You missed the key element: the PID determines what is being installed.
The PID for an Anytime Upgrade expects to find the version you are upgrading
from already installed and activated.
It will not work as a direct installation. (I've tried.)
What you seem to be missing is that it is an UPGRADE license. And, MS
designed the Anytime Upgrade to only work as an upgrade, unlike the retail
upgrade version.
Going to x64 requires a clean install. No way around this.
Anytime Upgrade requires the "from" version installed and activated.
Two installs required to get to Ultimate.
The good news:
Once you are done, you can make a full backup which can be restored at any
future date in less than 20 minutes and will already be activated.
"Bob Cronin" <BobCronin@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:9960D011-6141-4EAA-A0DF-5DD2C48A0CF2@xxxxxx
Quote:
> Since I originally had one full Ultimate license, what if I ordered
> replacement media for that and then (after wiping the PC that has Ultimate
> derived from the Home Premium+Anytime Upgrade), used that DVD to install
> Ultimate (using the Ultimate PID that I got with the Anytime Upgrade)?
> Would
> that work? It just seems silly to have to re-install Home Premium and then
> re-apply the Anytime Upgrade. If I have an Ultimate PID (regardless of how
> it
> was derived), why can't I just install Ultimate from the get-go specifying
> that PID? It's the PID that proves I have the license, isn't it? I don't
> mean
> to be argumentative, I'm just trying to understand exactly what I need to
> do
> before I wipe the PC (and at the same time, minimize the amount of work,
> I'm
> lazy ;-).
>
> Thanks very much for your help.
>
> Bob
>
> "Mark H" wrote:
> Quote:
>> Two things:
>> First, how old is your Anytime Upgrade?
>> The original versions used an executable file to self-install the upgrade
>> while running the current installation.
>> The newer version installs from the disk they send you, but it is unknown
>> to
>> me if the PID is automatically entered, or you have to manually enter it
>> at
>> some point.
>> Based on your original post, you already have the Ultimate PID which
>> implies you probably have the newer version of Anytime Upgrade.
>> When you get to the point of installing x64 Ultimate upgrade below, you
>> will be running x64 version of Home Premium. Insert the installation DVD
>> and
>> when prompted, select install now. When asked for the PID, insert the PID
>> you for Ultimate. An upgrade installation will proceed.
>>
>> All versions of Vista are on the same DVD for the same "bitness." The PID
>> determines what gets installed. To move to x64 Ultimate you will have to
>> do
>> the following:
>> Perform a clean install of Home Premium with the appropriate PID.
>> Activate the installation.
>> Perform the Anytime Upgrade to Ultimate.
>> You use the same disk to perform both installations.
>>
>> The Ultimate version you have is an Anytime Upgrade and expects Home
>> Premium
>> to be installed first.
>> It won't work any other way.
>> The PID you have for Home Premium and Ultimate will work on either x86 or
>> x64 versions.
>>
>>
>> "Bob Cronin" <BobCronin@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:CA2B3279-90DE-49C6-A6A3-BF7E3CABEB1F@xxxxxx Quote:
>> > But will I be able to install Ultimate from that DVD?
>> >
>> > Bob
>> >
>> > "Mark H" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Go back to the ordermedia site and put in the Home Premium PID. One
>> >> disk
>> >> can
>> >> be obtained for each full version PID at a cost of $10 each.
>> >>
>> >> "Bob Cronin" <Bob Cronin@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> news:E6406AB2-BAC4-4056-B3DC-71693F8646AC@xxxxxx
>> >> > Two years ago I bought a full ultimate license and then another 2
>> >> > licenses
>> >> > for home premium under the old family pack program. I later upgraded
>> >> > both
>> >> > of
>> >> > them to ultimate under the anytime upgrade program. Later I applied
>> >> > SP1
>> >> > to
>> >> > all 3 systems. Now I want to wipe one system and install 64-bit, but
>> >> > I
>> >> > don't
>> >> > have any media that has the 64-bit version of ultimate with SP1. I
>> >> > tried
>> >> > ordering new media at www.windowsvista.com/1033/ordermedia and put
>> >> > in
>> >> > my
>> >> > ultimate product key that I got with the anytime upgrade, but it
>> >> > only
>> >> > offers
>> >> > me the 32-bit DVD. How can I get the 64-bit ultimate DVD with SP1?
>> >> > Thanks.
>> >> >>