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I am running Vista Home Premium on my laptop. Can I upgrade to my copy of Windows 7 Professional on this machine by doing a clean install? The Windows 7 will be an upgrade version that I will use on my desktop of Windows XP Professional. If no...then how can I get the laptop Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional?

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3 Answers

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according to the Windows 7 upgrade path you can upgrade anytime from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate.

Note: the upgrade path is only valid for retail versions of Windows. for OEM versions, refer to your vendor's upgrade options.

we all know about the 'full installation from upgrade disk' trick with Vista. if this option will be still available for Windows 7 can only be determined once the first Windows 7 upgrade media hit the shelves next month.

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I'm not sure that a "full installation from upgrade disk" is a legal thing. Looking at the procedure in the link makes me doubt it even more. – Gnoupi Sep 30 '09 at 14:01
Finally, an upgrade edition is cheaper, there is a reason for that. – Gnoupi Sep 30 '09 at 14:11
it's always been done, since the days of windows 9x. all you needed was a floppy with WIN.COM, and a full installation from upgrade disk was no problem. i'm sure there will be some 'workaround' for windows 7 too. and where's your legal problem? if you're the proud owner of windows vista and eligible for an upgrade then you'll have to pay less, that's the only reason why it is cheaper. who gives a damn whether you install the old OS first or opt for a clean installation of the new OS? – Molly7244 Sep 30 '09 at 14:28
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The upgrade version will not allow you to make a clean install, it is meant only to use as an upgrade.

However, I'm surprised by the sentence "The Windows 7 will be an upgrade version that I will use on my desktop of Windows XP Professional.". If I remember well, Windows XP can only have a clean install, it cannot be upgraded to Windows 7.

More details can be found here, about upgrading.

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That's correct, Microsoft announced that you cannot perform an upgrade from XP to 7 – MrGreen Sep 30 '09 at 23:02
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It appears that Microsoft's official stance is yes, you can. However, you will need to have vista installed and activated in order to use the Upgrade version.

Details are here.

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