Vista: am I going to need the full version, or can I get the upgrade?

[kcmunchkin]

I have an OEM Windows XP Home w/SP2 disk that I installed on my current
machine roughly a year and a half ago. This is an actual Windows disk
and not a recovery disk or anything like that.

My question is this: I am planning on building a new machine to handle
Vista...will I be able to just buy the Vista upgrade and do a "clean
install" on the new machine?

My understanding of a "clean install" is that I'd stick the Vista
upgrade into the machine and, before it would install it, it would ask
for my earlier version of Windows just to verify that I have an earlier
version of Windows.

Would I have any problem considering that it's an OEM Windows XP Home
disk?

Would it recognize that the disk is tied to another machine and not let
me install Vista?

How does a "clean install" (full install) with an upgrade disk work,
anyway? Is there a downside to doing it this way? Does it actually
install files from the XP disk?

What would you guys do?

Best regards,
EM

 

[Malke]

I have an OEM Windows XP Home w/SP2 disk that I installed on my
current
machine roughly a year and a half ago. This is an actual Windows disk
and not a recovery disk or anything like that.

My question is this: I am planning on building a new machine to
handle Vista...will I be able to just buy the Vista upgrade and do a
"clean install" on the new machine?

(snip)

Post in one of the Vista newsgroups where you'll get the attention of
lots and lots of people who have experience in doing what you want to.
Here are the groups:

microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
microsoft.public.windows.vista.administration_account
microsoft.public.windows.vista.hardware_devices
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
microsoft.public.windows.vista.mail
microsoft.public.windows.vista.networking_sharing
microsoft.public.windows.vista.performance_maintenance
microsoft.public.windows.vista.print_fax_scan
microsoft.public.windows.vista.security

Malke

 

[Alias~-]

I have an OEM Windows XP Home w/SP2 disk that I installed on my current
machine roughly a year and a half ago. This is an actual Windows disk
and not a recovery disk or anything like that.

My question is this: I am planning on building a new machine to handle
Vista...will I be able to just buy the Vista upgrade and do a "clean
install" on the new machine?

My understanding of a "clean install" is that I'd stick the Vista
upgrade into the machine and, before it would install it, it would ask
for my earlier version of Windows just to verify that I have an earlier
version of Windows.

Would I have any problem considering that it's an OEM Windows XP Home
disk?

Would it recognize that the disk is tied to another machine and not let
me install Vista?

How does a "clean install" (full install) with an upgrade disk work,
anyway? Is there a downside to doing it this way? Does it actually
install files from the XP disk?

What would you guys do?

Best regards,
EM

I am going to wait at least until SP2 for Vista is out if I even get it
then.

Alias

 

[kcmunchkin]

(snip)

Post in one of the Vista newsgroups where you'll get the attention of
lots and lots of people who have experience in doing what you want to.
Here are the groups:

microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
microsoft.public.windows.vista.administration_account
microsoft.public.windows.vista.hardware_devices
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
microsoft.public.windows.vista.mail
microsoft.public.windows.vista.networking_sharing
microsoft.public.windows.vista.performance_maintenance
microsoft.public.windows.vista.print_fax_scan
microsoft.public.windows.vista.security

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

so, you're saying that you're not sure about the answer to my question?

 

[kcmunchkin]

(snip)
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general

this group would make the most sense, but it doesn't seem to exist on
google groups.

 

[antioch]

Try this then

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.vista.general

Antioch

 

[kcmunchkin]

Try this then

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.vista.general

thanks!

em

 

[ByTor]

thanks!

em

or

Instead of crappy Outhouse Express opening up, setup your news reader to
access <news.microsoft.com> No authentication required.

 

[Tom Willett]

She's saying *this* isn't the newsgroup to ask the question. Go to the ones
she provided!

 

[Kerry Brown]

I don't think anyone can answer your question until the retail upgrade
version of Vista is actually released. I can tell you that according to the
OEM license for XP this would not be a legal upgrade from a licensing
perspective. The OEM XP Home license you have cannot be transferred to
another machine therefore it can't be used to upgrade another machine.

 

[kcmunchkin]

I don't think anyone can answer your question until the retail upgrade
version of Vista is actually released. I can tell you that according to the
OEM license for XP this would not be a legal upgrade from a licensing
perspective. The OEM XP Home license you have cannot be transferred to
another machine therefore it can't be used to upgrade another machine.

thanks. i wasn't clear about how the whole thing worked in regards to
xp, either.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I don't think anyone can answer your question until the retail upgrade
version of Vista is actually released.

Right! However...

I can tell you that according
to the OEM license for XP this would not be a legal upgrade from a
licensing perspective.

....it's very likely that the same rules will apply in Vista. Microsoft does
not normally change this sort of thing with each new release.

But before you decide whether to get a Full version or an Upgrade, wait to
find out what you can upgrade from. Even if what I say above turns out to be
true, depending on what you can upgrade from, it might be cheaper to buy a
used copy of a qualifying previous version and an Upgrade to Vista.