EggXpert

Many of you are familiar with this method, but since a few people were asking about this in the software forum I decided to post the information in its own thread. Hopefully it saves people a lot of time and frustration. Of course, if you do use this workaround to clean install Vista with the Upgrade media, and you don't own a previous (compliant) version of Windows, you're most certainly violating the Windows EULA and, thus, breaking the law. Proceed at your own risk. I've used this method on dozens of installs and it works perfectly every time.

Workaround for clean install of Vista using the upgrade CD's/DVD

1. Boot with the Windows Vista Upgrade disc. (make sure mainboard BIOS is set to boot from CD/DVD first, or press correct key for boot menu)
   
2. Click "Install Now."
3. Do not enter a product key when prompted.
   
4. When prompted, select the correct Vista product edition that you are using.
   
5. Select the type of install. Choose Custom (Advanced) instead of Upgrade.
6. Once the install is complete, restart setup (eg. open/close your CD/DVD drive) from within Windows Vista. Perform an in-place upgrade (or clean if you prefer).
7. Enter your product key when prompted.
8. After the install is finished you can activate your copy of Windows at any time.

Additional info can be found here: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932

Would you Please explain this step a little more ? For instance, you say perform an in place upgrade. I thought the previous step already did that.

6)Once the install is complete, restart setup (eg. open/close your CD/DVD drive) from within Windows Vista. Perform an in-place upgrade (or clean if you prefer).

EliteKiller:

. Of course, if you do use this workaround to clean install Vista with the Upgrade media, and you don't own a previous (compliant) version of Windows, you're most certainly violating the Windows EULA and, thus, breaking the law. Proc

What would happen if your HDD fried? Would you have to install the previous OS (or plural) then continue? Here I go I'll start with 98 then MEupgrade (was there one?) then the XP upgrade then the Vista upgrade

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I fold for my Grandmothers, my cousin Mike, Uncles Bob and Carl, Aunt Barb, my wife's Grandmother, Aunts Linnea and Alma and Uncle Myrel who all died from Cancer and my dad who has survived

freezy:

EliteKiller:

. Of course, if you do use this workaround to clean install Vista with the Upgrade media, and you don't own a previous (compliant) version of Windows, you're most certainly violating the Windows EULA and, thus, breaking the law. Proc

What would happen if your HDD fried? Would you have to install the previous OS (or plural) then continue? Here I go I'll start with 98 then MEupgrade (was there one?) then the XP upgrade then the Vista upgrade

Are you saying that you've been upgrading each version of windows since 98?....

    I'd think that as long as you have owned any previous version of windows you'll be fine.  It may have to be XP though since I believe you can only do the upgrade from XP? right?

It's my guess that if you were to do a clean install of this or any other M$ product from an upgrade disc, it would probably violate their extremely detailed EULAs.

They're real big on controlling things....and people.

Yes, I've done this four times now, and it's the best way to go if you want a clean install. 

Save all your important stuff (photos, videos, music, documents, Outlook files, etc) and then reinstall them once you've got your clean Vista install.  Then start restoring programs, printer drivers, other drivers, utilities, ad nauseum .........  until, three full days of tedious work later,  you're back to where you were before, only cleaner/faster  (hopefully). 

There must be a better way, though,  to do a clean, complete reinstall.     I'm pretty organized but this still takes me MANY, MANY hours to do.    The photos, music, etc. are simple enough,  but the drivers, the programs,  and all the "necessary" junk you want back,  well that's much more time-consuming:   I'm running around gathering up all my sources (DVDs,  saved backups, downloading files,  etc) and reinstalling for DAYS !!

Does anyone have an organized, faster system of accomplishing this?    I'd sure be grateful.

Thanks.

Rick, the mexicorider

p.s.  BTW, when following this "Clean Vista Install w/ Upgrade Disc" procedure you posted,  you really don't need to reinstall (the second time) from within Windows:  you can just boot from the upgrade disc and call it a clean install and it will work fine,  and allow you to activate afterwards.

wharfrat:

Confused, Vista does not have in place upgrade for it is not behave like Windows XP. Please explain.

Normally, Vista can only be installed from *within Windows*; however, who says that the Windows has to be the *previous version*?  This particular trick combines two tactics from previous versions of Windows in a way that hasn't been used in over a decade (this trick was, in fact, quite popular with Windows 95's Upgrade CD).  Pretty darn slick.  What's more; it's perfectly legal.

freezy:

The idea isnt to save money. It is to give folks with upgrade disks and previous versions of Windows a path of recovery if their hard drive dies. Using an upgrade version to build a computer violates the EULA. We will never recommend illegal cracks, hacks or bypasses.

 My apologies. I wasn't aware that was against the EULA. I actually have a Home Premium Upgrade disk, so I figured it would be easier to use this method instead of installing XP, then upgrading to Vista. I guess I will do that though, just to keep it legit.