DailyTech has posted a 7-step workaround courtesy of Paul Thurrott (via Microsoft internal documents) on how to perform a clean install with a Windows Vista Upgrade DVD. Per Microsoft's new licensing requirements for Vista, users are required to install a Windows Vista Upgrade from within Windows XP and to make matters worse, the Windows XP license is forfeited. The process may be tedious, but few will argue when they compare the price differences between the upgrade and retail versions. Here we go:
News source: DailyTech
- Boot from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program.
- When prompted to enter your product key, DO NOT enter it. Click "Next" and proceed with setup. This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial.
- When prompted, select the edition of Vista which you have purchased and continue with setup.
- Once setup has been completed and you have been brought to the desktop for the first time, run the install program from within Windows Vista.
- This time, type in your product key when prompted.
- When asked whether to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, choose Custom (advanced) to perform a clean install of Vista. Yes, this means that you will have to install Vista for a second time.
- Once setup has completed for the second time, you should be able to activate Windows Vista normally. You can also delete the Windows.old directory which contains information from the first Vista install.
News source: DailyTech
The reason for "no clean upgrades" was because MS had no way of verifying the XP media's authenticity for Genuine Advantage to check, as an XP disc would (normally) contain no product key, but that's entered by the user during installation of XP. Or does this check maybe happen automatically as it contacts the activation server for Vista and deactivates your XP key? If that happens, why do MS try to make this restriction in the first place as it's apparently no problem anyway? If nothing happens and this just activates as usual, we now have an exploit to activate upgrade licenses as retails?? hmm
Last edited by Jugalator on 31 Jan 2007 - 09:02
The reason for "no clean upgrades" was because MS had no way of verifying the XP media's authenticity for Genuine Advantage to check, as an XP disc would (normally) contain no product key, but that's entered by the user during installation of XP. Or does this check maybe happen automatically as it contacts the activation server for Vista and deactivates your XP key? If that happens, why do MS try to make this restriction in the first place as it's apparently no problem anyway? If nothing happens and this just activates as usual, we now have an exploit to activate upgrade licenses as retails?? hmm
Actually, what they could do is this; during the installation process they could request your Windows XP licence key, it is then verified with Microsoft via an internet connection, once verified, it could then continue on with the installation with the request for your Windows Vista licence; clean installation without the need for a Windows XP installation on the disk.
I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp for a lot of people!
I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp for a lot of people!
More correctly, Microsoft has agreed to buy your Windows XP licence $130 (or what ever the difference is between upgrade and full) which in return you pay $259 for a copy of Windows Vista; so effectly, Microsoft is buying back their old licence.
Meaning you don't actually have a license to upgrade in the first place... Very nice.
I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp for a lot of people!
Well, the interesting logical catch is that they may demand you use the old (now forfeited) licence in the future to do a reinstall in the event your XP->Vista upgraded box gets so borked it needs a clean install.
also for people that are using the grace period to install Vista (from connect) without key till express upgrade kits arrive if upgrade option existed it would be a life saver.
can anyone test this?
Unless of course you need to perform a clean install because vista doesnt boot or something.
Dailytech = Do a custom (advanced) clean install for 2nd vista install
Thurrott = "Perform an in-place upgrade"
So whats the deal?
That once you have upgraded to vista, if you want to format and install vista again, you put your DVD, and from vista select a "clean install". THAT is what most people was complaining about!!
This "workaround" is only to install vista upgrade if you don't have XP. This is similar to when Office 2000 Premium Upgrade asked for a cd of a previous version... it would recognize the office 2000 premium CD as a previous version!!
This means I can go buy Vista Ultimate upgrade for $200 instead of the Full version at $400
They take away the validation check of the Windows XP media, but still allow this? It doesn't make much sense.
If you don't care for following licenses but want to have a valid key, this is an even better deal than it was before. lol
It's a freaking OS! And I definitely don't see anything that is worth $200 or more. What? Pay all that just to have transparent windows?
It's a freaking OS! And I definitely don't see anything that is worth $200 or more. What? Pay all that just to have transparent windows?
When you think about it, Windows XP Pro SP2 Full is almost $200. So I don't mind paying the same price for Vista.
It's a freaking OS! And I definitely don't see anything that is worth $200 or more. What? Pay all that just to have transparent windows?
Do you pay for anything you run on your computer? Do you run things that do have cost, but you pirate them?
It's a freaking OS! And I definitely don't see anything that is worth $200 or more. What? Pay all that just to have transparent windows?
If you use Windows, name another piece of software that you use more than Windows ...
I know all these restrictions stopped me from getting the upgrade version.
My OEM copy of Home Premium is arriving tomorrow
I smell Microsoft's Legal Team coming after us...
The steps numbered above do not say anything about "Installing from within Windows XP" so whoever or whatever wrote that is pretty silly.
It first tells you to "Boot" from within the Windows Vista DVD and install it without typing in your CD-Key. The first thing is that by booting up from the DVD makes it a "Clean Install" for there is no Upgrading at that point.
The second thing is that once you came up to your Windows Exporer, you litelaly have a Clean Install of Windows Vista without a key. Go to My Computer, Right Click, Properties, and Change product key. That's it.
A lot of missinformation is wandering around....
Do that, and you will get a message saying that your key is only valid for upgrades. Hence, why you install, then effectively "upgrade" with a clean install
You'd also have to figure if your XP key no longer is valid....
Just how many E-bay genuine Windows XP cd's sold will be junk sales. How would MS handle someone who legally purchased the license and media and the key is now dead?
OEM Ultimate is only $199 at Newegg. Go grab yourself one...
http://www.newegg.com/msvista/vista_products.html
People these days should really understand the meaing of EULAs and software licences in general.
OK I'll argue. This is one of the dumbest statements I've seen in a while.
So it is OK for MS to do this because they are over charging *WAY* to much for the full retail version in the first place? I don't think so!
OEM home premium is £70, while Home Premium upgrade is £140.
Would that work, and avoid the double install?
/djbarney
"OEM software is tied to the motherboard it is first installed on. Unlike the retail versions of Windows which can be transferred to a new computer, OEM versions are not transferable. What about upgrading hardware? Microsoft says that anything is fair game, except the motherboard. Replacing the motherboard in a computer results in a "new personal computer," which the company considers to be synonymous with a transfer. It's not permitted with an OEM edition of Windows.
Nevertheless, I've known users who got around this limitation by calling Microsoft and reporting that their motherboards died when they wanted to build a new computer. It is Microsoft's policy to allow motherboard swaps in instances where a system is defective or has suffered a hardware failure. But you shouldn't bank on this approach; there's no guarantee it will work and, well, liars don't get ice cream. Also, while retail versions of Vista include both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, OEM versions are specific. You get one or the other. This follows from the per device restriction. The end result is that OEM versions may not be that attractive to users who frequently build new computers from the ground up."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070130-8730.html
BUT
I just did a 'clean install', running the setup (Vista upgrade home premium) from inside a running XP
I ended up with a Windows.old folder with the prior :
Docs and Settings
Program Files
Windows
and new Profiles are in the Users
so I'm satisfied that I have a _clean_ Vista, although I don't know how re-installs of screwed up Vistas will be later. (Oh, right. THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN!
the XP was NOT activated. So the whole issue seems more of an inconvenience.
But this does SAVE time on he other hand: no need to copy off data before a clean upgrade (no format needed).
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