I Upgraded to Vista Ultimate from Win2K, I cannot activate my inst

[Guest]

Probably already up here but who has 2 days to read all of the posts...

I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
crashed.

I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the Win2K install was not compatible
with Vista, I was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option
available to me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went
fairly well with the installation.

When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
done as a clean install.

Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
Did I miss something?
Will I need to purchase another Key?
Am I just SOL?

I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
have heard it all many times today already.

Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
subject matter.

Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

An upgrade version of Windows Vista is a license that lets you install Windows Vista
if you already own a compliant, licensed version of Windows. You can perform either
an upgrade installation or a custom installation of Windows Vista by using an upgrade
license. However, you must start the Windows Vista installation in the compliant version
of Windows.

If you own Microsoft Windows 2000, no upgrade installation path is available.
However, you can perform a "custom installation" that uses an upgrade license by
starting the installation in Windows 2000.

1. In Windows 2000, insert the Windows Vista DVD.
2. As you complete the steps on the Setup wizard pages, remember to select "Custom".

Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932616/en-us

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

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

:

Probably already up here but who has 2 days to read all of the posts...

I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
crashed.

I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the Win2K install was not compatible
with Vista, I was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option
available to me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went
fairly well with the installation.

When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
done as a clean install.

Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
Did I miss something?
Will I need to purchase another Key?
Am I just SOL?

I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
have heard it all many times today already.

Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
subject matter.

Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.

 

[Paul Smith]

The easiest way to get around this would be to put the Vista disc back in
the drive (from your existing Vista install), and tell it to install.

Let it go ahead and install and once is finished you should then be able to
activate.

Basically as Carey said, upgrade discs need to be launched from within the
OS they're upgrading, but the above work-around does work, luckily or else
you'd have to install 2000, and then Vista all over.

Yes, highly annoying is an understatement.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Sorry, but your suggestion is will not work. That so-called workaround
will not permit Product Activation as the activation servers have
been reprogrammed to reject an upgrade license if the qualifying
Windows license is not present in the system.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

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


The easiest way to get around this would be to put the Vista disc back in
the drive (from your existing Vista install), and tell it to install.

Let it go ahead and install and once is finished you should then be able to
activate.

Basically as Carey said, upgrade discs need to be launched from within the
OS they're upgrading, but the above work-around does work, luckily or else
you'd have to install 2000, and then Vista all over.

Yes, highly annoying is an understatement.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

 

[Paul Smith]

Sorry, but your suggestion is will not work. That so-called workaround
will not permit Product Activation as the activation servers have
been reprogrammed to reject an upgrade license if the qualifying
Windows license is not present in the system.

Thanks Carey, I must not of got the memo.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*