Windows 7 Upgrade Disk Does not work for OEM??!

So I bought a Sager like 1.5 years ago - and it came naturally with Windows Vista x64 pre-installed.

Now I am getting messages that are telling me that the Win 7 Upgrade Disk WILL NOT WORK on my system because it is an OEM version of Vista e.g. I did not buy VISTA in a store.

Did I not still pay for Vista in the cost of my machine??!?!?

Whats the deal with this, I already pre-ordered my Win 7 upgrade DISK and was hoping to do a clean/fresh install using this media, I had heard some people say yes no problem, and then someone who seems reputable told me otherwise.

So again... my situation is
My laptop (sager) came with Win Vista 64 installed
I pre-ordered Win 7 Home Premium upgrade disk
I want to upgrade via clean install using the upgrade disk.

advise.

 

My response here (post#12)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=394069&page=2

cheers ...

 

Nevermind yes it will. Follow along here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=394069, or get the jist of what happened and how it got cleared below...


Yea QHN I'm quite certain you're right - JessicaD forwarded a link to me that I think she didn't quite understand and it cleared it up. Are we sure she even works for Microsoft, or just pretends too?

My private convo.



Do you actually work for Microsoft?
I think you need to take a closer look at that.... that is for people who want to

1. purchase a system now with Vista and upgrade later, or 2. have a system without vista and want to upgrade to win 7.

In those cases the person would have to purchase a version of Vista between the dates listed to be able to upgrade to win 7, or purchase a system now with Vista and get a free upgrade when it comes out.

It says no where that systems with Vista already pre-installed won't be able to use the upgrade disk, and does not even imply that. The quote you used is simply telling people who do not have Vista yet that if they purchase vista between those dates, they will be eligible for the upgrade.

Its plainly obvious, as with past versions and upgrade disks, that current vista users can use an upgrade disk on their systems as long as they have a valid license, which I do, and which all users who buy laptops pre-installed with an OS do.

 

Again, it's against the forum rules to post private correspondence such as PMs. Thanks for understanding.

 

This is for the free upgrade. People standard XP & Vista licenses can upgrade

 

seriously i need a straight answer here.... jessicad is convinced you can't upgrade unless you bought your copy of Vista Retail... ie. anyone with vista preinstalled by thier notebook manufacturer is out of luck.....

is this true?

 

You can indeed upgrade from the OEM copy of Vista you have to Windows 7.

Upgrading is not possible if one of the following is true:

• Going from either the beta or release candidate to a retail upgrade.
• Attempting to "upgrade" without any copy of Windows 2000, XP, or Vista installed initially.

 

You can completely bypass this issue and use the upgrade media to perform a clean install, then upgrade the "upgrade" and not even need your Vista OEM/retail/etc. This works exactly the same as the Vista upgrade over upgrade process.

You can also take a look at this:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10274963-56.html

 

can you describe this process a little more in depth....

and then what the heck is Jess talking about??!??!

 

That "double-upgrade" trick seems fishy to me, as it allows anyone to pay just the upgrade price instead of the full license cost. I'd take that trick with a grain of salt.

 

double upgrade trick aside.... i should be fine to use the upgrade disk on my system to get win 7???

 

Go to Paul Thurrott's website, or just google for "Paul Thurrott Windows 7 upgrade". It's in Vista. It's in Windows 7. It's not fishy.

Seriously, just take a few minutes and read about it.

 

Yes. If you purchase the upgrade, you will be able to upgrade your existing Vista installation to Windows 7. It's the "free" upgrade that doesn't work, since you didn't buy a computer with Vista after June 26. Can you imagine the PR nightmare Microsoft would have if they alienated the largest user base they have???

 

Fine then....
Why do I need to do this double upgrade trick?
How do I do it?

Alternatives??

 

If you google the terms I posted, you can read all about it.

 

Im googling but cant find instructions.... if you have the link mind sharing?

 

What if I dont want to do a double upgrade? Can I just do a clean install w/o doing this and just my Vista key or w/e??

There must be a more legit way to clean install than this with the upgrade disk right?

 

I posted this in a few other threads:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp

As I said, these will work for Windows 7. This is an upgrade disc - it is designed to upgrade an existing installation. You can do a clean install by upgrading the upgrade. If you want to do a standard installation, you must purchase a retail Windows 7 disc, not an upgrade disc.

 

If you think you have it tough, it's even more confusing for XP users.

I have an Acer travelmate with OEM XP Pro, and a Retail XP Pro for my Macbook.

I just purchased the Home Premium and Professional version of the Win7 upgrade discs.

According to Thurrot and Kegobeer, I should be able to do a clean install from that.

I'm crossing my fingers that it does work, otherwise, I just threw away $148.

 

You won't have to double upgrade if you have a legit OEM Windows supported by the upgrade disk, as I understand it.

Just do one clean install with the upgrade version, and you'll be fine.

The double upgrade trick will be necessary if you have the "free upgrade".

 

Well I have OEM Vista Home edition on my Alienware system and OEM XP Pro edition on my new Macbook Pro. I ordered an upgrade for 7 Home and Pro editions so I hope this works as well otherwise I just threw away $150 bucks as well. I'm sure this will work I just don't think we will be able to do a 'clean' install since we are just upgrading. /shrug, just as long as it upgrades I'm cool with it.

 

Yes, you'll be able to do a clean install from the upgrade disks. In fact, you won't have any other choices for your Windows XP Pro.

The in-place upgrades are only supported from Vista ---> 7.

 

I just got off the phone with Microsoft. This is confirmed, and I just ordered the pre-release Home Premium version of Windows 7 Goodbye Vista x86 and hello 7 x64.