Vista Upgrade Installation

Often times there is quite a bit of confusion about the word 'Upgrade' as it relates to operating systems. I want to make it clear that in this article, I'm talking about installing Vista on a system that already has a functional Windows operating system installed and that you are 'upgrading' that functional operating system to a version of Vista. In order to accomplish that task, the 'upgrade' process has to be started from inside the current Windows operating system. In theory, once this process has been completed, Vista will become the primary operating system on the machine, replacing what was there previously. You cannot 'roll back' to the previous operating system and restore the functionality present prior to the upgrade.

There are mechanisms built in to the install to help you determine if you want to upgrade. They appear on the first screen of the install routine and consist of "Check Compatibility Online" and 'Transfer Files And Settings From Another Computer' routines. I suggest you make use of both before committing to the upgrade process and pay special attention to the 'Compatibility Report' that will appear later as you move through the upgrade process. If something appears that is a cause for concern you still have the option to cancel before moving ahead with the upgrade.
To begin the upgrade process, insert the DVD and wait for the Install Windows screen to load. If you read through the Clean Installation guide you'll notice this screen has some different options.

Clicking 'Check Compatibility Online' takes you to the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor site where it can be downloaded. It doesn't take long and I recommend you give it a try. It can point out areas that may negatively impact your decision to upgrade.

Because in this case install is running from inside XP, the 'Transfer Files And Settings From Another Computer' option is now available. As the name implies, this utility named 'Windows Easy Transfer' allows you to transfer files and settings from one computer to another using a variety of different methods.

Once you're ready to proceed with the installation, go ahead and click 'Install Now' to get things started.
The first order of business is to get any available installation updates. So far this has proven to be rather a hit or miss proposition for me. Sometimes it will connect and work as intended while other times I get a message telling me it was unable to connect.

If it works it's very convenient, especially for the hardware drivers, but even if it fails the updates can be downloaded and installed after installation is complete.


Once again it's time for the Product Key and talk about activation. Unlike XP and previous Windows offerings that stopped dead if you didn't have a product key, this is no longer the case with Vista. You aren't required to enter a key at this point, although there are some strongly worded cautions about the potential for data loss if you choose not to enter the key. There is also a check box to select whether or not Vista will be automatically activated.
If you chose not to enter the Product Key in the previous step, this screen will pop up asking you to confirm that you do not want to enter the key. The same warning of potential data loss is present and an additional warning has been added that you may need to purchase another edition of Vista if you continue without entering the key. Pressing [ Yes ] will return you to the screen where the key can be entered. Selecting [ No ] will take you to the screen below.
Declining to enter the product key in the previous step brings you here where you must select the edition of Windows that you purchased. The warning makes it clear that if you select a version you don't have a key for, you'll either have to purchase that version or reinstall Vista and select the proper version. This screen is a two step process; selecting the appropriate version and then certifying you have selected the version of Vista by using the checkbox. Once those two items have been completed the [ Next ] button is activated.
Next up is the Vista license terms. Simple choice; click [ I accept the license terms ] and the install continues. If you decide not to check the box you'll want to make use of that red 'X' in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
Now it's time to select the type of installation. Upgrade or Custom are the choices.

Had this installation started by booting the system with the DVD in the drive and then working your way to this point, the 'Upgrade' option would not have been available. Because the installation was started from inside XP, the 'Upgrade' option is available.

The 'Custom' option is also available if you decide you'd rather not upgrade but instead install a clean copy of Vista.

It's very important to note at this point that if you click on the 'Upgrade' option you are committed to the upgrade. There is no backing out. You will most likely see a 'Compatibility Report' screen if any issues exist with the install, but unless they are issues that would cause the upgrade to fail totally you will have to proceed with the upgrade.

If you select 'Custom' you are taken to the screen shown below where it asks where you want to install windows. Should you decide you really do want to upgrade instead, you can use the [ Back ] button to return to the previous screen and select 'Upgrade' option.
This is the screen I mentioned above that appears if you select the 'Custom' option.

Since there is only one drive available on this system the choice of where to perform the 'Custom' install is limited.

What's important to note is the statement at the bottom of the screen that if you want to make changes to partitions you have to restart Windows from the installation disk.

There are no disk tools available when the installation is started from inside Windows.


If you decide to go ahead and do the 'Custom' install you will be prompted that you are overwriting a previous Windows installation.

The files and folders are moved to the Windows.old folder, and as it says they will be accessible, but the previous operating system will no longer be functional.

Personally, I don't like this option. Every time I've used it I get the feeling the new installation performs less satisfactorily than a true clean installation. That may just be my imagination, but that's still the feeling I get. I much prefer to have the files backed up externally and do a clean install and not have them moved to Windows.old.
This is the Compatibility Report I mentioned previously. If you want to view the detected issues, click the link for more information. If you really don't care what the issues are and what impact they might have, click the [ Next ] button.
This is the detail of the Compatibility Report.
Once you've finished up the install location and click [ Next ] it's just a matter of waiting as Vista goes through the install motions. They are true to their word on this screen when they say the system will restart several times.

How long will it take to install Vista? I've experienced timeframes all over the spectrum from 30 minutes to over 5 hours, but for an 'Upgrade' install it's almost impossible to estimate. It depends on the complexity of the install and the amount of users, data, files, etc on the system being upgraded. I've read reports in newsgroups of people at the 10+ hour mark and the install was still chugging along. Add that as one more reason to avoid an 'Upgrade' installation.


If this was a clean installation that was being performed there would be five screens where you input specific user, network, updating, and time zone options and a 'Thank You' message for installing Vista. However, because this is an upgrade installation that was started from inside Windows, that information is already known and doesn't have to be entered as part of the upgrade process.

Because the system is connected to a network, setup wants to know whether the network is a home, work, or public location. Read the descriptions and select the one most suitable to your situation.
Earlier in the installation you saw a Compatibility Report screen containing a report about a PCI sound driver that could potentially be an upgrade issue.

This "Found New Hardware" screen is a direct result of the Compatibility Report and wants to search for the necessary driver online. You can grant permission to always search online anytime a driver is needed, grant permission to search this one time only, or deny permission to search online.
In this case the driver search was successful and the software for the device has been installed.

Source http://www.theeldergeekvista.com/vista_upgrade_installation.htm