How to upgrade Win7 Starter Netbook to Win7Pro

[SimpleSi]

Just done this and though I'd document the fails
Got Win7Pro upgrade DVD and licence key from county support.
Copied the dvd to D: partition on netbook
Ran setup and chose to select upgrade existing installtion.
FAIL
Not allowed to do - computer says do anytome upgrade from start menu.
So start that process - got asked for licence key - it verified it and then started process to do the upgrade
FAIL
Computer says licence key wrong sort to do anytime upgrade!!

Went back to running setup from d: partition and chose new install and went down that route.

YIPPEE - seems to have worked

One small prob though - it didn't ask for licence key???? so I'll be waiting for something to popup and tell me I'm not properly licenced - or wil I be?

Simon

[SimpleSi]

1st problem - no wireless (presumably needs a driver) so having to connect via a cable (how quaint )to see if it will automagicaly update itself

Si

[alan-d]

Have you tried to manually activate it? It should ask for the key when you select change key.

[SimpleSi]

Not tried manual activate yet - was just suprised not to be asked or have a warning tray icon.

Just doing a Win Update to see if it auto-picks up wi-fi drivers etc.

Simon

[sted]

you can also do it by imaging it then you can merge a win7 pro image with that wim file and tell it that the image is pro not starter

[SimpleSi]

Its amazing how you get sidetracked !

Just come back to this machine and tried to activate using Control Panel - System and then Activate Windows now at the bottom of the screen .

Does that work -does it heck!
A prob occured - mroe info brings up DNS name deos not exist

I think this is not going to help with my re-grading claim
Si

[CadlaM]

SimpleSi, I hit the same problem with a "desired" laptop bought in with 7 Home on it. had the same with some previous Laptops that I had to wipe and do clean install. Waiting for callback from my Schools agreement/EES supplier on the issue. There must be a way to upgrade Grrrr! Having to find drivers and losing all the pre-installed s/w is not good.

[sted]

say you have a computer running started edition and you need pro but you cant get the damn drivers (yes im looking at you fizzbooks) it is possible to alter the edition (without needing a windows anytime upgrade code). Its fairly easy but you do need a few bits Windows 7 waik installed on a pc, wds (or enough knowledge to boot into winpe from a dvd/pen drive and use imagex manually to take an image) and a dvd with the same architecture win7 (and probably same sp level ideally it may work with different sp levels IF the image you create is older than the rest of the disk but dont count on it)

get the pc set up on its current os uninstall any oem crapware av etc you dont want in your image (you can install updates here but there is a fair chance they will get knocked off so i wouldnt bother). Sysprep the pc (with a sysprep file that DOSENT remove drivers which IS the default) and upload this image to wds.

Altering edition

copy your wim file somewhere easy to type (im using d and then open the deployment tools command prompt (if you have uac on use run as administrator or it wont do much). Navigate to d:.
make a dir on d: called mount
Dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:d:\myfile.wim
Dism /Mount-Wim /WimFile:d:\myfile.wim /index:1 /MountDir:d:\mount
Dism /Image:C:\mount /Get-TargetEditions shows what editions are available to change to (you can only go up not down)
Dism /Image:d:\mount /Set-Editionrofessional (alter edition as required)
Dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:d:\mount /Commit


Merging images (or it will fail as the needed files arnt present)

(on the pc with waik installed)when the image is in wds export it to somewhere easy to type im going to use d: in this example (and then remove\disable it in wds (or at least rename it ). copy the install.wim file from your dvd to d:. load the deployment tools command prompt (if you have uac on use run as administrator or it wont do much) and go to d:. Check the files dism \get-wiminfo \wimfile:myfile.wim. it should show 1 index with your image. Do the same with install.wim it should show more (depends on what architecture it is as started isnt on the x64 disk) with that done assuming no errors you can go on (just make sure you have a backup of the wim files). now to combine the files. imagex /export d:\myfile.wim 1 d:\install.wim wait it took about 30 mins for me but the pc was a slow one it should be faster on a decent quad core server.

When thats finished open up wds and create a new group (because your image file now contains at least 5 version of windows) and import the wim file (id import all versions or at the very least your image what os its based on and what os its going to). Now on your test pc just deply your image

[CadlaM]

Sted,
Life's too short to learn all that stuff! Found out from another edugeek thread what the answer is.
To quote MS document for qualifying for volume agreement....
" Software under the qualifying OS license must already be installed on the device that will be assigned the Volume Licensing upgrade. See chart below of pre-installed OEM versions that are eligible for upgrade.
 You must remove the existing qualifying OS from the device in order to deploy the Volume Licensing upgrade license, unless the PC is covered by Software Assurance.
 Customers who wish to install or run more than one licensed OS at one time (including the qualifying OS), may either:
o Acquire Software Assurance for their Volume Licensing upgrade license.
o Purchase full Windows 7 licenses, separately."
So, you must have a qualifying OS, AND have it on the PC, THEN you MUST take it off and load Win7 from scratch. Glad I only have 15 PCs to do this summer.

It was so much easier when you could buy pre-loaded XP Pro OEM on machines with all the drivers, DVD writing/Playing s/w etc already in place. I know you woul dhave to remove s/w you don't want.

And while I rant about MS. EES - introduced just befor ethe summer hols and no formal pricing till 15th August when ordering clerks have gone away. What were they thinking. My supplier said there was a chance that guide prices might go up!
rant over
(8¬((>

[Dom_]

If you get the DNS name does not exist error, just click 'change product key' and put your key in. Whenever I install a VLK version of windows 7, it NEVER asks for a key, and I have to change it manually once the installation has finished.

[SimpleSi]

If you get the DNS name does not exist error, just click 'change product key' and put your key in.

Hallelujah!

Finally - I can start installing some software

Si