Windows Vista Home Basic → Windows 7 (upgrade ripoff?)

[CIS]

Hey everyone, just registered — this is my first posting.

My family just ordered a new computer from Dell recently (through a monthly payment deal with our ISP), and it's still in transit to be delivered. I just recently discovered that the OS is Windows Vista Home Basic, which apparently is non-upgradable to Windows 7. What a rip-off.

I just had some questions. What would be the best path for me to take to get Windows 7 installed on this computer? I would probably need to delete the Home Basic OS and do a clean install, right?

I'm thinking about contacting Dell and having this order canceled or refused and waiting until I can order a model with Windows 7 preinstalled, but I'm quite impatient so I'd be willing to do something that wouldn't create such a delay.

Damn, I didn't think any PCs were still being shipped with Home Basic! This sucks royally!

 

[tw33k]

Hey everyone, just registered — this is my first posting.

My family just ordered a new computer from Dell recently (through a monthly payment deal with our ISP), and it's still in transit to be delivered. I just recently discovered that the OS is Windows Vista Home Basic, which apparently is non-upgradable to Windows 7. What a rip-off.

I just had some questions. What would be the best path for me to take to get Windows 7 installed on this computer? I would probably need to delete the Home Basic OS and do a clean install, right?

I'm thinking about contacting Dell and having this order canceled or refused and waiting until I can order a model with Windows 7 preinstalled, but I'm quite impatient so I'd be willing to do something that wouldn't create such a delay.

Damn, I didn't think any PCs were still being shipped with Home Basic! This sucks royally!

Welcome...glad you found us
You could buy an upgrade copy of windows 7 and perform a fresh install with that

 

[gregrocker]

Suggest you keep that steam up and politely but firmly threaten to cancel if they don't up the upgrade to what you were "led to expect." Worth a try.

You can use the Basic as qualifying OS to upgrade to any version of Win7 - I suggest Premium unless you need Bitlocker.

Just be sure to make a backup image with the new Win7 imaging utility so you never have to reinstall both OS's. again.

 

[CIS]

Thanks to you both for the replies.

You can use the Basic as qualifying OS to upgrade to any version of Win7 - I suggest Premium unless you need Bitlocker.

Just be sure to make a backup image with the new Win7 imaging utility so you never have to reinstall both OS's. again.

You're saying that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Premium from a Windows Vista Home Basic system? I was under the impression that Home Basic was in the same pile as XP — i.e., you can't upgrade to 7, you need to do a full clean install.

 

[tw33k]

Thanks to you both for the replies.

You can use the Basic as qualifying OS to upgrade to any version of Win7 - I suggest Premium unless you need Bitlocker.

Just be sure to make a backup image with the new Win7 imaging utility so you never have to reinstall both OS's. again.

You're saying that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Premium from a Windows Vista Home Basic system? I was under the impression that Home Basic was in the same pile as XP — i.e., you can't upgrade to 7, you need to do a full clean install.

Yeah you can upgrade from Vista basic

 

[CIS]

Thanks to you both for the replies.

You can use the Basic as qualifying OS to upgrade to any version of Win7 - I suggest Premium unless you need Bitlocker.

Just be sure to make a backup image with the new Win7 imaging utility so you never have to reinstall both OS's. again.

You're saying that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Premium from a Windows Vista Home Basic system? I was under the impression that Home Basic was in the same pile as XP — i.e., you can't upgrade to 7, you need to do a full clean install.

Yeah you can upgrade from Vista basic

Not according to this article: Vista Home Basic: Upgrade to Windows 7 without losing your data - PC & Peripherals - Crave - CNET Asia

Here's a direct quote:

"In most Windows 7 coverage, Vista Home Basic users are left out because Microsoft does not offer a direct upgrade path to Windows 7. For this group of consumers, switching to the upcoming operating system (OS) requires a clean reinstall. However, this poses a problem. Besides the tedium of having to manually download and install drivers for the new OS, certain bundled programs such as media players or proprietary power management software are available only in the recovery CDs and cannot be downloaded.

But there is an alternative. If you upgrade Vista Home Basic to Home Premium for S$274.29 (US$197.30), you are eligible for a free copy of the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade CD when it launches in October 22. "

 

[tw33k]

Sorry...I wrote it wrong. You're right, you have to clean install from Vista Basic

 

[Disk4mat]

I thought Dell was offering free upgrades for PC's purchased between June and Oct? When you say you got it thru your ISP, did you call and order it from Dell or did the ISP get it from Dell and offer it to you?

 

[Kari]

Hello CIS and welcome to the SevenForums.

I really don't know where all this false information is coming from. According to Microsoft, you most certainly can do an in-place upgrade from Vista Home Basic to Seven Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. Seven Professional is more complicated, in-place upgrade to 7 Pro is only possible from Vista Business. (Source)

Win7 upgrade installation media also allows you to do a custom (clean) install. For that you need an existing copy of Windows 95 or later; in your case the pre-installed Vista Home Basic is enough.

Clean or upgrade, for you the Seven Upgrade disc is the right choice. You just have to decide the version.

Kari

 

[gregrocker]

Thanks to you both for the replies.

You can use the Basic as qualifying OS to upgrade to any version of Win7 - I suggest Premium unless you need Bitlocker.

Just be sure to make a backup image with the new Win7 imaging utility so you never have to reinstall both OS's. again.

You're saying that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Premium from a Windows Vista Home Basic system? I was under the impression that Home Basic was in the same pile as XP — i.e., you can't upgrade to 7, you need to do a full clean install.

Windows 7 Upgrade Paths

Try telling them you want the Win7 Premium or you want them to take the machine back.

