upgrade or full license?

[colt6920]

Will I need a full windows 7 license or can I use an upgrade license? I dont have any older versions of windows discs laying around I just have vista which came pre-installed on my pc. So im guessing I will have to buy a full license which is $200. If this is the case is there anywhere I can buy it for less?

 

[johnhurley]

Will I need a full windows 7 license or can I use an upgrade license? I dont have any older versions of windows discs laying around I just have vista which came pre-installed on my pc. So im guessing I will have to buy a full license which is $200. If this is the case is there anywhere I can buy it for less?

Buy an OEM dvd from amazon win 7 pro ... probably 130 bucks or so.

College students or people with resources can find a much better price.

 

[colt6920]

Buy an OEM dvd from amazon win 7 pro ... probably 130 bucks or so.

College students or people with resources can find a much better price.

Well my wife is a student but I can only find upgrade licenses for students. They are only $30 but I would need a full version I think. Thanks for the tip on the OEM dvd I found one for $99 but I guess the down side is its locked to one computer so if my new iMac dies I will have to rebuy it correct?

 

[balamw]

You can use an upgrade license, presuming you think you qualify for the upgrade, there is absolutely nothing technological in your way.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media

Unlike the last poster I do not recommend OEM for end-users as it is clear from Microsoft's own mouth and the license they sell it under that they do not intend OEM versions for such use.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_for_hobbyists.aspx

B

 

[colt6920]

You can use an upgrade license, presuming you think you qualify for the upgrade, there is absolutely nothing technological in your way.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media

Unlike the last poster I do not recommend OEM for end-users as it is clear from Microsoft's own mouth and the license they sell it under that they do not intend OEM versions for such use.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_for_hobbyists.aspx

B

I honestly have no idea if I qualify for the upgrade, I have a PC that has Vista on it but it came with Vista pre-installed so there are no discs. I dont want windows 7 on the PC but my new iMac so I dont know if I qualify to use just an upgrade disc or not.

The first link you provided makes it look like I can just put the upgrade disc in and it will just install windows. But if that does work the rest of it is a little over my head. Would I be able to call Microsoft and give them my vista activation code thats on the bottom of my PC, and they would give me the activation code for windows 7.

Sorry for all the questions just trying to understand things a little better so I dont make any mistakes.

 

[summitRun]

You can use an upgrade license, presuming you think you qualify for the upgrade, there is absolutely nothing technological in your way.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media

Unlike the last poster I do not recommend OEM for end-users as it is clear from Microsoft's own mouth and the license they sell it under that they do not intend OEM versions for such use.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_for_hobbyists.aspx

B

A quote from the article

But here's the paradox. While anyone with a valid, licensed copy of Windows XP or Vista qualifies for any Upgrade version of Windows 7--and by the way, that's pretty much every single PC user on earth--only Vista users can do an in-place upgrade, which is the install type for which Upgrade media is optimized. If you're an XP user, there's no way to do an in-place upgrade. So you have to perform a migration, which consists of three steps:

And yet one more quote from another thread

P.S. There is no upgrade media (all Win7 media is the same), there are only Upgrade product keys

My situation is the same as the OP except I have XP on an old think pad. The question is do we qualify to proceed (on a clean install) with the update version as the article suggests...

 

[colt6920]

So I guess if I understand this right I can buy this http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200 and follow the directions http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media here I should be good to go.

 

[blevins321]

So I guess if I understand this right I can buy this http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200 and follow the directions http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/clean-install-windows-7-with-upgrade-media here I should be good to go.

Correct. I personally have used method #2 (registry tweak) about 10 times flawlessly. It's not hacking anything, but rather making your computer forget that you booted from the install disk rather than double clicked the Upgrade button within a preexisting Windows installation.