Filed under: OS Updates, Windows
Windows 7 RC users will be able to install Windows 7 Upgrade discs
by Brad Linder Jul 11th 2009 at 2:00PM
Microsoft has already stated that Windows Vista and Windows XP users would be able to use the upgrade discs. But this week the company also confirmed that those of you who have been using Windows 7 RC will also be able to upgrade to Windows 7 final using the upgrade discs.
There is a catch. While the Windows 7 installer won't overwrite your files, it will copy all of your existing data to a folder labeled WINDOWS.OLD, which means that you won't be able to run most applications without reinstalling them. But at least you won't lose your documents in the upgrade process.
Now here's the bigger catch: While you won't need to downgrade from Windows 7 RC to Vista or XP in order to install Windows 7 final the first, time, you will need to install one of those operating systems and activate it first if you want to do a clean install in the future. Because the Windows 7 upgrade disc will only work with an activated version of Windows. That means you'll need an activated version of Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 RC to start with or the disc will be useless.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
HollowYoshi said 7:36PM on 7-11-2009
I really wish I could pre-order a non-upgrade version of Windows 7... *sigh*
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kojo87 said 7:36PM on 7-11-2009
all the discs are the same. you an do a clean install of 7 Ultimate from a Home upgrade disc. you just need a different key
Jasmine said 7:37PM on 7-11-2009
Just install the Windows 7 RC for now, order the upgrade, and install that when it comes in October.
kojo87 said 7:36PM on 7-11-2009
this is a smart move. i might put that copy of 7 Pro that i ordered on my Netbook running RC1 now. i like how all the discs have the same data on them and all you are really paying for is the license key. i plan on using that same disc for all five computers im putting this on. upgrade and clean installs. just get my keys elsewhere.
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Jash Sayani said 7:36PM on 7-11-2009
I will stick to RC (Build 7100) till 2010 and then think of buying Win 7.
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Neowl said 7:36PM on 7-11-2009
That is awesome news for those running the RC! So many users will breathe a sigh of relief now :D
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sean said 7:37PM on 7-11-2009
Thats insane and ridiculous! So if I want to do a clean install using my windows 7 copy when I get it, I'll have to install my old xp first and activate it before I can even install 7???? What a monumental waste of time for whenever I want to do a fresh install.
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Jasmine said 7:37PM on 7-11-2009
This article pointed out that you can install the Windows 7 RC now (which is free) then upgrade to the full release. No need for XP or Vista (which cost money).
kal326 said 3:12PM on 7-13-2009
Or you could install WinXP, Vista, or Win 7 RC once, do a complete PC backup after activation. Then when you need to reload the machine, restore the full backup, and upgrade again. You are suppose to backup your machine before an upgrade anyway.
ShadowGod said 7:37PM on 7-11-2009
Yeah this is ridiculous. I'm not going to install XP first whenever I want to reinstall Win7. I'm just going to buy the full versions.
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kojo87 said 10:00PM on 7-11-2009
thats how any upgrade disc works. i know this is the 3rd time i've said this on here but you can do a clean install from the upgrade DVD. you just need a different license key.
ShadowGod said 3:00PM on 7-12-2009
I can't get a straight answer on this ---
Will an upgrade version allow me to install on a blank, formatted hard drive, or not? Yes or No? Isn't it going to say "you need an O/S installed already to upgrade"?
I just want to install on a completely blank, formatted hard drive, that's all.
Samuel said 5:55PM on 7-12-2009
ShadowGod, the words upgrade imply that one is upgrading from something.
Christina Warren said 10:48AM on 7-13-2009
If it's the same as the Windows Vista discs, yes, you can do a "clean install" on a machine from the Win 7 upgrade disc, provided you have an XP license. It is a bit of a pain in the ass, but it's totally doable.
As for the semantics of "upgrade" -- the confusion is that pre-Vista, every upgrade disc worked just the same as a new disc, it just needed you to insert an old Windows disc to verify you were upgrading. Lots of people want to do a clean install.
Now, if you don't want to do the whole hack around to do the clean upgrade thing, do know that if you put XP on your system and then run the upgrade disc, it WILL wipe off the XP partition, in essence doing a clean upgrade, albeit with an extra annoying step.
But yes. as kojo says, with a different activation key (which you could obtain in Vista using some special commands at startup IIRC, it's been close to two years since I did a Vista Home Upgrade as a clean install and I really don't remember the exact steps), the Upgrade disc works as a full disc.
Microsoft has always been weird about their upgrade discs. They are actually the full software, they just have different requirements in order to boot. Like, the Office upgrades generally only require the existence of one other Office program, not the whole suite -- so in the days before the Student Teacher Edition, you could save money by buying say, Word 2000 and the Office 2000 Upgrade at the same, install Word and then install the Office Upgrade.
I assume we'll have more details on how you can use your Win 7 upgrade discs as soon as they are released to manufacturers
ShadowGod said 3:56PM on 7-13-2009
Samuel, you're an idiot. Thanks Christina. Apparently no one really knows yet how it's going to work.
Adil said 7:37PM on 7-11-2009
i wonder how long those RC keys will stay valid
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horsethiefbandit said 10:00PM on 7-11-2009
Hubba-whuh?
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Eroded Fallacy said 7:33AM on 7-12-2009
People actually pay for windows OS? Here i thought everyone had a pirated Dell OEM version....
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skapig said 7:33AM on 7-12-2009
This is really news? Just like with Vista, the installer for Win7 is not that picky.
If you want to save money, you can just buy the upgrade version and do a fresh install with it. All that you have to do is go through the install routine a first time, but keep it in trial mode by not entering a key. Then you perform an upgrade install on that trial version. This time you enter the key since it is an upgrade. Sure it's a bit tedious sitting through the process twice, but it works.
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Adil said 3:23PM on 7-12-2009
no, it's not the same as vista. The difference b/t the win7 upgrade and the vista upgrade is that apparently they changed it so that the copy of windows you're upgrading from has to be activated where it didn't have to be before. so the double install doesn't seem like it'll work anymore