Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to any retail version

6 Oct '09, 6:14 pm djmeph

Thank You! Now my boss will spare my life.

6 Oct '09, 6:24 pm Cliff_Forster

This article is going to make many RC users very happy.

6 Oct '09, 6:41 pm Todd

Great tip! Now I know why I left a big empty partition when I first loaded 7RC.

6 Oct '09, 8:09 pm chizow

This definitely works for RC to RTM, but only for Ultimate as the article disclaimer indicates:

Lastly, be aware that the RC-to-Retail upgrade process only works with the retail edition of Windows 7 Ultimate. A technique which opens the upgrade process to Windows 7 Professional or Home Premium hasnâ€™t been developed yet. We are, however, exploring possibilities; should one bear out, we will update this article with the necessary steps.

That should be displayed more prominently imo, as the price of Ultimate jumps drastically for all versions and the pre-order deals in June were only for HP and Pro.

6 Oct '09, 8:24 pm Butters

Did this when Win 7 was available to Technet. It works great!

6 Oct '09, 10:06 pm Buddy J

Hey Chizow, I know something you don't!

/me sings.

6 Oct '09, 10:41 pm Thrax

UPDATE:

This guide now includes the steps necessary to upgrade from the Windows 7 release candidate to any retail version of Windows 7.

We have certified the steps by successfully converting an RC install to the retail version of Windows 7 Professional.

Enjoy!

6 Oct '09, 11:58 pm chrisWhite

This. Is. Awesome. Great work Thrax!

7 Oct '09, 3:00 am mas0n

Robert, you're my hero.

7 Oct '09, 2:13 pm Geek_Tech_Edge

Thanks this will save me the hassel of having to install from sratch along with all my program files!

8 Oct '09, 12:36 pm Allan

I concur - this is great info just in time for the release. I will be installing the European version of W7 which I think does not allow an upgrade at all. Does anyone have any experience with this release relative to W7RC. Given that an upgrade may not be possible, what's the next best (least worst) route?
Thanx in advance for your help - Al

8 Oct '09, 1:50 pm CyberBob

This is great! I'm assuming that this will work for Upgrade retail disks as well as Full (not-upgrade) disks? There's a big difference in price between the two.

8 Oct '09, 2:00 pm Thrax

@Allan: For Euro users, a clean install is unfortunately the only way. I do advise making a backup of your current user profile using Windows Easy Transfer... This will save all of your desktop settings, favorites (for both Firefox and IE), documents, SOME program settings, and more. You'll have to reinstall drivers and any programs that were lost in the reformat, but the WET file will save you a lot of time.

@CyberBob: As far as I am aware, it will work for upgrade and FPP discs just the same.

10 Oct '09, 3:08 am User 1

Ive done this 2 times now and some applications will work that came with windows... but other things like firefox or even installers for programs will not launch.

Any suggestions?

10 Oct '09, 3:39 am Thrax

There are SO MANY variables that could lead to the problem you are experiencing. Some users on another forum were experiencing the same symptom (with a clean install)... Bad memory for one person, overheating processor for a second, a virus scanner for a third person was gumming up the works.

What I can tell you is that I had no troubles on my end. The PC happily browsed on firefox, etc. I wish I could be more help, but there are simply too many variables to consider to give you a concrete answer.

10 Oct '09, 4:40 pm Nic

Hi to all. my rc win7(watermark says win 7 evaluation copy build 7100) but the minclient reads=7077.0 and minserver=7000.0. Can i still do the upgrade. IF not what do i do? and on a final note where do get the serial and product key to activate(surly the rc keys wont do job). And if some one could provide them or a link or even a crack would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

10 Oct '09, 4:51 pm Nic

Sorry previous post is meant to read; my release candidate copy of windows 7. Thanks for the great post and help again

10 Oct '09, 6:02 pm Thrax

Quoting Nic

Hi to all. my rc win7(watermark says win 7 evaluation copy build 7100) but the minclient reads=7077.0 and minserver=7000.0. Can i still do the upgrade. IF not what do i do? and on a final note where do get the serial and product key to activate(surly the rc keys wont do job). And if some one could provide them or a link or even a crack would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

1. Yes, it will still work.
2. You buy Windows. We're not here to help you steal.

10 Oct '09, 9:33 pm Nic

Hi i am sorry, i dont want to steal or do anything illigle but i am concerned that with the rc i could not even get into the trail with out the activation key, which i got from microsoft but will it be the same with the rtm where i dont know where to get a key from? PLEASE dont think i want to do anything illigle but i was and i still concerned. Thank you so much for your reply.

10 Oct '09, 11:02 pm Thrax

The RTM is the final retail copy purchased from a store. The key comes with the product, and it'll be available on October 22.

10 Oct '09, 11:08 pm chizow

The registry tweak to enable upgrade to any RTM version is brilliant! Doesn't really help me as a TN subscriber but will be a great solution for all those pre-order upgraders.

11 Oct '09, 10:46 am Nic

Hi i'v followed your instructions perfectly and have attemted 3 times but i still have build 7100 but in my cversion.ini the minclient is 7077 and the minserver 7000. PLEASE PLEASE help! am i doing something wrong. what should i do?

11 Oct '09, 5:28 pm chizow

Quoting Nic

Hi i'v followed your instructions perfectly and have attemted 3 times but i still have build 7100 but in my cversion.ini the minclient is 7077 and the minserver 7000. PLEASE PLEASE help! am i doing something wrong. what should i do?

Do you have a valid RTM key and installation disc/image? This isn't a magical hack to transform a RC install into an RTM install, it simply tricks the RTM installer into thinking the installed RC version is compatible for upgrade to RTM.

11 Oct '09, 5:40 pm Chuck

Curious whether you've tried this on the 90 day Enterprise trial. I've just spent many hours loading up a 64 bit Win 7 trial with all my office software to confirm compatibility before deploying to a production environment. Very impressive, positive result. All the software works magnificently, some of which is very poorly coded and crash prone. All my printers, scanners, etc perform using Vista 64 drivers. No issues with SBS 2003 or MS Exchange.

I set up the trial build knowing that it would be good only for a short time, so have used trial versions of all the applications. Now you've got me wondering whether this RC-to-RTM conversion might work on a RTM Enterprise trial to Professional Retail conversion.

11 Oct '09, 7:19 pm Thrax

I'm afraid I have no data on Enterprise. It seems to me, though, that you could make a VHD of Enterprise, boot it into a VM and try the upgrade.

12 Oct '09, 11:58 am Nic

Thanks but I have done some research and have found out my 'rc' version is actualy a pre-rc version and that it says it is build 7100 and is not elegable for this upgrade

12 Oct '09, 1:11 pm Snarkasm

Negative, ghost rider. The RC for everybody is build 7100. This will work if you're on build 7100 and want to go to retail.

