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#1
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That
means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
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#2
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
Stan Brown wrote:
I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? You could use an "anytime upgrade". It all depends on who is paying for it, as to whether it makes sense or not. http://accessories.dell.com/sna/prod...sku=A 3287419 Paul |
#3
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to
Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate. (Naturally, price considerations and all that!) On 10/20/2010 1:55 AM, Paul wrote: Stan Brown wrote: I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? You could use an "anytime upgrade". It all depends on who is paying for it, as to whether it makes sense or not. http://accessories.dell.com/sna/prod...sku=A 3287419 Paul |
#4
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
On 20/10/2010 12:23 AM, Stan Brown wrote:
I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? Excellent. I would go for it. Installing your own operating system (clean) is a confidence builder. You also get a more generic (Windows as it is supposed to be) install without all the junk the manufacturers pile onto the harddrive. Both you and your computer will be happier for it. Tips: -Check Device Management and make a list of the names of all devices on the computer before doing the installation. -Download and burn to CD-ROM all the drivers associated with your particular model *before* installing Windows. -Make sure you have all your product keys and CDs/DVDs lined up. -Don't sweat it. -Search engines are helpful. Look into "diskpart" (and all it can do), "ntfs", "partitioning", etc., and read up a bit about installing Windows clean. You will be much happier with your own install and your computer will run better. I did that with my (Acer) laptop and am happy I did. LS |
#5
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
I disagee. With all the investment in new technology that Windows 7 (and
Vista) has, clearly Microsoft think that the price for Ultimate is approrpriate. But most people aren't going to pay for all the features that they will never use, therefore they have to disable some of the features in order to give it to you at a cheaper price. If you think that the price of Ultimate is worth paying for then that's your lookout but most people don't care about features that they'll never use and would rather they have far less for a far less price. "Lewis" wrote in message ... In message Chuck wrote: I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate. (Naturally, price considerations and all that!) I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price. If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it. -- People who would not believe a High Priest if he said the sky was blue, and was able to produce signed affidavits to this effect from his white-haired old mother and three Vestal virgins, would trust just about anything whispered darkly behind their hand by a complete stranger. |
#6
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
On 20/10/2010 10:22 AM, Test Man wrote:
I disagee. With all the investment in new technology that Windows 7 (and Vista) has, clearly Microsoft think that the price for Ultimate is approrpriate. But most people aren't going to pay for all the features that they will never use, therefore they have to disable some of the features in order to give it to you at a cheaper price. If you think that the price of Ultimate is worth paying for then that's your lookout but most people don't care about features that they'll never use and would rather they have far less for a far less price. "Lewis" wrote in message ... In message Chuck wrote: I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate. (Naturally, price considerations and all that!) I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price. If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it. -- People who would not believe a High Priest if he said the sky was blue, and was able to produce signed affidavits to this effect from his white-haired old mother and three Vestal virgins, would trust just about anything whispered darkly behind their hand by a complete stranger. The funny thing is that the Home Premium DVD has all the code of Ultimate on it, but it is artificially limited. It is no skin off Microsoft's nose to make all the features available, and there are probably many people at Microsoft who think it should all be unlocked, but the marketing department is in the way (and the various 'levels' - Starter / Home / Ultimate etc. etc. are simply a marketing scheme). Either way, Microsoft makes almost untold billions. The Home / Ultimate scheme just enables them to put the squeeze on and make a few more. LS |
#7
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
Stan
If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution then it is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install on a clean hard drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either reformat clean and install or install it on a VM. You are not able to use it as an update -- Peter Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. http://www.microsoft.com/protect "Stan Brown" wrote in message t... I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
#8
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
On Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:36:06 -0400, LS wrote:
The funny thing is that the Home Premium DVD has all the code of Ultimate on it, but it is artificially limited. It is no skin off Microsoft's nose to make all the features available, and there are probably many people at Microsoft who think it should all be unlocked, but the marketing department is in the way (and the various 'levels' - Starter / Home / Ultimate etc. etc. are simply a marketing scheme). You're right that the various Windows versions each have all of the Windows code. It's the unlock code that controls what gets unlocked and what stays hidden. Some people just use an Ultimate unlock code and be done with it. Where you get such a code is up to you. |
#9
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
