I don't remember when the installer asks for the key but the validations does not occuyr until the install is done and you are booting so it's aone way street.
The best way to handle this is to use a different hard drive or make an image backup of your current drive before starting the install.
I don't get it--
If the install asks for the key after booting then how could the thing be installed on a second or any other drive than the boot drive partition?
I have a scheduled image to my wife's computer every night but I'm not sure I care to rely on installing Acronis on the 'new' OS and going for the image restore.
Or, I could just look at this whole thing as an exploration into the unknown with probable awful consequences ;-)
Mark
NO, as you will need to reformat the current drive first.
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
Re: Acronis, no need to install it. Boot the Acronis install CD or create an Acronis Recovery CD and boot it. Either will allow you restore the image.
The answer to your macro question is: YES, you can use either 32 bit or 64 bit with each Win7 license.
So if you find the 64 bit installer, save a Win7 backup image in addition to your Acronis, then boot the DVD to clean reinstall. Unless you wipe the HD first, the installer will see Windows on the drive and allow use of Upgrade version key up front; otherwise wait until afterwards to insert it and do one of the workarounds in the Clean Install tutorial posted earlier.
Thanks to all...I'm back from the gym and have decided that life can be complicated enough without me tempting further complications.
After posting this message I'm deleting the 64 bit file that I downloaded earlier.
If I decide to go ahead with a 64 bit install I will purchase a new MS disk.
Mark
They may sell you just the install media if you tell them you want to swap 32 bit for 64. I would certainly not pay for a new license just to change bit-versions, unless you want a second copy for elsewhere.
So following the reply from Greg...
>>>>The answer to your macro question is: YES, you can use either 32 bit or 64 bit with each Windows 7 license.<<<<<
So I wouldn't need to 'trick' the install and MS, when I enter my same key used several years ago for the Vista-->Win7 32 bit upgrade, would remove their association of that key from the 32 bit version to a new 64 bit version?
>>>>>So if you find the 64 bit installer, save a Windows 7 backup image in addition to your Acronis, then boot the DVD to clean reinstall. <<<<<<
Clarification by (my) restatement: The 64 bit installer to which you refer is the ISO file that I've downloaded and is the Windows 7 image to which you refer--it is the image that I will burn to a DVD becoming the boot/install media that will 1) recognize that I have a valid Win7 (upgrade) install, 2) initiate the drive reformatting, perform the 64 bit install and finally request entry of the Key?
Regarding using the Acronis boot CD--I had a bad experience some years back booting from the imaging rescue CD (a much earlier version of either Ghost or Acronis) and then it being assumed by the software that I knew all the proper networking jargon and syntax to map the computer to my wife's. I ended up aborting and restoring the computer to the OS from the hidden partition.
I just created a boot DVD from my current '10 version of Acronis and will later this day boot from the thing as a test 1) of the DVD's integrity and 2) hopefully the DVD's advanced intelligence ;-).
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