Probably NOT the soft-touch response you wanted, but..
after dealing with this stuff for 25 years, I will vent -
If you are talking Windows, you often don't have the choices
you put out there:
Back in the day, I did whatever MS DICTATED I MUST do.
There were times you could not wipe the hard drive,
as the "upgrade" was dependant on having a verified
copy of a previous version of Windows. Want to install
XP on a blank HDD ?? Better have the right version. An
upgrade version won't work - doesn't detect a pre-existing
version of Windows. (MS needs more money$$)
Have a second-hand machine you bought from a friend
who wiped the drive but who didn't give you the CDs to
re-install ?? Won't work, no pre-existing version.
(MS needs more money$$)
Bought a refurbished machine from an on-line retailer but
didn't get the restore disks ?? Tough break for you...
(MS needs more money$$).
Anybody see a pattern here ??????
It is this attitude that pushed me to Linux. Being of very
limited budget, I looked into the future and saw.......ever
increasing prices for Windows, and ever decreasing control
by the user over the OS. Not a good situation.
Not to mention the security holes of ALL MS products which seem to
have created a whole sub-industry of anti-virus/spyware/malware
companies .....at our expense. All of this, in an operating
system which has been around OVER 20 YEARS...and they STILL have
weekly updates on the exploit vulnerabilities....good grief...!!!
No, I'll stick with Linux, whose structure is geared more towards
security than "any user is God" attitude. Apps run crisper, and I
never have to download package-X or package-Y to protect me from
all the malware/spyware/hackware on the net.
I'm actually ashamed to admit it took this long for me to
"see the light", especially since I worked for so many companies
that used UNIX as their primary OS.....shame on me....I won't ever
go back to Windows....
When I do an operating system upgrade, I:
-- Do a clean install (wipe the hard drive clean and load the OS).
-- Upgrade (install the new OS over the existing one).
Please explain your reasoning for doing either.

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