"Stan Brown" wrote in message t... I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... I upgraded my laptop from Vista to Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit using the MS offer for students, which is a ridiculously good price, and haven't had any trouble. I did a full backup so I wouldn't lose any personal info I might have overlooked and installed with the option of going back so the install created a directory on my HD called WindowsOld or something to that affect. After sorting through this directory I slowly deleted it as there was nothing there I really needed, but your results might be different if you choose this type install. I gained several abilities, one was a really affordable way to upgrade to Win7 and the ability to backup to a network so I didn't need a USB backup drive. I upgraded my desktop from Vista to Win 7 Home Pro 64 bit with a retail upgrade version and am still contemplating getting the Ultimate for my desktop. I probably don't need it, but it's a good price. HTH, Dave |
#10
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
"Peter Foldes" wrote in message ... Stan If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution then it is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install on a clean hard drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either reformat clean and install or install it on a VM. You are not able to use it as an update I have seen the VL version, but there are some offerings of "Student Editions" that are actually upgrades. I got mine from Ultimate Steals, which is a store-front for Digital Rivers, the MS way of offering certain digital products. When you register you have to wait for authentication on your school affiliation and the email you get is linked from MS, I don't remember how it's done in detail, just that it turns out to be real. The only caveat is you have to choose 32 bit or 64 bit, you only get one. I bought Win 7 Ultimate and Office 2010 there, if you choose to get a disk it's $12-15 extra, plus you can dl for an immediate install, and while the packaging is authentic MS, it's not the eye-candy that the retail versions are. But, for the price it was a no-brainer. HTH, Dave |
#11
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
On Wed, 20 Oct 2010 06:39:24 +0000 (UTC), Lewis wrote:
In message Chuck wrote: I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate. (Naturally, price considerations and all that!) I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price. If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it. Thanks. As I said, through the school discount I can get it for $20 or $30. Part of the deal with the discount is that there aren't many options, so I could *not* get Professional at a discounted price for instance. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
#12
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
On Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:10:15 -0400, Peter Foldes wrote:
If you are purchasing this Win7 version from your Educational Institution then it is a VL (Volume License) version of Win 7 which will only install on a clean hard drive. (Clean reformat and then install) You either reformat clean and install or install it on a VM. You are not able to use it as an update Oh, that's unfortunate; I was afraid of something like that. I suppose in an ideal world I would embrace that. But it means the hassle of reinstalling everything, and I'm not sure I want to spend that time. I used to be much more of a hobbyist, back in the days of 286es, but Windows now is so complex that I am frankly afraid to mess with it at a really deep level. I'll do Registry edits, update drivers, and that sort of thing. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
#13
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
"Stan Brown" wrote in message t... On Wed, 20 Oct 2010 06:39:24 +0000 (UTC), Lewis wrote: In message Chuck wrote: I had a similar problem with a laptop and Vista. OEM home premium to Vista ultimate. The only real problem was to generate a working backup of the original system. A minor quibble was that the Image placed on the HD by the OEM becomes unusable, and a waste of space. (Since the laptop had two HD's with more space than I need on a laptop, I sort of ignore the wasted space. Just make sure that you have the required drivers for the laptop available on compatible media. Win pro might be a better choice, unless you really need the extra stuff in ultimate. (Naturally, price considerations and all that!) I disagree. W7 Ultimate is the only FULL version of Windows 7. All the others have some stupid artificial limitations placed on them for no reason but to make it seem like Ultimate is worth the price. If you can get Ultimate cheaply, jump on it. Thanks. As I said, through the school discount I can get it for $20 or $30. Part of the deal with the discount is that there aren't many options, so I could *not* get Professional at a discounted price for instance. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... Stan, I was going to reiterate to check out Ultimate Steals, but I went to their web site so I could get a URL and saw they have raised their prices. The list price on Win 7 is now $64.95 and when I bought mine, if you wanted a CD it was appx. $15 extra. Looks like I missed the boat too, as I was contemplating getting another one for my desktop. Sounds like the deal from your school is better. Dave |
#14
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Replacing OEM copy with non-OEM
"Stan Brown" wrote in message
t... I have a newish Dell laptop that came with Win 7 Home Premium. That means no XP mode, which is a problem because some of my favorite games are in the good old 16-bit Windows Entertainment Pack from (I think) Windows 3.1 days. The college where I teach has a deal where we can get Win 7 Ultimate for $20 or $30. I'm tempted to download and install it, but I wonder if I should worry about screwing up anything, and of course whether I'll lose all the customizations and program installs I've already done. My alternative is to download a VM like VirtualBox and then install XP on the virtual machine; my employer has an available XP license. That feels clunky, but on the other hand it also feels safer. Any suggestions? -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... It is very important, before you pay out any money, to try to actually see on someone's machine what you actually get, preferably with a little demonstration, the emulation of XP. It is so hugely different from actual XP, and such a cut down version, that it seems useless to me - don't take my word for that of course, you might like it, but do have a look at it first. If you have 32 bit win7 you will know already that lots of 16 bit games run fine: I can run Spaceward Ho and Civ2 OK, but not Settlers 2 - which was iffy even on XP. |
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