Upgrading - what disc qualifies for upgrade version?

[Test Man]

Quick question(s).

I already know that the only editions of Windows that qualifies for the
upgrade version is Windows 2000 and XP. What I want to know is do you need
the original Windows discs, or can "Recovery CDs" be used? Also if Windows
is already installed on machine, will this qualify (so no need for an
original CD)?

 

[Conor]

Quick question(s).

I already know that the only editions of Windows that qualifies for the
upgrade version is Windows 2000 and XP. What I want to know is do you need
the original Windows discs, or can "Recovery CDs" be used? Also if Windows
is already installed on machine, will this qualify (so no need for an
original CD)?

It requires a valid and activated installation. There are no media
checks done as in previous versions of Windows. Unless you've got a
Win2k or activated XP installation on the computer you want to apply
Vista Upgrade to, you can't install it.

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

Vista will only upgrade on a fully installed and validated version of XP or
Win 2000.. gone are the days when you could borrow a CD of an earlier OS..

For more, go here..

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeinfo.mspx

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

In order to upgrade from Windows 2000 or Windows XP,
one of those qualifying operating systems must already be
installed. You begin the upgrade process at the desktop by
inserting the Windows Vista upgrade DVD in the DVD player,
then select upgrade.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

Quick question(s).

I already know that the only editions of Windows that qualifies for the
upgrade version is Windows 2000 and XP. What I want to know is do you need
the original Windows discs, or can "Recovery CDs" be used? Also if Windows
is already installed on machine, will this qualify (so no need for an
original CD)?

 

[Test Man]

Yeah, just been searching in this newsgroup and pretty much confirmed your
post.

So basically you can only upgrade in-place (as in from the desktop) of
Windows XP. You can clean-install with 2000 or XP already on the machine
with an upgrade disc. However, if it doesn't find an existing installation
of Windows 2000 or XP (however you try and install it) it won't continue.

Is that correct?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Yes, that is correct.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

Yeah, just been searching in this newsgroup and pretty much confirmed your
post.

So basically you can only upgrade in-place (as in from the desktop) of
Windows XP. You can clean-install with 2000 or XP already on the machine
with an upgrade disc. However, if it doesn't find an existing installation
of Windows 2000 or XP (however you try and install it) it won't continue.

Is that correct?

 

[Test Man]

Thank you. You (Carey) and Mike have been very very helpful!

 

[Richard Urban]

Neither can be used.

You must have a legal and validated Windows XP operating system installed on
your computer. You then start the Vista upgrade install from within Windows
XP.

The install checks to make certain that your Windows XP O/S has been
validated (legal). If it isn't, the upgrade install will likely not
continue.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Test Man]

Hi again
Was looking through Microsoft's Support webpage and came across this -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930985/en-us - does this apply to the
upgrade version? Cos this would be a big departure from before if you can't
clean-install using an upgrade disc.

Thanks again.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Yes, the article applies to the upgrade version of Vista.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

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

:

Hi again
Was looking through Microsoft's Support webpage and came across this -
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930985/en-us - does this apply to the
upgrade version? Cos this would be a big departure from before if you can't
clean-install using an upgrade disc.

Thanks again.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

If "clean install" means to you a reformat before installing the OS, then
you cannot do that with an x86 upgrade edition. I believe that you can with
an x64 upgrade edition. Be aware that MS considers a custom install without
a reformat (and the old files rolled up into a windows.old folder before
installing the OS) a "clean install."

Vista is installed by different methods than XP and earlier Windows. It is
no longer necessary to format the drive in order to get a clean install of
the OS. Formatting is inherent in the image used to install the OS.

This is a departure and a much needed one. It simplifies the IT
department's deployment time, expense, and maintenance hugely.

 

[Guest]

Hi Carey:
I have 3 MCE2005 computers that I am thinking of buying the Vista
Ultimate Upgrade O.S. with option of 2 Vista Home Premium licenses for $50
ea. The MCE2005 O.S. on my computers were installed from 3 purchased OEM
cds. Do these computers qualify to purchase the Vista Ultimate Upgrade with
2 Home Premium additional licenses @ $50.00 ea. ?

xiowan..........in tucson

 

[Rock]

Hi Carey:
I have 3 MCE2005 computers that I am thinking of buying the Vista
Ultimate Upgrade O.S. with option of 2 Vista Home Premium licenses for $50
ea. The MCE2005 O.S. on my computers were installed from 3 purchased OEM
cds. Do these computers qualify to purchase the Vista Ultimate Upgrade
with
2 Home Premium additional licenses @ $50.00 ea. ?

xiowan..........in tucson

Sure, it doesn't matter if the qualifying OS is OEM or retail. And for all
three you can do either an in place upgrade or a custom install.

