No Boot Clean Installs Using Windows Vista Upgrade Discs
Although it has been discussed to death here, some official coverage on the front page is needed. Thanks to Ambiance for posting a direct response from Microsoft about the issue.
windows -
comments -
28.1.2007 Windows 7 (15-Seconds-Boot) No Match for Windows “Instant On” (8-Seconds-Boot)
Microsoft revealed that it is targeting a 15 seconds boot time for Windows 7 in laboratory conditions, but the fact is that the Redmond company is cooking even something better.
windows -
comments -
16.10.2008 Windows 7 E Full Version at Upgrade Prices, but No Upgrade SKU
With a new edition of Windows 7 tailored especially for Europe, Microsoft revealed that with this release of its Windows client, it was doing things differentially.
windows -
comments -
25.6.2009 How to Change Windows Vista Boot Screen
Some of you remember how it was possible to change the boot logo screen of Windows 95/98. I'm not sure why anyone would go into the trouble of actually doing it, but it seems that it is possible to do the same for Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
19.11.2007 Windows Vista Boot Logo Generator Beta
I know a lot of people were disappointed by the lack of a decent boot logo in Vista, so I’ve thrown together a tool that should simplify the process of creating the new high resolution boot logos!
download -
comments -
16.1.2007 Vista Loader 2.1.3 - Windows Vista Activator 2008 Support SP1 with No Boot String
Vista Loader is one of the most successful Vista activation crack available to date, second only to physical modify (hardmod) the BIOS to include SLIC table to make BIOS Vista activation-compliant.
download -
comments -
15.5.2008 Enable New Boot screen in Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2
Tired of the pathetic boot screen in current Vista builds? There is a new trick that will allow you to see what may be the new boot screen for Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
12.5.2006 Vista Boot Screens
Thanks to desperados who report Vista bootscreens download in our forum and to Rick van Dijck (iemanduitnederland) author of the Boot Screens. Some nice boot screens for Windows Vista.
download -
comments -
12.3.2007 0wning Vista from the boot
Federico Biancuzzi interviews Nitin and Vipin Kumar, authors of VBootkit, a rootkit that is able to load from Windows Vista boot-sectors.
windows -
comments -
26.4.2007 Vista: Whatever happened to fast boot?
Anyone else remember when Microsoft used to talk about making Windows Vista (or Longhorn, as it was then known) a fast-booting operating system.
windows -
comments -
12.4.2007 Vista scoots to new boot, but it’s still kinda rooted
While Microsoft would like the world to believe that anyone running Windows has no need of any other operating system, that attitude doesn’t cut much mustard with many of its users.
windows -
comments -
28.9.2006 OSx86 project offers $1 bounty for a Vista boot
The ink is barely dry on narf/blanka's checks, and already the OSx86 project has launched a new contest for getting Microsoft Vista to dual-boot on an Intel Mac (although it seems copies of that particular OS may be rather scarce for awhile), but this time the prize will be a bit smaller- thousands of dollars smaller, actually.
windows -
comments -
22.3.2006 High quality image Vista boot screen
Some people found a way to change that black boot screen of Windows Vista RTM to a high quality one, the one that was supposed to be in before it was cut from the final version.
download -
comments -
19.11.2006 Apple Releases Boot Camp 1.2 with Vista Support
Apple has posted a new version of Boot Camp today. Boot Camp 1.2 brings several updates, including Windows Vista support.
common -
comments -
29.3.2007 New Vista OEM Activation Hack - Vista Boot by gkend
Thanks to Steve Jobs for this article on his blog and to our forum members to clecha, Nighthief and fitterphil120 for most of the findings. One again the “Chinese” come up with a new method to trick out the Vista Activation. We have seen Softmode and VistaLoader, however “ Vista Boot by gkend” does promise even more.
download -
comments -
21.5.2007 How to boot a Vista system from a locally stored WIM file
The Windows AIK provides excellent opportunities to create custom Windows PE based images. Those images are provided as WIM files and can be easily converted to ISO files to be burned on CD or DVD.
windows -
comments -
13.5.2007 How to boot a Vista system from a locally stored WIM file
The Windows AIK provides excellent opportunities to create custom Windows PE based images. Those images are provided as WIM files and can be easily converted to ISO files to be burned on CD or DVD. WIM files can also be used to boot from the network using Windows Deployment Services.
