I was a beta tester for Windows XP (got the nice thank you postcard w/Bill Gates rubber stamped signature and all) and I was able to buy the upgrade and install as an upgrade before XP RC2 stopped working. Will I be able to buy the upgrade for Windows 7 Ultimate and install it as an upgrade over the work that already exists on that drive? And, if the answer is no, why not? I mean, I truly WANT Windiws 7 Ultimate, but I am not willing to pay nearly the price of a computer to get it, and do not think many people will be.

HiNo, you cannot install the RTM build over a previous beta build of Windows 7. The last thing you would want to do is mix the beta code with the final code.Since the beta first started, we have been advising everyone to make sure that they plan for the final release by making sure they have a way to go back to their previous version of Windows. If you still have an XP or Vistainstallation disk, you can take advantage of the current discount offer and get an upgrade copy of Windows 7. Windows 7 Pre-Order OfferHope this helps.Thank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP

I would not be installing the final release over the beat version. I have RC1 installed. And as I said, when I was a tester for XP. when the time came, I was able to install the retail version over the XP RC2 and retain everything that was on my hard drive. Was wondering why this is not possible this time? It SHOULD be.

Just to confirm what Ronnie stated, no there are no upgrade paths from RC to Final... You will be formatting and reinstalling... However if you backup your profile (this is assuming you didn't copy, create or move files to a non-standard location) you will be fine.Look at the Forum "Windows Installation, Setup and Deployment" if this doesn't answer you question...http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/threads

My appreciation to all who responded and finally managed to break through this rather thick skull I have. Again, Thank you ,All!