vista upgrade

[drbrock]

I cant find a direct answer to this. so if you could help me out that would be great.

Can you use a vista upgrade disc on a non activated xp machine?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Originally posted by: drbrock
I cant find a direct answer to this. so if you could help me out that would be great.

Can you use a vista upgrade disc on a non activated xp machine?

You can do a bit more extensive research to confirm this or see if there are any new caveats to it.

But a web-guru -- forgot his name -- had published a lot of stuff on slip-streaming and other topics. I found one of his "tips and tricks" pages in which he argues -- and proves -- that you can take a VISTA upgrade version and install it in such a way that it doesn't NEED the XP OS as a basis for upgrade.

To elaborate just a bit, he explains that the several flavors of VISTA allowed for upgrade from VISTA Home (for instance) to VISTA Business, etc. Since this feature was built-in to VISTA versions, it was then possible -- provided you follow the guru's method -- to make an "upgrade" VISTA disc do the "upgrade" to itself.

On the other hand, you may wish to save your files, settings and program installations from XP -- but I don't think many here would recommend that approach -- even if you were to use the XP OS install disc as a basis for the upgrade.

As for the activation question you pose -- I can't say for sure. I'm just a bit puzzled as to how you have such an XP installation that has never been activated. It doesn't seem to make a great deal of sense, if you can pardon me for saying so.

Hold on -- let me see if I can find that web-page:

Paul Thurrott: How to Clean Install Windows Vista from Upgrade Media

I think this is it! What it might suggest here, is that you COULD upgrade an unactivated XP installation with a VISTA upgrade media. But I have to ask you "Why? Why?" Especially if you're migrating to VISTA 64, which I do NOT think would work with a 32-bit XP installation -- activated or otherwise.

 

[drbrock]

I have to say that is the most thorough response I have seen at anandtech. thanks for answer. I have a non activated windows because I tried to use the license too many times. I am downloading vista 64 right as we speak and will update everyone to how it works out. I will keep my fingers crossed!