Vista Volume License

[Guest]

I purchased what I thought was a full version of Windows Vista Business
Volume license CD. I also purchased the Volume License to go with it. When I
received the media, it is labeled Microsoft Windows Vista Business Upgrade.
My volume license says the same thing. I have not opened it yet in case I
have to return it. Does the upgrade look for a previous version of Windows
before it will install? I am trying to build an image from scratch. Thanks.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I purchased what I thought was a full version of Windows Vista Business
Volume license CD. I also purchased the Volume License to go with it. When I
received the media, it is labeled Microsoft Windows Vista Business Upgrade.
My volume license says the same thing. I have not opened it yet in case I
have to return it. Does the upgrade look for a previous version of Windows
before it will install? I am trying to build an image from scratch. Thanks.

It sounds like you've been scammed/defrauded.

To the best of my knowledge, all Microsoft Volume licenses are
Upgrades, and can be purchased only in increments of 5. Did you
purchase this license from an authorized Microsoft VL reseller?

Microsoft Licensing
http://www.microsoft.com/LICENSING/default.mspx

Product Information Center - Microsoft Licensing Program Resellers (U.S.
Only)
http://www.microsoft.com/products/info/render.aspx?view=22&type=mnp&content=22/licensing


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Guest]

Yes. I purchased it from our vendor. We have been dealing with them for
years. They are MS VL authorized.

 

[BigJim]

my vista is a volume license and it is a full install disk.

 

[Guest]

This is what I was afraid of. I'm sure I'll have to do back flips to return
it for the correct one. Argh!

 

[Guest]

Just got out of a conference call with the vendor we purchased Vista from and
a Microsoft Lincesing rep. Apparently, you cannot purchase a full copy of
Vista Business. They are only offering it as an upgrade. They never did this
with XP or 2k. What's going on?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Just got out of a conference call with the vendor we purchased Vista from and
a Microsoft Lincesing rep. Apparently, you cannot purchase a full copy of
Vista Business. They are only offering it as an upgrade.

Yes, that's the way Volume Licensing has worked for quite some time
now; as an upgrade license only. Granted, the VL installation media for
Win2K and WinXP could be used to perform clean installations, but you
still had to maintain the original, qualifying licenses for auditing
purposes (one of the conditions of the volume license).

They never did this
with XP or 2k.

Actually, they did.

What's going on?

Nothing new, unless the Vista VL installation media has been designed
to perform only clean installations (unlikely - few businesses would
find this acceptable); it's been like this for all of WinXP's existence,
and - I'm 95% certain - for Win2K's.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

That is the way Volume Licenses for Microsoft operating systems work
and it is not new to Windows XP.
The Volume Licenses are sold as an upgrade to be installed on
computers already with a qualifying operating system.

The only change may have been the way the media responds.
With Windows XP, a Clean Installation could be performed with upgrade
media, the same is not true with Windows Vista when the upgrade
Product Key is input.

 

[Joe Morris]

WallyG wrote:

Yes, that's the way Volume Licensing has worked for quite some time now;
as an upgrade license only. Granted, the VL installation media for Win2K
and WinXP could be used to perform clean installations, but you still had
to maintain the original, qualifying licenses for auditing purposes (one
of the conditions of the volume license).

I think there is some confusion between the media with the license.

Assuming that the OP (Wally) is running under an EA or SELECT agreement
(possibly Academic?) the rules of the game FOR LICENSING are that the volume
license can be used only on computers for which a full Windows license has
previously been purchased. From that standpoint the volume license is, in
fact, an "upgrade only" product. That, as you (Bruce) say, is nothing new.

However...it's the *license* that is being upgraded. At least in the SELECT
and EA environments I've been working with for the past decade or so, there
is no restriction saying that you have to actually upgrade an existing
image: you're still within the license terms if you use the volume media to
make a fresh load for brand-new disks IF the computer already has a license.
Thus, my shop buys new computers with Windows licenses, but our provisioning
process blows away everything that the OEM vendor put on the hard disk and
replaces it with an image we've built from volume media.

Now...the recent change: beginning with Vista, Microsoft is shipping only
upgrade Windows media with the SELECT, EA, and Academic distributions.
Volume customers who want the full install media download it directly from
the secured Microsoft web site.

Just now I went out to the download site and verified that it offers Vista
Business in both full and upgrade mode, in both DVD and CD image format
(plus a full version DVD for 64-bit systems).

Your VAR may or may not carry the full installation media, or perhaps your
organization's volume license does not include the full Vista Business
product -- but it does exist. Find whoever in your organization is the
licensing specialist; that person should be able to tell you whether your
VAR or the Microsoft licensing rep is blowing hot air.

Joe Morris

 

[...winston]

Joe,
A similar install method is used with large corporations that buy OEM machines(Compaq, Dell, Micron) for deployment across existing or new machines for multiple users. This same method was in place on XP and W2K. Note: In some cases a separate addendum/supplemental(contract/line item purchase order specification) to the VAR could be in place or required to have full access to the media.

The practice is not routinely common nor are all avenues of Msft support aware of supplemental agreements between msft and a private/public business entity.

..winston


: > WallyG wrote:
:
: >> Just got out of a conference call with the vendor we purchased Vista from
: >> and a Microsoft Lincesing rep. Apparently, you cannot purchase a full
: >> copy of Vista Business. They are only offering it as an upgrade.
:
: > Yes, that's the way Volume Licensing has worked for quite some time now;
: > as an upgrade license only. Granted, the VL installation media for Win2K
: > and WinXP could be used to perform clean installations, but you still had
: > to maintain the original, qualifying licenses for auditing purposes (one
: > of the conditions of the volume license).
:
: I think there is some confusion between the media with the license.
:
: Assuming that the OP (Wally) is running under an EA or SELECT agreement
: (possibly Academic?) the rules of the game FOR LICENSING are that the volume
: license can be used only on computers for which a full Windows license has
: previously been purchased. From that standpoint the volume license is, in
: fact, an "upgrade only" product. That, as you (Bruce) say, is nothing new.
:
: However...it's the *license* that is being upgraded. At least in the SELECT
: and EA environments I've been working with for the past decade or so, there
: is no restriction saying that you have to actually upgrade an existing
: image: you're still within the license terms if you use the volume media to
: make a fresh load for brand-new disks IF the computer already has a license.
: Thus, my shop buys new computers with Windows licenses, but our provisioning
: process blows away everything that the OEM vendor put on the hard disk and
: replaces it with an image we've built from volume media.
:
: Now...the recent change: beginning with Vista, Microsoft is shipping only
: upgrade Windows media with the SELECT, EA, and Academic distributions.
: Volume customers who want the full install media download it directly from
: the secured Microsoft web site.
:
: Just now I went out to the download site and verified that it offers Vista
: Business in both full and upgrade mode, in both DVD and CD image format
: (plus a full version DVD for 64-bit systems).
:
: Your VAR may or may not carry the full installation media, or perhaps your
: organization's volume license does not include the full Vista Business
: product -- but it does exist. Find whoever in your organization is the
: licensing specialist; that person should be able to tell you whether your
: VAR or the Microsoft licensing rep is blowing hot air.
:
: Joe Morris
:
: