Solved Windows 7 Premium upgrade disk 3 pcs - question

[maryeleek]

I have a family pack good for upgrading 3 pc's to Windows 7 Home Premium. I purchased this package in 2010 to apparently use to upgrade an old PC for my son to use. I've forgotten what was on the computer but may have been something earlier than Windows 7, maybe XP? I don't remember upgrading. I think I did a fresh install. Seems like it allowed a reformat and then installed.

The instructions in this package offer two options:

Click Upgrade if running Vista to keep the files, programs and settings and install Windows 7

Click Custom if you are running XP or want to completely replace your current version of windows with Windows 7.

Would anyone know if this disk could be used to install this version of Windows over a current Windows 7 installation or does it need to see Vista or XP before it will install Windows 7? It's only been used once so if it keeps count, I'm still good numbers wise! But don't know if an earlier version of windows is required before it will install.

If I put the disk in a drive to check, do you think I could I get far enough along to verify if it will allow re installation of current Win 7 and then back out. Don't want to goof up my currently working Windows 7 computers.

My thanks for taking time to read.

Mary

 

[mrjimphelps]

You don't need to have an earlier version of Windows on the computer. The fact that Windows 7 is already on the computer should be sufficient. But in order to be legally eligible for the upgrade, you need to have had an eligible install of Windows on the computer at some point in time, and you need to not have transferred that license to another computer. The license for the previous version of Windows is what makes you eligible for the upgrade - that license will no longer be valid once you have done the upgrade.

If you want to do a clean install, choose Custom. Then tell it you want to completely replace your current version of Windows with Windows 7.

If you run into any problems with this, check out the following tutorial, which explains how to do a clean install of Windows 7 with a Windows 7 upgrade disk:
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

 

[maryeleek]

Thank you so much for the clarification and for the link to a great tutorial.

Mary