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General discussion

Upgrading from the RC... interesting note

Oct 28, 2009 3:40AM PDT

I purchased the upgrade version of Windows 7. It is currently listed for about $75 cheaper than the NON-upgrade version (newegg).

I upgraded from the RC two days ago (stupid Best Buy took FOREVER to mail me my pre-ordered copy), and I never needed to prove that I previously owned a copy of Windows.

I had previously owned XP, so I was prepared to enter that Product Key, but I was never prompted to do so.

So if you are considering getting win7, but for some reason you cant get the upgrade version, and you want to save some $$$....

Looks like you can simply install the RC (if you can get your hands on a copy)... and then install the upgrade version. Ta Da!

Discussion is locked

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That's likely OEM
Oct 28, 2009 4:08AM PDT

That's likely an OEM copy. Cheaper, but with a few caveats. You can't transfer the license to another computer, so once you activate Win7, it's locked to that specific system. It also comes with NO support from Microsoft. Granted that may be nothing new, but it's one of those things to note.

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nope. best buy doesn't sell OEM windows
Oct 28, 2009 10:49AM PDT

and there are no OEM upgrades for windows in the retail channel -- they're only available from a few hardware vendors (Dell, HP, etc.) since the OEM disk includes vendor specific drivers and hardware detection logic.

if it came from best buy, it is the retail product.

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Thanks ramarc
Oct 28, 2009 10:55AM PDT

Thats exactly what I was going to say.

It was the best buy pre-order. I assure you, it is the full upgrade version. Not an OEM.

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Ah
Oct 28, 2009 11:15AM PDT

Ah, okay, I read that as he canceled the BB order and bought something from NewEgg, which DOES sell OEM copies. My mistake.

I have had that happen to me in the past. Sometimes an upgrade version of a product fails to ask for any kind of proof of eligibility. It might do this a hundred times, and then suddenly one day, it will. Think the last time I ran into this was Win2K.