windows Vista can you do a clean install with an upgrade disk?

If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my hard
drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?

No, that has apparently changed.
You will need to have the qualifying OS installed and then upgrade from
Windows.
Then you will have a choice to Clean Install.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
http://www.dts-l.org


"Jon Acord" <JOn@theacords.biz> wrote in message
news:DD8F2378-919B-437B-B3A5-E7362132F3F7@microsoft.com...
> If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my
> hard
> drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
> simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?

Thinking about this further, lets just suppose I tried using the Ultimate
Disk to try and upgrade from XP Home edition, I probably would not qualify.

"Jon Acord" wrote:

> If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my hard
> drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
> simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?

Unlike the "Full Version" of Windows Vista, the "Upgrade Version"
disc is non-bootable. You'll have to begin the upgrade or clean install
process at the desktop of Windows XP. In other words, you must
have a genuine version of Windows XP installed and properly activated
before beginning an upgrade or clean install if using a Vista upgrade disc.


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Jon Acord" wrote:

| If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my hard
| drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
| simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?

Upgrade Planning for Windows Vista
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...gradeinfo.mspx

Thank you both for answering my question. It makes sense that you must have
an activated 'genuine' copy of XP. When I do upgrade to Vista Ultimate, I
plan on making a image of the newly activated Vista, just in case I screw it
up with a virus or whatever I can always go back. Most users should do this.


"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> Unlike the "Full Version" of Windows Vista, the "Upgrade Version"
> disc is non-bootable. You'll have to begin the upgrade or clean install
> process at the desktop of Windows XP. In other words, you must
> have a genuine version of Windows XP installed and properly activated
> before beginning an upgrade or clean install if using a Vista upgrade disc.
>
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows Shell/User
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Jon Acord" wrote:
>
> | If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my hard
> | drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
> | simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?
>
>
>

That may not be the case. See the tread titled "Clean upgrades of OEM OS
installs that lack original media" in
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup. The appropriate quote is:

"I don't think so I haven't tried that scenario, you will not be able to
remove the underlying OS from the volume(either the boot or the system
volume), clean install would need to be to another volume. If the boot and
system partitions were different you may be able to remove the boot
partition( the one that contains \windows), but you wouldn't be able to
remove the "system" partition ( the one containing the boot files) since
the Windows Vista temp files are located on that volume and you can't
remove the temp files out from under setup.
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]"



--
Kerry
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
www.vistahelp.ca



Jupiter Jones [MVP] wrote:
> No, that has apparently changed.
> You will need to have the qualifying OS installed and then upgrade
> from Windows.
> Then you will have a choice to Clean Install.
>
>
> "Jon Acord" <JOn@theacords.biz> wrote in message
> news:DD8F2378-919B-437B-B3A5-E7362132F3F7@microsoft.com...
>> If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition
>> my hard
>> drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive
>> it will simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is
>> that correct?

My primary drive is in two partitions - "C" and "E".

My secondary (slave) drive is "D".

I have XP pro installed on "C" and use it at my working drive.

Will I be able to start the Vista Upgrade disk from within "C" and be
able it do a 'clean' install on "D"?

I'll want a duel-boot system until I'm sure I really want to give up XP
for Vista.

Jupiter Jones [MVP] wrote:
> No, that has apparently changed.
> You will need to have the qualifying OS installed and then upgrade from
> Windows.
> Then you will have a choice to Clean Install.
>

No. An Upgrade started from C: would upgrade the Windows installed on C:
As I recall Setup only lets you pick the target volume if you are running a
Custom installation and that would require you to be running a full edition,
not an Upgrade edition.

"Dr. Heywood Floyd" <dhfloyd@2001.org> wrote in message
news:O7$6Xm5DHHA.3596@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> My primary drive is in two partitions - "C" and "E".
>
> My secondary (slave) drive is "D".
>
> I have XP pro installed on "C" and use it at my working drive.
>
> Will I be able to start the Vista Upgrade disk from within "C" and be able
> it do a 'clean' install on "D"?
>
> I'll want a duel-boot system until I'm sure I really want to give up XP
> for Vista.
>
> Jupiter Jones [MVP] wrote:
>> No, that has apparently changed.
>> You will need to have the qualifying OS installed and then upgrade from
>> Windows.
>> Then you will have a choice to Clean Install.
>>

I am testing Installing Windows 2000 (via Virtual PC), the last version of
Windows that I have that is an Upgrade version. I have reached the point
where it says
"Setup cannot find a pervious version of Windows installed on your computer.
To continue, Setup needs to verify that you qualify to use this upgrade
product.
Please insert your Windows NT 3.51 Workstation, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation,
Windows 95, or Windows 98 CD into your CD-ROM drive.
* When the CD is in the drive, press ENTER.
* To quit Setup, press F3. "

So, for version Windows 2000 at least, just having the install disk was
enough. I can imagine that the same will be for Vista.

Imagine if you had to install Windows XP, but that was an upgrade, so you
had to install Windows 2000, but that was an upgrade so you had to install
Windows 98... add infinitum.
Fortunately that is not the case, and hopefully Microsoft has continued this
process so that when the next Version of Windows comes out, you won't have
to install XP so that you can install Vista, so that you can install the
next version of Windows.



"Jon Acord" <JOn@theacords.biz> wrote in message
news:DD8F2378-919B-437B-B3A5-E7362132F3F7@microsoft.com...
> If I buy an upgrade disk of Vista ultimate, and format and partition my
> hard
> drive, I should be able to use the 'Upgrade disk' right? I belive it will
> simply prompt me for my Windows Xp professional disk. Is that correct?