Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

How to Do a Clean Install with an Upgrade Windows 7 Version​

   Information

This will show you how to do a Clean Install using a retail Upgrade Windows 7 installation disc.

   Warning

Remember that you need to legally own a valid qualifying previous version of Windows to use a Upgrade Windows 7, and to stop using (or uninstall) the qualifying OS while you have the upgrade installed. Microsoft only made doing a clean install from a upgrade Windows 7 possible to make it more convenient so you do not have to reinstall both the old Windows version (ex: Vista) and upgrade to Windows 7 everytime you needed or wanted to reinstall.

If you do not legally own a valid qualifying previous version of Windows, then you are violating the terms of Microsoft's Windows 7 End User License Agreement and could get your product key number invalidated by Microsoft. Plus, it is considered illegal.

For more about this, please see: Microsoft SMB Community Blog : Regardless of what any hack says, a Windows 7 Upgrade is an Upgrade. What you need to know.

OPTION ONE

A Normal Clean Install

1. Do a clean install at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.

2. When the installation is finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

3. If your Windows should fail to activate, then pick up at step 2 in OPTION THREE below.

OPTION TWO

Through a Custom Install

   Note

This option will let you do a clean install of Windows 7 without formating the current Windows installation to have your current Windows installation backed up to the Windows.old folder during the installation of your retail upgrade Windows 7. This way you can copy any files back that you want from the C:\Windows.old folder (previous installation) back into your new installation afterwards.

1. Do a custom install at boot or from within your current Windows installation without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.

2. When the installation is finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

3. Copy any files that you want back from the C:\Windows.old folder into where you want it in you new installation.

4. You can now delete the Windows.old folder using Disk Cleanup to have a clean install now.

OPTION THREE

Clean Install with a Registry Workaround for Error Code 0xc004f061

   Note

If you get a activation error code 0xc004f061 while doing OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO above, then you will need to use this option instead

1. Do a clean install of your upgrade Windows 7 at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process.
NOTE: If you already did this from OPTION ONE above and got a activation error, then skip this step and just proceed to step 2 below instead. There's no need to reinstall again.

2. Click on the Download button below to download the .bat file below, and save it to your desktop.
Activate_Windows_Upgrade_after_Clean_Install.bat


Download


3. Right click on the downloaded .bat file, and click on Run as administrator.

4. If prompted, click/tap on Run and Yes (UAC).
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

5. You will now notice a command prompt quickly open and close while applying the changes to your registry.

6. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

7. Restart the computer.

8. When the computer is finished restarting, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number.

OPTION FOUR

Double Installing Windows 7

   Note

This option is the same that was used to do a clean install of an upgrade copy of Windows 7. It's more work, but if the options above did not work for you, then this should since this is the most reliable option.

1. Do a clean install of your upgrade Windows 7 at boot without checking the Automatically activate Windows when I'm online box during the installation process, and do not activate Windows 7. When finished with the clean install, do not or install any Windows Updates, drivers, or programs yet.

2. When finished with the clean install, start at step 4 at this link to do an in-place "upgrade" install with your upgrade Windows 7 installation disk from within the just now finished clean install of Windows 7.

3. When the in-place upgrade installation is completely finished, then manually activate Windows 7 with your product key number. You can now also install any Windows Updates drivers, and programs you like.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Do a Upgrade Installation with Windows 7
• How to Do a Clean Installation with Windows 7
• How to Do a Custom Installation of Windows 7
• How to Create a Windows 7 Installation USB Key
• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/30470-make-bootable-iso-student-d-l.html
• How to Partition the Hard Drive in a Windows 7 Install
• How to Install Windows 7 on Computer with Less than 512MB RAM
• How to Install Windows 7 Using "Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" (UEFI)

 

[Brink]

Hello Jff02, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, you will be able to use the same options in the tutorial to do a clean install with that student upgrade copy of Windows 7. A student copy is basically the same as a retail copy, but discounted for students.

 

[jff02]

Thanks Brink!
And would you think ~75 dollars for a copy of windows 7 professional be a reasonably good deal? And should if I get this, should I just follow the tutorial and try option 1-4 in that order? Again, I appreciate your help

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Jff02.

That's not a bad price.

However, you would do either one of options 1-4 instead.

 

[jff02]

Thanks again for the help Brink,
Also my wording must of been poor. I meant to ask if the 4 options are arranged by preference. meaning that option one would be the best, and option four being the one to try if all else fails.

And to just super-clarify this again since it will still be a hefty investment (sorry if im being annoying), i am installing this upgrade version of windows 7 professional on a "white box" new customer computer without any previous OS installed on the hard drive. My CPU is going to be an AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, which i assume is compatible with 64 bit?

 

[Brink]

Ah, ok. That would be yes to both.

 

[jff02]

thanks for being awesome Brink!
Also i'm glad that I stumbled upon this forum, cheers

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome mate.

 

[jff02]

Hello again,
Since shipping is pretty ridiculous on the copy I was looking at, so I'm wondering if WINDOWS 7 HOME PREMIUM UPGRADE 32/64 RETAIL VERSION | eBay might also work for my situation?

 

[Brink]

It would, but personally, I wouldn't recommend buying anything like this off of eBay. You just never know if the product key is still valid or being used on other computers leaving you high and dry.

 

[jff02]

Good point. But after browsing some more, purchasing eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices
should be significantly safer? Very good seller rating + the package is sealed.
again, thanks for the advice brink

 

[Brink]

Sorry, but I personally just do not trust software from eBay.

 

[jff02]

well I ended up paying 70 for the professional version directly from the campus book store. On the disk it states that a pre-existing OS license is required but I'm pretty sure that what this tutorial was meant for

 

[Brink]

The pre-existing license would only be required if you were going to do a upgrade install instead of a clean install using a option in the tutorial. That's all.

 

[jff02]

Hey Brink,
Just want to let you know my activation was completed via option 3, and I'm glad I had your help. thanks again!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Jeff, and that's great news. Thank you for posting back with your results.

 

[Britton30]

I have tried this with a Student Systems Upgrade DVD. Is it the same as a retail upgrade? When I entered the product key during install, it said it's not valid. I went ahead and completed the install, tried activating and entering my key again and an error, "This key is not recognized for a clean install, only for an upgrade"..or something close.

 

[Brink]

Hello Gary,

I never tried it with a student upgrade copy, but you might see if OPTION THREE may apply and work with it.

 

[jff02]

Hey Britton,
Option 3 should work since I did that not too many days ago. Just make sure you follow the directions exactly.

 

[Britton30]

Thanks Shawn and jff02, Option 3 indeed worked and will work with the Student System version.

 

[Brink]

That's great news Gary. Thank you for confirming it working on your student copy.