12 Oct '09, 5:39 pm Nic

Will it work if i try do a clean instal instead of an upgrade? my minserver reads 7000 what should i make the minclient? Thanks for all the help so far

12 Oct '09, 11:25 pm pigpenz

i have used this three times on machines that I had done minimal testing on an seemed to work great. Am TN subscriber also and dont really want to do a clean install machine that is just used for testing

12 Oct '09, 11:26 pm Thrax

Quoting pigpenz

i have used this three times on machines that I had done minimal testing on an seemed to work great. Am TN subscriber also and dont really want to do a clean install machine that is just used for testing

I'm really pleased this worked for you, Pigpenz! Thanks for posting.

13 Oct '09, 12:00 pm Snarkasm

Nic, if you're doing a clean install, you don't need to reset the minclient or minserver at all. In fact, you don't even need to dump the disc contents. Just pop the disc in the optical drive and go to town on your hard drive.

13 Oct '09, 6:31 pm Nic

Thanks for ALL the help(i really apprecate it) but i have followed the instructions and have even tried a clean install instead of an upgrade (thanks Snarkasim) but i think i will have to be destined with the rc. Thanks ALL If any one has any ideas pls post, there is still a twinkle of hope.... ....

14 Oct '09, 12:05 pm Snarkasm

Why are you "destined" to stick with the RC (that will expire in June 2010)? Are you trying to do this with a non-retail version of Windows 7?

If so, yes, you're stuck with it. Piracy doesn't swing it around here.

14 Oct '09, 12:57 pm Jonathan

when you upgrade from RC to Professional, are you able to active the upgraded Windows 7 Professional with the windows 7 professional key ?

14 Oct '09, 1:04 pm Snarkasm

With a true retail Win 7 Professional key, yes.

16 Oct '09, 1:54 am Jack B. Nimble

I love you Mr. Hallock (In a tech/geeky way)...this worked seamlessly. What an ease, and peace of mind not having to restore all those programs. **Sigh** Thank you!

16 Oct '09, 2:13 am Thrax

You're very welcome!

16 Oct '09, 9:07 am Nic

Hi to all once again. I think i might be the biggest idiot in the world. At the start of the tutorial it says insert you windows 7 dvd, is this meant to be the rc or rtm dvd?

16 Oct '09, 12:38 pm Snarkasm

It's supposed to be your retail DVD, the final code version that you hope to end up with.

16 Oct '09, 1:34 pm mtrox

Nice guide. I've got a couple of Win 7 upgrade disks coming from Sony and from Lenovo. Any idea if these are these going to be retail disks with an OEM logo on them or will they have some code that prevents me from using them on another machine?

16 Oct '09, 2:07 pm Thrax

Unknown.

16 Oct '09, 4:39 pm Mark

I have a netbook that I installed Windows 7 RC on using a USB flash drive. I'm assuming that I can use the above process to upgrade RC using my flash drive?

16 Oct '09, 4:41 pm Thrax

Yes, if you copy the retail DVD to the flash drive, then edit the minclient file on the USB stick, and perform the registry changes on the host OS, it will work fine.

17 Oct '09, 2:36 am Nick

Why Would We Pay For Windows 7 I Feel Personally That Microsoft Owe Us A Free Version Of Windows After The Abomination That Is Vista Infact microsoft Should Be Knocking on Doors Handing Out Free Copy's To Anyone Who Brought A Computer With Vista On It

17 Oct '09, 8:46 am ardichoke

You capitalized every word you typed, your argument is invalid.

Furthermore, if you didn't like Vista then you should have found a manufacturer that offers XP or no OS and bought from them instead. Or you could have built your own and installed XP. Microsoft doesn't owe you anything, you're not entitled to anything, be a more active consumer next time and don't buy the product if it's bad. Oh, and before you accuse me of being a fanboy, this is coming from someone who is probably more critical of Microsoft than most of the people on these forums.

18 Oct '09, 3:08 pm Nic

Who is this nick from the second previous post? I really and sincerly hope you are not trying to use my name. Which is nic, not nick.

18 Oct '09, 6:08 pm Thrax

Why would he be trying to use your name?

18 Oct '09, 6:13 pm _k_

Wait wait.....there are TWO NICKS?!!

19 Oct '09, 3:36 am Kenny C.

Ok, I can be classified as a complete idiot when it comes to Windows OS but here goes. I had a computer that had Windows XP that I loaded the Windows 7 RC. (BTW...I love it!!!)

I purchased the download copy of Windows 7 Upgrade on 10/22. They will also send me a backup disk sometime later on. will I have problems using the upgrade disk because I had XP on the machine before? Will the upgrade copy be just fine to get Windows 7 operational on my computer. Any insight would be appreciated.

19 Oct '09, 3:40 am Thrax

If the Windows 7 RC replaced Windows XP completely, you'll have no problems.

19 Oct '09, 3:47 am Kenny C.

How do I verify that was done? When I installed the RC, I wiped out all the pgrms that I had on XP. Will I need to follow the steps above or will I follow the normal upgrade steps. Thanks for your help Robert!!!

19 Oct '09, 3:55 am Thrax

Let me rephrase: If you can no longer load/start/run Windows XP on your machine, just follow the guide as presented, and everything will be okay.

19 Oct '09, 1:02 pm Nic

Yip there seems to be two Nicks, this Nic aka me and the other Nick.

19 Oct '09, 1:08 pm Snarkasm

Glad we've cleared that up. Now how about we keep on topic?

Are OEM full installs available yet anywhere? I keep forgetting to look around.

19 Oct '09, 1:16 pm Thrax

http://icrontic.com/news/windows-7-o...or-big-savings

19 Oct '09, 1:25 pm Snarkasm

I read that article and everything. Damn my forgetfulness...

19 Oct '09, 6:51 pm gneff

Will this work with the OEM versions as well or only the full retail?

19 Oct '09, 6:51 pm Thrax

OEM versions will work just as well.

19 Oct '09, 7:48 pm Bob Tennent

I want to go from RC 32 to Win7 Home Premium 64 using an upgrade DVD. Do I have to go back to Vista and then clean install, or will the trick mentioned here work?

19 Oct '09, 8:15 pm Thrax

You will have to perform a clean install to migrate to 64-bit (good choice!). Combing x86 and x64 files is not supported.

20 Oct '09, 8:50 am ceph

Will this procedure work with an oem (system builder's) disk of Win 7 or must it be an upgrade disk?

20 Oct '09, 12:33 pm Thrax

If the system builder's disk is a standard OEM copy, which has not been modified by the OEM, then yes it will work fine.

20 Oct '09, 4:28 pm MBT

Can we be certain that upgrading this way will remove the RC expiration date of June,2010?

20 Oct '09, 4:38 pm Thrax

It is certain. The expiration date is determined by the activation server's analysis of your product's key; RTM keys have no expiration date, while the limited list of RC keys are all flagged to expire on 6/010.

21 Oct '09, 12:30 am Ben vdP

step 4. You may not have hklm (=keyroot instead). search for Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version string in registry and you'll find the version name.

