Clean install via Upgrade DVD?

[Daze N. Knights]

I came across these instructions in another forum and thought I'd (just
for the heck of it) repost them here for comments:

----------QUOTE--------------

a.. Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program.

a.. When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click "Next"
and proceed with setup. This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.

a.. When prompted, select the edition of Vista which you have purchased and
continue with setup.

a.. Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop
for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.

a.. This time, type in your product key when prompted.

a.. When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install,
choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. Yes, this
means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.

a.. Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to
activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old
directory which contains information from the first Vista install.

---------UNQUOTE-----------------------------

 

[Daze N. Knights]

Heh. I see that Dustin Harper has now posted a link to this trick in
another thread here. It is:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932

 

[Mike Brannigan]

If you boot from an Upgrade DVD and you are NOT changing platform such
as going from x86 to x64 - the setup stops and tells you to restart it
from inside your installed OS, you cannot continue from their. These
instructions are flawed.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Please disregard my last post on this thread. I missed the fact they
don;t bother with the product key so forcing a new install and then
redo the install again (as the upgrade).
Still not really "clean" as when you do the upgrade from within your
running OS you can still select to not do an inplace upgrade and it
places your old XP in a Windows.old.
I assume this is a "clean" install if you have already used another CD
or program to wipe the harddisk first (they appear to not mention this
step)

 

[Rock]

Please disregard my last post on this thread. I missed the fact they don;t
bother with the product key so forcing a new install and then redo the
install again (as the upgrade).
Still not really "clean" as when you do the upgrade from within your
running OS you can still select to not do an inplace upgrade and it places
your old XP in a Windows.old.
I assume this is a "clean" install if you have already used another CD or
program to wipe the harddisk first (they appear to not mention this step)

Except with this procedure the qualifying OS is not seen. What now prevents
someone from installing the qualifying OS in a dual boot situation or on
another computer? It was only speculation but it was thought that with the
upgrade being done while the qualfying OS was installed, MS could see the
product key and block it from subsequent activation.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

The point is not to enter the pk. In that event a "full" edition is
installed. Since Vista is an upgrade path to Vista, the second installation
IS run from a desktop. The first install's desktop.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

The qualifying OS would be the product-keyless Vista installed on the first
run. Since the second is run from the desktop of the first, Setup would not
search for any other Windows. I am waiting to see what happens at the
30-day mark for the first install since that "license" is the one tied to
the first. I don't see how an unactivated license can survive as the base
for an upgrade license. It might, and it might be one big MS goof, but
we'll see. I wouldn't advise naive users to do this because the final word
may not be in on this one.

 

[Daze N. Knights]

Interesting thought, Colin . . .

The qualifying OS would be the product-keyless Vista installed on the
first run. Since the second is run from the desktop of the first, Setup
would not search for any other Windows. I am waiting to see what
happens at the 30-day mark for the first install since that "license" is
the one tied to the first. I don't see how an unactivated license can
survive as the base for an upgrade license. It might, and it might be
one big MS goof, but we'll see. I wouldn't advise naive users to do
this because the final word may not be in on this one.

 

[Rock]

Yep this one needs to play out. One question though,when the upgrade is
started from the desktop of the product keyless Vista install, why doesn't
it check to see that the qualifying OS isn't activated? It checks to make
sure that XP is activated, right, and if it's not it won't go ahead.