Anybody know how the Win7 install will work?

I have preordered the Win7 upgrade comming in October (I have selected the download option), will it be an iso file to burn to a dvd? And I imagine that I will have to restore the backed up image of my Vista install before I try to install the Win7 dvd made from the downloaded file when I finally get it? Does that sound like it's how it is going to work? Thanks

Hi,
Yes, The Downloadable file will be an ISO image that can be easily written to a DVD.
For the Second question Im not pretty sure on this because i havent tried this before, but i think that backing up is always a good option. But Not entirely necessary. A pro would be helpfull to you in this situation.

try this for more http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy...grade-faq.aspx

Thanks Crypto, that's what I thought. But does anybody know, will I have to restore my saved Vista image or just need the key # that came with my Vista software when I install the new Win7 dvd?

fyi, burning windows 7 at 6x speed works best

Any Guru's out there? Will I need to restore my saved Vista image or just need Vista's product key when I get and install Win7 in October?

The confusion over the 'upgrade' process is why I'm about 99% sure I'm canceling my pre-order (and the one for my dad). NOBODY can say for sure how the upgrade will work, on top of that, I now plan on installing on a new build anyway, so I'll go OEM for a disc as I'll have issues with installing/activating XP on the new machine.

Does anyone know, is the family pack going to be full-install licenses or will it be upgrades?

I'm pretty sure the Family Pack is made of upgrade licenses, just like all the pre-orders.

The upgrades are supposed to require a prior genuine version of Windows. No place has said it's based on a prior key. Some places have said all you'll need to do is insert a prior genuine disc during install when asked. And the places that most seem to cite Microsoft indicate you'll need a prior genuine activated version of Windows running for the upgrade to work.

Now, you can of course do a backup image of this prior genuine version first if you want.

The main thing worth noting is probably that MS has said an activated copy of the Windows 7 Release Candidate will be recognized as a legitimate prior, activated, genuine version of the OS by the upgrade media. The upgrade media will still mandate a fresh install (like if you're coming from XP), but it will work with the activated RC.

Anyway, to really answer the original question, it's necessary to know what you're running now, and if you're on Vista, the RC, etc.

It might be possible to indeed just insert your prior Vista disc, but it's repeatedly sounded like it's an activated install that's necessary this time around. If restoring an image would take a long time, you could probably just quickly install and activate the RC and go from there, for example.

The RC will only activate until March, then it's done. I'm running XP on another partition, but that poses another problem since it's an OEM, so I'd have to install, call MS to activate on a new build then install 7 which will wipe out the install I did.

I'll wait to buy until I buy parts for my build, it may be more expensive but I'm assured I can install it...

Hi,

I know you already have a saved image - this is for anyone else reading this thread :

It is always a good idea to make a backup image in case things don't go as planned.

Best to use a program that lets you get individual files and folders out of the image , if you need to.

If you restore the entire image- you will replace your 7 installation with the contents of the image and be back where you started.

An excellent program is the free version of Macrium Reflect:

Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

For those who currently have Vista installed, Windows Easy Transfer may aso be useful.

Put the 7 dvd in the drive and run migwiz.exe inside the Sources folder ( or copy the Migwiz folder to the Vista drive - the Downloads folder is fine, and run it from there ).

Tell it you are on your OLD computer and select what to back up and where to save the backup.

When 7 is installed - then run Windows Easy transfer from within your New 7 install, tell it you are on your NEW computer and follow instructions to transfer from the saved backup to your new install.

To use the 7 upgrade dvd:

There will certainly be the function to install as a nin place upgrade over a qualifying version of windows.

There will also be ways to perform a clean install.

Ms has not yet specified how this will be done.

It may be sufficient just to put a dvd in the drive of a qualifying version ( 200, XP , Vista, RC ) , or you may need a product key as well.

It is not clear if the double install dance that you can do with a Vista upgrade license will still be an option with the 7 upgrade license.