Wipe HD first or Upgrade to 7 Pro first?

[EdRicker]

Hello all,
5 years ago I bought an ASUS Essentio CM5675-07 with W7 Home that I heavily upgraded since. There is no original hardware component of the computer anymore. The only thing that remains is the original installation of Windows 7 Home. I'd even replaced the C drive using an EaseUS ToDo clone, but the hard drive installations are the same as they were 5 years ago. I'd like to wipe and make a clean install of Windows 7, but I would also like to upgrade from Home to Pro.

Should I wipe the HD and reinstall Home and then upgrade to Pro, or should I do that now before I wipe? Will upgrading from Home to Pro require a clean HD anyway? Thanks for your suggestions.

The reason I'm upgrading is because I'm not a fan of how Home limits RAM usage. I bought a 32GB kit before I realized I could only utilize 16GB of it. Ugh.

Thanks again!

 

[Berton]

Check these pages that speak to the Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=windows+7+anytime+upgrade&ia=qa

 

[gregrocker]

You can insert a Pro retail Product Key into Home Premium to unlock the extra Pro features using Windows Anytime Upgrade - How to - Windows 7 Forums.

If you have a retail and not Anytime Upgrade key, you can also do a Clean Reinstall Windows 7. I would decide based on whether your install is always instantaneous and never hangs, the standard for a perfect Win7 install on adequate hardware.

 

[AddRAM]

A lot of people use the term Upgrade in a very different way. What, exactly is your situation ?

Do you have an Upgrade disc, a windows anytime upgrade key or do you own a Windows 7 Pro install dvd and key ?

If you own a Windows 7 Professional install dvd and key it`s best to wipe (format) the drive and do a clean install.

Remember, backup your data

Just so you know, if you`ve never installed windows before, you`ll have to re install your drivers and programs.