Win 7 rc then upgrade to retail

[PGriff]

I am building a computer for a family member, and with win 7 right around the corner, I don't want to shell out 100 bucks for vista now. Is there a way to install win 7 rc now and then buy the upgrade or something in October to make it legit? Thank you

 

[Leon]

In-place upgrade from RC to Retail is not "officially" supported. Wait a few more days, I am sure we'll have more info (possible workarounds etc).

Leon

 

[Athena]

Originally posted by: PGriff
... and with win 7 right around the corner, I don't want to shell out 100 bucks for vista now.

If you are dealing with a machine that is not yours, that is actually the best option. A Vista license purchased now comes with a free upgrade to Windows 7 and you can apply it "in-place".

Going with the RC will qualify for an upgrade license but you will have to reinstall everything.

 

[PGriff]

Originally posted by: Athena

Originally posted by: PGriff
... and with win 7 right around the corner, I don't want to shell out 100 bucks for vista now.

If you are dealing with a machine that is not yours, that is actually the best option. A Vista license purchased now comes with a free upgrade to Windows 7 and you can apply it "in-place".

Going with the RC will qualify for an upgrade license but you will have to reinstall everything.

That is great to know that I will get a free upgrade if I buy vista, but will I have to buy retail? I assume oem does not come with a free upgrade. If I would have known he was going to want this I would have jumped on the $50 upgrade...

EDIT: Never mind I'm sorry for being so retarded I just looked on newegg and it says right with the oem copy includes free upgrade! Thank you

 

[mr3manuel]

When purchasing vista you now have two options to go with
either the standard vista package or one with upgrade offer to windows 7 for just a lil bit extra

 

[rackley]

You can upgrade from RC to RTM, although it's not officially supported. I've done it on 5 systems so far with no problems. When you go to upgrade, copy the Win7 DVD/whatever to a writable media (thumb drive, a directory on your hard drive, etc) then go into \sources\cversion.ini and change "MinClient=7xxx.x" to "MinClient=7100.0"

Honestly if you have the RTM code from an "unofficial source" and verified via hash that it is original and not injected with random spyware/adware, then you can install it without a key. It will work fine for 30 days, then do a slrmgr.vbs /rearm to get another 30 days until you get your hands on a retail key.

Btw: Really good Win7 resource: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/

Ray
[MSFT]

 

[PGriff]

Hmmm I see..I see what you mean using an unofficial source...That would work I'm sure there is always ways to use unofficial sources, but I'm just gonna stick with the 109 dollar vista -> free 7 upgrade. That is good info though I would never have known you could mess with the registry or whatever so much to keep that activated.

 

[akugami]

Originally posted by: rackley
You can upgrade from RC to RTM, although it's not officially supported. I've done it on 5 systems so far with no problems. When you go to upgrade, copy the Win7 DVD/whatever to a writable media (thumb drive, a directory on your hard drive, etc) then go into \sources\cversion.ini and change "MinClient=7xxx.x" to "MinClient=7100.0"

Honestly if you have the RTM code from an "unofficial source" and verified via hash that it is original and not injected with random spyware/adware, then you can install it without a key. It will work fine for 30 days, then do a slrmgr.vbs /rearm to get another 30 days until you get your hands on a retail key.

Btw: Really good Win7 resource: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/

Ray
[MSFT]

I'm still waiting for Aug 6 for the availability of Win7 but it's good to know that the RTM version still supports the not recommended upgrade hack. It'll probably take a few days to download as everyone and his grandmother scrambles onto Technet to download it.

 

[KentState]

When you upgrade from RC to RTM like rackley described, does the install replace all installation files? I'm somewhat concerned about beta drivers not upgrading correctly. I may just stick with RC until October or whenever MS has the kill switch set. Too many decisions.