Vista to W7 upgrade


  1. sargan
    Posts : 164
    W7 64 bit ultimate
       New #1

    Vista to W7 upgrade


    I have a PC with full legit W7 Ultimate installed.
    I also have a currently unused full legit Vista license. (originally came with PC .. I bought new OS not upgrade)

    I am building a new PC and wish to use the W7 license so I can put 64bit W7 on my new PC ... easy enough as it will be a clean install and I can use original install disk, it allows for 32 or 64bit install.

    The Q is the existing PC will then be 'unlicensed' ... when I bought it, it came with VISTA license ...

    For this old PC .. to pass it on to family ...can I -

    Opt A ... if I buy a Vista to W7 upgrade, can I apply this license without having to reinstall. ? (as this was a recent clean install)

    Opt B... if not can I re-install W7 and apply the upgrade license without having to install Vista first ? For obvious reasons I don't want to install Vista then upgrade to W7 ... prefer the clean install that exists?

    Hopefully this explanation is clear.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  3. Petey7
    Posts : 2,963
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       New #2

    You may be able to change the liscence key without having to reinstall. If you go to Control Panal > System. If you scroll down you should see a link that says Change Product Key. You can also do a clean install. Personally, I would do a clean install so that who ever inherits the laptop can have a fresh start. For either method I recommend using Option 3 of the tutorial linked below. I can say that I have used it successfully on more than one occasion.

    Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

  4. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #3

    If you buy Ultimate Upgrade, then do the workaround Petey showed you above, it should accept the Upgrade version key at the Change Product Key link on System page.

    When you activate the full version on it's new hardware, you'll likely have to make the robocall to change the hardware signature in MS Activation servers, deactivating the old install if it hasn't had it;s activation changed already.
      My Computer
    Quote Quote

 

  Related Discussions
Hi. I have Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM (with free Windows 7 upgrade). I want to reformat the computer. After installing Vista, do I need to download Vista updates, before installing Windows 7? Or just immediately install Windows 7 after Vista? Also, how often do you do a fresh...
I have 2 netbooks with windows7 starter edition on them, I reently purchased an upgrade family pack from Ebay and mistakenly didn't releaze it was software to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows7 Home Premium edition. Before I break the seal, I was wondering if this would work, can I use this...
Upgrade to Win 7 over Vista
in Installation & Setup

I'm thinking of installing win 7 over Vista on a HP laptop. I would do it as an upgrade in order to keep all the included software, drivers etc that came with the machine. Has anyone tried this approach and what problems am I likely to encounter? If evereything goes belly up, can I then revert to...
Vista x64 IE8 upgrade to W7
in Network & Sharing

I currently use both the IE8 x32 and x64 browsers on Vista. I purchased the W7 from Microsoft which I am supposed to receive by 22 Oct. After I upgrade to W7 will both the x32 & x64 browsers be included in the update. I am in the USA Thanks
Upgrade from Vista
in General Discussion

I have three machines in my house running Seven. However I will focus on two. 1.) MSI Mobo, AMD 4200+, 2GB RAM, etc. (Look in my stats for the desktop) 2.) HP 6735s, AMD Turion X2, 2.5GB RAM, 256MB Dedicated Radeon HD 3200. The MSI ran Windows Vista Ultimate 32 bit. I had everything I...
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

 © Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:06.
Find Us