View Full Version : Windows 7 Family pack
wonderlust
02-09-10, 08:23
Is being relaunched on 22nd October.
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=19523
Fantastic news, the day my redundancy payout hits :thumb:
This is a great idea for those with a number of PCs in the home.
Yes this is the copy i used on my 3 computers but reactivating its a bugger the phone system thinks its windows xp so you need to always go to the operator and read out all them numbers also i had problems as some of you no installing it on a fresh drive (you cant) you must have had xp/vista or windows 7 on the drive and format it only with the windows 7 dvd.
good news been trying to convince my bro and dad to upgrade to windows 7 but it cost too much.
Are these OEM licences or full?
GentleGiant
02-09-10, 14:58
Upgrade, you need to have a working (legit) copy of Vista or XP on the computer.
Beware of ****y Wierld; they will tell you the upgrade is only valid from Vista.
Upgrade, you need to have a working (legit) copy of Vista or XP on the computer.
Beware of ****y Wierld; they will tell you the upgrade is only valid from Vista.
they both have vista so will be fine.
If you wanted to move this on to a new PC for example would you have to install vista on it then this or are then once use licences
You don't have to have an OS previously installed, as much as MS say you do.
If you follow this excellent guide (http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp), it should activate just fine and not have any issues, as well as allowing you to have a clean disk on which to install.
Obviously you mustn't break the ToS, as you must own a legal and valid previous version of Windows for the Upgrade license to be valid. I'm just showing that it is possible to do a clean install of Win7 using upgrade media, without having to call up, while still being perfectly legal.
Still confused here - easily done ;)
Can you use the upgrade media to install Win7 on a brand new build ? I have a valid XP license on my old box, and don't want to install XP on the new box just to "upgrade" it to 7 ;)
Still confused here - easily done ;)
Can you use the upgrade media to install Win7 on a brand new build ? I have a valid XP license on my old box, and don't want to install XP on the new box just to "upgrade" it to 7 ;)
Haha, sorry I didn't explain it that well :p
My understanding of the ToS is that as long as you have an older OS license (such as XP or Vista OEM or Retail) which is valid on a new system, then you are entitled to buy Windows 7 Upgrade media (including the family pack) to install onto said new system.
The Upgrade media you get will allow you to install Windows 7 onto a hard disk which has previously had no OS, or is clean/full-formatted, but will not activate with the Upgrade license key as it won't obviously detect an older OS (as you haven't got one on there). As a result, if you follow method #2 on my previous link, you will be able to successfully activate a machine on which you have done an install using Upgrade media with an Upgrade license.
So, you can use the Family pack media and licenses to full-format an old PC and install Win7, or install Win7 on an HDD with no previous OS, and you can successfully activate by using the above link. However, in order for your license to be legally valid, you must have another older OS license (such as XP or Vista OEM or Retail license) which would otherwise be valid on said PC in order for you to legally use a Win7 Upgrade key, such as the one found in the Family Pack.
Hopefully that's a little clearer, let me know if I can explain further :)
When I got a W7 upgrade disk, I installed it fine on a new build (and new hdd) fine and activated it fine? Just click clean install instead of upgrade lol.
wonderlust
02-09-10, 17:51
When I got a W7 upgrade disk, I installed it fine on a new build (and new hdd) fine and activated it fine? Just click clean install instead of upgrade lol.
If it doesn't find an older version (maybe on another HDD) it can fail to activate.
It's easy to get around (as per the link above) although in theory you are breaking the EULA, but to be honest no-one is ever going to know...
FWIW it works if it detects any OS, even if it wasn't activated. so you can install the windows 7, then re-install windows 7 and it'll activate
Haha, sorry I didn't explain it that well :p
Snip
So what you are saying basically is you have demonstrated how to effectively circumvent Microsoft's protection in order to install a product which may be no more legally licensed than a cracked copy.
This will be breaking EULA and you may well not be legally licensed. Upgrade versions of Windows can only be installed on a machine which already has an OS installed. If you have machine A with OEM XP on it and machine B being a new build, you cant "upgrade" machine B.
So what you are saying basically is you have demonstrated how to effectively circumvent Microsoft's protection in order to install a product which may be no more legally licensed than a cracked copy.
This will be breaking EULA and you may well not be legally licensed. Upgrade versions of Windows can only be installed on a machine which already has an OS installed. If you have machine A with OEM XP on it and machine B being a new build, you cant "upgrade" machine B.
I specifically emphasised the rules you need to abide by in order for the upgrade license to be valid, so you won't be breaking EULA and hence will be legal. There are occasions when a full format is required and old installation media is not available, and hence this method exists. In fact, the method I have linked to on winsupersite has not been pulled for this exact reason, and I trust that other forum members would follow my instructions to ensure they remain legal. Paul had extensive communications with Microsoft to ensure that he was allowed to publish that article.
I don't refute what you've said about transferring licenses, and I made sure to not suggest that swapping licenses from one old PC to another new one was acceptable.
Four licenses in one pack. That could be useful for me, as we have three computers currently in use in the house and one laptop, but one of them (mine) already has W7 on it, and all the others need upgrading. :thumb:
I3R0K3N7FEET
02-09-10, 21:28
any chance for a preorder?
Four licenses in one pack. That could be useful for me, as we have three computers currently in use in the house and one laptop, but one of them (mine) already has W7 on it, and all the others need upgrading. :thumb:
I thought it was only 3 licenses
I thought it was only 3 licenses
Of course it is. D'oh it. But seeing as i already have W7 on my PC, that means I'll end up with four.
You don't have to have an OS previously installed, as much as MS say you do.
If you follow this excellent guide (http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp), it should activate just fine and not have any issues, as well as allowing you to have a clean disk on which to install.
Obviously you mustn't break the ToS, as you must own a legal and valid previous version of Windows for the Upgrade license to be valid. I'm just showing that it is possible to do a clean install of Win7 using upgrade media, without having to call up, while still being perfectly legal.
I recently did this, not illegally, because I do own Vista AND Xp, but because to install the upgrade I would have had to install XP, then Vista (as that was an upgrade), THEN W7... taking many hours. This way, I literally installed W7 in about 15 minutes
epic.
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