 

[Guest]

Hi "Rock":
Thanks for the answer. I guess Vista Ultimate and 2 Vista Home Premium
operating systems for $359 isn't TOO bad......that works out to
$120/ea.....only $11 more than the MCE2005 was at $109. Wonder if I can use
upgrade licenses and still dual boot with the current MCE2005 licenses in
case the DRM issue turns out to be too much of a problem and I want to go
back to MCE2005?

xiowan...........in tucson

 

[Rock]

Hi "Rock":
Thanks for the answer. I guess Vista Ultimate and 2 Vista Home
Premium
operating systems for $359 isn't TOO bad......that works out to
$120/ea.....only $11 more than the MCE2005 was at $109. Wonder if I can
use
upgrade licenses and still dual boot with the current MCE2005 licenses in
case the DRM issue turns out to be too much of a problem and I want to go
back to MCE2005?

No you can't. The license for the qualifying product is subsumed into the
Vista license when using an upgrade - they become one The basic rule is
this - there can only be one install per license, so it's one XP or one
Vista but not both.

Now if you remove one of the Vista installations you can go back to MCE.
That Vista Home Premium upgrade copy can then be sold or used to upgrade a
different qualifying OS.

 

[William]

Or Windows 2000 installed on the hard drive.

Neither can be used.

You must have a legal and validated Windows XP operating system installed on
your computer. You then start the Vista upgrade install from within Windows
XP.

The install checks to make certain that your Windows XP O/S has been
validated (legal). If it isn't, the upgrade install will likely not
continue.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

If you purchase an upgrade edition then the upgrade will be to the system
volume and there will be no more MCE to dual boot with. If you want to dual
boot you need a full edition license of Vista and perform a clean install of
Vista to another volume.

 

[Rock]

Hi "Rock":
Thanks for clearing up my question. I'm trying to figure out how to
preserve 5 hard drives with recorded video & music and 2 hard drives in
RAID
0 with the O.S. and software on them when I change over to Vista. I had
hoped to use a separate primary partition I saved on the RAID 0 array for
Vista and preserve the MCE2005 on another "primary" partition on the same
array........just in case Vista proved to have too many undesireable
problems. I like to record over the air tv programs on one of the RAID
0
volumes and then transfer them to a storage drive if I want to keep them.
This eliminates any need to defragment the storage drive and requires very
infrequent defragmenting of the RAID volumes since they seldom accumulate
large amounts of fragmented files from TV recordings. The RAID 0 set-up
with
large stripes allows very fast video transfers(2-3 mins for 3 hr
recordings).
Overall, I am very happy with MCE2005 but do really want to upgrade to
the
better security protection and future-proofing that Vista offers. If I
understand it right, I can dual boot only if I buy one of the full
version
of Vista and not an upgrade version.......or is that allowed or possible?

Yes, dual booting with XP is ok, but you will need the full version of Vista
for it. As I said before, using the upgrade the XP license is subsumed into
the Vista license, and as long as Vista from the upgrade is installed, the
XP version cannot be installed.

There are some downsides to dual booting with XP (unless you take certain
steps). In the dual boot whenever the XP OS is booted, all system restore
points, shadow copies of files and backups made in Vista that are stored on
drives visible to the XP system when it boots are automatically deleted.
There is nothing you can do about this and it won't be changed. To preserve
the system restore points, shadow copies of files and backups, you have to
hide the Vista installation from XP. Using bitlocker on Vista can do this,
or use a 3rd party boot manager to hide the Vista partition. This issue has
been discussed extensively in here before. If you want more info search for
the posts on this by Colin.

 

[Guest]

Hi again "Rock":
Can a Vista Home Premium OEM O.S. be used on the same pc with a MCE2005
OEM O.S. for dual-booting? I know you said "full version, not upgrade" but I
am not sure if OEM is considered a full version. I understand I would not be
able to use the Vista Home Premium OEM on any other computer like I could
with the full retail version, but didn't know if the Vista OEM could be
installed to a different partitition or would have to be installed on the
same partitition as MCE2005 and thus wipe it out.

xiowan..........in tucson

 

[Rock]

Hi again "Rock":
Can a Vista Home Premium OEM O.S. be used on the same pc with a MCE2005
OEM O.S. for dual-booting? I know you said "full version, not upgrade"
but I
am not sure if OEM is considered a full version. I understand I would not
be
able to use the Vista Home Premium OEM on any other computer like I could
with the full retail version, but didn't know if the Vista OEM could be
installed to a different partitition or would have to be installed on the
same partitition as MCE2005 and thus wipe it out.

OEM versions of Vista are only for use on a computer than has never had an
OS installed. An OEM version cannot do an upgrade. So if this is a new
computer on which an OS has never been installed, then there is no reason
why you can't do a dual boot of MCE OEM and Vista OEM.