windows -
comments -
6.6.2007 Vista Can Handle MS-DOS Era, 10-Year-Old Master Boot Record Threats
All Windows Vista users can take a sigh of relief. Microsoft has confirmed that its latest iteration of the Windows client is more than capable of handling 10-year-old threats focused on the Master Boot Record, dating back to the MS-DOS era.
windows -
comments -
11.1.2008 Windows Vista - Anytime Upgrade
Yesterday, Windows Vista blog announced how windows anytime upgrade works.Current windows users can purchase and download a digital key to upgrade to a more feature-rich edition of Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
21.1.2007 How to Upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista
If you want more features in Windows Vista, you can upgrade to another edition. You can either buy an upgrade disc at a retail store or use Windows Anytime Upgrade to buy the upgrade online, and then use your Windows Anytime Upgrade disc or the Windows installation disc to complete the process.
windows -
comments -
21.1.2 Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor 1.0
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is designed to help Windows XP users identify whether their PCs are ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista, which edition of Windows Vista meets their needs, and which features of Windows Vista will be able to run on their PCs.
download -
comments -
18.2.2007 How to Upgrade Vista SP1 to Windows 7
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1 has been released to Microsoft Connect, MSDN, Technet subscribers, and it’s also available for free download in Windows Update. Because, make no mistake about it, Windows 7 will grow its installed base for the most part to the detriment of its precursors.
windows -
comments -
28.2.2009 Windows 7 10-Second Boot
Over a year ago, Microsoft revealed that it considered 15 seconds the ideal startup time for Windows 7 under laboratory conditions.
windows -
comments -
7.10.2009 Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Beta
It looks like Microsoft wants to make sure you know if your computer is ready for Windows Vista. Currently, the beta only works on Windows XP systems. Chances are, if you are running something older than Windows XP, your computer won?t run Windows Vista anyways. It?s nice to see a downloadable tool in advance. So that you do not have to buy Windows Vista and then find out your computer won't run it.
download -
comments -
18.5.2006 Microsoft Upgrade Planning for Windows Vista
You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
31.7.2006 Hidden Costs of a Windows Vista Upgrade
The shiny, new Windows Vista beckons, and an upgrade is mighty tempting. But before you take the plunge, be aware that you may end up forking out a lot more money than just the cost of an operating system upgrade.
windows -
comments -
12.2.2007 Microsoft: Some Computers Cannot Upgrade to Windows Vista
Microsoft has published a list of computers from the Tokyo-based manufacturer Toshiba that cannot upgrade to Windows Vista. The Redmond Company offers no explanation why no less than
13 models of Toshiba computers cannot be upgraded to Windows Vista.
windows -
comments -
25.4.2007 OEMs Unveil Their Windows Vista Upgrade Plans
The leading OEMs have unveiled their Vista upgrade plans, and so far Dell is the only vendor planning to charge some customers who buy certain PCs this holiday season for the move.
windows -
comments -
27.10.2006 Microsoft Cooks the Next Must Have(!) Free Upgrade for Windows Vista
Microsoft is currently cooking what it refers to as the next must have free upgrade for the Windows platform, targeting specifically Windows Vista and Windows XP. The announcement came from Kevin Johnson, Microsoft President, Platforms and Services Division during his address at the Financial Analyst Meeting 2007.
windows -
comments -
30.7.2007 Vista SP2: Windows Driver Model Upgrade
Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista extends the operating system's support for drivers that play nice with all Windows operating systems.
windows -
comments -
28.12.2008Windows 7 695x boot screen revealed
Chris Holmes, Windows Enthusiast and blogger, has posted a short and somewhat blurry video of the new Windows 7 boot screen in action. The latest
sign of changes for Windows 7 signals a departure from the Vista boot up screen. Microsoft kept the boot screen simple with Vista after asking BIOS
makers, PC makers, and video card makers to remove product advertisement screens at system boot. Microsoft created a simple boot method which it
claimed took 6 seconds off initial boot compared to the more graphical boot that it had originally planned with the Longhorn betas.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
04.12.2008Enable New Boot screen in
Vista Beta 2
Tired of the pathetic boot
screen in current Vista
builds? There is a new trick
that will allow you to see
what may be the new boot
screen for Windows Vista.
