Windows 7 *Upgrade* Download Links

Hi guys,

I've run into a little trouble and hopefully someone will be able to help me out here.

I've just finished building my new PC and, surprisingly, it boots. I have a Windows 7 Upgrade Disc (x86) which I bought a few years ago when I upgraded to 7. Because this is x86 and my new PC is x64, I needed a new disc. I downloaded a Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 ISO from DigitalRiver, but unfortunately, it's a retail disc, and won't work with my upgrade key.

I spoke to MS this morning and they said I needed to buy a new disc. Luckily they weren't trying to get me to buy a new license, just the disc. But it's still a cost I'd rather not pay to be honest.

Does anyone know where I could download an ISO image of a Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Upgrade Disc?

Thanks in advance.

I'm fairly sure this doesn't violate the forum rules...

Tom

tom982 said:

Hi guys,

I've run into a little trouble and hopefully someone will be able to help me out here.

I've just finished building my new PC and, surprisingly, it boots. I have a Windows 7 Upgrade Disc (x86) which I bought a few years ago when I upgraded to 7. Because this is x86 and my new PC is x64, I needed a new disc. I downloaded a Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 ISO from DigitalRiver, but unfortunately, it's a retail disc, and won't work with my upgrade key.

I spoke to MS this morning and they said I needed to buy a new disc. Luckily they weren't trying to get me to buy a new license, just the disc. But it's still a cost I'd rather not pay to be honest.

Does anyone know where I could download an ISO image of a Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Upgrade Disc?

Thanks in advance.

I'm fairly sure this doesn't violate the forum rules...

Tom

I used an oem upgrade key with an oem clean install disc and it activated. Is this upgrade key from a retailer or was it an oem upgrade key? If it is retail, then it seems like it would activate with a retail clean install disc Try entering in your upgrade key into Windows Anytime Upgrade and see if it will work.

It's a retail upgrade key. Slight oxymoron there. I bought it from Software4Students about a year ago now :)

tom982 said:

I downloaded a Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 ISO from DigitalRiver, but unfortunately, it's a retail disc, and won't work with my upgrade key.

That's bizarre Tom - it should work - what sort of error message did you get?

I had a laptop that came with a Vista OEM and 7 Upgrade Disk. I wiped the laptop, used a digitalriver Home Premium SP1 ISO and activated it with the upgrade key - no trouble at all.

See this:
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Regards,
Golden

Mine isn't an OEM upgrade disc, it's a normal upgrade disc Windows kicked up a fuss when I tried to update as it wasn't activated yet, saying how I might have a counterfeit disc and all that. It then the activation data in the bottom corner of my desktop: build, not activated etc.

When I clicked activate it said something about how you're not allowed to use an upgrade key with a retail disc. Exactly the same as the error in that tutorial:



Thanks for the link Colin! It's exactly what I'm after :) "Activation was successful". Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you one!

If anyone else has this problem, the registry fix in that link solved it for me.

Tom

Yeehaa! Great news.

Alejandro85 said:

But keep in mind that by doing so equals to cracking the system and turning your legal copy illegal. The upgrade disk is not meant to be used in a new PC, but rather when you already have an working copy of XP or Vista and want to convert it into Win7.

I have a full Vista license. I don't have any x64 discs because the only x64 PC in my house is OEM. So I didn't have the option to upgrade from a copy of Vista, as I only had x86. I'm fully entitled to be running Windows 7 and wouldn't consider it to be illegal in any way :)

gregrocker said:

Then you qualify to use Upgrade version and can of course Clean Install it without installing Vista first, as long as you leave the Product key blank during install and then do the Option 2 or 3 workaround in Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version to activate Upgrade version on a new or wiped HD.

This is because the installer will not see an OS when booted to install and thus will reject the Upgrade key until the workaround is done which is provided to save consumers trouble if they need to replace their HD, etc.

The installers are all the same with some versions hidden in each - it is the key which determines which version - Upgrade or full, retail or OEM - will activate.

Thanks for the info Greg! I didn't have an upgrade disc to clean install with, I only had a retail disc - which is where the problem was :)