Windows Vista Business Upgrade

[Brian P Fielding]

We have just received an Action pack which includes 10 licences for Vista
Business Upgrade.

Reading the article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919183 it indicates
that this upgrade is only applicable to "Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Edition with SP2".

Excuse my simplicity: Does this mean that the upgrade cannot be used (i.e.
will not upgrade) on PCs/Laptops with Windows XP Professional (with only
SP1 or no Service Pack) or be applied to a PC with Windows Vista Home
Premium.

Thanks
Brian

 

[John Barnes]

That applies to upgrading. You should still be able to do a custom install
from the older desktop. So far, no one here has indicated otherwise, but
not much has been available to test. If you do a custom install from XP
earlier that SP2, could you please post back. Many here are going to have
to load earlier versions and if they have to go thru the whole update
process may decide to go full version to save the time. Thanks

 

[MICHAEL]

We have just received an Action pack which includes 10 licences for Vista Business Upgrade.

Reading the article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919183 it indicates that this upgrade
is only applicable to "Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition with SP2".

Excuse my simplicity: Does this mean that the upgrade cannot be used (i.e. will not upgrade)
on PCs/Laptops with Windows XP Professional (with only SP1 or no Service Pack) or be applied
to a PC with Windows Vista Home Premium.

As far as XP is concerned, you've got to be "genuine". WGA has
to validate your OS.


-Michael

 

[Brian P Fielding]

Accepted and fine by me - although I certainly don't want to go through
installing XP and then upgrading to Vista.

Do you know if Vista Home Premium can be upgraded by this Vista Business
Upgrade ?

Thanks
Brian

 

[Dirk-Thomas Brown]

Will this mean action pack subscribers will only get upgrades? If so no
CLEAN install?

Dirk-Thomas

 

[Pete]

or be applied to a PC with Windows Vista Home Premium.That is my main question too.

 

[Brian P Fielding]

I will do so.

We have 3 laptops which have XP sp1 and I cannot install sp2 as it causes a
driver issue with some specialised scanners. Strangely(?) these scanners
work fine (no driver issues) with Vista (at least with the RC1 and RC2
Ultimate versions)

Thanks
Brian

 

[Conor]

We have just received an Action pack which includes 10 licences for Vista
Business Upgrade.

Reading the article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919183 it indicates
that this upgrade is only applicable to "Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Edition with SP2".

Excuse my simplicity: Does this mean that the upgrade cannot be used (i.e.
will not upgrade) on PCs/Laptops with Windows XP Professional (with only
SP1 or no Service Pack) or be applied to a PC with Windows Vista Home
Premium.

You need to have Windows XP or above installed and validated.

You can sort of do a clean install but you must run setup from a pre-
installed and activated OS. It will install to the partition you select
but not format it, instead sticking c:\windows, c:\program files and c:
\documents and settings folders (including subfolders) in a windows.old
folder thus isolating the old version from the new install.

 

[MICHAEL]

I don't think so.

Vista Business can only be upgraded to Ultimate,
I bet Vista Home Premium is the same.

-Michael

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> "Dirk-Thomas Brown"

Will this mean action pack subscribers will only get upgrades? If so no
CLEAN install?

Looks that way, yes. Dropped the value of an Action Pack significantly.

 

[John Barnes]

Most upgrade versions can do a custom install, not familiar with this
version. Custom gives you an os in the same shape as a clean install
previously did.

 

[JamesB]

Please check your last MAPS and you will see XP was an upgrade version most
likely. All MAPS are now upgrade only and you must uninstall any XP's you
have when your subscription renews. Once your new MAPS shows up you no
longer have a valid license to run XP from your earlier MAPS.

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> "JamesB"

Please check your last MAPS and you will see XP was an upgrade version most
likely. All MAPS are now upgrade only and you must uninstall any XP's you
have when your subscription renews. Once your new MAPS shows up you no
longer have a valid license to run XP from your earlier MAPS.

That depends on when your MAPS started. Mine includes an OEM edition
(for testing purposes only -- Read: learning to deploy OEM
installations), and XP Full licenses, not upgrades.

In addition, the licenses are perpetual, as long as I maintain an action
pack subscription. However, if I let it lapse, I have to cease using
the action pack provided licenses.

 

[Guest]

Yes, the Vista Version included in the action pack is of no use for IT Pros.
Even if you do a custom install, you need to have a Windows XP Version
installed.

The DVD is bootable, but if you enter the serials, it says that this version
can only be installed via an existing Windows. You are not able to format the
harddisk, even during custom installation, so a clean install is not possible.

You have to install a clean Windows XP now on every system, bevore I try
Vista on it! The action pack was meant for IT Pros, for testing and
evaluation! Or did I get something wrong?

The odor of the pack that has now been delivered smells that bad. I was just
thinking about toying around with the actual Linux release instead of this
insanity, or changing my actual orders to a Mac Notebooks.

What a laugh, when the installation shows you messages like "Save time ...
user friendly ... easy".

 

[Conor]

The action pack was meant for IT Pros, for testing and
evaluation! Or did I get something wrong?

You got it wrong. It was meant for businesses to be able to demonstrate
Windows and MS Office software to customers.

 

[DevilsPGD]

In message <[email protected]> Conor

You got it wrong. It was meant for businesses to be able to demonstrate
Windows and MS Office software to customers.

That would not appear to be consistent with Microsoft's documentation.

https://partner.microsoft.com/40016472

Q: "How can I use the software provided in the subscription?"
A: "The software included with the subscription can be used for internal
business use, testing, evaluation, demonstration, training, and
educational purposes only. For example, you can use the Action Pack
software to host your company's intranet but it cannot be used to host a
commercial website. This is considered a production environment that is
outside the scope of the software's intended purpose."

Demonstration is one accepted user. Testing and evaluation is another.
So is internal business use and training (my personal uses)

 

[simon]

I think it's pretty sh*t too. I had to install xp then upgrade yesterday
just to get it going.
Oh and if you use business contact manager for outlook don't even bother
installing on a production pc it as it breaks that completely.
simon

 

[Guest]

I have business machines with media applications. Now I have to go out and
buy an Ultimate upgrade. Why is MS trying to crap on us with Vista?

 

[Rock]

I have business machines with media applications. Now I have to go out and
buy an Ultimate upgrade. Why is MS trying to crap on us with Vista?

Why do you need Ultimate? Business doesn't have media center but that
doesn't necessarily mean you can run "media applications" whatever those
might be.

 

[BSchnur]

You don't get the Vista equivalent of Media Center, but you do get the
Vista equivalent of Media Player...