When I buy Windows 7, soon, can I just buy the upgrade and still do a clean install like I've done in the past, or will it require that I have already installed Vista? I remember in the past you just were required to have an authentic disk, not nessarily installed on the drive.
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Windows 7 Upgrading Question
- Thread starter Stinger1
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bigdogchris
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The speculation is based on some websites confirmation of the official statement that you need an installed and activated OS in order to do the install. Until someone gets their hands on an actual Upgrade disc we really won't know for sure. I'm sure Microsoft would not advertise the ability to do a true clean install with an Upgrade disc even if were possible. Even if they say "it's not allowed", I don't completely trust that it's impossible.
The ability to use upgrade media/keys to perform what's traditionally been known as a 'clean install' disappeared when Vista first arrived. Clean install with upgrade media no longer means"'nuke the hard drive, start afresh, and pop in your previous install disk when necessary to qualify the upgrade key".
That's because, from Vista onwards, the Windows installer doesn't actually include a 'compliance' check! Instead, the upgrade install key gets blocked unless it's been launched from within a qualifying OS installation.
Got that? What it means is that, for Windows 7, if you have an 'upgrade' install key you gotta fire up one of the following and then launch Windows setup via Computer, Explorer, or Autoplay:
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
You can still perform a 'clean install' but it'll be what Microsoft calls a 'Custom Clean install', rather than an exercise in nuking the hard drive partitions, booting from the install disk, and starting from scratch. A custom clean install bundles the old install into a WINDOWS.OLD folder and then puts a clean new install on the drive, if you've chosen the partition where the existing install is located. If you choose a different partition it'll leave the old install in place, and create a dual boot configuration for you. (So much for the horror stories about your old install key getting blacklisted, by the way. If you use custom clean install to create a dual boot your previous install will still be a working one!)
Anyways, with a custom clean install you can afterwards remove the WINDOWS.OLD folder whenever you like, using disk cleanup. The resulting clean install is every bit as 'clean' as the one created in the more traditional 'clean install' procedure.
In some circumstances you have to use 'Custom Clean install' anyways, no matter what. If you're upgrading from Windows 2000 it's mandatory, because it's not a 'valid upgrade path' for an over the top upgrade install. Nor is it for a transition from an x86 install to an x64 install. Nor is it if you are upgrading your license from a Windows XP or Vista Pro/Business/Ultimate install to a Windows 7 'Home' install. All those scenarios necessitate a custom clean install to upgrade the license.
You can't use an upgrade install key with earlier Windows versions, because those are not valid 'qualifying products' for upgrading your license. Too old. Try to use an upgrade key with Windows 9x or an NT version earlier than Win 2000 and it won't work at all. Those are scenarios which require you to purchase a completely new license, rather than upgrade an old one.
Oh! And the inclusion of Windows 7 in the list? Qualifying itself? Of COURSE it needs to be able to qualify itself! The qualification check HAS to be able to cope with that scenario, to allow for circumstances where a person want to use their license for a fresh start on their rig, later on. At some stage or other just about everyone needs to redo their install and start over again, and custom clean install lets you 'repair' your rig in such fashion.
(Again, so much for the horror stories. This time the ones saying you'll need to install and activate your previous windows version every time you need to redo your rig. You only need an install on there, so as long as it isn't too borked to be able to boot to desktop and launch a CD/DVD within the file shell then the existing borked install cam be used to qualify the 'upgrade' clean install! Bunging the thing on a clean, new hard drive is really the only scenario which requires a 'dual install', in Vista as well as in windows 7!)
That's because, from Vista onwards, the Windows installer doesn't actually include a 'compliance' check! Instead, the upgrade install key gets blocked unless it's been launched from within a qualifying OS installation.
Got that? What it means is that, for Windows 7, if you have an 'upgrade' install key you gotta fire up one of the following and then launch Windows setup via Computer, Explorer, or Autoplay:
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
You can still perform a 'clean install' but it'll be what Microsoft calls a 'Custom Clean install', rather than an exercise in nuking the hard drive partitions, booting from the install disk, and starting from scratch. A custom clean install bundles the old install into a WINDOWS.OLD folder and then puts a clean new install on the drive, if you've chosen the partition where the existing install is located. If you choose a different partition it'll leave the old install in place, and create a dual boot configuration for you. (So much for the horror stories about your old install key getting blacklisted, by the way. If you use custom clean install to create a dual boot your previous install will still be a working one!)
Anyways, with a custom clean install you can afterwards remove the WINDOWS.OLD folder whenever you like, using disk cleanup. The resulting clean install is every bit as 'clean' as the one created in the more traditional 'clean install' procedure.
In some circumstances you have to use 'Custom Clean install' anyways, no matter what. If you're upgrading from Windows 2000 it's mandatory, because it's not a 'valid upgrade path' for an over the top upgrade install. Nor is it for a transition from an x86 install to an x64 install. Nor is it if you are upgrading your license from a Windows XP or Vista Pro/Business/Ultimate install to a Windows 7 'Home' install. All those scenarios necessitate a custom clean install to upgrade the license.
You can't use an upgrade install key with earlier Windows versions, because those are not valid 'qualifying products' for upgrading your license. Too old. Try to use an upgrade key with Windows 9x or an NT version earlier than Win 2000 and it won't work at all. Those are scenarios which require you to purchase a completely new license, rather than upgrade an old one.
Oh! And the inclusion of Windows 7 in the list? Qualifying itself? Of COURSE it needs to be able to qualify itself! The qualification check HAS to be able to cope with that scenario, to allow for circumstances where a person want to use their license for a fresh start on their rig, later on. At some stage or other just about everyone needs to redo their install and start over again, and custom clean install lets you 'repair' your rig in such fashion.
(Again, so much for the horror stories. This time the ones saying you'll need to install and activate your previous windows version every time you need to redo your rig. You only need an install on there, so as long as it isn't too borked to be able to boot to desktop and launch a CD/DVD within the file shell then the existing borked install cam be used to qualify the 'upgrade' clean install! Bunging the thing on a clean, new hard drive is really the only scenario which requires a 'dual install', in Vista as well as in windows 7!)