Question

[Loki.]

I am trying to figure out what version i have, I purchased THIS version off NewEgg thinking it was the full version... once delivered i soon figured it was the upgrade due to limited packaging... then i installed it... the UPGRADE option was actually not an OPTION... so i figured with the clean install it would wipe my HD first then install..

but after the install, there was an OLDWINDOWS folder with all my previous crap... so am guessing it didn't do a fresh install-- am so used to XP were you actually saw the reformat... which i always do when re installing an OS....

so how are you suppose to know what version you have - full or upgrade -- when the packaging doesn't tell you??

or does the clean install reformat and just save your old files??

sorry for being a Vista Noob! was at bestbuy looking at the different versions of vista all said UPGRADE on the box along with the Ultimate version that i guess contains both the 32 and 64 bit-- and says in system specs to run a clean install...

so confused---

thanks...

 

[sidney1st]

You made a clean install, do not worry.
During the install after entering the license N° you have been warned that vista detected a previous windows install and therefore put everything in that windows.old folder.
You can delete it (clean disk for example) you may keep some users files if you forgot to save them before.

 

[dmex]

You made a clean install, do not worry.
During the install after entering the license N° you have been warned that vista detected a previous windows install and therefore put everything in that windows.old folder.
You can delete it (clean disk for example) you may keep some users files if you forgot to save them before.

When it asks what hard-drive you would like to use you can click "advanced" to delete/format the harddrive from the setup.

Steven

 

[Loki.]

You made a clean install, do not worry.
During the install after entering the license N° you have been warned that vista detected a previous windows install and therefore put everything in that windows.old folder.
You can delete it (clean disk for example) you may keep some users files if you forgot to save them before.

When it asks what hard-drive you would like to use you can click "advanced" to delete/format the harddrive from the setup.

Steven

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

 

[dmex]

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

 

[Loki.]

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

while BOOTING from the DVD... there was something like 5 or 6 options and i if recall only 2 were available -- install and something else...


thanks..

 

[dmex]

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

while BOOTING from the DVD... there was something like 5 or 6 options and i if recall only 2 were available -- install and something else...


thanks..

When you boot from the DVD only Clean Install is available, right after that question you can format the HDD from the drive selection screen.

 

[Loki.]

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

while BOOTING from the DVD... there was something like 5 or 6 options and i if recall only 2 were available -- install and something else...


thanks..

When you boot from the DVD only Clean Install is available, right after that question you can format the HDD from the drive selection screen.

Nope... i can only install...

 

[SCSIraidGURU]

You should be able to highlight the old C: partition and delete it in the setup screen. It is a few keystrokes to do it.

 

[Loki.]

You should be able to highlight the old C: partition and delete it in the setup screen. It is a few keystrokes to do it.

yeah no, i was not able to do anything with my C drive... like i said the only option i had was install-- even under advanced settings... FORMAT was there, but i could not select it...

 

[SCSIraidGURU]

Do you have an old partition on the hard drive or is it just unallocated space?

 

[Loki.]

just unallocated space-- no partitions...

 

[SCSIraidGURU]

Install would be your only option. Make the partition 40GB + RAM in size. So if you have 4GB of RAM, the partition is 44GB.

 

[Loki.]

so, your saying since i didnt have the drive partitioned i was only able to install and not reformat?

weird... if so...

since am still experiencing some sound issues am thinking about running dban nuke to wipe the drive and then do the install again and see if that helps...

thanks for the input -- much appreciated...

 

[angelo621]

you made a clean install:D. dont wory. i also experience it. the upgrade version needs a previous version of windows (eg. windows xp or vista 32bit). thats why, if you install it (64bit) w/o the prior windows, the installaion will not be succesful.
i think, upgrade version is good for those who need to keep the older files in their hard drive. but you can not use the software or program inside .OLD

 

[Brink]

tried that but the FORMAT option was grey'd out as in not an option!?!? I could see it but i couldnt select it... is that normal....

Did you try doing this by booting the DVD or while windows was already running?

while BOOTING from the DVD... there was something like 5 or 6 options and i if recall only 2 were available -- install and something else...


thanks..

Hi Loki,

If the drive was listed as unallocated, then you would have need to clicked on New, select how much available space you wanted to use, then the Format option would have been available to use.

That's ok though. When you select the unallocated drive, Vista will automatically format and use the whole drive if you did not make any changes to it in Drive Options.

One way to tell if you have a Upgrade version or not is that if you do a clean install, it will not activate Vista for you when you try. If it does activate, then you have a Full version.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/84488-activate-vista-phone.html


A Upgrade Vista requires it to be installed from within another same Vista edition or older (XP or lower Vista edition) OS. The only way to do a clean install with a Upgrade version of Vista is outlined in this tutorial below. Install once from boot, then a second time from within first installed Vista.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/68767-clean-install-upgrade-vista.html


If you Vista is installed and activated, then I would not worry about it.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Loki.]

Thanks Brink and everyone else--

I will do your clean install technique to see if that helps with some of my issues...

 

[Loki.]

Ok Peeps -- Riddle me this.. Now i have the Upgrade version, as many have pointed out.... thus i need an existing OS inorder to install it.. SO-

last night for $h!7s and Giggles i decided to Nuke my hard drive... using DBAN a wonderful wiping tool... does a fantastic job of re formating your hard drive... as if it were new again... so i ran the tool.. 3 and half hours later it finished..

From here i popped in my copy of Vista-- thinking no way its going to work.. hard drive is wiped clean...... install started... install completed- Vista booted right up!? not one issue, with install or getting updates - nothing... nada... all good!

Sound is still a issue but am thinking thats a realtek drive issue and not vista.. remove the driver... it works...

anyways... am not really sure if i have point here... lol... just found it odd that i could install an upgrade version without an existing OS since one is required...

 

[SCSIraidGURU]

At most with an upgrade CD or DVD, you just need to put in the full previous OS CD to verify ownership. You don't need to install it first. This works with all Microsoft products.

 

[Loki.]

At most with an upgrade CD or DVD, you just need to put in the full previous OS CD to verify ownership. You don't need to install it first. This works with all Microsoft products.

Ok (?) but i only used the Vista disk that i have.. i have XP 32 and 64 but i never used them last night.. they were on stand by... lol... but like i said i never needed them...