Product Key from Sony Vista Express Upgrade question

I have Windows Vista Express Upgrade DVD that Sony sent to me for free. The DVD is intended to be used to upgrade my SZ-381P that originally came preinstalled with Windows XP.

The DVD works as long as I install XP first and can even perform clean install by moving the old content of XP to a temporary directory. The DVD, however, is not bootable and therefore can not be used to install in a blank hard drive.

I have seen the following link where Microsoft send you a backup copy of Vista DVD for very low price ($13 to $16). I would guess that the DVD that they send is identical with the one you will get from retail stores. The only difference is the DVD does not come with a product key.

My question is:
1. Is the DVD in the link bootable?
2. If it is bootable, can I use the product key that I get from Sony and use it to install from the bootable DVD, without installing XP first?

 

I have just got an answer to my own question. I have received the DVD from the link in my original question. The DVD is bootable and accept my key without having to install XP first. The disc seems to be identical to the retail version. The only difference is there is a small marking on the disc that said: Not for resale.