OS and Software > Microsoft Help > [Vista] Windows 7 Upgrade Question

[Vista] Windows 7 Upgrade Question

You can do an in-place upgrade to 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate. If you choose to upgrade to a different edition you will need to perform a clean installation.

Windows Vista users can follow multiple upgrade paths to Windows 7. As was the case when upgrading from XP to Vista, you will only need to perform a clean install if you are going to a version that is lower on the food chain. For example, if you are going from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Home Premium, you would do a clean install. If you are going from Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate, you do not need to do a clean install. When you switch to a higher version, you're adding on the existing functionality, but when you're going to a lesser version, you're taking away functionality, thus the need for a clean install.

Clean installs will also have to be performed when upgrading from a 32-bit version to a 64-bit version, regardless of edition. Unless the user chooses to repartition or format the current partition, Vista's files from C:\WINDOWS will be preserved under C:\WINDOWS.OLD, just as when upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista.

As with Vista, each DVD includes the various editions. Unlike Vista, every edition of Windows 7 is a superset of the previous edition, so you will not lose any features when upgrading. Once you have some edition of Windows 7 on your system, whether you purchased it via an OEM or just upgraded from Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will be able to upgrade to a "more premium" version of Windows 7 by purchasing an upgrade key to unlock additional features, just as with Vista. This is called Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU). For example, you could start off with Windows Vista Home Premium, upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, and then later choose to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional.

reply to DFWDraco76
More confusing/conflicting info:

Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7 with an in-place upgrade if the processor architecture, comparable edition, and language version are the same.

reply to DFWDraco76
I see that I'm not the only one confused:
»Windows 7 upgrade question
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»blog.thelifeofbrian.info

so... any MS experts here know the answer to my question?
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»blog.thelifeofbrian.info

reply to DFWDraco76
don't go simply by my word, but it seems that from the Win7 upgrade versions available you will get both 32/64-bit versions. also it doesn't matter what edition of Win7 you buy so long as you have a valid license for WinXp/Vista you will be able to upgrade it just fine. The only thing that changes is whether you have to do a 'clean install' when you upgrade to Win7 or if you will be able to an 'software upgrade' when you upgrade to Win7.

I wanted to correct this something I said. You need to have a valid copy of XP/Vista currently installed when you upgrade to Win7. That's how the Win7 Upgrade CD will check to see if you have a valid license.

That's a good question. It seems like once you put in the Win7 CD it will verify that you have a valid license and from that point on during the setup process it will 'clean' out the old OS while installing the new one.

Here's where I'm getting my info from:
»social.technet.microsoft.com/For···277f28e3

Feel free to ask them there too.

No problem.

reply to howie1
Let's confuse it a bit more.
If I have the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD and install it on a new HD? Will it ask me for a copy of Vista/XP before I install? Like the old fashioned way with XP upgrades.

reply to DFWDraco76

this isn't the official answer, but it's the most logical/practical answer (based on previous versions of windows) i've read so far on the matter since asking: yes you would need a valid version of windows installed in that new hdd in order to use the win7 upgrade disc. however looking at the thread it seems once again that there is no 'official' word from microsoft. i'd like to call microsoft and just ask them, but don't know what number to call.

reply to IllIlIlllIll
you can purchase the Win7 Pro Upgrade disc. however you can not do the 'upgrade from Vista Ultimate to 7 Pro. you would have to do a 'clean install' to 7 Pro. now that's the official word from microsoft as you cannot upgrade from a lower version (Win7) of what you already have (Vista). So you could do to Vista Ultimate to 7 Ultimate or even Vista Home Premium to to 7 Ultimate. But not Vista Ultimate to 7 Home Premimum or 7 Professional.