22 Oct '09, 8:17 am cbhacking

First of all, thank you SO much Robert! I've been walking around with a flashdrive that has the Win7 install binaries on it and was hoping to upgrade my tablet (currently running 7100) to the RTM; this should let me do it!

On a side note, why does upgrade from Vista work? Vista is build 6000...

@Kenny C: You can not do an in-place upgrade from XP to Win7; at least, not normally. Technically, if you lower the MinClient value (from the instructions) to 2600 (the build number for XP) it *might* work but I absolutely do not recommend this.

However, you will be able to use your upgrade disc to install Win7 - you'll just have to do a clean install over XP (which usually means reformatting). Put in the disc and boot off it, select Install. It should detect your XP copy and allow you to install Win7, but it will require that you do a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade.

22 Oct '09, 1:30 pm Scotty

Thanks for this guide. Do you also have an idea to downgrade the RTM Ultimate to Home Premium ? Would be cool as well for many people (yeah I know that MS won't support it now....). Thx !

22 Oct '09, 1:48 pm Thrax

Scotty: You can try setting the minclient version number to 7600 and performing an upgrade, but I can't guarantee that "upgrading" an RTM to an RTM will work.

22 Oct '09, 1:58 pm Scotty

Thanks Thrax, but id didn't work. So I have to do more research....

22 Oct '09, 3:16 pm Luke

News: If your on the RC you can still upgrade with the E version. You just can't upgrade from vista with E Version.

22 Oct '09, 4:59 pm gl

Thanks a bunch for the registry hack, I just upgraded Ultimate64 RC to HomePremium64 RTM without any problems.

22 Oct '09, 5:01 pm Thrax

You're welcome, GL! Thanks for letting us know it worked for you.

22 Oct '09, 9:53 pm rindge

The modification sounds great but I am struggling and need help. I can find the cversion.ini file. when I go to change it i get the access denied message. i can save it as a txt file, but then I have two file and the orig ini file still has 7233. can someone advise? i downloaded the home premium version today

22 Oct '09, 9:58 pm Thrax

Right click the file, hit properties, and uncheck "Read only." That should fix the problem.

23 Oct '09, 12:14 am CyberBob

Can I use a Windows 7 Upgrade disk, or do I need to have the Full version for this to work?

23 Oct '09, 12:19 am Thrax

You can use an upgrade disc.

23 Oct '09, 5:07 am Mine

Hi Robert, I know the article states any retail version, but could you confirm will this fix work if I buy the any of the Upgrade any time Versions or do I have to buy the complete upgrade version.

23 Oct '09, 7:11 am Thrax

You need an upgrade, OEM, or full retail license. I cannot reasonably assert that an anytime upgrade will work.

23 Oct '09, 9:25 pm FrameExpert

Thanks for the great article. I just did this to go from Windows 7 Home Premium RC to Windows 7 Ultimate OEM version. You may wonder how I originally got Windows 7 Home Premium RC. I used a trick from Windows Secrets to install Home Premium instead of Ultimate. I did this because I thought that is what version I would finally want. BUT, I changed my mind and decided on Ultimate for the final version.

Because of this, though, I did have to perform Step 3 and change the registry keys from Home Premium to Ultimate. Otherwise, it wouldn't let me upgrade. In any case, it all worked great and the upgrade took about an hour and a half. Thanks again for the great article.

23 Oct '09, 11:36 pm Strife

Worked flawlessly, like I never had to upgrade. The only difference is the version(and the lack of features) and no more watermark on my screen. Thanks!

24 Oct '09, 2:59 am Jonathan

Is there anyway to bypass the space requirements? I'm running W7 RC 7100 on a 35gb partition with 7gb free. I like to keep my OS partition small and all my files on the other parts of my HDD. But the setup says I need 11gb?? wtf?! I don't want to have to uninstall a few apps just to upgrade to the retail version... Any help appreciated. Thanks!

24 Oct '09, 3:00 am Thrax

You're welcome, guys! Thanks for dropping us a line.

24 Oct '09, 3:05 am Thrax

Quoting Jonathan

Is there anyway to bypass the space requirements? I'm running W7 RC 7100 on a 35gb partition with 7gb free. I like to keep my OS partition small and all my files on the other parts of my HDD. But the setup says I need 11gb?? wtf?! I don't want to have to uninstall a few apps just to upgrade to the retail version... Any help appreciated. Thanks!

The space requirements are not a joke! The Windows install routine needs significant temporary space, and space to move your files during the install process. You might try reclaiming some space by turning off hibernate: Launch a command prompt as an administrator and type "powercfg -h off" and hit enter. After you restart, it will clear the hibernate file which is equal to the amount of RAM you have. If you have 4GB RAM, it might push you overr 11GB. Otherwise, burn some data to dvd temporarily.

24 Oct '09, 8:43 pm Sri Lankan GSB

Hi,
Thanks for the great article. Can step 3 above be used to upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional in place? Or are the registry settings different for a Vista to Win 7 upgrade?

Thank you!

24 Oct '09, 9:54 pm randalltrini

Hey Robert,

Thanks a million for you article. One question. I have ordered Windows 7 Professional Upgrade. Will the procedure work on this version of the retail?
Also, if for some reason it fails or I get application or issues with my RC partition, can I go ahead and do a clean install on my XP partition? Or will I get a serial # conflict (do I have to unistall from the RC partition or somehow deactivate the licence?)

Thanks in advance,

Randall

24 Oct '09, 11:45 pm Thrax

Hi,
Thanks for the great article. Can step 3 above be used to upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional in place? Or are the registry settings different for a Vista to Win 7 upgrade?

Thank you!

It might be usable, but I can't guarantee you anything. I'd back up your important data before you try. Though it's best just to do a clean install, as upgrades from one OS to another are never all that great.

Hey Robert,

Thanks a million for you article. One question. I have ordered Windows 7 Professional Upgrade. Will the procedure work on this version of the retail?
Also, if for some reason it fails or I get application or issues with my RC partition, can I go ahead and do a clean install on my XP partition? Or will I get a serial # conflict (do I have to unistall from the RC partition or somehow deactivate the licence?)

Thanks in advance,

Randall

1. Yes, it will work.

2. You can do a clean install on your XP partition, but it's advisable to format the RC partition if it's being problematic. You'll get two Windows 7 entries at boot if you don't.

3. You won't have any activation problems.

25 Oct '09, 5:28 pm Richard

I followed all the directions, checked and double checked the registry file and the Windows 7 instalation disk copied to a network drive and it still says that I can't upgrade an Ultimate to a Professional. I just got the disk in the mail yesterday. Any ideas?

25 Oct '09, 5:33 pm Thrax

Please post a picture of the registry. Secondly, you have the release candidate installed, correct? NOT one of the leaked Ultimate RTMs?

