Windows Vista upgrade question

[Dave Phillips]

If I buy the upgrade and I want to do a clean install, will it just ask me
for a serial number from my copy of Windows XP?

 

[Dale]

You will have to install XP and run the upgrade from within XP. There has
been mentioned the possibility that 64 bit may be an exception but I have
not seen anything firm on that yet. X86 (32-bit) definitely has to be
installed from within Windows XP (or other qualifying version).

Dale

 

[Tom Porterfield]

You will have to install XP and run the upgrade from within XP. There has
been mentioned the possibility that 64 bit may be an exception but I have
not seen anything firm on that yet. X86 (32-bit) definitely has to be
installed from within Windows XP (or other qualifying version).

64 bit upgrade version can be started by booting from the DVD. But XP still
has to be installed as the upgrade will need to find the XP install on the
hard drive as verification that you qualify for the upgrade.

 

[Dale]

Thanks for clearing that up.

Dale

64 bit upgrade version can be started by booting from the DVD. But XP
still has to be installed as the upgrade will need to find the XP install
on the hard drive as verification that you qualify for the upgrade.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Darrel Gorter (MSFT) confirmed for us a couple of months ago that you have
to start the 64bit Vista upgrade edition from a dvd boot (x64 Setup won't
run on a 32bit OS anyway) unless you have the 64bit edition of XP installed.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

It should be possible to format the system volume prior to installing when
using the x64 upgrade edition. This is because the legacy OS is not running
so the system volume is not locked like it is when you run an x86 Setup from
within the legacy OS.

 

[Guest]

So, it is IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade to 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate from a
32-bit Windows XP Home edition, correct? Then if I bought the non-update
version of Windows Vista could I just do a clean install on my hard drive? I
want Windows VISTA Ultimate 64-bit because I've got a 64-bit AMD Athalon
processor. Please do tell.

 

[Tom Porterfield]

So, it is IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade to 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate from a
32-bit Windows XP Home edition, correct? Then if I bought the non-update
version of Windows Vista could I just do a clean install on my hard drive?
I
want Windows VISTA Ultimate 64-bit because I've got a 64-bit AMD Athalon
processor. Please do tell.

That is correct. That info has been on the upgrade page for Vista for quite
some time. The full version of Vista can do a clean install.

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

To begin with, thats the only way you can install Vista x64 to begin with
(clean install).

 

[Guest]

And what is the system memory requirements for Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
edition? I see a listing of 128GB+ I mean what does that mean? The HDD must
have 128GB free just for the Vista 64-bit OS?

 

[Dale]

Memory = RAM.

Disk space = HDD.

Ultimate 64-bit will support 128GB of RAM. The hard disk requirements are
much less than that. I don't know what the spec says but based on what
people say a clean install takes, I would assume that it requires about 20GB
or less to install.

Dale

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Vista Ultimate x64 handles a maximum of 128 GBs of Physical memory, the
minimum hard disk space required for installation based on my experience is
15 GBs, 10.1 to 11 GBs used by the OS. 40 GBs or more recommended for
productive use.

 

[Rock]

So, it is IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade to 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate from a
32-bit Windows XP Home edition, correct? Then if I bought the non-update
version of Windows Vista could I just do a clean install on my hard drive?
I
want Windows VISTA Ultimate 64-bit because I've got a 64-bit AMD Athalon
processor. Please do tell.

You can still use the upgrade version to install x64 Vista as long as a
qualifying product is present. It is quite a bit cheaper than the full
version. With the qualifying OS installed, in this case x86 version of
Vista, Boot from the DVD, enter the upgrade product key, it will see the
qualifying product is there, and allow you to do a custom install. The old
installation is wrapped up into the windows.old folder which can be deleted.
Nothing is brought to the new installation. Vista is installed by a imaging
or block copy process so the even with an OS installed the new Vista goes
down clean without bits of the old OS hanging around.

You can do either a custom install or upgrade with a full, retail version,
but the cost is much more.

 

[Rock]

So, it is IMPOSSIBLE to upgrade to 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate from a
32-bit Windows XP Home edition, correct? Then if I bought the non-update
version of Windows Vista could I just do a clean install on my hard drive?
I
want Windows VISTA Ultimate 64-bit because I've got a 64-bit AMD Athalon
processor. Please do tell.

One clarification, you can do an upgrade with a full version if the upgrade
path is allowed. In this case x86 to x64 does not allow the in place
upgrade.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses, however I am still wondering about a few things.
Right now I've got WinXP Home Edition 32-bit installed. It says I've got x86
in the system properties advanced tab. I've got 2GB installed RAM and want
to get WinVISTA 64-BIT Ultimate. SO basically, how do I do it?

 

[Rock]

Thanks for the responses, however I am still wondering about a few things.
Right now I've got WinXP Home Edition 32-bit installed. It says I've got
x86
in the system properties advanced tab. I've got 2GB installed RAM and
want
to get WinVISTA 64-BIT Ultimate. SO basically, how do I do it?

How to get it? Buy it. If you buy the retail Ultimate version, either
upgrade or full ( and since you have XP Home the upgrade version will work),
then it comes with both the x86 and x64 DVDs. Only one can be installed at
a time. If you buy any other upgrade version you get the x86 DVD and a
coupon to send off for x64 DVD for the cost of shipping.

If you buy an OEM version then all you get is the one DVD, so you would by
an x64 OEM version of Vista in whatever flavor you wanted.

Whether OEM or retail it has to be a custom install, you cannot, as is
pointed out earlier, do an in place upgrade from any qualifying OS to x64
Vista.