Upgrading an Upgraded Windows OS - legally correct ?

Crazy_Eddy

Crazy_Eddy

Moderator
Level K
Is it legally correct (as per MS license terms i.e.) to Upgrade an Upgraded OS?

For eg:

Assume you have Win XP and you buy an upgrade version of Vista.

Is it legally correct to once again just 'upgrade' to Win 7 (from your upgraded Vista) ?

And is there any limit on this?

P.s.: Ignore the fact that Win 7 allows upgrading from XP Pro straight.

Or let me put the scenario as : Win XP Home -> Win XP Pro -> Win 7

Thanks in advance :)
 
Not sure in actual legal terms, but logically it should be legal if you paid upgrade fees from XP to Vista and Vista to 7. Otherwise it would defeat the purpose of an upgrade if you can upgrade it to the next higher version only once.
 
Windows 7 upgrade media was designed to be used on a computer that has Windows XP or Windows Vista installed on it. You can use upgrade media to install Windows 7 on a computer that doesn't have Windows XP, Windows Vista, or any version of Windows installed on it by starting (or booting) your computer from the Windows 7 upgrade installation disc or a USB flash drive and performing a custom installation. However, you won't be able to activate Windows 7, which validates that you have a genuine copy of Windows and allows you access to all the features.

For more information about activation errors, see Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key and Windows 7 activation error: 0xC004F061. You can also find general information about how to activate Windows 7 at the Windows website.

We recommend that you install Windows XP or Windows Vista before installing Windows 7 using upgrade media. Before you attempt to install Windows 7 using upgrade media on a computer that doesn't have Windows on it, see Installing and reinstalling Windows 7.
Click to expand...

Source: Upgrading to Windows 7: frequently asked questions

So it is valid i think. You just need to install the previous version(s) of windows from which you are upgrading first to upgrade to newer version. Hope you got my point. Better to buy full version i suppose.
 
Or just make an image after the first clean install , then you can use that image over and over again without worrying about the legal implications :)
 
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