STILL confused about "Upgrade" installation process.

You are no longer allowed to put in an old disk for validation. That will NOT work.
Also the work around from Vista will not work as the requirement is that the
OS you are currently using MUST BE ACTIVATED. This is a change from Vista days.

Do you have a source for that?

Nosmo said:

What is still up in the air is how to re install after a hard drive failure.

Which, in turn, sort of invalidates the first part of your post.

.[/quote]Do you have a source for that?[/QUOTE]

Yes. Somewhere on the MS site it clearly states this. Also I have talked to MS store and conversed with posts on MS Technet with an MS employee.

What I can not find is how to do a re install. I believe we will have to re install the original OS, activate by phone.......then re install
the Win 7 and again activate by phone. I have had no luck in getting MS to confirm or deny and as there are no upgrade media available, we can not test.

Thanks for that Nosmo, at least some people know the only way at the moment to upgrade with that 49 dollar disk, halp thinks that he can put it straight on to an empty harddrive, and by some miracle it will work, which I know and you know and MS knows
it won’t.

halp said:

Nosmo said:

What is still up in the air is how to re install after a hard drive failure.

Which, in turn, sort of invalidates the first part of your post.

All I can tell you with absolute certainty is that MS is seriously trying to make life difficult for pirates. I have pre purchased 3 copies of Home premium
and like you want to know all about install and more important re install.
I have spent far to much time trying to get all the answers. Above is what I have been able to glean from MS.

Nosmo said:

All I can tell you with absolute certainty is that MS is seriously trying to make life difficult for pirates. I have pre purchased 3 copies of Home premium
and like you want to know all about install and more important re install.
I have spent far to much time trying to get all the answers. Above is what I have been able to glean from MS.

And like always, these anti-piracy measures will only effect honest individuals like myself. Pirates will have Windows 7+WGA cracked 5 minutes after release.

This was a recent communication from an MS employee


Hello Nosmo

To use an Upgrade, it is required that you have a Qualified copy of Windows to Upgrade from. A "Qualified" copy of Windows (almost by Definition) would also have to be a Genuine copy of Windows. That was the requirerment for Upgrading to XP, That was the requirerment for Upgrading to Vista and it's the requirment for upgradeing to Windows 7. The only difference is that Win7 enforces this by requiring, that the Windows being Upgraded, also be Activated. The total time added to the whole reinstall process would be (best case) less then a second, by Activating over the internet, and (worst case) around 5 mins, by Activating by Phone.


You ask " How do you activate XP the second time around when needing to re install."

You activate XP by the same way you did the first time around. You install XP using the XP Product Key then follow the 'Activate over the Internet' or 'Activate by Phone' wizard.

Hope that help clarify the process,
Darin mS

* Marked As Answer byDarin Smith MSMSFT, ModeratorWednesday, August 12, 2009 6:58 PM

Thanks again Nosmo I was begining to think, sure what would I know about Windows
Upgrades.

Nosmo said:

This was a recent communication from an MS employee


Hello Nosmo

To use an Upgrade, it is required that you have a Qualified copy of Windows to Upgrade from. A "Qualified" copy of Windows (almost by Definition) would also have to be a Genuine copy of Windows. That was the requirerment for Upgrading to XP, That was the requirerment for Upgrading to Vista and it's the requirment for upgradeing to Windows 7. The only difference is that Win7 enforces this by requiring, that the Windows being Upgraded, also be Activated. The total time added to the whole reinstall process would be (best case) less then a second, by Activating over the internet, and (worst case) around 5 mins, by Activating by Phone.


You ask " How do you activate XP the second time around when needing to re install."

You activate XP by the same way you did the first time around. You install XP using the XP Product Key then follow the 'Activate over the Internet' or 'Activate by Phone' wizard.

Hope that help clarify the process,
Darin mS

* Marked As Answer byDarin Smith MSMSFT, ModeratorWednesday, August 12, 2009 6:58 PM

Not looking good. Who is Darin? A moderator on a Microsoft forum? Just trying to gauge credibility.