Win7 upgrade vs Win7 Retail

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Wolvie56X

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 3, 2010
Messages
159
if i go with Win7 upgrade, will i need to call up M$ every single time i need to wipe and reinstall my computer or will that key work as long as theres a previous OS on the system? ive seen tricks on doing full wipes for XP users

and the full retail version, that key can be used unlimited times but on only 1 PC at a time, correct?

i cant seem to find any of these answers online

id buy the cheaper upgrade if i can use the same upgrade key everytime i need to rewipe, BUT if i have to call M$ and get a new key every time, the $100 more pricetag for the full retail version will save lots of headaches i think
 
i know with OEM you need to call and get a new key everytime you want to reinstall the OS
 
the call in process is not that painful. annoying, somewhat but pretty easy overall.
 
Wolvie56X said:
i know with OEM you need to call and get a new key everytime you want to reinstall the OS
Click to expand...

Dude if you are going to give advice CHECK YOUR FACTS! This is incorrect, quite often you can do an online activation. Reinstalling the OS multiple times in a short time period or multiple hardware changes all at once on an OEM install will almost guarantee a phone activation, anything else doesn't necessarily cause a phone activation.
 
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Wolvie56X said:
if i go with Win7 upgrade, will i need to call up M$ every single time i need to wipe and reinstall my computer or will that key work as long as theres a previous OS on the system? ive seen tricks on doing full wipes for XP users
Click to expand...
No. Just do one of the several 'Upgrade clean install' tricks that are on the net.
and the full retail version, that key can be used unlimited times but on only 1 PC at a time, correct?
Click to expand...
So can OEM, so can Upgrade ... they all can. The only time you would run into an issue is if you try to activate one key on a different computer, close to the time of a previous activation. I've activated on one motherboard/cpu combination ... then several months later activated the exact same key on a completely different motherboard/cpu combo, without any issues whatsoever. The only time's I've heard of people having to call MIcrosoft is if they activate on one system, then change parts and try to activate again, within a relatively short period (few weeks or months).
id buy the cheaper upgrade if i can use the same upgrade key everytime i need to rewipe, BUT if i have to call M$ and get a new key every time, the $100 more pricetag for the full retail version will save lots of headaches i think
Click to expand...
Buy the Upgrade and clean install it as long as there is going to be a several month period between builds. If your going to install it and activate it on one machine, then try to install it on another machine in a few weeks you're going to have issues with any license.
Wolvie56X said:
i know with OEM you need to call and get a new key everytime you want to reinstall the OS
Click to expand...
lol no.
 
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Cajunheat said:
Dude if you are going to give advice CHECK YOUR FACTS!
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You realize you are yelling at the OP for giving bad advice to himself?

As for the OP's question, you don't need to call MS each time, and even if you did, it is a simple process. This is Windows 7...not XP...you won't be reinstalling that often.
 
DeaconFrost said:
You realize you are yelling at the OP for giving bad advice to himself?

As for the OP's question, you don't need to call MS each time, and even if you did, it is a simple process. This is Windows 7...not XP...you won't be reinstalling that often.
Click to expand...

You got me on this one DF, I didn't realize it was the OP. So, to the OP my sincerest apologies , my bad.
 
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Another advice for you, Wolvie. Can the M$ crap. It's not 1990 anymore.
 
OP??

Anyways, so with the XP Pro OEM I had to call every time I had to reinstall, it's not like this with the win7 OEM?? With XP Pro I was doing a fresh install about once every other month. So I'm just wanting to make sure which version is the best choice if I need to reinstall within a short period of time.

With XP Pro upgrade I was able to do a bootleg install then use keyupdater and use the XP Pro upgrade key as my main key with zero issues every.
 
I actually had to install and reinstall twice this weekend with XP Pro. One was from bad system errors and the other was from malicious software while I was updating. Went to the wrong site and got the 'antivirus 2009' spyware bug. Didn't feel like playing with it and just rewiped.
 
OP= original poster. In this thread that would be you. It's easier to say OP than remember who made the post hehe
 
Wolvie can't answer your question directly because I haven't ran an upgrade OS since the old Win 98 days. I can tell you this, I installed Win 7 RC 6 months before the official launch and installed the retail version of Home premium the first week it was available. It has been the stablest OS I've ever used. I have not had to reinstall at all. The reason I bought retail is I change hardware (including the MB) often. I figured there just was less hassle this way because MS doesn't have a reason not activate. Bottom line you need to take in consideration your needs and how much of MS's BS your will to take then make your decision based on that.
 
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