Installing on Barebones Machine using W7 Ultimate disk

I'm an instructor at a community college. I purchased a barebones machine from Tiger Direct thinking that I'd be able to install the W7 OS offered by my college bookstore. Now that I have the disk, I see that it's intended only for upgrade, not for initial install in a machine with no OS. It is marked "Pre-existing OS License Required (Product Key Required)." I'd like to take advantage of the excellent deal I got on this OS, but I don't think it will work on a machine that doesn't already have an OS with product key. What's the easiest and cheapest way to get Windows 7 installed on this machine? Should I buy an older OS and have the Ultimate disk overwrite it, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a complete Windows 7 OS?

See the sticky topic dealing with upgrades.

You will be able to install it.

Hey. Good to know that an instructor is crafty enough to buy a barebones. Good move man.

Doing a Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Interesting it has that extra warning on it. Let us know if it won't clean install to formatted metal using the sticky above; all of the activations workarounds (if needed) are in there, too.

I am zeroing my third HDD now to install an Upgrade from boot. Will report on sticky, but so far no one I've read in any forum has said it didn't work.