Windows Vista Tips
Clean Installing Windows Vista Using The Upgrade DVD
Any upgrade version of Windows Vista may be used.

Everyone thought (at least those who read what Microsoft says) that it would no longer be possible, as it has been in the past, to clean install Windows Vista  with a Windows Vista Upgrade DVD.

We first found this method of performing a "clean install" (that is installing Vista on a fresh hard drive - not over a previous version of Windows).

According to Microsoft's new license requirements for Vista, users are required to install a Windows Vista Upgrade from inside Windows XP. If you do it this way, then the Windows XP license is negated and the Windows Vista license becomes effective. Hmmm....

Anyway, for some reason, Microsoft left open a loophole that didn't take a genius to find. Obviously, Microsoft new about this loophole and decided, for some reason, not to close it. All the better for us you see! Microsoft's always looking out for us! (cough! cough!).

While the loophole lasts you can save between $80 and $100 by not buying the "Full" version of Windows Vista (Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate) and buying the upgrade DVD instead.

It's not hard to do, but it will take a few hours of your time and it is tedious, so be patient and we'll show you step-by-step how to do it.

You'll need to boot your computer from the Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and start the setup program. When you're prompted to enter the registration key - DO NOT ENTER IT. (See image below). Click the "Next" button to continue WITHOUT entering your key. Yes it will continue! This will install Windows Vista as a 30-day trial. Really!

The next screen you'll see asks you which version of Windows Vista you purchased. Well if you purchased "Basic" you might be real tempted to say you purchased "Ultimate". But, don't do it. You'll be fried later on. Trust us. Just select the version of Vista you really purchased :)

Sit back and wait - grab some coffee, eat dinner and wait. It will take an hour or more for Windows to finish installing. Once it's finished and your new Vista Desktop appears. Start all over again. Really. Start the installation over again. Remove the DVD and reinsert it, to start Windows Vista Setup again.

This time when you see the screen, type in your product key.

When Windows asks you if you want to perform an Upgrade or Custom (advanced) install, make sure you choose Custom (advanced) if you want to perform a clean install. Yeah, it's crazy because you just got through installing Windows Vista. But you have to do this, otherwise it won't work.

After another hour or so, Windows will finish installing for the second time, your new Vista desktop will appear for the second time, and all that good stuff. But now you're completely installed and you can go ahead and activate Windows normally.

One more thing you need to do (if you really want an honest-to-goodness clean install). You will need to delete the folder called "Windows.old" which contains all the information from the first time you installed Windows Vista (a few hours ago? :-) )

Despite Microsoft's posturing and rhetoric about no longer being able to use the upgrade version to clean install the operating system, Microsoft left this loophole in Windows  Vista. Why? It makes no sense unless they really intended for people to take advantage of it. They had to know that this loophole would be discovered within hours of Vista's release.

You never know though. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Maybe Microsoft just plain goofed up on this loophole. So take advantage of it while you still can - you never know when they will close it. If they do it won't be until SP-1 - which is coming this fall (so we hear).

And remember, any retail upgrade DVD can be used as a full retail copy of Vista. And this saves you a lot of money! And that's not bad!
 

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