Windows anytime upgrade only has one option?

M

MotoKoko

I'm very new to these forums, so I'm sorry if I do something wrong

I'm trying to upgrade my computer to windows 7, and the way most websites have told me to do this is to open Windows Anytime Upgrade. The problem I'm having is that it only has one option that says "Compare editions of windows vista" the link included just takes me to Microsoft's windows 10 update page. Any help would be much appreciated!
 

My Computer

Welcome to Vista Forums, MotoKoko. I haven't been able to duplicate your issue: The "Compare the editions of Windows Vista" link redirects me to Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor whether the default browser is Firefox or Internet Explorer 9, and googling Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor gives me the same URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20. There have been cases where Upgrade Advisor reported that an upgrade to Windows 7 was possible, but an in-place upgrade nevertheless failed. A clean install using a retail copy of Windows 7 is more likely to succeed; but I'm not really an expert because my Vista PC is still running Vista.:)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
I think the problem is that the only version of Windows now on sale is Windows 10.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Workstation
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    doofenshmirtz evil incorporated
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    Ryzen 9 5950X
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
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    Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO Black 64GB (4x16GB) 3600MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4
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    ASUS AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB ROG Strix LC OC
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    Creative
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    3 x27" Dell U2724D & 1 x 34" Dell U3415W
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    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State
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    ThermalTake Level 10 GT
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    Logitech Performance MX
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    WinTV NovaTD
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    APC 750i Smart UPS
  • Operating System
    windows 10
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    Surface Pro 3
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    1.9GHz Intel Core i5-4300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
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    4GB
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    12" Multi Touch
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    128GB
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    Logitech
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    yes
    Internet Speed
    350 Mb/s
Anytime upgrade is introduced starting in Vista with the goal being to get users to purchase an upgrade to a more expensive version of Windows however it only points to the most recent version of Windows. To get 7 you will have to buy a copy from a private seller such as ebay or amazon however if you do that your risk getting a pirated copy that won't validate. It is no longer available for retail purchase.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I believe that Windows anytime upgrade was designed to upgrade the OS to a higher edition, not a newer version of the OS. If it ever supported upgrading Vista to Windows 7 that was discontinued years ago.
 

My Computer

Anytime upgrade...only points to the most recent version of Windows.

Perhaps in Windows 7, but in Vista the link leads to Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
I can't test it since it isn't on my VM but I believe initially that it offered higher versions of Vista but I believe that would have changed when 7 was introduced at which time they offered 7. Once 8 was introduced they would have switched to 8. They always want the user to get the newest version which is understandable so now that 10 is out 7 is no longer available for retail sale or even through OEM so naturally they wouldn't have it on anytime upgrade either. As I stated the only way you can get it is from a private seller.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
I can't test it since it isn't on my VM but I believe initially that it offered higher versions of Vista...
Obviously the original purpose of the link was to sell Vista Ultimate, but it has redirected to Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor for years and still does. If the OP wants to upgrade to Windows 7, running Upgrade Advisor would be a useful first step. If the "compare editions" link doesn't work for the OP, the URL can be found in post #2. Since speculation appears to be in order, perhaps Microsoft's website is smart enough to redirect Vista systems unsuitable for Windows 7 to a Windows 10 sales pitch? It seems unlikely, but I have no way to test. Alternatively, there might be some issue with the OP's default browser. It might be interesting to know exactly what URL the OP was being redirected to.

Edit: To speculate further, perhaps it's as simple as "Vista x86 redirects to Upgrade Advisor, Vista x64 redirects to Windows 10 promo." Alas, I only have one Vista PC and it's x86.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium x86 SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion Elite m9150f
    CPU
    Intel Q6600
    Memory
    3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
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