Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Brink · 07 Sep 2012

Hello kxracer, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Microsoft allowed being able to do a clean install with a upgrade copy of Windows 7 to allow their customers to be able to reinstall the upgrade copy of Windows 7 if neeeded without having to install say Vista first, then do a upgrade install from Vista to Windows 7. It's a real time saver for this to be allowed. The red warning box in this tutorial on the first page can give you more details about this to help more though.

The red warning box in the tutorial below can help show what editions of Vista can do a upgrade install to what editions of Windows 7. However, if you like, you will still be able to do a clean install with a upgrade copy of Windows 7 as above to not have to upgrade from Vista itself.

Upgrade Install with Windows 7

Yes, you will be able to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.

Upgrade Install from Windows 7 or Vista to Windows 8

Hope this helps,
Shawn

kxracer · 07 Sep 2012

Hi Brink,

Although I agree it was a great idea to allow for a clean install with Windows 7 upgrade to avoid having to reinstall the windows you're upgrading from, what I can't understand is why there are no security measures in place to prevent someone who does not have qualifying windows software.

It's illegal yes...but there's no way for microsoft to ever find out if I've understood everything correctly from the links in the red warning box. Why not have windows 7 prompt you to enter your product key from your windows you're upgrading from so it can tie it to the windows 7 upgrade to prevent someone from using the upgrade without qualifying windows software and prevent someone from using their windows they upgraded from at the same time as the windows 7 upgrade.

Microsoft implements things like WGA but they couldn't implement something as simple as above. What am I missing?

Brink · 07 Sep 2012

Not sure why they didn't, but they may have some unknown way of being able to tell later through activation.

stealthycow · 01 Dec 2012

I have a question about the red box warning. I upgraded from OEM Vista to Windows 7 with a retail upgrade a few years back, and now I'm planning on switching out my motherboard/CPU/RAM/SSD, of course requiring a clean install of Windows 7 on the new drive.

I know OEM licenses are not transferable, they are tied to the motherboard, but what about my Windows 7 upgrade? According to this thread, I should have no trouble doing a clean install using either option 3 or 4, but I'm still worried about the OEM thing. Did upgrading from OEM Vista "convert" my upgrade into an OEM upgrade that I cannot transfer to a new motherboard? Or does the retail upgrade kind of "override" the OEM Vista?

Also seems like this would that put me in the red box warning category that says I need a qualifying previous OS in order to upgrade. Since my previous OS is OEM, and is tied to an old motherboard, maybe I can't use an upgrade on a new machine?

Brink · 01 Dec 2012

Hello stealthycrow, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If it's a retail and not OEM Windows 7 upgrade copy you purchased, then you will no issue reinstalling and activating it on your new build. At worse, you may need to do a phone activation if it doesn't activate online as usual.

Upgrading from an OEM installation doesn't make the retail product key (license) you purchased OEM.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn

stealthycow · 01 Dec 2012

Alright, sounds good to me, thanks. It was a retail upgrade and not OEM. It'll be a few more days to get everything, hopefully it all goes smoothly.

Thanks again.

Brink · 01 Dec 2012

You're most welcome. I hope it goes smoothly as well. :)

stealthycow · 05 Dec 2012

Had to do a phone activation, but didn't actually have to talk to anyone, so it wasn't too bad. So everything went fine, windows is activated. Thanks!

Britton30 · 05 Dec 2012

They have a smooth talking robot eh? Only 154 numbers later....

bg17 · 13 Dec 2012

Here is my experience using the Family pack upgrade. I upgraded the hdd at the same time, so thought I'd try a clean, custom install. Well, it would not activate, error was something like 'product key is only valid for an upgrade installation'. So I had to install over the new install. Also, trying to do an upgrade install on the blank new hdd didn't work...the upgrade option can only be executed from within windows.

Don't know if it's different with a single upgrade key, or if Microsoft changed something along the way. A friend told me that he did option one with no problem, but it was a no-go for me.