I am currently running RTM 1 year (Build 7100) trial version, will Ihave to do a complete "destructive" reinstall of vista. when the actual pre-order gets here or:Can I just use the upgrade version to get valid activation. or just buy a new key.I was running Vista 64 ult. it had waytoo many issues. So far 7 is what vista should have been, fast sleek. No issues at all yet. Being this good I have migrated everything into it and don't want to have to start from scratch. Yes I know it's a test version but it's been so good I couldn't help testing everything... (3TB of files to be lost in adestructive reinstall)

I am currently running RTM 1 year (Build 7100) trial version, will Ihave to do a complete "destructive" reinstall of vista. when the actual pre-order gets here or:Can I just use the upgrade version to get valid activation. or just buy a new key.I was running Vista 64 ult. it had waytoo many issues. So far 7 is what vista should have been, fast sleek. No issues at all yet. Being this good I have migrated everything into it and don't want to have to start from scratch. Yes I know it's a test version but it's been so good I couldn't help testing everything... (3TB of files to be lost in adestructive reinstall) Hi Catwin7I'm not sure what you mean by "currently running RTM 1 year (Build 7100) trial version"? The RTM is build 7600 and Build 7100 is the beta Release Candidate. If you are running Build 7100,this buildcannot be used as a qualifyingOS for an upgradeto the final RTM version.If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed.Hope this helps.Thank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP

If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed. Not quite true. it is not necessary to install the prior OS first but you must insert the CD/DVD when asked for a qualifying product.

If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed.Hope this helps.Thank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP Contrary to this , there is no option to upgrade fromwindows xp or windows 2000.

You can do a clean upgrade directly from the RC to RTM if you are upgrading to ultimate.The documentation to support this can be found by selecting this link:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(WS.10).aspx Correction for my earlier response. Upgrades from pre-realease RC and Beta are not supported.

If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed. Not quite true. it is not necessary to install the prior OS first but you must insert the CD/DVD when asked for a qualifying product. Jens - Nope... Windows Vista and 7 bothuse the same installer. It does NOT check previous media prior to doing an installation. In order to do an upgrade to Vista or Windows 7, you MUST insert the DVD into the machine while it's running a qualified OS (Windows 2000, XP or Vista) and click on the Install Now button. You will be prompted for your product key. The installer will evaluate the product key as being one designated as an upgrade only key. The installer will then check to make sure that the previous OS is legitimately installed and has passed WGA (in the case ofXP and Vista) before marking the hard drive as having a qualifed OS. The machine will the reboot, check for the mark it left during the previous checks and when it finds said the mark, it unlocks the ability to do an upgrade installation. At this point, you can do a clean install or upgrade - depending on what you're installing and what OS you're upgrading from.

If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed. Not quite true. it is not necessary to install the prior OS first but you must insert the CD/DVD when asked for a qualifying product. Jens - Nope... Windows Vista and 7 bothuse the same installer. It does NOT check previous media prior to doing an installation. In order to do an upgrade to Vista or Windows 7, you MUST insert the DVD into the machine while it's running a qualified OS (Windows 2000, XP or Vista) and click on the Install Now button. You will be prompted for your product key. The installer will evaluate the product key as being one designated as an upgrade only key. The installer will then check to make sure that the previous OS is legitimately installed and has passed WGA (in the case ofXP and Vista) before marking the hard drive as having a qualifed OS. The machine will the reboot, check for the mark it left during the previous checks and when it finds said the mark, it unlocks the ability to do an upgrade installation. At this point, you can do a clean install or upgrade - depending on what you're installing and what OS you're upgrading from. You can not upgrade from windows xp or windows 2000. Windows 7 Upgrade Paths Updated: June 17, 2009 Applies To: Windows 7 This document outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for editions of the Windows7 operating system. Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported: Windows95, Windows98, WindowsMillennium Edition, WindowsXP, WindowsVistaRTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows7M3, Windows7 Beta, Windows7 RC, or Windows7IDS WindowsNT Server4.0, Windows2000 Server, Windows Server2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server2008 R2

If you pre-ordered an upgrade version, you can only use it to install Windows 7 on a system that currently has Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista installed. Not quite true. it is not necessary to install the prior OS first but you must insert the CD/DVD when asked for a qualifying product. Jens - Nope... Windows Vista and 7 bothuse the same installer. It does NOT check previous media prior to doing an installation. In order to do an upgrade to Vista or Windows 7, you MUST insert the DVD into the machine while it's running a qualified OS (Windows 2000, XP or Vista) and click on the Install Now button. You will be prompted for your product key. The installer will evaluate the product key as being one designated as an upgrade only key. The installer will then check to make sure that the previous OS is legitimately installed and has passed WGA (in the case ofXP and Vista) before marking the hard drive as having a qualifed OS. The machine will the reboot, check for the mark it left during the previous checks and when it finds said the mark, it unlocks the ability to do an upgrade installation. At this point, you can do a clean install or upgrade - depending on what you're installing and what OS you're upgrading from. You can not upgrade from windows xp or windows 2000. Windows 7 Upgrade Paths Updated: June 17, 2009 Applies To: Windows 7 This document outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for editions of the Windows7 operating system. Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported: Windows95, Windows98, WindowsMillennium Edition, WindowsXP, WindowsVistaRTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows7M3, Windows7 Beta, Windows7 RC, or Windows7IDS WindowsNT Server4.0, Windows2000 Server, Windows Server2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server2008 R2 According to the document you posted you only can't upgrade from the 2000 Server family, so Windows 2000 Professional should be fine. I suspect you can upgrade from XP Professional as well, but not from XP Home...

MR,no need to CRY. The quoted document, unfortunately, is full of ambiguities and riddles. Sometimes it is clear in stating that some "in-place upgrades" are not supported (32- to 64-bit, f.e.), sometimes it speaks of "unsupported upgrades" only and is in contradiction with the statementsat any available upgrade offer (MS Store, Amazon, whereever) where 2000 and XP are listed as qualifying for upgrades, even if an "in-place upgrade" isn't possible. Not to mention the "supported upgrade options" between Windows 7 and Windows 7 (same editions and versions!).Mobile AMD64 3000+, VIA Apollo K8T800 chipset, 1 G RAM, ATIRadeonMobility 9700, 20x DVDRW, C:XPSP3 (55G),D:WIN7 (25G),F:DATA (250G)

This document is the same information as technet but it seems windows 2000 should have bean included as non-qualified operating system. Link: DOCThis was realeased July 2009.

Hi.The build 7100 is RC version.As far as I know, the RC version of Windows 7 will expire on June 1, 2010.If you would like to continue to use Windows 7, you have toinstall theRTM or Retail.You cannot directlly upgrade beta version to Windows 7RTM (Release to Manufacturing)or retail version. However, there's a workaround:How to Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to RTM (Final Release)http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/3075/how-to-upgrade-the-windows-7-rc-to-rtm/ Thomas Lin

Hi.The build 7100 is RC version.As far as I know, the RC version of Windows 7 will expire on June 1, 2010.If you would like to continue to use Windows 7, you have toinstall theRTM or Retail.You cannot directlly upgrade beta version to Windows 7RTM (Release to Manufacturing)or retail version. However, there's a workaround:How to Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to RTM (Final Release)http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/3075/how-to-upgrade-the-windows-7-rc-to-rtm/ Thomas Lin A word about this. The RC is intended for evaluation purposes only. I recommend that younot upgrade from this version.The RC is not the final release andmay contain code not approved or considered fit to be released to the public. To ensure optimal performanceI recommened backing up yourimportant data,removingtheRC entirely and performing a clean install of the RTM.