no RC to Retail?!

gregrocker said:

...How would the RTM be upgradable with the pre-order upgrade which will require a Vista or XP license confirmation?
....

The upgrade discs just need to see a "prior genuine version" of Windows. MS indicated the (activated) RC would actually be recognized as one. It doesn't sound like they actually look for "a Vista or XP license."

I'd assume there's a simple check for a minimum build (XP) and genuine status, and that's it. They'll only in-place upgrade coming from Vista though. Anything else and they force a fresh install -- that would mean the RC essentially gets handed like XP. The upgrade discs work, but make you fresh install. (But the upgrade discs won't work in the future if/when it's no longer possible to activate the RC.)

andych said:

It is really quite simple....yet you don't seem to want to listen.
As Snuffy said....use Easy Transfer....it will copy all your files and settings...it is configurable and it will work between 32 bit and 64 bit.
You will still need to re-install your programs (make sure you do this before transfering back all you files and settings) and you will need to back-up saved passwords etc for Firefox (use Mozbackup or something similar).
Same goes for E-mail...back up the pst and make sure you have all your e-mail configuration settings.
It really doesn't take long to back up all the items you need...and you should already have the main items backed up anyway.

Simply create a new partition and save all the backup items there and simply transfer it all back once you have done the clean install.

Andy, it's not that I did not want to listen, nobody could answer 100% for certain if easy transfer would work from 32 to 64. I know for a fact it does not work the other way around.

Last night I used it and it did transfer everything I needed (well, almost everything).

Thanks everyone for your comments and help.

Below are direct quotes from Microsoft's Windows 7 site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/faq.aspx

Can I upgrade from the RC to the final version of Windows 7?

When you install the final version of Windows 7, you'll need to do a clean installation. So plan on backing up your data then reinstalling your applications and restoring your data.



Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) Download Is No Longer Available

Remember expiration dates: Please plan ahead for when the RC expires. You'll get two weeks' notice, and then beginning on March 1, 2010, your PC will start shutting down every two hours. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. To avoid interruption, you'll need to rebuild your test PC to replace the OS with a valid version of Windows, and reinstall all your programs and data before the software expires.

xenos55298 said:

Below are direct quotes from Microsoft's Windows 7 site:

They still don't answer the many questions dealing with upgrade. They don't say whether or not you'll have to reinstall XP or Vista in order to use the upgrade media. My original guess was that the RC would not qualify and you'd need to install and activate XP or Vista in order to upgrade using the Windows 7 upgrade media. But some comments made in this thread start to change my mind. Microsoft could actually profit by allowing the RC to qualify. Because when the RC expires and can no longer be activated, the people who bought the upgrade will no longer have a basis for the upgrade. If someone who didn't own a previous version such as XP or Vista ever needed to clean install they'd need to buy the full OS too (even though they already bought the upgrade). Clever move by Micro$oft.

Afaik it used to be that you could just enter the previous media and upgrade would be allowed. But I think this has to change because of piracy issues. Anyone with a decent internet connection can download a copy of Windows illegally these days.

Ideally it would be possible to enter say your XP or Vista disc and a valid product key then be allowed to upgrade without ever having to install the prior operating system.