Microsoft confirms Windows 7 install trick is legal

Microsoft confirms Windows 7 install trick is legal

Microsoft employee chides 'hacks,' reminds users of licensing rules

By Gregg Keizer
October 29, 2009 04:03 PM ET

Computerworld - Microsoft today confirmed that users can apply a workaround trick to do a clean install of Windows 7 on a blank hard drive as long as they toe the licensing line.

In a blog post earlier this week, Eric Ligman, who works in Microsoft's worldwide partner group, took exception to stories that showed people how to use the less-expensive Windows 7 upgrade editions to install the new operating system on blank drives. Computerworld covered the upgrade install trick -- first reported by noted Windows blogger Paul Thurrott -- last Friday.

"Over the past several days there have been various posts, etc. across a variety of social media engines stating that some 'hack' (be it a person or a procedure) shows that a Windows 7 Upgrade disc can perform a 'clean' installation of Windows 7 on a blank drive from a technical perspective," said Ligman.

"They often forgot to mention a very basic, yet very important piece of information," said Ligman about Thurrott's blog post and the resulting reports by others. "'Technically possible' does not always mean legal," Ligman said.

In order to use upgrade media to install Windows 7 on a blank hard drive, users must abide by the operating system's EULA, or end-user licensing agreement (download PDF). "To use upgrade software, you must first be licensed for the software that is eligible for the upgrade. After you upgrade, you may no longer use the software you upgraded from," the EULA states.

Click to expand...

More at: Microsoft confirms Windows 7 install trick is legal

Paul Thurrott's reply.

'tis cool

In my opinion this clean drive upgrade issue could have been blocked by Microsoft at any time and the fact that they have continued this from Vista to Windows7 says a lot about the attitude inside Microsoft.

While they would prefer you to not use this method they would even more prefer you to use a purchased copy of Windows and cheat if that's what it takes to keep people on Windows. This is nothing more than a business decision and the bottom line dictates leaving this upgrade path active.

Actually they have made this process even easier in Windows 7 wherein you no longer need to do the double install to activate it. Just install and then activate it later. I believe this change actually supports my contention that permitting it was a deliberate act on the part of Microsoft.

I have to agree with Paul Thurrott on this. Microsoft should have laid out months ago how the upgrade process works.

I think that was laid out years back for 95 upgrades! That was the first version besides any for NT 3.1 to see optical media available since everything had been floppy disk prior to that.

It's actually upto the user to look at what the license agreement states when clicking on the "I agree" box! It's just like anything else "you sign" your name to in that sense.

Microsoft confirms Windows 7 install trick is legal

October 29, 2009


Computerworld -

Microsoft today confirmed that users can apply a workaround trick to do a clean install of Windows 7 on a blank hard drive as long as they toe the licensing line.

In a blog post earlier this week, Eric Ligman, who works in Microsoft's worldwide partner group, took exception to stories that showed people how to use the less-expensive Windows 7 upgrade editions to install the new operating system on blank drives. Computerworld covered the upgrade install trick -- first reported by noted Windows blogger Paul Thurrott -- last Friday.

"Over the past several days there have been various posts, etc. across a variety of social media engines stating that some 'hack' (be it a person or a procedure) shows that a Windows 7 Upgrade disc can perform a 'clean' installation of Windows 7 on a blank drive from a technical perspective," said Ligman.

"They often forgot to mention a very basic, yet very important piece of information," said Ligman about Thurrott's blog post and the resulting reports by others. "'Technically possible' does not always mean legal," Ligman said.

In order to use upgrade media to install Windows 7 on a blank hard drive, users must abide by the operating system's EULA, or end-user licensing agreement (download PDF). "To use upgrade software, you must first be licensed for the software that is eligible for the upgrade. After you upgrade, you may no longer use the software you upgraded from," the EULA states.

That, said Ligman, means users must either have a "full" retail license of Windows XP or Vista, or assuming the Windows 7 upgrade is applied to an existing PC, that the upgrade is done on that same machine, which has a so-called "OEM" license attached to it.

"There are many, many, many, many of you out there that already own Windows licenses that qualify for the Windows 7 Upgrade, so this is a non-issue for you," said Ligman. "For you, since you have the previous version FULL Windows license and qualify for the Windows 7 Upgrade, you have the rights to do a 'clean' install."

On PCs purchased with Windows XP or Vista preinstalled by the computer maker -- which slap an "OEM" license of Windows on the machine -- users can install a Windows 7 upgrade edition on that system's blank hard drive, but on no other, Ligman added.

"An OEM license is a full license," Ligman wrote in a comment to this blog post, answering a user's question. "So an OEM + an upgrade gets you the upgraded version."

