Does upgrade require proof of prior version?

[jbarr]

I have several family PCs that I will be upgrading to Windows 7. Some ar XP and one is Vista. I want to do a clean install on all by wiping the partition and then installing Windows 7. Two questions:

1. Will I need to provide the XP and Vista install disks for the install to work?

2. Should I launch the install from within each OS and wipe the partition from within the install or should I wipe it first then boot the install?

Thanks!!

 

[sion]

1) No. all you need is windows 7
2) start the pc up, then put the disk in, go onto my computer, if you want to wipe all your files do a custom install... and then wait

 

[LPDad]

Don't forget to BACK UP all of your important data on your XP machines BEFORE you do the install.
(I figure you know what you are doing with a clean install, but this reminder is for any other people who are reading this forum)

:sarc:

 

[kegobeer]

If you purchased an upgrade disc, then you will need to follow the upgrade instructions.

 

[poin2]

The upgrade discs look for the presence of the prior OS to go in as intended. No, you don't provide the prior discs.

If you want to format or anything like that, do it from within the installation itself. If you boot from the upgrade discs you should be able to do partitioning during installation too.

If you wipe the drives on your own first, you're going to start to run into issues with the "upgrade" discs.

 

[Nosmo]

Many users are having their key rejected for the following reason.

If you have purchased an 'Upgrade' you MUST run setup from within Vista or XP.

You purchased an upgrade so you must have something to upgrade from.

Trying to boot to a virgin drive with no memory of a previous OS will not work.

Yes there are hacks but its only been 3 days and we don't know how MS will handle installs that are not legal.

 

[TheSchaft]

There's been a lot of confusion about upgrade installs and what is needed. Go here - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1818-upgrade-install-windows-7-a.html for the straight skinny on how to do it.

 

[Tews]

There's been a lot of confusion about upgrade installs and what is needed. Go here - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1818-upgrade-install-windows-7-a.html for the straight skinny on how to do it.

Thanks for the clarification....Brink has written a tutorial on how to install with an upgrade disc... should be required reading!!

 

[edilee012]

This was the oddest "upgrade" installation I have ever done actually. I first stuck the 7 disk in while in Vista and selected custon install thinking it would do a clean install and it didn't it upgraded but non eof my programs were there so not sure happened there. Second time I booted to 7 disk and did a format of the drive and did a clean install....it never asked for any prior Windows media to verify qualification for an upgrade. It just installed and that was all there was to it.

In the past I have had to at least show my prior OS disk for a clean install but not this time. The box also says that the Professional version upgrades ALL version of Vista and XP so that must have changed from the original thoughts. I had Vista Ultimate and it upraded to 7 Pro without any issues. It was almost like this wasn't an upgrade disk at all and the full version.

 

[Tews]

It was almost like this wasn't an upgrade disk at all and the full version.

Uncle Steve gave everyone a gift!

 

[joel406]

Installing windows 7 from an upgrade disk.

Boot your disk.

Follow onscreen insructions for install normally.

Delete partition. Create new one. Format partition. Proceed.

When promted for a product key "DO NOT ENTER ONE" and prceed foward.

After install completes and your desktop is up and running press the start button and right click on computer and select properties.

Scrool down and select the "change product key" link.

Enter your Windows 7 upgrade product key.

Do not activate online. Phone activate!!!

You now have a fully activated windows 7 install.

Enjoy

 

[riojanitoperez]

Can I do instalacion cleaned with update?

Hi,
Then I can install windows 7 without having below vista?,
I am waiting for the upgrade and i have not installed yet windows vista yet,i notice yesterday microsoft that i sent in 15 days,but i have windows vista without installing, can make a instalacion clean?



I am sorry if this bad writing, i am spanish and I use a translator
thanks
a greeting

 

[Snufffed]

NO, NO there is NO asking for PROOF when using a UPGRADE DISK.
The manual they send says you can use the UPGRADE Disc to CLEAN install when you have NO OS on the HDD.
I HAVE UPGRADED 4 LAPTOPS AND ONE DESKTOP. WITH CLEAN INSTALLS. FROM THE UPGRADE DISC.
Not once did it ask for me to insert anything, it simply did what was ask...

 

[joel406]

Hi,
Then I can install windows 7 without having below vista?,
I am waiting for the upgrade and i have not installed yet windows vista yet,i notice yesterday microsoft that i sent in 15 days,but i have windows vista without installing, can make a instalacion clean?



I am sorry if this bad writing, i am spanish and I use a translator
thanks
a greeting

Hello rio: Your hard drive can be new...Totaly blank!

You can have Vista or XP installed and delete your partitions during setup and create new ones and format them and still perform a CLEAN INSTALL.

You do not need to rearm or any of that stuff just follow what I posted earlier.

I am starting my 6th Win7 ultimate install using that method.

