Okay I went and bought Windows 7 Upgrade because I have Windows XP Pro. Sound simple right, but it's not. I don't have XP Pro installed on any computer and the computer I want to put Windows 7 on only supports Windows 7 (Apple MacBook Pro 2012). When I do the clean install I get my key is not for clean install of Windows. So I'm like 'What the hell? Are they checking the OS installed, instead of the CD/DVD or check your license number" I guess I'm so used how it works on the Mac, you don't need the OS installed to do a clean install. So now I'm stuck, aren't I? I have an upgrade package that I can't use because the damn key is for the upgrading the OS only. :mad-new: Rant over If you know any legal ways to the upgrade I'm all ears. :/ =hugh
The license you bought won't work how you want it to. It's only meant to upgrade from XP->7. In the eyes of Microsoft, you don't have a legal key to install on a Mac. What MIGHT work is to install Windows 7 without putting in a key (or putting in a key you get "somewhere"), and then use a keychanger to swap it to the key you paid for.
Have you tried reinstalling "upgrading" over the first windows 7 installation. Sometimes that has worked for me.
You need a complete license to upgrade... If you can borrow someone's Windows XP disc and just upgrade Windows 7 on top of that it will be fine.
I heard it works like this: Install Windows 7 without entering a key, then install it again, this time with a key. The installer apparently only checks if there's a Windows installation present, not which version or if it's even activated. That's not a perfectly "clean" install then though, so if the keychanger method works, go with that.
you can get around this by installing again over your Windows 7 install, you have bought an upgrade license which was most likely cheaper and now you know why
His point is you can't install XP on newer Macbooks and Macs. He's right to a point. It's lion and mountain lion that only provide bootcamp support for Windows 7 so his only option is to downgrade to Snow Leopard, install Windows XP, upgrade XP and then upgrade Snow Leopard. However getting Snow Leopard to run on a newer Mac can also be a bit of a farce.
This ^ Install it without entering a key. Once in the OS run the installer again and click upgrade. Enter your key then
Funny enough the Windows 8 upgrade process gave you a retail image afterward *if* you did the right steps Granted who would use Windows 8... never left the VM for me cause I found it completely unusable.
This... You can even format the drive when you install windows again without issue. windows COAs are one of the largest myths about computers...
you can change something in the registry so your upgrade key just works “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\OOBE\MediaBootInstall” Change that value from 1 to 0 then open up cmd prompt with admin rights then type slmgr /rearm and reboot
Thanks for all the replies! What I ending up doing is doing a clean install of Windows 7 Pro then did an Upgrade on top of that. That worked, it took my key and I'm a happy camper, although it took an hour to install. Yes I bought the upgrade because it was cheaper thinking it would want to me to put my XP disc in or ask for my key (That's how my XP Pro worked). I do have a legal version of XP Pro, so I didn't think it had to be installed on the computer hard drive. :/ I still hate Microsoft upgrade schemes, what a headache Just in case some is thinking of getting any of the 2012 Macs, you have to use Windows 7 (or 8), because Apple only supports Windows 7 on these machines. They never made drivers for the Thunderport for XP that I am aware of. :/ =hugh
I always use the registry hack that marcus667 mentioned. It's nice to not have to install it twice. and i just leave the Windows XP license that was bing used in an envelope inside the case.
Maybe this is a stupid question, but why would anyone pay full price for Windows 7 if the upgrade can be simply be fooled into doing an upgrade on top of itself?
No technically about it, its a licensing violation. You might as well pirate it as far as law is concerned. But at least it stays activated and technically legit. Also extremely unlikely to be found out.
Well, like I said. I didn't buy the upgrade to screw MS or any thing of as that sort. I have a legal copy/license of XP, I just didn't know it had to be on the drive. The XP upgrade scheme the first thing it wants to know what it's upgraded from, by asking for the install CD of the previous install disc. It does some checking then continues install (this is on a clean install). So I figured (note to self read the really fine print LOL) how Windows 7 upgrade works. Hell the instructions tell you to pick Custom Instal if you are installing onto a machine that has XP on the drive. I did that but the makes a clean install, but it will not accept license that came with the upgrade license number and every thing would be fine. But you are right about buying the upgrade vs buying the full version product number. Like it was already said if you go that route, you are not getting a illegal license. BTW, You can do the same upgrades to Office. When it checks for a disk all you had to do was put the new version of the disc back in, and it will take that as a vilid disc. And allow the setup upgrade install, I do not know if the current Office can be fooled so easily I don't have need office. =hugh
