Microsoft Ignores Vista Upgrade Loophole

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The folks at vnunet.com are saying that Microsoft has no plans to close the Vista upgrade loophole any time soon. This means that enthusiast willing to put a little effort into going this route can save a decent chunk of change when upgrading.

"As such, we believe only a very small percentage of people will take the time to implement this workaround, and we encourage all customers to follow our official guidelines for upgrading to Windows Vista."
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The average joe wont take advantage of this... they dont' care about the handful of people who would be doing this to save a few bucks.
 
So I am confused....according to that article the old upgrade scheme of inserting a valid copy of a previosu version is no longer used?

If someone bought a copy of Vista that is an upgrade and wanted to do a fresh install off a formatted drive (and owned a licensed copy of XP for example), is that now impossible without this workaround?
 
cefoskey said:
So I am confused....according to that article the old upgrade scheme of inserting a valid copy of a previosu version is no longer used?

If someone bought a copy of Vista that is an upgrade and wanted to do a fresh install off a formatted drive (and owned a licensed copy of XP for example), is that now impossible without this workaround?
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yes..


plus this isnt much of a workaround really, you need to do it every time you want to install fresh, so it could become tedious unless someone rights some hack for it.
 
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1151514


With a support note quietly posted to its Web site, Microsoft confirmed what enthusiasts have long feared: Users who purchase Upgrade versions of Windows Vista will not be able to perform clean installs of the operating system. Instead, they will need to first install their previous OS and then upgrade in-place to Vista.

"This problem occurs because Windows Vista [Setup] does not check upgrade compliance," a support note on Microsoft's Web site reads. "Therefore, you cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista."

While this is sure to infuriate some users--and certainly, it contradicts information Microsoft provided me with last year--the reality is that upgrade installs of Windows Vista essentially wipe out the OS and perform an install that is very much like a clean install. The real problem here, therefore, will be the length of time it takes to install Vista using the Upgrade media: Though Vista often installs in about 30 minutes, previous versions often take twice as long.

UPDATE: I haven't tested this yet, as I don't have Vista Upgrade media to test, but I'm told that Microsoft's internal documentation does explain how to clean install Vista using an Upgrade version. It appears to be more of a workaround than a true clean install, however. Here's what it says.

1. Boot with the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD.

2. Click "Install Now."

3. Do not enter a Product Key When prompted.

4. When prompted, select the Vista product edition that you do have.

6. Install Vista normally.

7. Once the install is complete, restart the DVD-based Setup from within Windows Vista. Perform an in-place upgrade. 8. Enter your Product Key when prompted.
 
People in the know won't bother as an oem copy is still cheaper.
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Microsoft changed the lisencing for OEM copies of Vista. The old loophole of purchasing an internal floppy drive to comply is no longer an option. The agreement now states that an OEM copy must be sold with a new "fully assembled computer." :(

As for the article, I think MS also realizes that most people who will do this will already have a legitimate copy of XP laying around. I have 3 (had 4 at one point). It doesn't matter if Vista never asks me for a legitimate copy of XP because I already comply. I think the number of people who don't have legitimate copies, yet buy the upgrade, will be very small. AND if they do actually buy Vista upgrade rather than waiting for a pirated copy to hit the net, then MS got some $$ that they never would have in the first place.

I think this is a smart decision. I do get a chuckle thinking of the people who will see this bit of news and pick up Upgrade thinking they're "Sticking it to The Man" when they are actually in compliance with the lisencing anyways. :)
 
Draco-1 said:
Microsoft changed the lisencing for OEM copies of Vista. The old loophole of purchasing an internal floppy drive to comply is no longer an option. The agreement now states that an OEM copy must be sold with a new "fully assembled computer." :(

As for the article, I think MS also realizes that most people who will do this will already have a legitimate copy of XP laying around. I have 3 (had 4 at one point). It doesn't matter if Vista never asks me for a legitimate copy of XP because I already comply. I think the number of people who don't have legitimate copies, yet buy the upgrade, will be very small. AND if they do actually buy Vista upgrade rather than waiting for a pirated copy to hit the net, then MS got some $$ that they never would have in the first place.

I think this is a smart decision. I do get a chuckle thinking of the people who will see this bit of news and pick up Upgrade thinking they're "Sticking it to The Man" when they are actually in compliance with the lisencing anyways. :)
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Ummm... you can go to the store and buy an OEM straight out.... Heck you can go get one online right now too....
 
I think its very advantageous

They probably built it in.
Think of how much money they would spend in support
trying to tell people how to "reinstall their upgrade"
and how many people that buy OEM pc's that have xp
isntalled but never got the install disk.
 
If they wanted to close the hole, wouldn't they have to remaster a little gold code too? I mean if the reason it works is because the second install picks up the first one as upgradeable then the installation program is at fault on the media. I would think they'd have to remaster their media.
 
Shotglass01 said:
If they wanted to close the hole, wouldn't they have to remaster a little gold code too? I mean if the reason it works is because the second install picks up the first one as upgradeable then the installation program is at fault on the media. I would think they'd have to remaster their media.
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I'd say so, plus they would have to do a lot of work to make it happen.
 
I'm trying to see how this saves you money. Do you mean the "double installation" workaround will never ask for the XP disk or key?
 
Monkey34 said:
I'm trying to see how this saves you money. Do you mean the "double installation" workaround will never ask for the XP disk or key?
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It never asks for either. You only need your Vista upgrade CD and a valid Vista CD Key. This whole thing is pointless since you can buy an OEM copy of Vista for cheaper then a boxed vista upgrade.
 
Draax said:
It never asks for either. You only need your Vista upgrade CD and a valid Vista CD Key. This whole thing is pointless since you can buy an OEM copy of Vista for cheaper then a boxed vista upgrade.
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...the difference being an OEM copy is tied to the mainboard it is installed on, and is not supposed to be moved to another mainboard....of course, there appears to be some leeway here as well.

with a retail upgrade dvd, you can legally move the OS to a new mainboard/rig....hence why I went retail and will stay legal for as long as I need to use this OS from platform to platform.
 
Ockie said:
Ummm... you can go to the store and buy an OEM straight out.... Heck you can go get one online right now too....
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not legally though, even Newegg's OEM details say you have to provide proof of purchase of a motherboard, cpu, memory and HDD in order to get the OEM pricing on Vista, which pretty much constitutes a new computer
 
nobody_here said:
not legally though, even Newegg's OEM details say you have to provide proof of purchase of a motherboard, cpu, memory and HDD in order to get the OEM pricing on Vista, which pretty much constitutes a new computer
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You better tell NewEgg people have been telling me for 2 weeks they are requiring no hardware purchase or proof of anything other than payment for OEM Vista.
 
When you buy a retail copy, upgrade or otherwise you are purchasing a certain amount of product support. When you buy a OEM copy and open the package you are certifying yourself as the system builder, being the system builder you provide support for your systems. The requirement of buying hardware to get OEM software is basically moot and cannot always be proven for reasons not entirely on topic and not worth getting into... The real point is they are getting their money and don't have to provide you any significant support with an OEM copy.

Buying a retail copy of the upgrade and not owning a legitimate copy of an earlier windows OS is still not legal and really isn't the best choice.
 
How many people here have used Microsoft's support?

At least here where I live (Brazil), the few times I called I was (not) help by one person more retarded than the other.

Support suck's...
 
I have only used MS Support once. That was when I was young and just learning this crap. Cost me like $40 back then. From that point on just figured it out on my own and actually learned the stuff. It was a big waste. I dont recall they actually fixed anything either. Format and reinstall was my own solution. Thanks MS!
 
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