I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with many
many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid. The XP
does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM product or
something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a full/clean
install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am not
sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all linked
into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a "full
install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down the CD's
of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on the above XP
and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything. In other words
can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the DVD drive.

You may be able to use the upgrade option rather than the custom option and
thus preserve your apps. When you use a full edition product key Vista
Setup does not need to verify genuine Windows so the only question remains
is what the compat report says. This report is generated when you choose
the upgrade option. You must remove any apps, drivers, etc. identified by
the compat report as blocking the upgrade.

It is possible that the upgrade option will be disabled. This can happen
when you have a configuration that is incompatible with Vista. There is no
way to know if this will happen until it happens. If there is something
non-standard about your XP you may run into this.

The old OS is removed completely, even in an upgrade scenario, so don't
worry about snippets of XP interfering with your new Vista installation.
There won't be any. You might have problems resulting from one or more of
the apps you carried over, however. This is a common experience with
upgrades from XP to Vista.

Use the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from Vista to save your files and
settings in case an upgrade is disabled or the upgrade does not produce
satisfactory results.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid.
The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM
product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all
linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a
"full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down
the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on the
above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything. In
other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the DVD
drive.

Colin has covered everything very well. I'll add a couple of tips. Backup
everything before you start. I prefer to use a disk imaging program with an
external hard drive. If something goes wrong in the upgrade process you can
then get back to where you started. The programs most likely to cause
problems are antivirus, antispyware, disk utilities and other programs that
require low level system access. It is best to uninstall those programs
before the upgrade then install Vista compatible versions after the upgrade.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
www.vistahelp.ca


"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid.
The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM
product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all
linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a
"full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down
the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on the
above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything. In
other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the DVD
drive.

I will add one additional tip.

Image your system to an external hard drive before you begin the upgrade.
Then, if things blow up, you can go back to where you were previously and
try again.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"Kerry Brown" *a*m wrote in message
...
Colin has covered everything very well. I'll add a couple of tips. Backup
everything before you start. I prefer to use a disk imaging program with
an external hard drive. If something goes wrong in the upgrade process you
can then get back to where you started. The programs most likely to cause
problems are antivirus, antispyware, disk utilities and other programs
that require low level system access. It is best to uninstall those
programs before the upgrade then install Vista compatible versions after
the upgrade.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
www.vistahelp.ca


"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid.
The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM
product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all
linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a
"full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down
the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on
the above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything.
In other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the
DVD drive.

You may want to give this a read!

http://www.informationweek.com/story...leID=196900611

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid.
The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM
product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all
linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a
"full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down
the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on the
above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything. In
other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the DVD
drive.

Thanks guys I am getting there. So if I understand correctly, I buy a full
edition put it in the DVD drive WHEN I already have XP up and running and
take an upgrade option instead of a full install. Will Vista not get bent
out of shape because I am asking for an upgrade rather than a new install
with the full install key I will be using? I.e. does a full install key
also work for an upgrade key?

Richard the cable transfer approach will not work for me. I will put the OS
on the same computer. I just upgraded it with a new motherboard etc.




"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message
...
You may be able to use the upgrade option rather than the custom option
and thus preserve your apps. When you use a full edition product key
Vista Setup does not need to verify genuine Windows so the only question
remains is what the compat report says. This report is generated when you
choose the upgrade option. You must remove any apps, drivers, etc.
identified by the compat report as blocking the upgrade.

It is possible that the upgrade option will be disabled. This can happen
when you have a configuration that is incompatible with Vista. There is
no way to know if this will happen until it happens. If there is
something non-standard about your XP you may run into this.

The old OS is removed completely, even in an upgrade scenario, so don't
worry about snippets of XP interfering with your new Vista installation.
There won't be any. You might have problems resulting from one or more of
the apps you carried over, however. This is a common experience with
upgrades from XP to Vista.

Use the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from Vista to save your files and
settings in case an upgrade is disabled or the upgrade does not produce
satisfactory results.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock solid.
The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old OEM
product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are all
linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I install a
"full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to track down
the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I boot up on
the above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing anything.
In other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting from the
DVD drive.

The key determines what version of Vista is installed. If it's a full
version key then you can upgrade or do a clean install. If it's an upgrade
key then you can only upgrade.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
www.vistahelp.ca


"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
Thanks guys I am getting there. So if I understand correctly, I buy a full
edition put it in the DVD drive WHEN I already have XP up and running and
take an upgrade option instead of a full install. Will Vista not get bent
out of shape because I am asking for an upgrade rather than a new install
with the full install key I will be using? I.e. does a full install key
also work for an upgrade key?

Richard the cable transfer approach will not work for me. I will put the
OS on the same computer. I just upgraded it with a new motherboard etc.




"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message
...
You may be able to use the upgrade option rather than the custom option
and thus preserve your apps. When you use a full edition product key
Vista Setup does not need to verify genuine Windows so the only question
remains is what the compat report says. This report is generated when
you choose the upgrade option. You must remove any apps, drivers, etc.
identified by the compat report as blocking the upgrade.

