Question regarding upgrading from Vista to Seven

For a quick test, PuppyLinux is a good choice. If you want to stay on Linux, a full Ubuntu version is probably preferable.

whs said:

t-4-2 said:

Cindi said:

Stormy13, thank you for your reply. It's a Dell OptiPlex 755. $199 was the cheapest I saw. I won't be using the pc other than browsing the internet (youtube, facebook, reading e-mails and newspapers). If there is a cheaper version of Seven for these purposes (yb, fb, listening music, videos), please let me know.
if I purchase that "Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 32-bit - OEM" disc from that link, will I be able to put in the disc drive and install it over Vista without any issues? $99 is a good price.

Bobkn, thank you for your reply. There is no any kind of sticker on the computer except a sticker that says OptiPlex 755. It did not come with any books or discs. I do not have extra money to buy a new computer but if I can afford the $99 Windows 7 disc if I can be able to install it on this computer: Dell OptiPlex 755 which I purchased for $100. As you can see, if I don't do this $99 install, the Dell computer I bought will be a waste.

Thank you,
Cindi

Perhaps you should stop any notion of installing Windows 7.

You cannot upgrade or install a legally licensed Win7 on a computer that is NOT working.
From what you wrote in your first post, you couldn't even start the computer.

Maybe I misunderstand. But why can't he install e.g. an OEM Windows7 - provided his PC is physically working.

bobkn said:

t-4-2 said:

You cannot upgrade or install a legally licensed Win7 on a computer that is NOT working.
From what you wrote in your first post, you couldn't even start the computer.

I don't speak for Cindi, but that's not what she wrote. Vista is installed, but it won't run because it has not been activated and the 30 day grace period has expired. (Appears to be from a slightly crooked swap meet seller.)

I've never tried Ubuntu (Linux) myself, but I'm tempted to recommend it. It's free:

Homepage | Ubuntu

You can even run it from a CD or USB flash drive without installing it on the PC, if you'd like to try it without affecting the system hard drive drive. That'd be one way to find out if you could live with it, without much cost. It's a 600+ MB download, though.

This is how I understand it, please correct me if I am wrong......
Until the computer can be activated, it is not a working computer.
If it is not a working computer, it cannot be considered as a valid qualifying previous version of Windows.
And the OP does not have the product key either.
Who knows if that " vista " is genuine or not.

excerpt from:
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
Remember that you need a valid qualifying previous version of Windows to use a Upgrade Windows 7, and to stop using (or uninstall) the qualifying OS while you have the upgrade installed. Microsoft only made doing a clean install from a upgrade Windows 7 possible to make it more convenient so you do not have to reinstall both the old Windows version (ex: Vista) and upgrade to Windows 7 everytime you needed or wanted to reinstall.

If you do not have a valid qualifying previous version of Windows, then you are violating the terms of Microsoft's Windows 7 End User License Agreement and could get your product key number invalidated by Microsoft. Plus, it is considered illegal.

This is how I understand it, please correct me if I am wrong......
Until the computer can be activated, it is not a working computer.
If it is not a working computer, it cannot be considered as a valid qualifying previous version of Windows.
And the OP does not have the product key either.
Who knows if that " vista " is genuine or not.

That is a correct statement. But it was suggested that he buy a new OEM Win7 (which costs about the same as an upgrade). And that should work. Right?

T-4-2 is correct about these pre-qualifications to use Upgrade version, which are on the honor system.

OEM version would be fine.

Don't forget to follow Stormy's advice to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows.

It will tell you what you need to know about running Win7 on that Dell.

If you believe it is ok to install a Windows 7 over an un-activated Vista which may or may not be genuine and without a product key, go ahead and tell the OP.

During the installation of an OEM Win7, the installer will erase whatever was on the partition before. So it does not really matter whether that was a valid system or not. If you want to make double sure that the disk is kosher, you can always erase it beforehand with e.g. the bootable CD of partition wizard. Then there is no trace of history.

George Herzog said:

I've used both Puppy Linux and Ubuntu Linux. Puppy Linux is intended for computers that retain their original OS (like Windows) and is booted from a CD. It is very limited. If Cindi wants to try Linux, she might locate a local Linux User Group and have them help her with installation.

Otherwise, it seems she might as well go forward with the $199 W7 Home Premium and overwrite everything on the harddisk. The only cheaper option is to buy a 3 pack of W7 updates from XP and/or Vista and have two others pay for the remainder. But if she has no documentation or registration for the installed Vista, the upgrade might balk.

Why pay $199 for a retail version if a $99 OEM version does the same thing.