25 Oct '09, 5:57 pm Michael Joseph

I am having difficulty with step 3. Cracking open the registry on the Release candidate box. Is this on the system or part of the 7 DVD? Is there a specific line to type in after regedit in the command line?

25 Oct '09, 7:02 pm Richard_Connecticut

Quoting Thrax

Please post a picture of the registry. Secondly, you have the release candidate installed, correct? NOT one of the leaked Ultimate RTMs?

Nope, not one of the leaked Ultimate RTM's. Got it directly from Microsoft. Everything is legit.

I tried installing it from a folder in the root directory, then I attached a network drive and tried to install from there. I moved an old "Windows Old" folder from the root directory. I rebooted and rechecked, nada. Thanks for your help!

25 Oct '09, 7:19 pm Richard_Connecticut

I had problems even after following the instructions. However, I found that I did not follow the instructions to the letter. There happens to be more than one Current Version in my registry. I had to find the one that was in the Windows NT folder. I hope my error can help someone else. Thanks again, Richard

25 Oct '09, 7:28 pm Thrax

Quoting Michael Joseph

I am having difficulty with step 3. Cracking open the registry on the Release candidate box. Is this on the system or part of the 7 DVD? Is there a specific line to type in after regedit in the command line?

It's on the RC box, and there's nothing else to type after "regedit" and pressing enter.

25 Oct '09, 7:31 pm Thrax

Quoting Richard_Connecticut

I had problems even after following the instructions. However, I found that I did not follow the instructions to the letter. There happens to be more than one Current Version in my registry. I had to find the one that was in the Windows NT folder. I hope my error can help someone else. Thanks again, Richard

Yes, it's very important that the "current version" in the Windows NT folder get modified. It's why I bolded that line in the registry.

25 Oct '09, 9:38 pm Richard_Connecticut

Quoting Thrax

Yes, it's very important that the "current version" in the Windows NT folder get modified. It's why I bolded that line in the registry.

I had no idea I would find the "Current Version" in more than one folder. I did a search and found that I was in the wrong folder. I successfully upgraded/downgraded RT Ultimate to the end version of Windows 7 Professional. Regardless of your superior intelect, it woud be interesting to me how you came across this very valuable work around. Inside information, colaboration? Thanks again, Richard

25 Oct '09, 9:40 pm Thrax

A little trial and error, and a little inspiration from a workaround that allowed Ultimate users to upgrade to Enterprise a few months back.

25 Oct '09, 9:47 pm Richard_Connecticut

Brilliant!! Thanks again, Professor Richard

25 Oct '09, 9:52 pm Thrax

You're welcome, Richard! Thanks for registering.

25 Oct '09, 11:38 pm Michael Joseph

What is the Windows RC BOX? It's not a physical package, Where do I find it specifically.

26 Oct '09, 1:09 am technabob

Thanks for the pointers. You just saved me many hours of pain going from Windows 7 RC Ultimate to 7 Home Premium final - and it worked without a hitch. All my applications seem to work perfectly fine post-upgrade.

26 Oct '09, 2:14 am Thrax

Quoting Michael Joseph

What is the Windows RC BOX? It's not a physical package, Where do I find it specifically.

Box is another word for computer.

26 Oct '09, 2:14 am Thrax

Quoting technabob

Thanks for the pointers. You just saved me many hours of pain going from Windows 7 RC Ultimate to 7 Home Premium final - and it worked without a hitch. All my applications seem to work perfectly fine post-upgrade.

Glad Icrontic could help!

26 Oct '09, 7:44 am Garry Rogers

For goodness sake spend the extra $100 and have a clean install. You have W7 RC free for a year! Nothing is free in this world. Enjoy. Garry

26 Oct '09, 12:56 pm Thrax

What are you going on about? Nobody is using this guide to get anything for free.

26 Oct '09, 8:13 pm bob

stupid question for step 2: do you need a separate program for this, if so, where do I download it?

thanks

26 Oct '09, 8:22 pm bob

meant step 3, I'm not sure how to do this, any help is appreciated.

26 Oct '09, 9:13 pm Thrax

27 Oct '09, 3:04 am Islander

What a gift.

This work-around sailed right thru on my Dell XPS 1330 Laptop. Just three more machines to go.

I have noticed along 15 second delay on Internet Explorer startup since install. Perhaps a re-install of IE will clear this issue?

27 Oct '09, 3:08 am Thrax

It might. I'm afraid I don't have much experience with IE to help, though. Sorry. I'm glad the process worked for you!

27 Oct '09, 3:17 am steve

Robert. You rule. You are such a life saver. I was able to upgrade my computer with no problems. Thank you!!!!!!

27 Oct '09, 3:18 am Thrax

Quoting steve

Robert. You rule. You are such a life saver. I was able to upgrade my computer with no problems. Thank you!!!!!!

Glad Icrontic could help you out, Steve! Thanks for stopping by and letting us know it worked for you.

27 Oct '09, 5:58 am bob

Thanks for the help, this is great, keep up the good work!!

27 Oct '09, 11:53 am Neil

Now people have had chance to try this, can someone confirm if this will work for a UK version or not? I know somebody said "no" earlier in the thread (for the EU version), but that was based on there not being *any* upgrade version available in the EU, which wasn't the case in the end.

So, I have a *full* UK retail version of W7 Home Premium. Can I do an upgrade from the RC?

27 Oct '09, 12:37 pm Thrax

There is no reason why this shouldn't work for a UK version.

27 Oct '09, 3:05 pm fruitloaf

hope someone can help ive followed the instructions above and still cant get my upgrade to rcm it says its incompatable and cannot be downgraded to windows 7 home premium from rc ultimate

27 Oct '09, 4:02 pm Thrax

There is some step of the instructions you're not following correctly. Given your error, it's most likely in step 3.

27 Oct '09, 7:53 pm jakedavids

Great post- helped me to get from RC1 (7100) to a purchased copy of Windows 7 Professional. Everything is there, old settings, apps, files = good!

Only problem is that my key is being rejected by Windows Activation. It's a legit key: Bought the Student Edition through Digital River.

Has anyone else been through this process with the Student Download from Digital River? Any ideas on how to resolve this w/out having to call those guys?

Thanks,
-jd

27 Oct '09, 8:03 pm jakedavids

Quoting jakedavids

Great post- helped me to get from RC1 (7100) to a purchased copy of Windows 7 Professional. Everything is there, old settings, apps, files = good!

Only problem is that my key is being rejected by Windows Activation. It's a legit key: Bought the Student Edition through Digital River.

Has anyone else been through this process with the Student Download from Digital River? Any ideas on how to resolve this w/out having to call those guys?

Thanks,
-jd

Quick update. Unawave just responded to my question via email. His suggestion was obvious: try to validate over the phone. It took a few minutes, but worked. No further issues!

27 Oct '09, 8:11 pm Thrax

Glad you got everything squared away.