This new boot screen
is still not what we have been
expecting but is a move in the
right direction compared to
the white progress bar screen
currently used.
Enable New Boot Screen:
1. Click on the
start orb and type in
"MSCONFIG" in the textbox.
2. Once the
System Configuration tool
loads, click on the Boot tab.
3. Under Boot
Options check "No GUI
Boot".
4. Hit
OK and reboot to see the new
screen
More
tweaks at source!
jcxp.net -
12.05.2006Top Ten Vista Tips: Video, Display, and Software Problems Solved!
This holiday week we've got 10 Windows Vista Blasts from the Past for you to savor, enjoy!
Boot manager for Windows Vista and Windows MCE? I
have a system with TWO hard drives installed. One has MCE and the second has Vista. I would like to get a boot manager that will allow me to pick one
at boot without having to access the BIOS or innards of the machine. Any suggestions?
Can I upgrade 32 Bit Windows XP to 64 Bit Windows Vista? The real question is can I buy the 64 bit upgrade version and be able to apply it to my current 32 bit Windows XP? Or do I have to buy the more
expensive new install 64 bit version and do a fresh install, thus losing all my precious Windows stuff?
winbeta.org -
22.11.2007How To Warm Boot Windows XP/Vista
Unless you have to, it is many
times advantageous to śwarm
bootť, or rather warm reboot,
Windows. In a warm reboot,
Windows restarts, but the
computer doesnt, skipping the
whole pre-Windows boot
screen/BIOS/startup sequence.
You an
easily specify a warm boot
in both Windows XP and Windows
Vista. Just hold down SHIFT on
your keyboard before clicking
śRestartť in Vista, or before
clicking OK in the restart
dialog in XP. Enjoy the extra
20 seconds!
Technically, the use of
the term śwarm bootť is a bit
misused here, but the small
amount of time saved by not
re-running the BIOS can be
worth it.
winbeta.org -
17.08.2007Will your PC run Windows
Vista? Download the Windows
Vista Upgrade Advisor
The Windows Vista Upgrade
Advisor is an application that
you can run on your current
Windows XP-based computer to
find out if it's ready for an
upgrade to Windows Vista...
microsoft.com/windowsvista -
25.05.2006Microsoft recommends upgrade to Vista before Windows 7
As Windows 7 gets ready for its next release, it could be already hurting Vista's remaining chances with businesses and organizations. Microsoft
has started to push Vista to its corporate customers. Earlier this month Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer warned companies to upgrade from XP. Following
Ballmer, Gavriella Schuster, Senior Director in Windows Product Management group urges businesses to upgrade to Windows Vista now, even if they plan
to move to Windows 7 when it ships. Schuster argues that the benefits of Vista upgrade would outweigh the costs of upgrading to Vista and urges
companies to start Windows 7 Beta testing as soon as possible.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
12.02.2009How Vista screws dual-booting
nirvana
Declan Kennedy at APC Magazine
has written an interesting
analysis looking at
Microsoft's suspicious
lack of advancement in OS boot
technique.
Put
simply, Vista will still
overwrite the master boot
record with no regard for any
other boot loader that may be
present.
But
Kennedy also describes how,
with the right boot loader
configuration, you can setup a
dual-boot system that allows
you to switch between Windows
and Linux without having to
reboot either OS, using
hibernation.
His
observations open up
interesting possibilities for
Mac users too. Boot Camp would
be considerably more useful if
it didn't involve closing
all applications and fully
restarting the system each
time. If it were just a case
of sleeping one OS to switch
to the other, it'd be the
next best thing to perfect
virtualisation. Will Apple
implement this in time for
Panther?..
