Ok well I really want to get Vista Home Premium or Ultimate on my machine. However the prices are a tad bit expensive so I wasn't sure if I would jump to Vista so soon. However I was browsing download.com (CNET) and saw download upgrades for the different versions of Vista. The prices for the Upgrades were much cheaper then the retail price of the new OS. I am currently running XP media center edition.
What I want to know is, what is the catch for the upgrading thing? If I purchase the upgrade thing and download it is it bassically the same thing as going out and purchasing Vista from a store?
Also the file size is only 2.1 GB. I thought it would be bigger?
2007-01-30 11:39:33 · 5 answers · asked by Kevin 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
If you already have media center I'd leave it at that.
2007-01-30 11:47:27 · answer #1 · answered by wheels47012 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Here is the catch:
"Note: This downloadable version of Windows Vista is an upgrade only. Users can upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium from Windows XP Home or Windows Media Center edition."
-Download.com
You can find the versions in stores for the same price,the more expensive ones are if you don't have a previous version on your hard drive.
2007-01-30 19:46:47 · answer #2 · answered by Justin 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The options
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. If you're upgrading multiple PCs in a household, you can save time and money with the Windows Vista Family Discount.
Installation options
You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows.
Clean install
Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall your applications.
2007-01-31 19:47:12 · answer #3 · answered by Buynotebookscheap 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've noticed the same thing - especially on e-bay - it looks like what you're downloading is a "launch" file. Once you download it, it will ask for a serial number..... and then it will download the whole thing (probably in pieces and updates). As long as you have the key, should be the same thing. I think you can save it to a CD for easier installation.
Remember, make sure your computer is set for Vista, it really needs a dual core chip or a Intel 800 series chip (or comparable), a gig of ram, a big hard drive and a hefty video card... most computers out there will not be able to run it. It's really amazing what they do to make people go out and buy new computers.
2007-01-30 19:46:33 · answer #4 · answered by longhats 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont bother with vista you be disapointed chances are with the upgrade it will be a incomplete version for evualuation with bugs and alsorts even the full version isnt really ready to be released yet but ey what can you do stick with xp media center its much better and the thing with the size of the vista file is it will be compresed once installed the size on the hard drive should be about 7.4 GB
2007-01-30 20:50:55 · answer #5 · answered by lee e 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