27 Oct '09, 8:32 pm BillyBobSlob

Just wondering...If I purchase and install an upgrade only version of W7 and my HD dies sometime in the future, will I be able to install W7RC and then upgrade. I only have a copy of XP. I never used Vista.

Also, why does an upgrade take 1-1.5 hrs? My original install of RC on a new HD only took 15 min.

27 Oct '09, 8:45 pm Thrax

Quoting BillyBobSlob

Just wondering...If I purchase and install an upgrade only version of W7 and my HD dies sometime in the future, will I be able to install W7RC and then upgrade. I only have a copy of XP. I never used Vista.

Also, why does an upgrade take 1-1.5 hrs? My original install of RC on a new HD only took 15 min.

It is theoretically possible to use the release candidate as an upgrade target. Some users have also reported that Upgrade discs simply install with no prior OS. As a last resort, you can install Windows XP, point the Upgrade disc at your Windows XP install, then format the partition with the Windows 7 installer to get a clean installation.

Upgrades take longer than clean installs because dozens of gigabytes of information are being shuffled around, in addition to the ~15GB Windows 7 writes.

28 Oct '09, 12:16 am oranges

Confirming this works.

Purchased Win7 Ultimate Upgrade and was surprised it did not upgrade on its own. Google found these directions, instant fix. Did not have a box and did not want to wait for mail so used the download option which puts a Win7-U-Retail-en-us-x86 file and two .box files on your computer. When running the Win7-U-Retail-en-us-x86 file it extracts the .boxes to a directory called 'expandedSetup' then runs the Setup file inside that directory to perform the install. Same idea as the directions here, simply open that folder and its sources/cversion.ini file to make the change, using Run As Administrator helps.

Thanks so much for this simple fix!

28 Oct '09, 10:07 pm gaww

I think this has been answered, but not sure. Can step 3 only be used to upgrade Vista Ultimate to Home Premium? I don't want to pay for the extra features in Ultimate again - plus have 3 Vista computers to upgrade and I like the pricing of the 3 user Home Premium package.

If not, will use upgraded Vista to RC (which all went very smoothly after first uninstalling antivirus first) application on the one that had ultimate on it.

PS - 64 bit Vista upgrade to RC also worked pretty good. One applkication would not work on clean 64 bit RC install, but strangely worked on 64 bit upgrade.

28 Oct '09, 10:20 pm Thrax

You can try using step 3 for Vista Ultimate to Home Premium, but we cannot guarantee that it will work, and we take no responsibility for the consequences. :P

28 Oct '09, 10:29 pm gaww

Quoting Thrax

You can try using step 3 for Vista Ultimate to Home Premium, but we cannot guarantee that it will work, and we take no responsibility for the consequences. :P

Thanks - will do and post results (will not be able to get to it for 2 weeks though).

I always work from backup image, so I only risk wasting some time. Already have an RC upgrade to use with the whole process if it fails.

28 Oct '09, 10:31 pm Thrax

Sounds like you're the perfect candidate to give it a try!

29 Oct '09, 7:23 pm Windows Update

Microsoft just came out with comments that using the Upgrade disk to perform this 'hack' is illegal and constitutes stealing. It's cool if you purchased a Full Version, but, NOT with Upgrade versions.. FYI..

1 Nov '09, 3:23 pm randalltrini

Quoting Thrax

It might be usable, but I can't guarantee you anything. I'd back up your important data before you try. Though it's best just to do a clean install, as upgrades from one OS to another are never all that great.

1. Yes, it will work.

2. You can do a clean install on your XP partition, but it's advisable to format the RC partition if it's being problematic. You'll get two Windows 7 entries at boot if you don't.

3. You won't have any activation problems.

Update: Guys it worked well, aside from the fact I had to do the hack to turn the RC ultimate into Professional so that the retail installer would upgrade it.

I have two other problems that I'll have to start in another thread.

Thanks,

Randall

1 Nov '09, 3:30 pm randalltrini

Quoting randalltrini

Update: Guys it worked well, aside from the fact I had to do the hack to turn the RC ultimate into Professional so that the retail installer would upgrade it.

I have two other problems that I'll have to start in another thread.

Thanks,

Randall

On second thought maybe they are relevant to the installation:

1. Getting rid of a roaming profile that I found trying to clean up the drive for the install, when I started to delete it seems to have been the active profile.
2. What is the "$WINDOWS" and the "$INPLACE folders in the C: drive and can I safely delete them?

Randall

1 Nov '09, 4:46 pm THETIMETUNNEL

I loaded WINDOWS RC 7100 on a blank drive and been using for months I just got the WIN7 Upgrade do I have to use the hack or just upgrade from the dvd without the hack?

1 Nov '09, 5:02 pm THETIMETUNNEL

So if I use the hack to WIN 7 Upgrade install on my RC 7100 that I installed on a formatted drive will it wipe out all my setting and programs or will they all be intact after the install?

1 Nov '09, 7:24 pm Snarkasm

By definition, an upgrade install does not wipe out any settings or files.

And yes, since the RC is an Ultimate version of Win 7, you'll need to modify the registry keys before downgrading it to whatever version you purchased.

2 Nov '09, 12:10 am Jan

Dear Robert,
Followed the procedure, but the screen still reads Evaluation Copy, build 7100. Did I do something wrong? Client was 7077, changed to 7000.
JK

2 Nov '09, 12:12 am Jan

Dear Robert,

Client was 7077, changed it into 7000. WIN 7 Homepage still reads Evaluation Copy, build 7100.
Have I missed something?

2 Nov '09, 2:40 am lisagarry

I like both Windows XP Pro and Windows 7. I dont intend to spend hundreds of $$$$ for new programs to replace pinnacle Studio 12 and Liquid and Cakewalk. I hope to dump W7 RC on an external HD, format the internal HD (500Gb) and clean install Windows 7 Ultimate.I am not going to haggle over a few $ having the use of W7 RC for 7 months. Thank you Mr.Microsoft. Anyone any better ideas?

2 Nov '09, 3:56 pm Thrax

I loaded WINDOWS RC 7100 on a blank drive and been using for months I just got the WIN7 Upgrade do I have to use the hack or just upgrade from the dvd without the hack?

You will have to use this hack if the retail version you bought is not Windows 7 Ultimate.

So if I use the hack to WIN 7 Upgrade install on my RC 7100 that I installed on a formatted drive will it wipe out all my setting and programs or will they all be intact after the install?

The upgrade will preserve all your programs and data.

Dear Robert,
Followed the procedure, but the screen still reads Evaluation Copy, build 7100. Did I do something wrong? Client was 7077, changed to 7000.
JK

I cannot definitively say what step of the procedure was done incorrectly, but yes, something was not done right. Make sure you have changed the correct registry entries, because the names of the keys you're supposed to change appear several times throughout the registry, but only one set of them works for this hack.

2 Nov '09, 3:56 pm Thrax

I loaded WINDOWS RC 7100 on a blank drive and been using for months I just got the WIN7 Upgrade do I have to use the hack or just upgrade from the dvd without the hack?

You will have to use this hack if the retail version you bought is not Windows 7 Ultimate.

So if I use the hack to WIN 7 Upgrade install on my RC 7100 that I installed on a formatted drive will it wipe out all my setting and programs or will they all be intact after the install?

The upgrade will preserve all your programs and data.

Dear Robert,
Followed the procedure, but the screen still reads Evaluation Copy, build 7100. Did I do something wrong? Client was 7077, changed to 7000.
JK

I cannot definitively say what step of the procedure was done incorrectly, but yes, something was not done right. Make sure you have changed the correct registry entries, because the names of the keys you're supposed to change appear several times throughout the registry, but only one set of them works for this hack.

2 Nov '09, 4:46 pm Alfred C.

This is great, got plans on doing this to 3 computers later. Great write-up!!

2 Nov '09, 8:28 pm Thrax

I have no information on what will happen with an anytime upgrade disc, but it is theoretically possible.

2 Nov '09, 9:18 pm John D

Will this process work if you are trying to upgrade the WIN7 Release Candidate using a legitimately acquired "Anytime Upgrade" disc?

3 Nov '09, 3:07 pm THETIMETUNNEL

Thanks

5 Nov '09, 1:00 am Robert S

Hi, I just bought Win7 Professional Online on Microsoft's student deal site (only $39 and so I was wondering if I had to burn a dvd or mount the image before making the changes or if i can do it once the Professional files are downloaded. I'm sure I'll figure it out but its gonna take a long time to dl so if anyone has come across this already let me know. It's really awful that we can't just change the product key and thats it...

5 Nov '09, 2:15 am Thrax

As far as I can tell, you can edit the necessary files in the package you're downloading right now. No need to mount or burn anything.

5 Nov '09, 3:19 am Robert S

Thanks Thrax 85% onyl another half hour to go... lol

5 Nov '09, 10:54 pm Mr Incredible

Great workaround!

Just to be absolutely clear about an in place RC to RTM "upgrade" using the retail version.... the process will keep all my installed programs and settings?

Secondly, my current install of RC has the Docs and Settings folder moved to another drive (not system); will the upgrade keep my user profile details on that other partition?

5 Nov '09, 10:56 pm Thrax

The answer is definitely yes to your first question, and almost certainly to your second.

6 Nov '09, 2:16 pm jazzydog

I followed all of the directions you listed for an upgrade. I get about 90% completed then on the last step 62% copying files, at file 285,638 it goes into an endless loop. Should I give up?

6 Nov '09, 10:22 pm Thrax

Do you have enough free space on the drive/partition to perform the process?

8 Nov '09, 6:28 pm Palbri

This worked like a charm when I converted from RC Ultimate Version to Final Home Premium version.

Great job!

10 Nov '09, 7:06 am Jonathan

I just purchased Win7 with the student discount and it downloaded to my desktop in 3 files setup1.box, setup2.box and an installer. I cannot change to minimum requirements because of this. Can I just change the CurrentBuild and CurrentBuildNumber in the RC Registry to lets say 7300 then install Win7 or is this a bad idea.

11 Nov '09, 2:01 pm David Kinsey

Many thanks- followed your instructions and upgraded no problems- just had to uninstall Nero first- took about 1 hour all told and saved me hours of reinstalling programs

13 Nov '09, 3:00 pm fred fred

the registry trick also works for upgrading from vista business to win 7 home premium.

verified.

23 Nov '09, 8:42 am Steve

Hey, I'm currently using Ultimate RC, and I didn't have any OS on this computer before (no xp/vista) Can I install the cheaper Upgrade Version of Professional?

23 Nov '09, 11:53 pm gaww

Quoting Steve

Hey, I'm currently using Ultimate RC, and I didn't have any OS on this computer before (no xp/vista) Can I install the cheaper Upgrade Version of Professional?

You could try, but I don't think so. You can do both if you foillow the instructions to the letter.

23 Nov '09, 11:54 pm gaww

It also works for upgrading from vista ultimate to home premium. It even brought forward the fax program from Vista Ultimate.

26 Nov '09, 7:26 am potato

I am interested in doing this but I have a question
If I install professional over the RC, will I lose the ability to change the unicode to a different language? I believe that is an ulitmate only option?

26 Nov '09, 9:08 am Thrax

If you're referring to MUI packs, yes, you would lose that ability. Only Ultimate can use and manage them.

2 Dec '09, 12:55 pm moaning meldrew

2/12/2009 Sounds very intersting got version 7100 on my computer and I must say the best since XP.
I have ordered Win7 professional OEM
has anyone tried your method and found problems of any kind also what would I be expected to lose program wise.I cannot bear the thought of another re format but that may be the wiser course what do guys think

2 Dec '09, 6:02 pm Thrax

Nobody has had any problems, and you won't lose any programs because it's an upgrade.

11 Dec '09, 8:33 pm mas0n

Finally got around to doing this on my main rig. Took 2 hours on a fast box with tons of data and worked perfectly, as expected.

11 Dec '09, 9:36 pm Bob

Note that an upgrade will not deal with an installation where the user files and program files are not in the same partition as the OS partition.

What an absolute bummer. That'll teach me to be clever and move my user and program files off the OS partition.

17 Dec '09, 3:08 pm Thrall

Hey guys I am performing this upgrade now to RTM Ultimate from RC so I did not have to do anything special with registry and such. My upgrade is progressing but I now have my screen blank and my HDDs turning like mad. I have a lot of my doc stuff and everything which I backed up before starting so I am thinking that is the reason for the hold up. Will post my results but my system drive was 120gb full out of 160...might be a good warning to those who have a similar situation to be patient.

Will comment back in a few more hours as I think my upgrade is going to be on the longer side of things sort of wishing I had just done it clean instead =P

17 Dec '09, 4:56 pm Thrall

Okay upgrade completed just fine I did go black screen during install...turns out when I dozed off on the couch it restarted and was sitting at the cd-key screen and the video got messed up.. I powered off the system and rebooted and got back in entered my key and boom all was good. Everything was saved and fine!

Thanks for the write up now my brother and father can upgrade as well with their versions when I give them their Christmas preset.

19 Dec '09, 12:23 am CJ

Works for Windows x64 professional. If this keeps going on. I don't I'll ever have to purchase windows again.

19 Dec '09, 1:09 am Gargoyle

Quoting Bob

Note that an upgrade will not deal with an installation where the user files and program files are not in the same partition as the OS partition.

What an absolute bummer. That'll teach me to be clever and move my user and program files off the OS partition.

That sucks. I have my laptop with the RC set up that way.

20 Dec '09, 3:13 pm Snarkasm

Finally got around to doing this, and it worked flawlessly. Thanks as always, Rob.

21 Dec '09, 6:24 pm greytil

Just registered to say thank you so much for posting this.

Wasn't looking forward to reinstalling all my software & settings.

Used the UK Student 32 bit version and it worked like a charm, and unlike a previous user it registered online.

27 Dec '09, 9:22 am Mike Mc

Thank you thank you thank you! I would like to note that many of us were in the situation where we replaced our original OS with Win7 RC completely after discovering how awesome it was. So, "upgrading" from only the RC doesn't necessarily mean we're swindling MS, we just preferred the to use the goodies earlier than MS would have us. I installed Win7 RC OVER Vista Home Premium on 2 laptops, and fresh installed over XP Pro SP3 partition on a desktop. So it would appear as if I had no originally licensed OS when upgrading when in fact I did. I think most of us are in that boat, and that this workaround shouldn't be considered problematic from a legality perspective.

11 Jan '10, 1:25 am Vic

HEllo ppl ,
i found this post great and was planning to do a downgrade myself but

11 Jan '10, 1:54 am Vic

oops clicked "add" accidentally earlier..
Id like some help here.....
Anyways,
Hey guys ,i found this post great and it came around at a time when i was looking to down grade from RC ultimate to home premium but im faced with a problem at modifying the registry entry . it shows only the (default) entry and not the reqd entries,so how could i go about the downgrade ??

20 Jan '10, 6:18 pm braden

I have Windows 7 RC installed on my laptop. I got ahold of a Windows 7 Professional install through my University. I followed the instructions (changed the install file and registry file). I made a bootable disc using ImgBurn, restarted my computer and went through the first couple screens. The Compatibility Report tells me 'The computer started with the installation disc. Please remove installation disc, restart Windows normally, reinsert disc, and begin setup this way'. Setup doesn't run when I do it this way. Anyone run into this problem or know a forum where they have solved this?

1 Feb '10, 10:35 pm Wayne

Is there a way to do this in Vista?
I have 12 Vista 64 Ultimates that I want to put down to Professional, so I can upgrade to Windows 7 Professional without doing a clean install.
I Tried the above registry tweek and it did not fool the Vista Ultimate.

3 Feb '10, 12:16 pm alanterrill

I've just used this to upgrade from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 7 Ultimate. I'd bought an Ultimate upgrade disc but when installed it wouldn't do anything other than overwrite the whole system. In this case the change to the cversion.ini wasn't necessary -just the two name changes in the registry and now it will keep all my settings when I upgrade. I'm just upgrading the third PC this way while still awaiting a call from my Microsoft reseller who's supposed to be finding out how to do it officially!

4 Feb '10, 7:55 pm arr

KEEP GETTING AN ERROR YOU DO NOT HAVE SPACE FOR TEMP FILES-- HAVE TONES OF SPACE

7 Feb '10, 1:42 pm Terry

I purchased the Home Premium upgrade disc and used this method to install it. It worked like a champ! I had the Windows 7 Ultimate RC and "downgraded". No issues at all. Thanks a ton!

Terry

7 Feb '10, 7:18 pm Jerry Ball

Surely if mighty Microsoft doesn't want us to update against the RC all they need do is check that we are running the RC at the beginning of an upgrade installation. Am I missing something?

7 Feb '10, 8:15 pm Thrax

They do, which is why you need to follow this guide to circumvent that check.

9 Feb '10, 2:46 am Mike

Can you use a downloaded version of Windows 7 and do the same thing?

9 Feb '10, 7:29 pm Jerry Ball

The download version from Microsoft has MinClient in the .exe file used to install. It does not expose cversion.ini as far as I can tell. Editing the .exe file should work fine.

11 Feb '10, 3:49 am jagga

worked great upgraded rc to pro,had many games and they all work fine
had to reinstall ccc and daemon tools

11 Feb '10, 3:50 am jagga

to mike yes u can thats what i did

13 Feb '10, 2:59 pm Mike

With the disc version, you remove the files from the disc and find the .exe file and change it. How do you do this with a downloaded version?

13 Feb '10, 5:18 pm Jerry Ball

You get a .exe file with the download version which you run to do the install. Before installing, use a hex (binary) editor, find MinClient in the exe file then change MinClient=7233 to MinClient=7077. Re-write the exe file in place and you're good to go.

13 Feb '10, 7:07 pm Mike

Kinda new to this. How do I use and where do I find a hex (binary) editor? Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the help.

13 Feb '10, 7:37 pm Jerry Ball

Google hex editor. Find a simple one - some are huge and full of stuff you don't need. Then read directions..very simple.

16 Feb '10, 8:11 am John

I have build 7100.

This works with the Ultimate Upgrade version of windows 7? not just the full retail?

I can buy the 219 dollar Ultimate Upgrade version of Win7 and do this instead of the full 300 dollar retail one?

Sorry for english, I am italian, but live in USA

16 Feb '10, 9:02 pm Michael Llewellyn

So - when I put the CDROM in my drive then I right click on the drive in Contol Panel, right? And then there is a choice of "COPY", right? And I choose to copy the W'7 CDROM onto one of my 3 present partitions....right? Then go into that and make the afore mentioned changes. I need to re-partition my HD - so I would have to choose the clean install route.
Please tell me IF above steps are correct and IF there are some other "tricks" I should be aware of....like when to activate? I see some say WAIT till fully installed.
TKS michael

16 Feb '10, 9:07 pm Michael Llewellyn

I am NOT MR. HIGH Tech and am thus a tad scared of tackeling this way of upgrading my HTPC...but being a low income senior citizen....this is the most tempting route for me to "try". I thought I had till like June before my RC would run out....BUT I got a built in 14 day WARNING last night when I fired it up.
Thus I have to buy the FULL or Upgrade Premium right away.........please advise!

TKS michael

16 Feb '10, 9:18 pm Thrax

You can use an upgrade copy to perform this procedure.

17 Feb '10, 12:26 am cyberized

I thought the 7100 RC would be good until JUNE and prior to June it would give you Warnings that it would soon expire???? Mine told me last night that I have 14 days to Upgrade to Retail. YIKES! I guess I will opt to buy a retail Upgrade of Premium and try following the instructions here to upgrade my RC to the RTM.

I was wondering though in the instructions on making those changes in the REGistry etc......in the example of where you enter your NEW W'7 Version,,,,,it shows like WINDOWSPREMIUM [or whatever] in ALL CAPS and NO spacing. BUT their example of W'7 Professional is NOT in ALL caps. So when I go to type in my chice of Premium what is the Proper method - please?

TKS michael

17 Feb '10, 12:30 am Thrax

The article's spacing and capitalization is correct.

17 Feb '10, 5:13 am Mike

Thanks again! You guys rock...

17 Feb '10, 10:13 am Snarkasm

Cyberized, the RC is technically legitimate until June, but starting in March, you'll still have full functionality, but Windows will start rebooting every 2 hours. After that period, the RC will become non-genuine, and you'll start losing functionality as well.

