Confused on what version of windows 7 to buy.

Ok i dont have a retail version of either xp or vista so im guessing OEM (Home premium as its the cheapest) is the best option.

Fruito said:

Thanks for the swift replies but you say retail upgrade licence, does that require a version of windows already installed, since my new pc has nothing on it, just bought all the parts and put it together, no os is installed. So would the upgrade version work for instance its £40 on software4students and since im a student thats a big saving.

Did you read my post:

If you have any retail copy of XP or VIsta (installed or not) that you won't use while it is qualifying for Upgrade version, then I'd buy Upgrade version. The best deal now is the Home Premium Family 3 pack of Upgrade licenses for about the price of one license. Google to get the latest pricing.

Any friend or family member who has an old copy of XP or Vista can also gift it to you to qualify. You only need to have it on hand, not installed. This is on the honor system.

I must have not refreshed, Ill ask around. How do you go about using the old copy to get the upgrade to work if its not installed?

You don't "use" the old copy. You just have to "have" it---as Greg said, it is on the honor system.

If you buy an upgrade version, you will likely have to do a registry fix to activate it. Takes about 1 minute.

Are there are any tutorials as to what i do for the registry fix or can it easily be explained?

Have a look here: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Personally, I'd rather pay the extra for a full version over an upgrade version just to make the installs quick and easy without having to do any extra steps or worrying about having a qualifying OS. But thats just me. From what I've seen with retail versions get you both a 32 bit and a 64 bit DVD. With OEM you only get the one DVD and have to pick 32 bit or 64 bit. Your product code is still good for either one, but you just get the one DVD. I think most people go with OEM as its cheaper than retail versions. That was one of the reasons I bought an OEM version.

Fruito said:

Are there are any tutorials as to what i do for the registry fix or can it easily be explained?

As the new MOBO has a uEFI BIOS, you need to work those two tutorials together.
How to install Windows 64 bit on a uEFI BIOS:
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - Install Windows 7 with
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

uEFT BIOS setup: you will find a video on Asrock website.

Ok if i find a copy of xp or vista, i am going to go for the digital download from the student site since there cheaper, so the download versions the same but you just have to burn it to disk. Dont have to have retail version to do this?