Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM

[Stan Brown]

I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite
games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I
think) Windows 3.1 days.

The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate
for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder
if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether
I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already
done.

My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install
XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license.
That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer.

Any suggestions?

 

[Paul]

I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite
games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I
think) Windows 3.1 days.

The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate
for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder
if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether
I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already
done.

My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install
XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license.
That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer.

Any suggestions?

You could use an "anytime upgrade". It all depends on who is paying
for it, as to whether it makes sense or not.

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=A3287419

Paul

 

[Chuck]

I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to
Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup
of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the
HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop
had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore
the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for
the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better
choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate.
(Naturally, price considerations and all that!)

 

[Lewis]

I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to
Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup
of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the
HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop
had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore
the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for
the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better
choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate.
(Naturally, price considerations and all that!)

I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the
others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no
reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price.

If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it.

 

[LS]

I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite
games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I
think) Windows 3.1 days.

The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate
for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder
if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether
I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already
done.

My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install
XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license.
That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer.

Any suggestions?

Excellent. I would go for it. Installing your own operating system (clean)
is a confidence builder. You also get a more generic (Windows as it is
supposed to be) install without all the junk the manufacturers pile onto the
harddrive. Both you and your computer will be happier for it.

Tips:

-Check Device Management and make a list of the names of all devices on the
computer before doing the installation.

-Download and burn to CD-ROM all the drivers associated with your particular
model *before* installing Windows.

-Make sure you have all your product keys and CDs/DVDs lined up.

-Don't sweat it.

-Search engines are helpful. Look into "diskpart" (and all it can do),
"ntfs", "partitioning", etc., and read up a bit about installing Windows clean.

You will be much happier with your own install and your computer will run
better. I did that with my (Acer) laptop and am happy I did.

LS

 

[Test Man]

I disagee. With all the investment in new technology that Windows 7 (and
Vista) has, clearly Microsoft think that the price for Ultimate is
approrpriate. But most people aren't going to pay for all the features that
they will never use, therefore they have to disable some of the features in
order to give it to you at a cheaper price. If you think that the price of
Ultimate is worth paying for then that's your lookout but most people don't
care about features that they'll never use and would rather they have far
less for a far less price.

 

[LS]

I disagee. With all the investment in new technology that Windows 7 (and
Vista) has, clearly Microsoft think that the price for Ultimate is
approrpriate. But most people aren't going to pay for all the features that
they will never use, therefore they have to disable some of the features in
order to give it to you at a cheaper price. If you think that the price of
Ultimate is worth paying for then that's your lookout but most people don't
care about features that they'll never use and would rather they have far
less for a far less price.

The funny thing is that the Home Premium DVD has all the code of Ultimate on
it, but it is artificially limited. It is no skin off Microsoft's nose to
make all the features available, and there are probably many people at
Microsoft who think it should all be unlocked, but the marketing department
is in the way (and the various 'levels' - Starter / Home / Ultimate etc.
etc. are simply a marketing scheme).

Either way, Microsoft makes almost untold billions. The Home / Ultimate
scheme just enables them to put the squeeze on and make a few more.

LS

 

[Peter Foldes]

Stan

If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution then it
is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install on a clean hard
drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either reformat clean and install or
install it on a VM. You are not able to use it as an update

--
Peter
Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Test Man]

True and the limitations would be a business decision at the end of the day
(how can we make the shareholders even more money - which is the whole point
of a business, to make money, so I'm not ignorant of that, unlike some
people on the internet judging by their rants). Personally I'm not against
the existence of the different editions, but the pricing of each is
something I'd like to see altered.

 

[K7]

The funny thing is that the Home Premium DVD has all the code of Ultimate on
it, but it is artificially limited. It is no skin off Microsoft's nose to
make all the features available, and there are probably many people at
Microsoft who think it should all be unlocked, but the marketing department
is in the way (and the various 'levels' - Starter / Home / Ultimate etc.
etc. are simply a marketing scheme).

You're right that the various Windows versions each have all of the
Windows code. It's the unlock code that controls what gets unlocked
and what stays hidden. Some people just use an Ultimate unlock code
and be done with it. Where you get such a code is up to you.

 

[Dave]

I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite
games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I
think) Windows 3.1 days.

The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate
for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder
if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether
I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already
done.

