by MSFT but it allows you to
install an upgrade without first activating the legacy OS (XP for most
people):
From Ed Bott's blog:
"This silly technical restriction is not required by the license agreement.
It's designed to frustrate anyone who wants to use the upgrade version on a
new PC without an operating system and get them to pay more for a full
version. But it's easily worked around." I agree.
3) However, unofficially, and MSFT is well aware of this, there is a
loophole. You can install the upgrade another way (without installing and
activating the legacy OS) and it has been discussed many many times on this
group and the Vista general group as well:
If you don't want to install and activate legacy media for the upgrade:
explains it best and includes good screenshots:
As Ed Bott writes in the link below:
"Your easiest option – by far - is to use the PC maker's system recovery
media to restore an image of Windows XP as it existed when you first got the
computer, and then install Vista. I can hear the complaints now: "That copy
is out of date. It's loaded with crummy, obsolete drivers and crapware."
Yes, I know. That doesn't matter. Every bit of that junk will be erased soon
enough. It will never get mixed with your new Vista setup."
We've had several links to the "Vista Upgrade loophole", but I think Ed Bott
co-author of Windows Vista Inside Out
Vista Hands On #4: Clean install with an upgrade key
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=196
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Articles on using the "workaround":
Workaround Discovered For "Clean Install" With Vista Upgrade DVDs
Microsoft Confirms Vista Upgrade Limitations (Updated with Workaround)
http://www.dailytech.com/Workaround...stall+With+Vista+Upgrade+DVDs/article5932.htm
Paul Thurrott / January 29, 2007
http://www.windowsitpro.com/mobile/pda/Article.cfm?ArticleID=95011&News=1
MSFT Ignores Vista Upgrade Loophole
http://www.mstalkonline.com/microsoft-ignores-vista-upgrade-loophole/
Good luck,
CH
