SOLVED Can I use a W7-Pro CD to upgrade from W7-Home?

[Mike Lynch]

I bought a W7-Pro CD last year, the Full non upgrade version.
I have a Laptop PC still running W7-Home.
Is there any 'magical' was to upgrade the Laptop to W7-Pro using the CD I own but not using?
Wiping out Home and the stuff I have on it and doing a fresh W7-Pro install would hurt.
Sounds dumb but I have the unused CD and would like to avoid an additional purchase if possible.

 

[TrainableMan]

No. You do not have an anytime upgrade you have a full install, so no magic.

Is your CD for the 32-bit version? because I'm pretty sure Home versions are all 32-bit. If your CD is 64-bit & the OS currently installed is 32 bit then you must start fresh.

If they are both the same bit-size then you could try installing Pro overtop the existing OS so it doesn't wipe out your data, but you will likely still have to reinstall most software for your programs/apps to work right after the OS install.
NOTE: Even though it should work, it is always recommended you backup your data to an external drive in case something goes wrong with the install.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Both are 64 Bit.
Have you done this before yourself?
How should I proceed?

 

[TrainableMan]

All you are doing is a normal installation, you simply are not formatting the drive first so that your data is not erased.
Even so, as I mentioned before, you should back-up first to an external drive