Will I have to purchase another copy of Windows?

I'm currently running a Windows Vista that was preinstalled. I'm looking at the expiration date, and thinking... whether or not I'll have to purchase another OS after this expires.

I'm hoping that if I back up my files, I'll simply be able to reformat with that backup back into Windows Vista, but is that possible?

Or is there an entirely different way, discluding piracy, that I would be able to switch back without a purchase?

 

why does it have an expiration date??? what date do you mean?

 

Expiration date on Vista? I don't think so...

If you mean W7, since this is a beta/RC copy, then yes you do not have an authorized copy past that date and will need to buy a retail version.

Just because your W7 RC expires doesn't mean your Vista copy expires as well. Just go back to Vista...

 

oh yes, now i noticed it's in the win7 subpart. yes, after the expiration you need to reinstall vista back on your system, or buy win7. "getting your data back" is part of how you manage backups. maybe an external disk, maybe some server, maybe on a second partition. but you need to reinstall all your apps together with the os.

 

Err... so I will need to purchase another copy of Windows? Backup won't help?

 

If you had a legal copy of Windows Vista on your machine before, you can simply reformat your drive and go back to Vista without purchasing a new OS, provided you still have your product key.

 

Yup, use the Vista you already paid for. You don't need a new copy of Vista.

But you will need a new copy of W7.

 

I did technically, pay for this Vista, right (was preinstalled on my machine)? It counts as a pay?

And err... how would I reformat back to Vista? Would I need a special disk (ISO? Reformatting disk that came with the laptop? etc.?)? Would I just undergo the normal reformat (F11 on start up?)?

Sorry - bit of a computer newbie.

 

Yes, that's correct--you pay for your OS when you buy your machine with it preinstalled (assuming it comes from a reputable place ). Do you have the reinstall discs that came with your computer? If not, you can use any trial copy of Windows Vista and activate it using the Windows Product Key that came with your laptop--it's usually on a Microsoft sticker on the bottom of your computer.

The only trick without the restore discs is you may have to find some drivers for some of your programs. You can usually do this on the manufacturer's website if it's a big name brand.

 

Your PC most likely would have come with either restore disk(s) or the option to burn them yourself from the machine. They typically only allow you to burn them once. You can use those to restore your PC to Vista and it won't have any expiration date.