I searched the forums but either my search terms weren't *quite* right or nobody else has this question...
Current situation: I have a laptop running Vista Home Premium. I have a netbook which began life with Windows 7 Starter but was UPGRADED to Windows 7 Professional with an upgrade license/key. It now dual boots with Ubuntu.
Future (desired) situation: Remove Windows 7 Professional from netbook and expand Ubuntu to the whole drive. Upgrade laptop to Windows 7 Professional using the upgrade license/key originally purchased for the netbook. Wash hands of Vista for good.
Question: Can I do this without violating any EULAs that anyone is aware of? I can't see any problem as long as I totally wipe the Windows partition on the netbook and use Ubuntu there. Or am I missing something obvious?
Appreciate any help!
Hi grandmoo,
If I'm not mistaken, Windows 7 Starter comes only in OEM licenses, i.e. it's tied up to the netbook it was installed on. That would also tie the upgrade key to Windows 7 Professional up to the netbook.
I may be wrong on this, so wait for further input from the more knowledgeable people here.
I am human
I don't know if it matters, but the upgrade was actually purchased separately from any actual system, I had a chance to purchase a student upgrade totally independent of the actual system it was going on. That's why I'm hoping that if I completely remove Windows from the netbook that it will in essence, free up the license. (Crossing my fingers anyhow).
Enough "actual"s in the previous post?
As I said, this is not exactly my field and you should wait for further input.
I made my comment based on the license type of Windows 7 Starter and the term "Upgrade".
I do wish you though that you'll be able to go the route you want without worries.
[quote="grandmoo":258xd21s]Enough "actual"s in the previous post?[/quote:258xd21s]
I am human
Hey Grandmoo - It's not good news I'm afraid. I believe FD is correct. Once you 'activated' Windows 7 on the netbook, that license key then became permanently tied to that particular computer. You can[b:gi2d8hol] not [/b:gi2d8hol] [legally] use the same license key on a different machine. The operating system will install okay but you will not be able to activate it.
Also, you cannot [i:gi2d8hol]upgrade[/i:gi2d8hol] from Vista Home [b:gi2d8hol]Premium[/b:gi2d8hol] to Windows 7[b:gi2d8hol] Pro[/b:gi2d8hol]. Upgrades will only work for exact same editions; e.g. Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium.
[Windows 7 Pro can be clean installed over Vista Home Premium but all installed programs, settings, etc. would then be lost.]
The only way you could achieve your goal would be to purchase a new Windows 7 upgrade disc. Yes, I know you already have a perfectly good Win7 disc on hand but it is not the actual disc you need, it is the unused license key number that comes with it.
I've been through something similar myself; when an older machine died and I bought a replacement, after installing the OS from my original installation disc I could not activate it. I actually rang Microsoft and explained the circumstances; that the disc was mine [bought and paid for] and the OS would still only be installed on just the one computer. They just said...bad luck, there's nothing we can do.
Sorry,
Cheers.....Jim
[quote:9ixj0nv4]They just said...bad luck, there's nothing we can do. [/quote:9ixj0nv4]
Sounds like MS doesn't have a global policy on this or it has various shades.
I too had to replace my mobo, graphic card + HDD on a machine that I bought with Win XP (OEM) and when I called MS to activate and explained, I got a green light - maybe keeping the original tower made all the difference?
Still have that machine.
I am human
[quote:ql537zlc]maybe keeping the original tower made all the difference?[/quote:ql537zlc]
No FD, I don't think so...new mobo, HDD, etc would virtually amount to the same thing. I believe the difference will have been that you dealt with someone at MS who could see the gray areas and dealt with you on a common sense basis. On the other hand, the customer service representative I spoke to saw things only in black and white and adhered strictly to the letter of the law....... without applying one ounce of common sense at all!!
Thems the breaks!!
Okay, thanks. If I wouldn't be able to just upgrade in place, it's no big deal. I can buy it, no problem. Such a shame though, a perfectly good Win7 with nowhere to go-lol. I suppose I could just revamp the laptop with Ubuntu, but it's my main system and I'd really hate to have to start completely over finding programs that were compatible/similar to what I had been using. Oh well, such is life I suppose.
Thanks.
Hey Grandmoo - Yes, I can see your predicament....you would really want to keep the laptop as the main machine and the netbook as secondary, not the other way round.
[quote:2976n6s4]Such a shame though, a perfectly good Win7 with nowhere to go[/quote:2976n6s4]
LOL.....don't worry mate, I've got plenty of them [OS installation discs with nowhere to go] around the place myself!!
Just a reminder: If you definitely wish to upgrade Vista and not clean install Win7, make sure you purchase the exact same edition as the one you are upgrading; in your case - Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium.
Cheers....Jim
If you buy Windows 7 Ultimate Version then you can upgrade to it from any version of Vista. I have done this 4 times without any problems. This only applies when upgrading from 32 bit Vista to 32 Win7 and 64 bit Vista to 64 bit Win7. To go from 32 bit Vista to 64 bit Win7, you need to do a custom install. Check out this link for more information - [url:241ga4j2]http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions[/url:241ga4j2].
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. (Winston Churchill)
Stepping back a minute...this really all depends on the upgrade license you bought.
Did you buy OEM?
Did you buy Retail?
Did you buy a Win7 Upgrade (requiring Win7 already)?
Did you buy a general Upgrade (requiring a previous version of Windows)?
In general, one can only upgrade along the same product line. There are various methods out on the Internet for getting around it. Truly, it all comes down to the type of license one bought first. Unless your license is OEM, it is NOT tied to the machine first installed on.
Microsoft has made such a confusopoly out of their licensing that 9 times out of 10 the only way to stay compliant is to re-buy (buy new).
So the long winded answer is: dust off that documentation, read through exactly what you bought, and see exactly what your license restricts you to.
--Zig
[quote="ozbloke":10lrgt2r][quote:10lrgt2r]maybe keeping the original tower made all the difference?[/quote:10lrgt2r]
No FD, I don't think so...new mobo, HDD, etc would virtually amount to the same thing. [/quote:10lrgt2r]
Yes Jim, just bad attempt at humor
By the way, thanks for teaching me a new phrase. Had to look up what
[quote:10lrgt2r]Thems the breaks!! [/quote:10lrgt2r]
means, never heard it before.
Cheers
I am human
Hey FD - One of the most commonly used words here [in Oz] is "dill" and it is also one of the most difficult to translate, even for English speaking 'foreigners'.
It has so many different connotations all wrapped in one little word. It basically means 'stupid' or 'silly' [as in "you are such a dill"] but there is more to it than that. It does not always carry the negative connotation associated with those words and is often used in an affectionate way.
Examples:
"I know that bloke and he is a complete dill" - not complimentary and means the bloke is considered to be an idiot.
Or, it can also be used in this way; you know when family or friend has a 'blond moment' and does something silly but out of character......
"Oh Harry, you are such a dill" - is meant in a jesting and affectionate way.
Just another example of how words and the manner in which they are used have the potential to convey the wrong intention.
Cheers mate....Jim
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