Upgrade and Activate from Win2k to Vista Ultimate

[CharlieV]

I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
crashed.

I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the old install was not compatible, I
was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option available to
me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went fairly well with
the installation.

When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
done as a clean install.

Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
Did I miss something?
Will I need to purchase another Key?
Am I just SOL?

I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
have heard it all many times today already.

Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
subject matter.

Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.

Charlie V
--
Charlie Vetter
San Diego, CA

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

An upgrade version of Windows Vista is a license that lets you install Windows Vista
if you already own a compliant, licensed version of Windows. You can perform either
an upgrade installation or a custom installation of Windows Vista by using an upgrade
license. However, you must start the Windows Vista installation in the compliant version
of Windows.

If you own Microsoft Windows 2000, no upgrade installation path is available.
However, you can perform a "custom installation" that uses an upgrade license by
starting the installation in Windows 2000.

1. In Windows 2000, insert the Windows Vista DVD.
2. As you complete the steps on the Setup wizard pages, remember to select "Custom".


Ref: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932616/en-us



--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­-----

"CharlieV" wrote:

I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
crashed.

I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the old install was not compatible, I
was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option available to
me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went fairly well with
the installation.

When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
done as a clean install.

Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
Did I miss something?
Will I need to purchase another Key?
Am I just SOL?

I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
have heard it all many times today already.

Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
subject matter.

Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.

Charlie V
--
Charlie Vetter
San Diego, CA

 

[pen]

CharlieV wrote:
> I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
> crashed.
>
> I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the old install was not compatible, I
> was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option available to
> me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went fairly well with
> the installation.
>
> When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
> advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
> done as a clean install.
>
> Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
> Did I miss something?
> Will I need to purchase another Key?
> Am I just SOL?
>
> I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
> or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
> have heard it all many times today already.
>
> Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
> subject matter.
>
> Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.
>
> Charlie V

Read these about how to get around your problem
http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070201/
http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070208/
MS dropped the checking for a disk from Vista, so this is the work
around, which is legit as you are installing over a win2k.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Sorry, but your suggestion is bogus. That so-called workaround
will not permit Product Activation as the activation servers have
been reprogrammed to reject an upgrade license if the qualifying
Windows license is not present in the system.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­-----


"pen" <pen34usnospam@nospamhotmail.com> wrote in message news:eEIk4n0wHHA.1776@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
CharlieV wrote:
> I upgraded my old workstation from 2000 to Vista Ultimate when my old HDD
> crashed.
>
> I decided to skip XP altogether. Since the old install was not compatible, I
> was forced to do a "clean" install, there was no other option available to
> me. Sounded good to me in the beginning, and everything went fairly well with
> the installation.
>
> When I tried to register/activate Vista online, I was given an error and
> advised that the key that I had was for an upgrade and an upgrade cannot be a
> done as a clean install.
>
> Will it be possible to activate my Vista installation with the Upgrade key?
> Did I miss something?
> Will I need to purchase another Key?
> Am I just SOL?
>
> I am looking for help if you can help me please do. If you want to bash MS
> or promote another OS please don't do it here, I am frutrtated enough and I
> have heard it all many times today already.
>
> Also please keep the childish bickering to a minum it is not germaine to the
> subject matter.
>
> Thank You in advance for your help and understanding.
>
> Charlie V

Read these about how to get around your problem
http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070201/
http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070208/
MS dropped the checking for a disk from Vista, so this is the work
around, which is legit as you are installing over a win2k.