It is possible that the upgrade option will be disabled. This can happen
when you have a configuration that is incompatible with Vista. There is
no way to know if this will happen until it happens. If there is
something non-standard about your XP you may run into this.

The old OS is removed completely, even in an upgrade scenario, so don't
worry about snippets of XP interfering with your new Vista installation.
There won't be any. You might have problems resulting from one or more
of the apps you carried over, however. This is a common experience with
upgrades from XP to Vista.

Use the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from Vista to save your files and
settings in case an upgrade is disabled or the upgrade does not produce
satisfactory results.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock
solid. The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old
OEM product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are
all linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I
install a "full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to
track down the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I
boot up on the above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing
anything. In other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting
from the DVD drive.

When you buy a full edition the legacy license is not tied to the new
installation. Therefore you can use whatever installation method is the
most convenient for you. Perhaps you are confusing upgrade pricing with
upgrade functionality. Retail full editions of Windows have always
supported upgrading.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
Thanks guys I am getting there. So if I understand correctly, I buy a full
edition put it in the DVD drive WHEN I already have XP up and running and
take an upgrade option instead of a full install. Will Vista not get bent
out of shape because I am asking for an upgrade rather than a new install
with the full install key I will be using? I.e. does a full install key
also work for an upgrade key?

Richard the cable transfer approach will not work for me. I will put the
OS on the same computer. I just upgraded it with a new motherboard etc.




"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message
...
You may be able to use the upgrade option rather than the custom option
and thus preserve your apps. When you use a full edition product key
Vista Setup does not need to verify genuine Windows so the only question
remains is what the compat report says. This report is generated when
you choose the upgrade option. You must remove any apps, drivers, etc.
identified by the compat report as blocking the upgrade.

It is possible that the upgrade option will be disabled. This can happen
when you have a configuration that is incompatible with Vista. There is
no way to know if this will happen until it happens. If there is
something non-standard about your XP you may run into this.

The old OS is removed completely, even in an upgrade scenario, so don't
worry about snippets of XP interfering with your new Vista installation.
There won't be any. You might have problems resulting from one or more
of the apps you carried over, however. This is a common experience with
upgrades from XP to Vista.

Use the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from Vista to save your files and
settings in case an upgrade is disabled or the upgrade does not produce
satisfactory results.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem to
find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock
solid. The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some old
OEM product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt for a
full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I am
not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They are
all linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I
install a "full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having to
track down the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can I
boot up on the above XP and simply install Vista over it without loosing
anything. In other words can I avoid having to reformat the disk booting
from the DVD drive.

Thanks Richard & Colin you were a big help. It's now clear to me and I am
ready to go. Counting the days to the end of the month!


"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message
...
When you buy a full edition the legacy license is not tied to the new
installation. Therefore you can use whatever installation method is the
most convenient for you. Perhaps you are confusing upgrade pricing with
upgrade functionality. Retail full editions of Windows have always
supported upgrading.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
Thanks guys I am getting there. So if I understand correctly, I buy a
full edition put it in the DVD drive WHEN I already have XP up and
running and take an upgrade option instead of a full install. Will Vista
not get bent out of shape because I am asking for an upgrade rather than
a new install with the full install key I will be using? I.e. does a
full install key also work for an upgrade key?

Richard the cable transfer approach will not work for me. I will put the
OS on the same computer. I just upgraded it with a new motherboard etc.




"Colin Barnhorst" wrote in message
...
You may be able to use the upgrade option rather than the custom option
and thus preserve your apps. When you use a full edition product key
Vista Setup does not need to verify genuine Windows so the only question
remains is what the compat report says. This report is generated when
you choose the upgrade option. You must remove any apps, drivers, etc.
identified by the compat report as blocking the upgrade.

It is possible that the upgrade option will be disabled. This can
happen when you have a configuration that is incompatible with Vista.
There is no way to know if this will happen until it happens. If there
is something non-standard about your XP you may run into this.

The old OS is removed completely, even in an upgrade scenario, so don't
worry about snippets of XP interfering with your new Vista installation.
There won't be any. You might have problems resulting from one or more
of the apps you carried over, however. This is a common experience with
upgrades from XP to Vista.

Use the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from Vista to save your files and
settings in case an upgrade is disabled or the upgrade does not produce
satisfactory results.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
I have been looking over this newsgroup for a few days and do not seem
to find the answer to a situation that I am sure will come up a lot;-

OK I have an install of XP+SP2 that is years old and is on a disk with
many many other correctly functioning programs. Everything is rock
solid. The XP does not seem to pass the WGA test (because it is some
old OEM product or something) so to move to Vista I suppose I will opt
for a full/clean install.

Here is my issue.... I have many programs on the disk many of which I
am not sure I can find the install CD's or internet downloads. They
are all linked into the XP registry fine and function correctly. Can I
install a "full install" version of Vista on this disk WITHOUT having
to track down the CD's of all of these programs and reinstall them. Can
I boot up on the above XP and simply install Vista over it without
loosing anything. In other words can I avoid having to reformat the
disk booting from the DVD drive.

Best wishes with your new Windows.

"John Monahan" wrote in message
...
Thanks Richard & Colin you were a big help. It's now clear to me and I am
ready to go. Counting the days to the end of the month!