Do you get a product key with online Vista upgrade? kevgibbo <kevgibbo[ at ]gmail.com> 6/18/2007 6:59:16 AM Hi, I have a Sony Vaio laptop which was pre-installed with Windows XP Professional, I upgraded this using a Windows Vista Home Premium CD (clean install) which came with a different PC so I now need a unique license for my copy. If I purchase a Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade will this also include the product key I need? Thanks in advance, Kevin www.seoptimise.com

RE: Do you get a product key with online Vista upgrade? kurtiscragun 6/18/2007 7:09:00 AM yes it will and you own and can reinstall forever "kevgibbo" wrote: [Quoted Text] > Hi, > > I have a Sony Vaio laptop which was pre-installed with Windows XP > Professional, I upgraded this using a Windows Vista Home Premium CD > (clean install) which came with a different PC so I now need a unique > license for my copy. If I purchase a Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade > will this also include the product key I need? > > Thanks in advance, > Kevin > www.seoptimise.com > >

Re: Do you get a product key with online Vista upgrade? Bruce Chambers <bchambers[ at ]cable0ne.n3t> 6/19/2007 1:27:42 AM kevgibbo wrote: [Quoted Text] > Hi, > > I have a Sony Vaio laptop which was pre-installed with Windows XP > Professional, I upgraded this using a Windows Vista Home Premium CD > (clean install) which came with a different PC so I now need a unique > license for my copy. If I purchase a Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade > will this also include the product key I need? > It'll incklude a Product Key, but not one that will be of any immediate help. From your description, you used an OEM installation CD to install that illicit copy of Vista. A Vista Ultimate Upgrade Product key will not work with the OEM installation. Product Keys are bound to the specific type and language of CD/license (Vista Edition, OEM, Volume, retail, full, or Upgrade) with which they are purchased. For example, a Vista Home Premium OEM Product Key won't work for any retail version of WinXP Home, or for any version of Vista Business, and vice versa. An upgrade's Product Key cannot be used with a full version CD, and vice versa. An OEM Product Key will not work to install a retail product. An Italian Product Key will not work with an English CD. Bottom line: Product Keys and CD types cannot be mixed & matched. To the best of my knowledge, you've two options, at this point: 1) Format the hard drive, reinstall WinXP, and then perform the upgrade using the Vista Upgrade CD and Product Key. 2) Boot from the Vista Upgrade CD, format the hard drive and perform a clean installation, *without* entering the Product Key. Then, from within this installation, upgrade (yes, reinstall) to Vista Ultimate, this time entering the Product Key. (This is an unsupported work-around, so I can't personally speak as to its efficacy.) -- Bruce Chambers Help us help you: http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell