Avoid early Windows 7 upgrade surprises
Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 204 • 2009-07-02
By Woody Leonhard
<http://tinyurl.com/Win7-Udate-AvoidSurprises>

Microsoft has begun offering deep discounts for folks who order Windows 7 now and take delivery when the product ships on Oct. 22.

While the thought of buying Windows 7 Home Premium for a paltry $49.99 should have most Windows consumers whipping out their credit cards, there are a few "gotchas" you need to know about.


Your four Windows 7 installation options

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that you're enamored with Windows 7. You've checked the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor <http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx> to ensure that your system is up to snuff and you're ready to take Microsoft up on its magnanimous offer to sell you a copy of Windows 7 for a breathtakingly low price, with the understanding that the new OS won't actually be available until the fall.

So far, so good. Now stop, take a deep breath, and get ready for the fine print.

The steep discounts apply to "upgrade" versions of Windows 7; in theory, you need to be running a copy of Windows 2000, XP, or Vista to qualify for the upgrade version of Win7.
(In spite of what you may have heard, Windows 2000 qualifies for upgrade pricing, according to the Microsoft Store order page <http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windows-7/category/102?WT.mc_id=winonline_win7promo>.) In practice, the situation is a bit murky.

There are four ways to install the Windows 7 upgrade:
  • Option 1. Perform a clean install. Years of misadventures with Microsoft upgrade programs lead me to recommend that advanced Windows users perform a clean install of Windows 7. First, transfer your data to an external hard drive or USB drive using the Windows 7 Easy Transfer utility, which is available on the Windows 7 upgrade DVD.
    (For details, see Microsoft's TechNet article on the program <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd446674%28WS.10%29.aspx#BKMK_UpgradeFromXP>.)

    With your data backup in place, reboot your PC with the upgrade DVD inserted and choose Custom. When you get to the dialog that asks "Where do you want to install Windows?," click the drive and choose Format. After you answer a couple more questions, your hard drive will be completely reformatted prior to continuing with the installation.

    Once Windows 7 is installed, reinstall your programs and use Windows Easy Transfer to reload your files and settings.

  • Option 2. Choose a custom install. If you don't want to go through the hassles of a clean install, Windows 7's custom-install option should — I repeat, should — give you the benefits of a clean install without wiping out your hard drive.

    To perform a custom install, start your current version of Windows, use the Easy Transfer utility to back up your data (see the preceding section), insert the Win7 installation DVD, and run the setup program. When asked, choose Custom, but refrain from reformatting your hard drive. Instead, choose to install Windows 7 into the same drive (or partition) that Windows currently occupies.

    The Windows 7 installer copies your old Windows files and your data files into a new folder called Windows.old, which is located in the boot drive's root, typically C:. Once the Win7 installation is complete, you can look inside Windows.old and retrieve any files you like, although you still have to reinstall your applications.

    You shouldn't trust the installer to pick up all your important old files, of course, so create a full data backup prior to running a custom install of Win7.

  • Option 3. Multiboot. This is a great option for anyone who's always looking for an out. You can run two different versions of Windows on the same computer, either by creating two partitions on your hard drive or — easier — by using two separate hard drives. Whenever you start your PC from then on, you choose which version of Windows to run. (I'll devote a future column to the process of dual-booting two versions of Windows).

    Since nobody has seen the final Win7 upgrade DVD as yet — and Microsoft appears to be making last-minute changes to the EULA <http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/eula.aspx> — it's impossible to know for sure, but installing an upgrade copy of Windows 7 in a multiboot configuration may invalidate the license for the original copy of Windows. Also undetermined are the steps you'll have to take to get a fully "Genuine" activated copy of Windows 7 in a dual-boot configuration. However, early indications are that it will be physically possible to use the upgrade DVD to install a dual-boot copy of Windows 7.

  • Option 4. Do an in-place upgrade. In very specific circumstances, the Windows 7 installer allows you to upgrade Vista computers directly to Windows 7 without wiping out any of your existing programs or data. If you perform an in-place upgrade, your current settings stick around — there's no need to reinstall any programs, for example. Unfortunately, all the old Windows XP/Vista gunk sticks around, too.

You can install Windows 7 on any PC without having to activate the OS for 30 days. If you're willing to jump through the hoops, the full version of Windows 7 can be installed from the "upgrade" DVD.

