Upgrade to 7?

I

Inspired_Art

Member
I have Windows Vista 64 installed on my current rig. If I purchase the Windows 7 upgrade, can I install Vista and then upgrade it? Or does Vista need to be activated in order to install 7?
Of course I don't really want to shell out $300 if it's not necessary..
 

My Computer

System One

Welcome
Microsoft is offering the upgrade at a discount for those that have Vista, as an incentive to make the new purchase. After the upgrade the Vista is no longer permitted to be used.
You will buy the upgrade version of Seven, which can be purcahsed for a lot less than $300.00 if you are looking at the Home premium edition.
Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version - Windows 7 Forums[2]=General Tips
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
The installation mechanism by default requires a previous operating system to be installed, but as the directions linked by Rich above indicate, an alternative method bypasses that requirement. However, legally speaking you need to own a qualifying operating system to upgrade.

The good thing is that the upgrade applies to more than one operating system. According to Microsoft, "With an upgrade copy, you can install Windows Vista if you already own a compliant, licensed version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista." I believe this applies to Windows 7 as well (with the exception of Windows 2000).

So, if you have an old copy of Windows XP still lying around, you can use that as the surrogate base operating system and "upgrade" it. That would still leave you able to legally use your existing copy of Windows Vista on the current computer. This is very useful for those who wish to have a dual boot system.

The only exception to this is OEM versions. An OEM version is an operating system that is pre-installed on your computer. It is non-transferable and cannot be used in another computer. So, if that computer "bites the dust" so does the operating system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
Well it seems I have left out half the story:
I have Windows Vista installed on my current machine. If I were to build another system could I install the same Vista DVD without activation, then use a Windows 7 to upgrade and activate it?
 

My Computer

System One

You cannot use an upgrade from Vista, and then use the same Vista DVD, anywhere.
Once you upgrade, that Vista is legally gone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
LoganC said:
But Windows Vista and Windows 7 are so similar...why would you want to?
Click to expand...

That's what I am thinking also.
I want to keep my current pc system and build another faster system. I'm going to be stepping up in my computer graphics/animation and the more "power" you have, the faster render/output time. I've got 8GB of memory installed now, the new machine will have 16GB.

I'll probably find a Vista DVD on ebay and go for that. I don't need no upgrade :sarc:
 

My Computer

System One

Hi Cookstein,

Yes that is correct Windows 7 is more stable than Vista.
Also providing the link which shows the difference and new features in windows 7: Difference Between Vista & Windows 7

For any further questions in future please feel free to contact us.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    AMD FX-4100
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI 5450
    Screen Resolution
    1600*900
    Internet Speed
    10Mbps
I wouldn't say it was more stable.

It is a little more efficient - unless you have an extremely low spec machine, you probabaly won't notice.

There has been a lot of stuff taken out.

You might prefer Vista - best to try 7 for a while first to find out.

A lot of people are misled when they try a new operating system .

It appears fast and snappy - much of that is because it is a new install with no crapware.

A fresh install of Vista with no crapware performs beautifully, too.


Having said that - if you can get a good price, might be worth going to win7 - you can't stay with Vista forever.

Win8 is coming out - it is made for tablets and is awful on a desktop/laptop.

I think a lot of people will be using win7 for a very long time to avoid win8.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Vista
    CPU
    Intel E8400
    Motherboard
    ASRock1333-GLAN R2.0
    Memory
    4gb DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 9500GT 1gb
  • Operating System
    win7/vista
    CPU
    intel i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    ballistix 2x8gb 3200
Cookstein said:
Isn't Windows 7 considered to be significantly more stable than Vista?
Click to expand...

No. As SIW2 said, W7 is a little more efficient. It's a little more lightweight because some things have been removed. But if you've got a fairly powerful computer, you won't see a difference.

I inherited a machine with Windows 7 on it, while Vista is on my primary laptop. I've used both. It's more like having two different themes, rather than two different operating systems. To me, Vista is the bargain as it tends to sell for quite a bit less than W7. Last spring, I acquired an opened but unused Vista Ultimate upgrade install set for the grand total of $44 shipped. An upgrade set for W7 Ultimate usually goes for around $90-$100.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb
    Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
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