windowsvistax.com -
03.09.2006Windows 7: Vista Upgrade & Anytime Upgrade overview
So far, in our Windows 7 Overview series, we have published the following: Windows 7 beta quick review Windows 7: HomeGroup Overview Windows 7:
BitLocker To Go & Biometric improvements overview Windows 7: Easy Connect Windows 7: Problem Steps Recorder Windows 7: Action Center Overview Windows
7: User Account Control (UAC) Overview Windows 7: Calibate Your Display Windows 7: Federated Search Windows 7: Device Stage Windows 7: Internet
Explorer 8 Overview Over the next few weeks we will be adding many more focus items on Windows 7 including Touch, Windows 7 networking and media
enhancements. Stay tuned for the ultimate Windows 7 focus from Neowin.net. Here is an overview of Windows Vista to Windows 7 Beta upgrade.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
13.01.2009Apple Adds Vista Support to Boot Camp
Apple on Wednesday pushed an
update to its Boot Camp dual
booting feature, providing
support for the 32-bit version
of Windows Vista, as well as
updated drivers for various
hardware included with Intel
Macs...
betanews.com -
29.03.2007Workaround Discovered For "Clean Install" With Vista Upgrade
DailyTech has posted a 7-step
workaround courtesy of Paul
Thurrott (via Microsoft
internal documents) on how to
perform a clean install with a
Windows Vista Upgrade DVD. Per
Microsoft's new licensing
requirements for Vista, users
are required to install a
Windows Vista Upgrade from
within Windows XP and to make
matters worse, the Windows XP
license is forfeited. The
process may be tedious, but
few will argue when they
compare the price differences
between the upgrade and retail
versions. Here we go:
- Boot from the
Windows Vista Upgrade DVD and
start the setup
program.
- When prompted
to enter your product key, DO
NOT enter it. Click "Next"
and proceed with setup. This
will install Windows Vista as
a 30-day trial.
- When
prompted, select the edition
of Vista which you have
purchased and continue with
setup.
- Once setup has
been completed and you have
been brought to the desktop
for the first time, run the
install program from within
Windows Vista.
- This
time, type in your product key
when prompted.
- When
asked whether to perform an
Upgrade or Custom (advanced)
install, choose Custom
(advanced) to perform a clean
install of Vista. Yes, this
means that you will have to
install Vista for a second
time.
- Once setup has
completed for the second time,
you should be able to activate
Windows Vista normally. You
can also delete the
Windows.old directory which
contains information from the
first Vista
install.
neowin.net -
31.01.2007Vista tips and tricks: changing boot options on the fly
There are a number of boot options that can be used in Vista and Windows Server 2008 that can be a pain to modify (or not possible if you are in a
bugcheck loop), that can be done on the fly at boot time. These options are invaluable for diagnosing some problems you may experience on the system,
and modifying them in the OS may involve figuring out the bcdedit syntax, the right BCD store to modify, or rebuilding and burning a new install DVD
(if the problem is happening during install from media).
Some example boot switches you might want to use are...
winbeta.org -
23.04.2008Windows 7 upgrade chart available
Microsoft has made available the official Windows 7 Upgrade chart, via allthingsd which indicates which previous versions of Windows are available for
an in-place upgrade to Windows 7, and to which version they can upgrade. You can view the chart below: As you can see from just a glance at the
chart, it's relatively confusing. Windows 7 offers no direct upgrade path from XP, which was announced very early on in the Windows 7 development
life cycle. Very specific upgrade paths from other versions of Windows Vista exist also. You can perform a "Custom Install" which is pretty much a
clean install, but you have the option to install Windows 7 to another disk without overwriting data.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
10.08.2009ASRock "4 second" Instant Boot for Windows
Want a way to boot up your Windows Vista PC from a full shut down in a matter of seconds? ASRock have the answer!
The solution is
technology that ASRock call Instant Boot. This is interesting technology because it leverages the S3 and S4 ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface) features which normally enable the Sleep/Standby and Hibernation modes in Windows to cut boot times down to something like 4 seconds. By
calling S3 and S4 at specific times during the startup and shutdown process, Instant Boot enables you to boot up to your Windows desktop in a few
seconds seconds, even after a total shut down.
winbeta.org -
13.11.2008Apple Releases Boot Camp 1.1
Beta
Apple silently pushed an
upgrade to its Boot Camp
dual-booting software on
Tuesday, offering support for
the latest Intel-based Macs
and better hardware support
among other enhancements...
