Windows 7 - Clean install with Upgrade version..

.it now appears that there is no need to pay for a full version.. you can do a clean install with the upgrade version with no need to show you have an XP or Vista system already..just use the upgrade key provided.

Yes, however I am certain you will still need the full version to keep it activated and get the full features, correct?

No, that doesn't seem to be the case. it seems that Microsoft has proven very generous and are allowing clean installs with the upgrade media and keys. I think they are just happy to have the revenue and a little less piracy that they are just letting it go.

It's bizarre - go to an online store and you can buy full or upgrade, one half the price of the other and they are the same product.

Yep, it is indeed strange. But in some respects, I think Microsoft understood the outrage customers were complaining about with having to double install and I think they just cut their losses and made it work...regardless of the situation. And it's probably likely going to result in more sales for their products.

Heck, I'm mad now because of the ulcers I've gotten trying to figure all this out. lol
Never the less... My upgrade disk will be here tomorrow. will there be two disk 32-64 or just one with two different keys depending on which version we chose to install?

Another question. I am going to go with the 64 bit, so do I just boot dvd first and start the install or will I have to go into Windows first?

You will have 1 key and both discs. You can boot from whichever one you want to install.

Hi everyone,
This is not necessarily the case. Clean install from upgrade disc only seems to work with a previous version of windows on the drive already (not necessarily activated). I did a lot of testing on this tonight when I tried to upgrade my primary workstation after resetting my RAID array (completely blank, no partitions, no data etc).

Please take a look here:
Doing a Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Aaargh, so if you install the upgrade version on a nice newly formatted hard disk without entering the key and then install it again with the key it works.

Bonkers. Only Microsoft could have done this - it's ridiculous.

That may be true...but in the end you end up saving half the money for using 15-20mins more of install time

I will take the cash