 Installation Question, Upgrade or Full Version? |
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 Jan 9 2007, 01:06 PM
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Forum Regular  Group: Members Posts: 349 Joined: 6-January 06 Member No.: 49,094  |
 Quick question: I have a DELL branded OEM version of Windows XP SP2 that came pre-installed on my comp. It is fully patched and I also upgraded to IE7 & WMP11. I'm looking at getting Vista Ultimate, Retail version and wiping out XP. Could I get away with purchasing only an Upgrade version, or do I need the full version? Remember, I only have a Dell Windows XP CD and not a retail, Microsoft XP SP2 CD. Would Vista "reject" the Dell brand version when it asks to provide your current Windows XP CD when trying an upgrade copy of Vista? Thx. 
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Jan 9 2007, 01:32 PM
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 3,306 Joined: 14-April 06 Member No.: 64,042 |
This may not answer your specific question, but if you haven't used this tool, you should give it a try.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getr...or/default.mspx Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Want to see if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista? Just download, install, and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This small software tool will scan your computer and create an easy-to-understand report of all known system, device, and program compatibility issues, and recommend ways to resolve them. Upgrade Advisor can also help you choose the edition of Windows Vista that best fits the way you want to use your computer. Before you begin Before you run the Upgrade Advisor, be sure to plug in any USB or other attachable peripheral devices (such as printers, external hard drives, or scanners) that are regularly used with the PC that you're evaluating. Download Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Additional information The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor works with 32-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. It will not work with Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. Here are answers to some common questions about the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor does not collect or send any personal, identifiable data to Microsoft Corporation or third parties. See the Upgrade Advisor privacy statement for details. |
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Jan 10 2007, 08:14 AM
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 Visually handicapped, hence the avatar :0) Group: Moderator Posts: 14,526 Joined: 2-October 05 From: Southeastern CT, USA Member No.: 35,824 |
This will depend on your Dell's setup - Vista will have to acknowledge that you have a legitimate copy of XP when you try and upgrade.
In some cases Dell's come with a disk that includes the OS - and in this case you should be able to upgrade (actually, first it'll check to see if you've got a legal copy on the hard drive). You also may be able to get Dell to send you a full copy of the OS disk (for a small fee). So, in short, it's likely that you will be able to upgrade - but the specific answer depends on your Dell's setup. So, a question to Dell is probably the easiest route to a "sure" answer. -------------------- - John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. ** |
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Jan 10 2007, 09:02 AM
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Forum Regular Group: Members Posts: 349 Joined: 6-January 06 Member No.: 49,094 |
Thanks Guys.
 I actually already have the Vista Advisor. Since I bought my computer in June, it is already "Windows Vista Capable". There's only 1 driver I need to upgrade (not sure which one, I'll run the program again). I'll forward the question to Dell. But here's another question: I have 1 GB RAM, which is the minimum required for Vista. Should I buy another stick of RAM, say 500MB or 1 GB or would that be necessary? Thanks again 
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Jan 10 2007, 11:58 AM
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Visually handicapped, hence the avatar :0) Group: Moderator Posts: 14,526 Joined: 2-October 05 From: Southeastern CT, USA Member No.: 35,824 |
Depends on what you're doing with the PC. What "heavy" apps are you planning on running (video editing, CAD, games, etc)? That'll determine what you'll need.
As a suggestion - try it with 1 gB - if it's still too slow (check your performance scores) then upgrade to 2 gB. -------------------- - John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. ** |
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Jan 14 2007, 03:49 PM
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New Member Group: Members Posts: 11 Joined: 13-January 07 Member No.: 106,123 |
I have a retail PC also and I am planning on getting the upgrade version of VISTA. In the past I would get the full versions, because that way I could do a clean install of the system. With VISTA, my knowledge is that it shares very little with the XP OS. So even the upgrade is going to give you all of the new os files not just upgrade the existing ones. Just my Thought Process. And VISTA will let you upgrade a manufacturers version- you stilled payed for it when you bought the computer and you still have a legitimate full XP registration key.
I can also tell you from experience that I believe you will be fine with 1gb of ram. I believe that the VISTA performance grade doesn't calculate based on quantity of ram but rather more the speed the ram may process at. I have 2gb and I've never seen more than about 700mb used by vista for anything I've done. It will depend on your applications as was stated though. If you are going to be doing some fancy encoding while using 3dmax, etc....hey the more ram the better. From what I have read VISTA does like to use up ram, but it is more like in a linux environment where it "preloads" a lot of the commonly used info so that it makes the OS run more quickly. (I could be wrong on that- I make no claims to being a computer guru.) |
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Jan 14 2007, 05:46 PM
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Visually handicapped, hence the avatar :0) Group: Moderator Posts: 14,526 Joined: 2-October 05 From: Southeastern CT, USA Member No.: 35,824 |
The chart about ½ way down this page: http://www.microsoft.atat.at/windowsvista/...pgradeinfo.mspx
will tell you what OS's will allow an upgrade and which will require a clean install. The installation is much simpler than XP's was and requires little input from the user. -------------------- - John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. ** |
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