Questions about the XP-to-VISTA upgrades I now see offered . . .

[Stan Shankman]

Greetings,

I have a question about upgrade coupons.

If you go to Newegg (or presumable many other places), you will find offers
to buy XP OEM disks now that will come with an upgrade coupon. Then, once
VISTA is released to the public, you can use that upgrade coupon (along with
a "nominal fee") to upgrade to VISTA.

This is what I would like to do:
I want to buy a full version copy of Windows XP-Pro SP2b and get a coupon.
Then, once I have received my new VISTA, I want to move that SP2b disk to my
existing XP-Pro SP1 computer. (I will be running VISTA on a new 64-bit
machine.) You see what I'm getting at? I want to replace the old disk in my
X- Pro SP1 box with the new SP2b disk. My understanding is that I should be
able to "slip stream" the old disk up to a SP2b level, so I believe this
disk replacement is entirely within the rules.
The other reason I want to go this route is because I think that by so
doing, I can save some money.

So here are my questions:
1. Can I get a coupon with the full version of XP-Pro? (As opposed to the
OEM version.)
2. Will I indeed save some money?
3. Is my "plan" to move the XP-Pro SP2b disk over to my old computer a good
one? - Will it work the way I wish it to?

I will sit back and read the answers.
Thanks everyone,

- Stan

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

The short answer is no.

I recommend that you simply buy the version of XP (OEM) that can be upgraded
to the version of Vista you plan to wind up with, knowing that the XP will
not be usable on another computer afterwards. The coupon you will get will
be determined by the edition of XP you buy, so don't expect to buy XP Home
OEM and be able to use the coupon to get Vista Buisness or Ultimate unless
NewEgg specifically says you can pay extra and do that. The resellers have
quite a lot of latitude with these coupons so be careful.

The problems with your proposal are:

1. You may not use an OEM XP SP-anything cd to install XP on the new
machine and then move it to any other machine after upgrading to Vista.
Once installed, OEM licenses may not be transferred to another computer.

2. You may not transfer an XP full editon to another computer after using
it as the basis for a Vista upgrade. The XP license will be voided by the
upgrade.

Is the problem that you don't have any OS for a new computer that you
already have and it is still a couple of months before you can get Vista?
I'm all for buying Vista full edition up front if you can wait.

 

[Stan Shankman]

Colin,



I don't think you fully understand what I was asking.



1. I want to know if it is possible (from whatever merchant) to purchase a
copy of the full version of XP-Pro (with SP2b), and receive a coupon that I
can use to get a copy of VISTA. NOT AN OEM VERSION,
BUT A FULL VERSION.



2. Then, after receiving my new Vista OS, the old XP-Pro license would no
longer be valid (since it was used in an upgrade) - and I understand that,
but would it at least be possible for me to exchange that disk for the one
that I already own (and have a license for) in my other computer's XP-Pro
box. I simply want to replace an XP-Pro SP1 disk for the new XP-Pro SP2b
disk.



Got it?



- Stan

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Yes I fully understood you.

1. No.

Not under the present coupon program. It is for OEM's. System Builders.
It is not a retail offering. The retail XP editions don't qualify.

2. No.

This is moot because of the answer to #1 and the fact that there are no XP
SP2b retail editions. Take another look at NewEgg. None of the retail
boxes say "SP2b". They all say just "SP2."

SP2b just has a lot of recent updates rolled up for the convenience of OEM's
so that when a user starts up his new machine he won't see as many updates
coming down via automatic updates. All the bits are the same. There is
nothing at all in b that you don't get via the download route.

And Plan B was....?

 

[xfile]

Hi,

As far as I know which could be wrong, the media itself (DVD or CD) is not
an issue, it is the product key, and if you want to use XP SP2 disk, you can
even create a slipstream version of it from the original CD.

 

[Michael D]

The upgrade coupons are "only" for OEM systems.

Colin,



I don't think you fully understand what I was asking.



1. I want to know if it is possible (from whatever merchant) to purchase a
copy of the full version of XP-Pro (with SP2b), and receive a coupon that
I can use to get a copy of VISTA. NOT AN OEM
VERSION, BUT A FULL VERSION.



2. Then, after receiving my new Vista OS, the old XP-Pro license would no
longer be valid (since it was used in an upgrade) - and I understand that,
but would it at least be possible for me to exchange that disk for the one
that I already own (and have a license for) in my other computer's XP-Pro
box. I simply want to replace an XP-Pro SP1 disk for the new XP-Pro SP2b
disk.



Got it?



- Stan

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

That is not what he want to do. He is thinking that SP2b is a good catch
and is trying to combine getting a Vista upgrade coupon and a retail SP2b.
He will shortly catch on that there is no retail SP2b. Give him a minute to
work it out.

 

[xfile]

ok and thanks.

That is not what he want to do. He is thinking that SP2b is a good catch
and is trying to combine getting a Vista upgrade coupon and a retail SP2b.
He will shortly catch on that there is no retail SP2b. Give him a minute
to work it out.

 

[Mountain Man]

"Windows XP-Pro SP2b " does not exist.
It is Windows XP Pro SP2

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

XP Pro SP2b is available to OEM's. It is SP2 with a rollup of about 60
critical patches that have released since SP2 came out in 2004.