However, I'm beginning to wonder if you aren't being misquoted the specs on this machine since Home Basic is almost always put on low-resource hardware. Make them defend the machine's abiity to run Premium by providing that Upgrade and warrantee it. And even if you get that from them, don't hesitate to send it back as my Dad did with his Dell.

The one advantage to getting the upgrade is it should be a clean disk so you avoid the bloatware which people are gonna get on Win7 computers they buy starting today.

 

[CIS]

I thought Dell was offering free upgrades for PC's purchased between June and Oct? When you say you got it thru your ISP, did you call and order it from Dell or did the ISP get it from Dell and offer it to you?

Dell is offering the free upgrade, and we went into this purchase thinking we would be getting the free upgrade. Turns out, however, that the computer we ordered has Home Basic, (which I didn't even think was being installed on PCs anymore) and I only am now finding out that Home Basic simply cannot be upgraded to Windows 7, period. Unless some new development or announcement comes along from Microsoft.

I have heavily researched as to whether I could upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate from Vista Home Basic, but it is simply not technically possible because of Home Basic's lack of support for certain necessary components (such as Aero).

 

[CIS]

Hello CIS and welcome to the SevenForums.

I really don't know where all this false information is coming from. According to Microsoft, you most certainly can do an in-place upgrade from Vista Home Basic to Seven Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. Seven Professional is more complicated, in-place upgrade to 7 Pro is only possible from Vista Business. (Source)

Win7 upgrade installation media also allows you to do a custom (clean) install. For that you need an existing copy of Windows; in your case the pre-installed Vista Home Basic is enough.

Clean or upgrade, for you the Seven Upgrade disc is the right choice. You just have to decide the version.

Kari

Wow. Now I'm really confused. Since this source is from Microsoft I obviously trust it, but it goes against all other sources I've come up with (including the CNET one I posted).

Anyway, so since Microsoft is saying that Home Basic can indeed be upgraded to Windows 7, I have no idea why Dell (and HP) are not allowing free upgrades from Home Basic (see: https://win7.dell.com/Eligibility.aspx). It would seem to me that the only justification they would have for this is that they didn't think Home Basic-to-Seven upgrading was even a possibility.

 

[gregrocker]

Hello CIS and welcome to the SevenForums.

I really don't know where all this false information is coming from. According to Microsoft, you most certainly can do an in-place upgrade from Vista Home Basic to Seven Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. Seven Professional is more complicated, in-place upgrade to 7 Pro is only possible from Vista Business. (Source)

Win7 upgrade installation media also allows you to do a custom (clean) install. For that you need an existing copy of Windows; in your case the pre-installed Vista Home Basic is enough.

Clean or upgrade, for you the Seven Upgrade disc is the right choice. You just have to decide the version.

Kari

Thanks Kari. Nice to know we were working together on something (and at the same time!)

I googled the misleading source given about Basic and it was from CNET Asia in July and is completely and utterly wrong.

 

[TheSchaft]

Check out this chart - http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/files/2009/08/windows-upgrade-chart.png

And this article, where the chart appeared - Deciphering Windows 7 Upgrades: The Official Chart | Walt Mossberg | Mossblog | AllThingsD

The article and chart show that an upgrade or clean install in possible from Vista Basic to 7 Ultimate.

 

[CIS]

Check out this chart - http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/files/2009/08/windows-upgrade-chart.png

And this article, where the chart appeared - Deciphering Windows 7 Upgrades: The Official Chart | Walt Mossberg | Mossblog | AllThingsD

The article and chart show that an upgrade or clean install in possible from Vista Basic to 7 Ultimate.

Great! What a relief. Thanks guys a lot for your help with researching this one. I was about to do some serious ripping on a poor unsuspecting Dell or ISP customer service rep. about this.

 

[Kari]

Thanks Kari. Nice to know we were working together on something (and at the same time!)

Remembering last weekend, I didn't write what I really think about giving this kind of false information

Nice to know we can agree about something!

Kari

 

[chavez27]

I didnt know they were still offering computers with vista basic on them.. Anyways I have a question as well. My cousin recently purchased 3 laptops that are eligible for the windows 7 upgrade program. He will not be installing them on his laptops so can I use one on MY Vista home basic laptop?? If I can what is the best/correct method to do so? In-place upgrade or Clean install? What is the difference between the both? How do I do it? sorry if i sound like a newb but ive never done this before and i want to learn.

 

[pacinitaly]

I would cancel or...

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

 

[gregrocker]

Doubtful you can use the manufacturers' OEM upgrades on another machine, but I'm gonna try since my roomie doesn't want his. Depends on how they package those disks. I'm concerned that the manufacturers might put all the bloatware in the OEM upgrade disks, since they make most their profit nowadays from sponsors bloatware.

Otherwise it is a much better deal than people buying today with WIn7 installed since they get the bloatware, until they find a clean OEM to reinstall.

I would image my Vista HDD and save it, then try the in-place upgrade that reinstalls all the programs, files and settings. If it is not as snappy as it should be, you can reimage your Vista to the HDD and reinstall with a Custom clean install either over the Vista (puts files in windows.old for resdistribution later) or to a formatted second partition or HDD.

 

[Juan Handed]

I also ordered two HP laptops in September and it was equipped with Vista Home Basic.I believed at the time that all Vista OSs were eligible for a free upgrade.I just went to the HP website to check on how to uprade to Windows 7 and my computer and product# is listed as eligible,but my Vista Home Basic makes it not eligible.

I was completely unaware of this.

I don't know who take this up with,HP or Microsoft? It seems like reading the posts above that VHB is indeed upgradable to 7.

The other question I have is...I have a dual core processor,what would I have to do to upgrade to the 64 bit OS ?