A Microsoft spokeswoman today confirmed Ligman's account of when it's permissible to use upgrade media -- which costs up to $100 less than the same version's "full" edition -- to install Windows 7 on a blank drive. "You can always do a clean install if you're upgrading, so long as you're upgrading a machine that's already running genuine Windows XP or Windows Vista," she said in an instant today.
1
2
Next »

"On PCs purchased with Windows XP or Vista preinstalled by the computer maker -- which slap an "OEM" license of Windows on the machine -- users can install a Windows 7 upgrade edition on that system's blank hard drive, but on no other, Ligman added.
"
This is not good enough, if you are not the original purchaser of the machine, you can still get W7 for alot cheaper than the full version in this case. Say i have 3 laptops bought new with Xp or Vista OEM, two years later i decided give them to my friends or siblings for free, cos it's 'old'. So now these people can buy the upgrade version of w7 and upgrade these machines, which costs alot less than the full version.

There should not be no upgrade standalone versions of any OSs. What's more, upgrading Windows from lower version to higher version should only be done through direct linkage to MS. No CD/DVD etc, just a secure logon to MS site.

Not if you end up needing to reinstall Windows for some reason like a drive failure or an upgrade there. MS provides the choice of download, download with backup disk, or buying it on media already. For downloading to upgrade editions the problems is already solved by selecting the higher edition to download when purchasing it.

Actually I think MS is being cool in a corporate kinda way.

Just keep your readable license key for prior XP/Vista with the Upgrade key/media for the life of the Upgrade. Then if there is any future question at reinstall which could (possibly) elevate the reactivation to a MS person (rare as rabies) you have the prior key to back it up.

But better yet, reinstalls are never again necessary if you make and preserve a backup image now that Win7 has brought Backup Imaging to the masses.

It is all good.

I don't know about The U.S., but here in Germany OEMs are also sold separately from hardware. You can install the OEM on any PC you want, and if you sell that PC, the OEM OS doesn't have to go with it. Which lets you install the OEM software on another PC of your choice. Microsoft lost the OEM battle in a German court back in the 90s. Here you can sell and resell OEMs with no connection to hardware as you wish.

I agree with Paul that Microsoft needed to come out with this information sooner. And I also find it nice that Microsoft went this route with upgrading of the Windows 7 OS.

By no means, do I feel this was an "accident" by Microsoft. This installation method was designed this way on purpose and Microsoft clearly intended their customers to fully utilize it. This gets them a sale, plain and simple. People who might have otherwise pirated the copy if they had to pay the full install price, might be willing to pay for the upgrade. Even if they only persuade 20% to take them up on this, that's 20%.

Microsoft can and will sell this at any price to anybody. You got OEM, retail, upgrade, student, MSDN subs, Technet...all have wildly different pricing for the exact same thing. They take the money however they can get it.

Also the cool factor of having "hacked" Windows to install it.

(Though I'm not really endorsing doing this)

Knew that was a hack soon as I saw him messing with the registry. I think the bigger problem for Msoft is over in China where they make complete copy's of 7 then sell them as original.

Without Paul's hack there would be so many PO'ed customers it would have sank Msoft and the 7 launch. He saved them with that hack which is why they aren't complaning too much about it.

They also may have been saving that hack for people who called in after realizing there upgrade CD wasn't working right. Paul probably saved Msoft from getting millions of calls from angry customers. They may end up selling more of the upgrade CD's now that everyone knows about the hack.

Msoft should have been more upfront about how to upgrade from the CD before it was released. So many people were speculating about how the process will play out and most of them were incorrect.

Zen00 said:

Also the cool factor of having "hacked" Windows to install it.

(Though I'm not really endorsing doing this)

Click to expand...

Actually it is NOT a "HACK". It is very well documented in the MANUAL which Microsoft sends with the "UPGRADE Versions".
I have posted the scan of the manual so many times, and fully explained how to, and its legality ages ago....

Simular methods were also effective for Win-95 as mentioned earlier. NOT A HACK, either.

Quotes man, it's all in the "".

chevy65 said:

They also may have been saving that hack for people who called in after realizing there upgrade CD wasn't working right. Paul probably saved Msoft from getting millions of calls from angry customers. They may end up selling more of the upgrade CD's now that everyone knows about the hack

Click to expand...

.
Come now, this information has been around since Vista. (XP was slightly different-way but still the same-MS make it easier in Vista is all.)
How can it save MS from getting millions of calls from people who can not READ. This info is in the BOOK it also is on the MS site.

They may end up selling more of the upgrade CD's now that everyone knows about the hack.

Click to expand...

Its a known FACT, not a HACK.

PS: If this info was a HACK you would be BANNED for talking about it..

Hey Snuffy, I remember you talking and telling everyone about that, months ago. so you were right.

If you have a legit copy of Vista, and a legit copy of W7 upgrade, what the hell's the problem? What, you should actually install Vista and then install W7 straight over it? That's plain dumb.

One of Microsoft's fine representatives is welcome to visit me anytime and inspect my legitimate copy of Vista 64 (with valid key), and the legitimate upgrade copy of Seven (with valid key) that replaced it.

And then, he or she can listen to a little lecture on how unimpressed I was that I had to fiddle with my registry to install it. Y'know, so I could do a clean install without standing on my head and holding my tongue just so.