Vista - upgrade or full?

okay two questions for you boffins.

first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet) if
I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my drive
and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do you
HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)

second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
English os

The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled os
for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the case
before)
and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
they have been intended!!

I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard earned
cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance

turbotoes

"turbotoes" <turbotoes@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CA943F44-10AE-4145-B7FB-5056DC0398B3@microsoft.com...
> okay two questions for you boffins.
>
> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
> if
> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
> drive
> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do you
> HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)

As you have already read, for an upgrade edition to work, you must have the
qualifying OS installed, activated and validated.
>
> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
> English os

I can think of no reason why an English edition cannot be installed on your
computer in France, but I may be corrected here.
<snip>

Hi,

> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
> if
> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
> drive
> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked?

No.

> or do you HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)

Yes, and it must be activated and validated.

> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
> English os

None that I am aware of.

> The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
> answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled os
> for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the
> case
> before)

You must.

> and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
> they have been intended!!

Haven't heard that one yet.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"turbotoes" <turbotoes@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CA943F44-10AE-4145-B7FB-5056DC0398B3@microsoft.com...
> okay two questions for you boffins.
>
>
> I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard earned
> cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance
>
> turbotoes

Rick nailed your questions and being on French soil is not going to impact
whether you install an English version on your box. If you check the
prolific number of French newsgroups on the MSFT public group list, you'll
get plenty of reenforcement for that.

MSFT is going toward a trend in their anti-piracy efforts of requiring the
legacy software to be installed, activated, and validated to do an
upgrade --this is not just confined to the Operating System.

Good luck,

CH


"pvdg42" <pvdg42@newsgroups.nospam> wrote in message
news:u99uDgMOHHA.4992@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> "turbotoes" <turbotoes@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:CA943F44-10AE-4145-B7FB-5056DC0398B3@microsoft.com...
>> okay two questions for you boffins.
>>
>> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
>> if
>> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
>> drive
>> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do
>> you
>> HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)
>
> As you have already read, for an upgrade edition to work, you must have
> the qualifying OS installed, activated and validated.
>>
>> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not
>> install
>> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
>> English os
>
> I can think of no reason why an English edition cannot be installed on
> your computer in France, but I may be corrected here.
> <snip>
>

In your particular case, I would recommend that you purchase
a complete "Full English Version" of Windows Vista. The
retail upgrade version of Windows Vista is non-bootable.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"turbotoes" wrote:

okay two questions for you boffins.

first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet) if
I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my drive
and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do you
HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)

second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
English os

The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled os
for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the case
before)
and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
they have been intended!!

I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard earned
cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance

turbotoes

thanks fellas, though having done a bit more searching I found this


"The options

You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows
2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and
installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of
Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to
install, you have two options for the installation process:

In-place upgrade
You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and
retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous
edition of Windows.

Clean install
Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use
Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an
extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista.
After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your
files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall your
applications."

here,

..microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeinfo.mspx

which suggests that a clean install ( as I use the term, ie. a virgin
install on an empty reformatted drive) is indeed possible. What say you all?

The retail upgrade version is bootable, but for repair only.

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfrisch@nospamgmail.com> wrote in message
news:76B7D618-D0B5-4C87-9EE5-29E832AB47EC@microsoft.com...
> In your particular case, I would recommend that you purchase
> a complete "Full English Version" of Windows Vista. The
> retail upgrade version of Windows Vista is non-bootable.
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows Shell/User
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "turbotoes" wrote:
>
> okay two questions for you boffins.
>
> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
> if
> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
> drive
> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do you
> HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)
>
> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
> English os
>
> The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
> answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled os
> for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the
> case
> before)
> and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
> they have been intended!!
>
> I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard earned
> cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance
>
> turbotoes

The "clean install" option instructions assumes that you have the qualifying
product installed, not that you are installing to an empty, reformatted hard
drive.

--


Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User
"turbotoes" <turbotoes@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:AA6EDAB5-D2DD-451B-AC5F-2A43AEC2DCA0@microsoft.com...
>
>
> thanks fellas, though having done a bit more searching I found this
>
>
> "The options
>
> You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or
> Windows
> 2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing
> and
> installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of
> Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to
> install, you have two options for the installation process:
>
> In-place upgrade
> You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and
> retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your
> previous
> edition of Windows.
>
> Clean install
> Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use
> Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to
> an
> extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista.
> After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your
> files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall
> your
> applications."
>
> here,
>
> .microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeinfo.mspx
>
> which suggests that a clean install ( as I use the term, ie. a virgin
> install on an empty reformatted drive) is indeed possible. What say you
> all?
>
>

You must have a qualifying copy of Windows installed in order to use an
upgrade edition of Vista. If you are installing x86 Vista you must do so
from the desktop of the legacy Windows. If you are installing an x64 Vista
you will boot with the x64 dvd and install from there. In neither case will
the Vista upgrade edition Setup ask for or accept shiny media as proof of
eligibility. Vista upgrade edition Setup scans the computer for an eligible
copy of Windows.

"turbotoes" <turbotoes@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CA943F44-10AE-4145-B7FB-5056DC0398B3@microsoft.com...
> okay two questions for you boffins.
>
> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
> if
> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
> drive
> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do you
> HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)
>
> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not install
> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
> English os
>
> The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
> answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled os
> for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the
> case
> before)
> and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
> they have been intended!!
>
> I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard earned
> cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance
>
> turbotoes

The x86 upgrade edition is bootable but not installable from a dvd boot.
The x64 upgrade edition is not only bootable but also installable from a dvd
boot.

"John Barnes" <jbarnes@email.net> wrote in message
news:uFaUm2MOHHA.4720@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> The retail upgrade version is bootable, but for repair only.
>
> "Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfrisch@nospamgmail.com> wrote in message
> news:76B7D618-D0B5-4C87-9EE5-29E832AB47EC@microsoft.com...
>> In your particular case, I would recommend that you purchase
>> a complete "Full English Version" of Windows Vista. The
>> retail upgrade version of Windows Vista is non-bootable.
>>
>> --
>> Carey Frisch
>> Microsoft MVP
>> Windows Shell/User
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> "turbotoes" wrote:
>>
>> okay two questions for you boffins.
>>
>> first, if I buy the retail upgrade premium or business ( not decided yet)
>> if
>> I want to do a clean install, can I boot off the vista dvd, reformat my
>> drive
>> and install as I do with xp by inserting the xp disk when asked? or do
>> you
>> HAVE to have xp pre installed (thus doubling the install time!!)
>>
>> second, if I buy my copy from the UK is there any reason I can not
>> install
>> it on my computer here in France? ( that's where I live, but I want an
>> English os
>>
>> The reason I ask is because I have read on a couple of forums that the
>> answer to both these qwestions is NO, That you must have a preinstalled
>> os
>> for an upgrade (rather than a qualifing product as has alwasy been the
>> case
>> before)
>> and that "localised" versions will only install in the country for which
>> they have been intended!!
>>
>> I just want a bit of reassurance that I will not be wasting my hard
>> earned
>> cash on os's that I can't use. thanks in advance
>>
>> turbotoes
>