To do so, install Windows 7 without activating it and then perform a custom installation from the unactivated version. The result is a fully functional, legitimate copy of Windows 7. Windows Secrets editorial director Brian Livingston's Top Story <http://www.windowssecrets.com/comp/070201#story1> from Feb. 1, 2007, describes a similar loophole in Windows Vista.

Three paths for in-place Windows 7 upgrades

I readily confess that I don't understand the allure of an in-place upgrade: the gunk persists and potential problems abound. More importantly, an upgraded system never performs as well as one on which a clean installation was performed — despite Microsoft's best efforts to the contrary.

That said, Windows 7 limits your options for in-place upgrades:
  • >From Vista Home Basic SP1 or SP2 to Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate;
  • >From Vista Home Premium SP1 or SP2 to Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate;
  • >From Vista Business SP1 or SP2 to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate;
  • >From Vista Ultimate SP1 or SP2 to Windows 7 Ultimate.
In addition, you can perform an in-place upgrade only from a 32-bit version of Vista to a corresponding 32-bit version of Windows 7 or from a 64-bit version of Vista to 64-bit Win7.

By design, you cannot perform an in-place upgrade from any version of Windows XP or Windows 2000. If you're currently running XP or 2K, you must opt for a clean install, custom install, or multiboot option. (Note that it appears to be possible to perform an in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Vista and then from Vista to Windows 7, although this approach is about as stable as building a house of cards on top of a house of cards.)

Remember, these are technical restrictions — they have nothing to do with the price of the products. The limitations simply reflect the fact that in-place upgrades work only when you go from a lesser version of Vista to an equal or greater version of Windows 7.

Also, these are paths for the upgrade versions of Windows — the restrictions for free "Upgrade Option Program" participants are different. If you bought a new Vista computer after June 26, you probably qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7, but the free upgrades apply only to the same version; if you buy a Vista Home Premium computer, for example, you get a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. Your PC manufacturer has specific details.

Bargain alert: Two Windows 7 versions on sale

Microsoft has announced on its Windows 7 preorder page <http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/offers/pre-order.aspx> that it will offer a special price of about $49 for the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade and about $99 for the Windows 7 Professional upgrade. You can order the upgrades from various retailers or directly from the Microsoft Store.

Windows 7 Ultimate is not on sale and it runs about $220. If you currently own Windows Vista Ultimate and want to do an in-place upgrade, you get socked with a $220 bill. Kinda makes you feel good about spending all that extra money for Vista Ultimate, eh?

The Windows 7 Home Premium Edition Upgrade DVD includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Similarly, the Windows 7 Pro Upgrade DVD has both the 32- and 64-bit versions.

Which version do you need? Almost everybody will do fine with Windows 7 Home Premium, unless you have to hook your PC up to a corporate network/domain.

The exceptions? Windows 7 Pro lets you back up to another computer on your network. If you back up to a USB drive or external hard drive, or if you let Windows Home Server handle your backups, however, this isn't a big deal.

Pro also supports offline files and lets other people control your computer with Remote Desktop. However, LogMeIn Free, Laplink Everywhere, and GoToMyPC offer similar services. (More information about LogMeIn Free is available on the service's site.) Win7 Pro's automatic Connect to Network Projector feature is neat, but I wouldn't pay any real money for it.

The Pro version also supports Windows XP Mode, which is supposed to make it possible to run old programs under Windows 7. Windows XP Mode requires a specific kind of hardware. The feature is also mind-numbingly convoluted, and to top it off, it's still in beta. Paying for WinXP Mode is like buying a pig in a pre-release poke.

Should you be tempted to shell out the cash for Windows 7 Ultimate — fool me once, shame on you, eh? — keep in mind that Ultimate doesn't get you much more than Pro, except BitLocker (which encrypts data on hard drives and USB drives) and the ability to change the language in the Windows applications, menus, and dialog boxes.

Windows 7 upgrade details still up in the air

Several significant questions remain unanswered: Will Microsoft offer discounts for multiple PCs so that upgrading three PCs at home won't break the bank? How much will the company charge for the Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium to Pro, or Pro to Ultimate? Will Microsoft reach a compromise with the EU that obliterates Windows 7 E before it starts? Hard to say at this point.

If you're going to upgrade one of your PCs to Windows 7 — or if you have a PC without a "genuine" Windows operating system — I urge you to make your choice between Home Premium and Professional and then order your upgrade right now.

Although the July 11 cutoff date may be extended, it's unlikely that these prices will last. Now's the time to act.

Copyright © 2009 by WindowsSecrets.com LLC.