betanews.com -
16.08.2006Microsoft: Clean installs from "upgrade media" is pirating
Late last week, Microsoft published a post on the Microsoft SMB community blog announcing that using any "hack" to install Windows 7 from upgrade
media is not necessarily "legal" - and that users do not own the rights to perform such installs from upgrade media using this process. If
you're an owner of upgrade media, then you've probably experienced the painful migration process that the upgrade process tries to force you
through - if you're using XP it requires you to boot to an existing Windows installation, use Windows easy transfer to backup your information,
then will allow you to complete a "clean install" if it detects a partition with a previous, licensed copy of Windows installed.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
02.11.2009Understanding Windows 7 upgrade paths
Windows 7 has already earned itself a blue ribbon, and it isn't even in stores yet. Many Vista users will migrate to Redmond's latest and
greatest operating system in search of greener pastures, and countless Windows XP laggards will be lured from the woodwork by Windows 7's polish.
Microsoft will be granting both XP and Vista users the right to buy "Upgrade" versions of Windows 7 which run for considerably less money. But in
terms of how you can perform an upgrade on a machine already running Windows, for some the in-place upgrade option will make the experience seamless;
all your programs, files and settings will remain untouched coming from certain versions of Vista.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
03.09.2009Windows 7 upgrade details leak out
A document has leaked out that details the upgrade plans for users who purchase PC's with Vista this summer. According to the document obtained
by Tech Arp titled " The Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Program Rev 2.1" states that computers purchased after July 1st will be eligible to upgrade to
Windows 7 free of charge. The plan will follow in a similar path the Windows XP and Vista transition occurred. The idea behind the plan is to not
prohibit people from purchasing computers as they wait for Windows 7 to be launched.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
12.02.2009Apple Releases Boot Camp 2.1 Update
Apple released Boot Camp 2.1 for
href="http://www.macrumors.com/c.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fsupport%2Fdownloads%2Fbootcampupdate21forwindowsxp.html&t=1209099301">Windows XP
Service Pack 3,
href="http://www.macrumors.com/c.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fsupport%2Fdownloads%2Fbootcampupdate21forwindowsvista32.html&t=1209099301">Windo
ws Vista 32 and
href="http://www.macrumors.com/c.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fsupport%2Fdownloads%2Fbootcampupdate21forwindowsvista64.html&t=1209099301">Windo
ws Vista 64.
This update addresses issues and improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista running
on a Mac computer using Boot Camp. It is highly recommended for all Boot Camp users.
Important: Installation of Boot Camp 2.1 is
required before installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
href="http://www.macrumors.com/c.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fmacosx%2Ffeatures%2Fbootcamp.html&t=1209099301">Boot Camp is a Apple's tool
to allow Intel Mac owners to boot dual boot Windows alongside Mac OS X. Running Windows under Boot Camp provides you with a fully compatible Windows
environment.
winbeta.org -
25.04.2008Windows 7 Upgrade Program shifts to June 26, 2009
TechARP has come up with a new revised schedule of Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Program. The Upgrade Program shifts to an early date from June
28, 2009 to June 26, 2009 now. According to the new schedule, end users who purchase PCs pre-installed with Vista between the dates June 26, 2009 to
January 31, 2010 are eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade. According to TechARP, this slight adjustment was done at the request of many OEMs to allow
for better sales over the first weekend of the Program. It is not possible for Windows XP users to upgrade to Windows 7 unlike Windows Vista users.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
25.03.2009Windows Vista: The Facts
When choosing a new operating system, the first thing many people ask is, "What will it help me do?" In answer, much of this site shows you the
great experiences Windows Vista helps you have. The second thing many people say is, "Prove that it's better." In particular, many of you have
asked about performance and safety improvements. The following information provides specific proof that Windows Vista is faster and safer.
- The
majority of Windows Vista-based PCs boot in less than a minute, which can be an improvement over Windows XP boot times. And the new Windows Vista
sleep and resume features can bring your PC to life in a snapin fact, the vast majority of all Windows Vista-based PCs resume from sleep in less than
6 seconds.
- PCs running Windows Vista that are equipped with 512 MB memory experience a performance boost of up to 40 percent with Windows
ReadyBoost. Just plug a USB flash drive into your computer, and Windows Vista will automatically start using it to speed up memory access to important
data.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.01.2008
