Vista & Office '07 upgrade from OLD machine's Win2K & Office 2K Pr

[Guest]

Dear all,

The Windows Vista site suggests there's an upgrade price if I'm moving up
from Windows 2K Professional. My Recovery Disks are from way back in the year
2000, and came with a ThinkPad. But of course my ThinkPad isn't going to run
Vista -- it'll be a new machine, possibly barebones.

I want both 64-bit and 32-bit, so I'm going to buy this retail.

The question is: Can I now buy RETAIL Vista at the UPGRADE price? Or is MS
going to stick me with the full retail price?

Is there any kind of warning when I buy the upgrade that it can only be
installed on the original machine?

Finally, this 'upgrade' question applies to my MS Office 2000 Professional
Edition CDs. I can't imagine they are identified as OEM, since they aren't
recovery disks.

Thanks for the help and best wishes.

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Windows Vista upgrade versions require that the qualifying product be
installed on the machine before you can accomplish the upgrade. There are
work arounds the by pass this though. You cannot upgrade from Windows 2000,
please not, you cannot upgrade to Vista x64 either, which requires a clean
installation.

As for Office 2007, you should be able to use your Office 2000 OEM disk as a
qualifying product when asked during setup, Microsoft has not put any
limitations in that area based on my experience.

Upgrade paths for Windows Vista:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx

 

[kevpan815]

Dear all,

The Windows Vista site suggests there's an upgrade price if I'm moving up
from Windows 2K Professional. My Recovery Disks are from way back in the year
2000, and came with a ThinkPad. But of course my ThinkPad isn't going to run
Vista -- it'll be a new machine, possibly barebones.

I want both 64-bit and 32-bit, so I'm going to buy this retail.

The question is: Can I now buy RETAIL Vista at the UPGRADE price? Or is MS
going to stick me with the full retail price?

Is there any kind of warning when I buy the upgrade that it can only be
installed on the original machine?

Finally, this 'upgrade' question applies to my MS Office 2000 Professional
Edition CDs. I can't imagine they are identified as OEM, since they aren't
recovery disks.

Thanks for the help and best wishes.

A Computer That Did Not Come With OEM Windows XP Will Most Likely Not Be
Able To Run Windows Vista RTM, Because What You Really Need Is A Year
2005 Computer Or Newer In Order To Run Windows Vista RTM, Just FYI.

 

[Guest]

Andre, thanks. But this is STILL somewhat confusing.

1. The Vista Upgrade page clearly states that Windows 2000 can be upgraded.
2. There's a difference between RETAIL upgrades and OEM upgrades in price.
3. The Windows Marketplace Vista Upgrade page has this to say, which
suggests to me that it is possible to install the RETAIL upgrade on another
computer. Can anyone verify or refute this?

"Can I upgrade to a 64-bit edition of Windows Vista if I update my machine
to a 64-bit processor down the line?
"Yes, if your machine has a 64-bit processor and is capable of running the
64-bit edition of Windows Vista, you can upgrade to the 64-bit edition of the
Windows Vista product that you purchased, in accordance with the license
terms of your product. Remember: you need to be running a 64-bit Windows
operating system to install your 64-bit Windows Vista edition. You can do
that if you have a 64-bit Windows Vista DVD (For the price of shipping and
handling you are entitled to a Windows Vista DVD with your Windows
Marketplace purchase. See below for more information). Also, in accordance
with the transfer rights contained within the license you purchased, you can
transfer this upgrade to a different PC, installing either the 32-bit or
64-bit edition on that PC. Please refer to the Microsoft Software License
Terms of the product license to determine the terms for either of these
options.
http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/content.aspx?ctId=395

 

[ray]

Dear all,

The Windows Vista site suggests there's an upgrade price if I'm moving up
from Windows 2K Professional. My Recovery Disks are from way back in the year
2000, and came with a ThinkPad. But of course my ThinkPad isn't going to run
Vista -- it'll be a new machine, possibly barebones.

I want both 64-bit and 32-bit, so I'm going to buy this retail.

The question is: Can I now buy RETAIL Vista at the UPGRADE price? Or is MS
going to stick me with the full retail price?

Is there any kind of warning when I buy the upgrade that it can only be
installed on the original machine?

Finally, this 'upgrade' question applies to my MS Office 2000 Professional
Edition CDs. I can't imagine they are identified as OEM, since they aren't
recovery disks.

Thanks for the help and best wishes.

There have been numerous posts to this newsgroup indicating that the
upgrade package will indeed do a fresh install.

Your best bet for an ms office upgrade is probably to install
OpenOffice.org - at least it won't cost you anything but a few minutes of
your time.

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

1. The Vista Upgrade page clearly states that Windows 2000 can be upgraded.

Thats not entirely true, you can upgrade to a specific SKU, in this case
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise or Ultimate, suppose decided to choose
another SKU such as Home Premium or Home Basic?

2. There's a difference between RETAIL upgrades and OEM upgrades in price.

There is no such thing as an OEM upgrade, OEM Windows is a full version of
the software, but it cannot upgrade existing installations of Windows,
only clean installs, its cost less though. Retail FPP Full Package Product
versions of Vista, can upgrade.

3. The Windows Marketplace Vista Upgrade page has this to say, which
suggests to me that it is possible to install the RETAIL upgrade on another
computer. Can anyone verify or refute this?

Your OEM copy of Windows 2000 is tied to the machine it was installed and
sold on, you can't transfer it or use it as a substitute to install an
upgrade version of Windows Vista on a new machine.

Windows Vista x64 based on my experience can only do clean installations,
you cannot upgrade from 32 bit versions of Windows or from Windows XP
Professional x64.

 

[cvp]

Claptrap! Just FYI.