My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install
XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license.
That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer.

Any suggestions?

I upgraded my laptop from Vista to Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit using the MS offer
for students, which is a ridiculously good price, and haven't had any
trouble. I did a full backup so I wouldn't lose any personal info I might
have overlooked and installed with the option of going back so the install
created a directory on my HD called WindowsOld or something to that affect.
After sorting through this directory I slowly deleted it as there was
nothing there I really needed, but your results might be different if you
choose this type install.
I gained several abilities, one was a really affordable way to upgrade to
Win7 and the ability to backup to a network so I didn't need a USB backup
drive.
I upgraded my desktop from Vista to Win 7 Home Pro 64 bit with a retail
upgrade version and am still contemplating getting the Ultimate for my
desktop. I probably don't need it, but it's a good price.
HTH,
Dave

 

[Dave]

Stan

If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution
then it is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install
on a clean hard drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either
reformat clean and install or install it on a VM. You are not able to use
it as an update

I have seen the VL version, but there are some offerings of "Student
Editions" that are actually upgrades. I got mine from Ultimate Steals, which
is a store-front for Digital Rivers, the MS way of offering certain digital
products. When you register you have to wait for authentication on your
school affiliation and the email you get is linked from MS, I don't remember
how it's done in detail, just that it turns out to be real. The only caveat
is you have to choose 32 bit or 64 bit, you only get one. I bought Win 7
Ultimate and Office 2010 there, if you choose to get a disk it's $12-15
extra, plus you can dl for an immediate install, and while the packaging is
authentic MS, it's not the eye-candy that the retail versions are. But, for
the price it was a no-brainer.
HTH,
Dave

 

[Lewis]

Top posting fixed

I disagee. With all the investment in new technology that Windows 7 (and
Vista) has, clearly Microsoft think that the price for Ultimate is
approrpriate. But most people aren't going to pay for all the features that
they will never use, therefore they have to disable some of the features in
order to give it to you at a cheaper price. If you think that the price of
Ultimate is worth paying for then that's your lookout but most people don't
care about features that they'll never use and would rather they have far
less for a far less price.

Most people have no idea what they are giving up. How many dual
processor machines have you seen running a Home version of Vista or W7,
because I've seen quite a few.

If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it.

This was my point.

 

[Stan Brown]

I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the
others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no
reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price.

If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it.

Thanks. As I said, through the school discount I can get it for $20
or $30. Part of the deal with the discount is that there aren't many
options, so I could *not* get Professional at a discounted price for
instance.

 

[Stan Brown]

If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution then it
is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install on a clean hard
drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either reformat clean and install or
install it on a VM. You are not able to use it as an update

Oh, that's unfortunate; I was afraid of something like that.

I suppose in an ideal world I would embrace that. But it means the
hassle of reinstalling everything, and I'm not sure I want to spend
that time.

I used to be much more of a hobbyist, back in the days of 286es, but
Windows now is so complex that I am frankly afraid to mess with it at
a really deep level. I'll do Registry edits, update drivers, and
that sort of thing.

 

[Dave]

Thanks. As I said, through the school discount I can get it for $20
or $30. Part of the deal with the discount is that there aren't many
options, so I could *not* get Professional at a discounted price for
instance.

Stan,
I was going to reiterate to check out Ultimate Steals, but I went to their
web site so I could get a URL and saw they have raised their prices. The
list price on Win 7 is now $64.95 and when I bought mine, if you wanted a CD
it was appx. $15 extra. Looks like I missed the boat too, as I was
contemplating getting another one for my desktop. Sounds like the deal from
your school is better.
Dave

 

[johnbee]

"Stan Brown" wrote in message

I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite
games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I
think) Windows 3.1 days.

The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate
for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder
if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether
I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already
done.

My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install
XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license.
That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer.

Any suggestions?


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

It is very important, before you pay out any money, to try to actually see
on someone's machine what you actually get, preferably with a little
demonstration, the emulation of XP. It is so hugely different from actual
XP, and such a cut down version, that it seems useless to me - don't take my
word for that of course, you might like it, but do have a look at it first.

If you have 32 bit win7 you will know already that lots of 16 bit games run
fine: I can run Spaceward Ho and Civ2 OK, but not Settlers 2 - which was
iffy even on XP.