Home Premium and Professional switcheroo

JacobSevinski · 12 Jan 2010

Does anyone know if I can use a Home Premium product key to activate an install done from a Professional DVD in order to just get Home Premium (not Professional) functionality?

Here's what happened. I had ordered but not yet received a Home Premium Upgrade retail box. In the meantime, I used a Professional DVD to upgrade my laptop (which was running Vista). I entered but I have not yet activated the Pro product key, and am still in the 30 day trial period.

I now want to use the same Pro DVD to upgrade a desktop machine (currently running XP Pro) to Win7 Pro and put the recently purchased Home Premium on the laptop. I would like to do this with without having to do a destructive Home Premium install on the laptop. I will then activate both the desktop and the laptop with the correct product keys.

Make sense? Is it possible?

TIA
Jacob

Jonathan_King · 12 Jan 2010

Welcome to SF!

To do that, you will need to create a new DVD without the ei.cfg file. Copy all the files on the DVD to a folder in Windows, and delete ei.cfg in Sources. Then run setup.exe from the root directory.

Hope this helps,
~JK

SIW2 · 12 Jan 2010

No.

Because you already installed it on the laptop as Pro - you cannot now activate it as Premium.

You will need to reinstall as Premium on the laptop - then you can use the Premium key with it.

If you haven't activated the Pro key - you can use it on the other machine instead. ( If you have activated the Pro key - you should still be able to move it to a different machine - but will need to call MS free activation line).

I assume your dvd is set up to install any Edition you choose - or is it still configured to install only Pro?

Follow Johnathan's instructions to make it able to install any edition.

If you want to make a bootable all edition dvd :

d/l and install the free ( unregistered version ) of any popular isohandler - PowerIso, or UltraIso, or MagicIso:

Use that to copy the dvd as an .iso to the HD.

Pick the .iso up with PowerIso - delete the ei.cfg in the sources folder , click Save As - choose a name .e.g AllEdition.iso .

When it has saved - put an unformatted dvd recordable in the drive and click Burn.

JacobSevinski · 12 Jan 2010

Thanks guys. I suspected I would have to reinstall laptop with the Premium but was hoping I would not. It took me a couple of days to get all the drivers and settings right and to get all my apps loaded. I do not look forward to doing it all again. Oh well

.

Thanks again.

Jacob

richc46 · 13 Jan 2010

JacobSevinski said:

Thanks guys. I suspected I would have to reinstall laptop with the Premium but was hoping I would not. It took me a couple of days to get all the drivers and settings right and to get all my apps loaded. I do not look forward to doing it all again. Oh well

.

Thanks again.

Jacob

You can transfer everything except programs with windows easy transfer, I mean everything. I was amazed when I made my installation. Desktop, cookies, favorites, and settings. I think that you will be very happy with the time that is saved.

Two warnings, some have complained that WET did not work, (not many, but be advised of the possibility) so save everything that you can on another external source

The second warning is that you must reinstall programs. Their setting will be saved by WET, however.

There is no need for me to get you the download link, because it is already part of Windows 7.