It works every time.

I will never pay full version price again as long as MS keeps making it this easy.

 

[Sonixmon]

I am confused with this too, I installed on my wifes laptop last night (Vista Home) with the run from windows method. Since I installed the W7 Pro I had to do custom install. No problem used the handy windows easy transfer and it took care of her docs, email accounts, settings etc. I simply had to reinstall MS Office and it was all there. *At first he emails were not there, but since she is on my compaines exchange server it synced the 200mb in about 5 mins!

Anyway, today I installed W7 Pro on my desktop which was running W7 RC, I was concerned it wasnt going to let me(from what I have read), but I booted from the CD, formated the raid array, and installed with out question. I put the CD Key in when asked too. Now I do have a Windows XP drive so IDK if because it saw it I was allowed to proceed, it did not mention it, other than showing the drive as an option to install on.

Later today I will be installing my 3rd pre-ordered copy on my laptop, on a new drive (which has W7 RC on it currently) so hopefully it wont give me an issue. I have a different drive with XP on it that I am leaving as XP.

I also heard the upgrade could deactivate your OS you are upgrading from, but I would think it would have to warn you! I have a Vista OS I was going to upgrade from if it asked, but it didnt so no worries!

So to me it seems the retail version will allow you to uninstall it from your 1st computer and say install it to you new build next year and the upgrade version will only allow you to install it to one computer. Of course only installed on one computer at a time? I have installed xp upgrade and oem versions on a new build and when I activated I had to call so I told them my motherboard died and I had to replace it, they activated it for me that way 2 or 3 times. Of course it was true, but the last time I replaced my whole computer and still they activated it.

 

[Nosmo]

Just to confuse you more, MS released a huge number of Full product keys to users that thought they had purchased upgrades. So we have thousands of people reporting that they can do anything with the upgrade media.

I am sending out the following to users I support. Think I have it right and hope it clarifys.

Using ‘Upgrade Media’ successfully.

Win7 upgrade versions need proof of an existing install of Vista or WinXP. The installer is very smart and can detect if a previous OS is on any partition or drive on your computer, so you can boot with the Win7 disc, or simply run Win7 setup from within Vista or XP. If the install accepts your 25 digit key when asked, then the install will proceed and activate. If your 25 digit key is rejected , the main reason will be that no previous OS was detected in your computer and the installer now correctly rejects the install. Remember booting to a virgin blank drive will fail as the installer can not find any evidence that you are entitled to use ‘Upgrade media’.

As of day two of the release ( 24th Oct 2009 ), hacks have emerged for installing upgrade media without proof of a previous legal version of Vista or XP. These hacks may circumvent MS legal licensing requirement and at this point in time , we have no way of knowing if our computers will stop working down the road due to breach of EULA.
Its not just Activation but MGA Validation as well, every time we visit
MS update etc.

So without a legal Vista or XP, 25 digit ‘key’ , be cautious if you want to use Upgrade Media.

 

[chicobill]

What about Registering RC Versions

Hey a lot of us have used Windows RC and just want to pay & register it - no more clean installs. Microsoft if you can't handle that then you need to pay all of us who reported back on Windows 7 for the work to do a clean install - What a pain - Maybe Macintosh is right

 

[pparks1]

Hey a lot of us have used Windows RC and just want to pay & register it - no more clean installs. Microsoft if you can't handle that then you need to pay all of us who reported back on Windows 7 for the work to do a clean install - What a pain - Maybe Macintosh is right

I guess being a computer techie just makes this clean install process seem a lot less daunting. Backup some data, take 15 minutes to reinstall, plus install a dozen or so apps, but data back. Less than 2 hours total and a clean and great running system. I just don't see why this is such an ordeal for some.

 

[Solace]

if i recall correctly you must have the XP os installed before you try upgrading or it will ask you for a previous version of windows but you CAN "format that OS and do a clean install at that point" through the installer. but according to snuffy he said hes done clean installs on clean hdds without any previous windows installed so id take his word for it.

 

[scubasteve]

Man...first off, I would like to thank folks for the info...but wow...I am still confused as to what the definitive answer is. Some folks here seem adamant that you must have something installed while others are just as adament that you don't.

I'm not sure if these differences of opinion have to do with different types of product keys issued for "upgrades" or what...but either way, I guess I will find out soon enough.

I decided to *not* install Win 7 on my boot drive (a 5 year-old 74GB raptor with 32 bit XP). Instead, I am copying the small amount of "data" that I keep on that drive over to my large data drive and then just pulling the boot drive out and replacing it with a brand new empty drive (a 500GB WD)...and *that* is what I need to install 64 bit Win 7 Pro on...using a Win7 Upgrade DVD that I created from the Digital River download files.

I guess we we will see. NewEgg claims that I'll have the new drive on Monday...and I am dying to find out.