Clean Install with Upgrade Disk

Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean install
with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could use detailed
steps on how to do this.

The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the other
is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install the
drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those I spoke
to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate help with
this. Thanks.
Stan

Unless someone just happens to have a Dell OEM disk available, I'm not sure
how much help you're going to get. The basic rule is you need to run the
installation from within an existing Windows install. When it reboots into
the installation, you specify a new install, not an upgrade. You can format
the HD or not, doesn't matter. If you don't, any leftovers from the Vista
install get stuffed into a "windows.old" folder. Which lets you get at them
if you're missing something.

If you need drivers to be pulled from a separate disk, that may be
problematic.But you should be able to install them later, after the initial
install.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/russel




"Stan" <libstan@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:ev3YYHidKHA.2184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
> upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean
> install with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could use
> detailed steps on how to do this.
>
> The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the
> other is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install
> the drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those I
> spoke to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate
> help with this. Thanks.
> Stan

If Dell have sent you a Microsoft upgrade disk, even if it is branded as
Dell, you can use
http://community.winsupersite.com/bl...he-answer.aspx.

If the disk has been modified by Dell you will need to use the
procedures specified by Dell.


On 06/12/2009 03:10, Stan wrote:
> Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
> upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean
> install with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could
> use detailed steps on how to do this.
>
> The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the
> other is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install
> the drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those
> I spoke to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate
> help with this. Thanks.
> Stan

Thanks to Charlie & Dominic for your input. It should be helpful when I try
a clean install after a full backup. Unfortunately I don't have the time for
this now but I will definitely get to it in a couple of weeks and let you
know how I make out. Again, Many Thanks. Stan

"Dominic Payer" <dcp@dcp.fsv.co.uk> wrote in message
news:udmm$MldKHA.2188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> If Dell have sent you a Microsoft upgrade disk, even if it is branded as
> Dell, you can use
> http://community.winsupersite.com/bl...he-answer.aspx.
>
> If the disk has been modified by Dell you will need to use the procedures
> specified by Dell.
>
>
> On 06/12/2009 03:10, Stan wrote:
>> Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
>> upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean
>> install with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could
>> use detailed steps on how to do this.
>>
>> The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the
>> other is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install
>> the drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those
>> I spoke to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate
>> help with this. Thanks.
>> Stan

Stan wrote:
> Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
> upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean
> install with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could
> use detailed steps on how to do this.
>
> The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the
> other is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install
> the drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those
> I spoke to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate
> help with this. Thanks.
> Stan

I just did this yesterday after two failed upgrade attempts which
totally trashed my Vista installation. Put in your Dell Upgrade
Assistant DVD and let it run, it will remove the Dell programs that are
not compatible with Windows 7; in my case it was the Dell Video Chat
(whatever that was)and a modem diagnostic program. Then it will tell you
to insert the upgrade disk, where you will have the option to do either
an upgrade or a custom (clean) installation. The clean installation took
only 30 minutes instead of the 3 hours the upgrade took. After getting
Windows 7 installed, I put in the Dell DVD which reinstalled the
drivers. If you do decide to upgrade, be sure you have everything on
your system completely backed up because the upgrade may not work. I
didn't know Dell frowned on clean installations, probably a good thing.
It was certainly easier to do than the disastrous upgrade was.

I first tried the upgrade the next day after the computer was delivered
with a purchased Windows 7 upgrade which didn't actually fail, although
I had some programs that wouldn't install or run. That may have been
more due to the 64-bit system than to Windows 7 Then I lost all my sound
card software and nothing I did would get the card recognized, requiring
a complete system restore to get it back. So I spent the next 2 weeks
getting all my programs to run on Vista while waiting for the Dell
upgrade disk. The second attempt to upgrade to Windows 7 trashed all
that. And I still have to try to reinstall the programs that wouldn't
run on the first Windows 7 installation.

I didn't have any of these problems upgrading my 32-bit Vista laptop to
32-bit Windows 7. It worked like a charm and all my installed programs
still work like they did before.

Thank You, Donahoo, for the excellent detailed description of your
experiences with upgrade disks. I will follow your suggestions and advise
everyone of the results but it won't be for a couple of weeks as right now I
have too much on my plate.

When I got my Vista 64 bit machine all but 2 or 3 of my 50 programs or so I
had been running on XP went in easily. Word 2003 was fussy but it did go in
using the Compatibility function so I hope and expect it do similarly in
Windows 7. If you have problems with installing your old programs try the
Compatibility Wizard. It worked for me.

Thanks again,

Stan

"Donahoo" <Donahoo@invalid.net> wrote in message
news:uNVWgH1dKHA.6000@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Stan wrote:
>> Have Dell Vista Home Premium 64 bit computer and just received the free
>> upgrade kit for Win7. Have read that there are ways to make a clean
>> install with an upgrade disk and Dell grudgingly allows it but I could
>> use detailed steps on how to do this.
>>
>> The Dell kit has 2 disks, one of which is drivers and software and the
>> other is the Win 7 OS. The accompanying upgrade data tells me to install
>> the drivers first. Can't understand the techs in India and so far those I
>> spoke to didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. Would surely appreciate
>> help with this. Thanks.
>> Stan
>
> I just did this yesterday after two failed upgrade attempts which totally
> trashed my Vista installation. Put in your Dell Upgrade Assistant DVD and
> let it run, it will remove the Dell programs that are not compatible with
> Windows 7; in my case it was the Dell Video Chat (whatever that was)and a
> modem diagnostic program. Then it will tell you to insert the upgrade
> disk, where you will have the option to do either an upgrade or a custom
> (clean) installation. The clean installation took only 30 minutes instead
> of the 3 hours the upgrade took. After getting Windows 7 installed, I put
> in the Dell DVD which reinstalled the drivers. If you do decide to
> upgrade, be sure you have everything on your system completely backed up
> because the upgrade may not work. I didn't know Dell frowned on clean
> installations, probably a good thing. It was certainly easier to do than
> the disastrous upgrade was.
>
> I first tried the upgrade the next day after the computer was delivered
> with a purchased Windows 7 upgrade which didn't actually fail, although I
> had some programs that wouldn't install or run. That may have been more
> due to the 64-bit system than to Windows 7 Then I lost all my sound card
> software and nothing I did would get the card recognized, requiring a
> complete system restore to get it back. So I spent the next 2 weeks
> getting all my programs to run on Vista while waiting for the Dell upgrade
> disk. The second attempt to upgrade to Windows 7 trashed all that. And I
> still have to try to reinstall the programs that wouldn't run on the first
> Windows 7 installation.
>
> I didn't have any of these problems upgrading my 32-bit Vista laptop to
> 32-bit Windows 7. It worked like a charm and all my installed programs
> still work like they did before.