Upgrading RC2 Ultimate (32-bit) to Final Home Premium (32-bit)

[Guest]

I hope this is possible. I am currently running RC2 Ultimate (but not using
any of the Ultimate features), with many dozens of my work/research
applications properly installed, configured, and running under it, and would
like to upgrade to the final release, which I am about to receive from
Moduslink https://upgradeweb.moduslink.com/Vista/ in a few weeks (this will
be the Home Premium 32-bit edition). I hope the "upgrade" will be smooth,
otherwise please let me know what are the necessary steps/measures to take to
upgrade my existing RC2 and keep all installed applications? I don't won't to
buy or upgrade to the final Ultimate edition. Home Premium is all what I
want. Thanks.

 

[Mike Brannigan]

I hope this is possible. I am currently running RC2 Ultimate (but not
using
any of the Ultimate features), with many dozens of my work/research
applications properly installed, configured, and running under it,
and would
like to upgrade to the final release, which I am about to receive
from
Moduslink https://upgradeweb.moduslink.com/Vista/ in a few weeks
(this will
be the Home Premium 32-bit edition). I hope the "upgrade" will be
smooth,
otherwise please let me know what are the necessary steps/measures
to take to
upgrade my existing RC2 and keep all installed applications? I don't
won't to
buy or upgrade to the final Ultimate edition. Home Premium is all
what I
want. Thanks.

Firstly unless you have an installed copy of a qualifying OS such as
Windows XP you will not be able to perform and upgrade (as an RC is
not a qualifying product), secondly you cannot down grade to a lower
spec version of Windows so you will not be able to go from Ultimate to
Home Premium.

If you wish to use your upgrade DVD then you will have to start the
process from within a running valid, activated and genuine Windows XP
install.

Your only option to avoid reinstalling your apps is to buy a full
retail version of Ultimate and use that to perform and "upgrade".

 

[Guest]

Many thanks. I do have a genuine qualifying OS (XP MCE) that came with my new
laptop, and that's the reason I am receiving the Home Premium upgrade.
However, I replaced it on the day I received the laptop in December 2006 with
RC2 Ultimate that I had downloaded from Microsoft in October 2006. Now
looking at your "solutions", this seems to me like an unfair treatment by
Microsoft for its customers, and I'd better look for some other OS in the
future (free or from Apple) rather than buy a so-called "Ultimate" OS I don't
need from you.

 

[Gary Mount]

I installed Home Premium from my Vista Ultimate RC2 install. I used the
migration wizard to collect my files and settings.
I have to reinstall any applications that are not included in Vista, such as
Office.
I thought I would have to reinstall Windows XP or Windows 2000 then run the
install from there, but I had problems installing Windows 2000 so I just
tried the install from RC2, and it worked.

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much. This is much more promising than the previous reply, but I
still need a solution that can preserve my 88+ third-party applications that
are currently installed under RC2. Re-installing and re-configuring them is
not that easy and could literally take more than 7-10 days, and I don't
really have that time to spend again re-installing the same apps from scratch!
Thanks again, Gary. Yours, --MB

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much. This is much more promising than the previous reply, but I
still need a solution that can preserve my 88+ third-party applications that
are currently installed under RC2. Re-installing and re-configuring them is
not that easy and could literally take more than 7-10 days, and I don't
really have that time to spend again re-installing the same apps from scratch!
Thanks again, Gary. Yours, --MB

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Many thanks. I do have a genuine qualifying OS (XP MCE) that came
with my new
laptop, and that's the reason I am receiving the Home Premium
upgrade.
However, I replaced it on the day I received the laptop in December
2006 with
RC2 Ultimate that I had downloaded from Microsoft in October 2006.
Now
looking at your "solutions", this seems to me like an unfair
treatment by
Microsoft for its customers, and I'd better look for some other OS
in the
future (free or from Apple) rather than buy a so-called "Ultimate"
OS I don't
need from you.

There is nothing unfair here - the upgrades are more tightly checking
that you qualify for the upgrade by only running from within a valid
genuine qualifying OS.
You chose to remove your OS and use a pre-release product that there
was never any guarantee that you would be able to upgrade from - that
is why they are usually marked for evaluation and testing and not for
production use etc.
Also you are in a situation that is well understood in all other
operating systems such as Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 etc in
that a downgrade to a lower spec SKU is never enabled except by a full
reinstall.

In future you need not look for another OS, you just have to have
little more understanding about using pre release test software on a
production machine that you are not willing to rebuild or loose data
from.

 

[Peter M]

On a side note, moduslink has been saying to many email/phone requests about
shipping from many users... it's going to be "sometime" March when they ship
so forget the "couple of weeks".

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Thanks very much. This is much more promising than the previous
reply, but I
still need a solution that can preserve my 88+ third-party
applications that
are currently installed under RC2. Re-installing and re-configuring
them is
not that easy and could literally take more than 7-10 days, and I
don't
really have that time to spend again re-installing the same apps
from scratch!
Thanks again, Gary. Yours, --MB

Not much more promising as this is just a new install of Vista NOT
using an upgrade disk. The poster used a full retail copy and you can
select to install not as an in place upgrade but to a new Windows
folder and the old one is moved to Windows.old. You will still have
to reinstall all your apps - even after using the settings and
Transfer Wizard to gather your desktop settings, profile and some data
files.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft forced us to the RC2 Ultimate by not providing us with keys to the
other editions in the same download (I tried the key I was e-mailed from MS
on an RC2 Home Premium install and it didn't work, so I had to install the
Ultimate edition. Microsoft also promised on its Web site that there would be
an upgrade path from RC1/RC2 to the RTM. The SKU downgrade issue is debatable
as it's just when people are moving from a higher to a lower spec edition...
A Google search will tell you what I mean. Thanks for your help. This will
probably be Microsoft's last full OS, so I'll have to look for another proper
OS in the future anyway. Cheers, --MB

 

[Rock]

I hope this is possible. I am currently running RC2 Ultimate (but not using
any of the Ultimate features), with many dozens of my work/research
applications properly installed, configured, and running under it, and
would
like to upgrade to the final release, which I am about to receive from
Moduslink https://upgradeweb.moduslink.com/Vista/ in a few weeks (this
will
be the Home Premium 32-bit edition). I hope the "upgrade" will be smooth,
otherwise please let me know what are the necessary steps/measures to take
to
upgrade my existing RC2 and keep all installed applications? I don't won't
to
buy or upgrade to the final Ultimate edition. Home Premium is all what I
want. Thanks.

See this link about upgrade paths:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx\

Unfortunately RC1 is not a qualifying OS for the use of an upgrade edition
of Vista. Also RC1 is Ultimate, so the only way to do an in place upgrade
from RC1 to Vista is to use a full version of Ultimate.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft forced us to the RC2 Ultimate by not providing us with keys to
the
other editions in the same download (I tried the key I was e-mailed from MS
on an RC2 Home Premium install and it didn't work, so I had to install the
Ultimate edition). Microsoft also promised on its Web site that there would
be
an upgrade path from RC1/RC2 to the RTM. The SKU downgrade issue is debatable
as it's NOT just when people are moving from a higher to a lower spec
edition...
A Google search will tell you what I mean. Thanks for your help. This will
probably be Microsoft's last FULL OS, so I'll have to look for another proper
OS in the future anyway. Cheers, --MB