17 Feb '10, 4:34 pm MikeD

Used the info here and 'upgraded' from RC Ultimate to Home Premium x64 with no trouble at all. Thanks for the info!

17 Feb '10, 9:54 pm Svein10

Thanks so much! This works like a sharm, it saved me a lot of time!!!

17 Feb '10, 9:59 pm Michael Llewellyn

MikeD
GLAD to hear the GOOD Report! Did you do a CLEAN install?

I ordered a W'7 Premium Upgrade yesterday...am nervous in the service as I now await my own GO at IT! I am presently transfering drivers etc. onto a 16GB Flash drive,,,need to know ALL the essentials that I should put on it...for after I do a CLEAN install and re=partition of my 1TB HD.

18 Feb '10, 6:19 am JoMo

Thanks for the instructions! I did this to "downgrade" to an upgrade version of Home Premium. It seems to have worked, but I have now twice run into a situation where the OS hangs completely and I need to force shutdown the PC. Can't do anything else. The waitcursor circle keeps spinning, but something, like Explorer itself is hung. I can't even get to Task Manager. I never had any issues before. It doesn't happen every time, but now happened twice in the last 3 days.

Have you seen or heard of anything like that?

Thanks again,
John

18 Feb '10, 6:50 am Thrax

That's usually an issue related to drivers or a piece of software which isn't shutting down properly.

18 Feb '10, 12:39 pm carl

How is it that someone can give such detailed in formation & however forget to mention how to access this direct file? "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version" There are a plethora of folders in this registry section. a bit moronic i'd say.

18 Feb '10, 12:55 pm mirage

Quoting carl

a bit moronic i'd say.

Are you looking for accompany?

18 Feb '10, 1:05 pm MikeD

Michael Llewellyn

No, I did not do a clean install, I actually did a downgrade upgrade from Ultimate to Home Premium.

So far I have not had JoMo's problem, although Windows startup seems to take a bit longer now.

What I did first was make a complete drive image backup of my OS drive, just in case of upgrade failure.

If you are going to do a clean install, you might want to consider using Windows Easy Transfer to move your files and settings to your new install.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-easy-transfer

18 Feb '10, 1:07 pm Snarkasm

Carl, it's only moronic if you think you should continue to a folder rather than clicking on the CurrentVersion folder. Everything you want is contained in the CurrentVersion node, not in any of the folders underneath it.

If you've gotten lost at a step, it's much easier and reflects better on your character to ask for clarification than to call somebody a moron - especially when they've gone to all the trouble of putting together a guide that has worked correctly for a ton of other users.

18 Feb '10, 2:39 pm Thrax

Quoting carl

How is it that someone can give such detailed in formation & however forget to mention how to access this direct file? "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version" There are a plethora of folders in this registry section. a bit moronic i'd say.

Only as moronic as the anonymous internet thug that can't follow the pretty pictures.

18 Feb '10, 10:08 pm James

Mr. Hallock, sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar! This work around has saved me HOURS of un-needed reinstalling. It worked like a dream. I salute you! Thank you so very much!

18 Feb '10, 10:09 pm Thrax

You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by Icrontic!

19 Feb '10, 12:41 pm Methilde

I'm Dutch, and it said that this wasn't possible for EURO users. Am I doomed to do a clean install then anyway or have there been improvements so I can simply upgrade from the RC to retail?

19 Feb '10, 3:21 pm Max

Hello!

First of all, thank you Thrax for doing/coming up with this!

For me, as I try to follow your step-by step, I keep coming up with a Windows message that says that registry canÂ´t be updated like 30-40 minutes into the installation. Then the installation wants to roll back (happens automatically although maybe I have time to change the installation programÂ´s boot option from "win7 roll back" to "win 7").

There are some differences in my registry files compared to yours. All *build registries say 7100 for me whereas yours say 7600. Also, when running regedit, I have no HKLM, mine says HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE but I guess thats just an abbreviation?

Does any of this make any sense and is there a solution for this?

Again, big Thank You from Sweden!

19 Feb '10, 3:30 pm Max

Oh, forgot to mention that I am trying to upgrade to Professional. Could it be that I have another version of professional and instead of changing the EditionID and ProductName registries to Professional and Windows 7 Professional should change them to something like "Professional (x86)" and "Windows 7 Professional (x86)"?

19 Feb '10, 3:35 pm Thrax

The images and the instructions in this guide were taken and written as I personally upgraded a 7100 build to the final build (7600). The exception is the picture of the registry, which I took on the 7600 build as the screens are identical for the purposes of identifying the relevant registry entries.

Secondarily, I did as you did: Upgraded from Ultimate (release candidate 7100) to Professional retail (7600).

Finally, HKLM is indeed just a common acronym for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

There are many reasons why the upgrade process isn't going as planned. You might try making sure that all the registry files in C:\Windows\system32\config are not flagged as read only files, and that you have at least 15-20GB free on your OS drive for it to move files around.

Otherwise, it could be a driver, or another piece of software that is preventing the upgrade from occurring, but it's practically impossible to tell which one.

19 Feb '10, 4:56 pm James

Just for reference, I also went from the RC to professional - the 64bit vrsion. The work-around, just as pictured, worked seamlessly. And after the install not one program failed to operate (and I have many). The only difference now than from the eginning is that the window evaluation notice is gone and replaced with Windows 7 Professional. Again, this work-around saved me hours of frustrating reinstalls. Thanks Again Thrax!

19 Feb '10, 5:04 pm Basher

Quick question which I think was already answered. I can copy the contents of the DVD (Windows 7 Ultimate RTM) to a folder on my desktop or C drive, then edit the cversion.ini and then run the setup from this folder on my desktop? Doesn't need to be on another partition or bootable flash drive, right?

Once complete, I can delete the folder I created with all the installation files?

19 Feb '10, 5:16 pm Thrax

Yes, Basher, you can do just that.

19 Feb '10, 5:23 pm Basher

Awesome thanks!

19 Feb '10, 7:19 pm cyberized

Please advise: When we go to do this install/upgrade, prior to actually starting the actual start up, is it necessary that everything like USB devices; ethernet connection etc. all be disconnected? I read at one site that one must do that....BUT???? Or can I just leave everything as is.....make the copy of the NEW OS, make changes to it's registry etc. Then go to the NEW W'7 CDROM in drive and find it's "setup" command and HIT IT....kick back and say a prayer?

Another thing that I have read somewhere - is that it will tell you somewhere near the beginning of the install to verify/register your new OS with MS; and the advice was to ignore or say will do later......then after it all installed then you Register. Does this apply in our process?

I am waiting for my NEW W'7 Premium to arrive,,,,,my system warned me last night, again, but this time said 11 days before SHUT DOWN, would be 10 today.

Preparing my 16GB USB Flash Drive for when it gets here: Put MOST of the data that Easy Transfer collects up for you on it [3GB]; Drivers for my ATI G. Card; Drivers for Ausus Xonar Sound Card; Arcsoft DVD Player software.
I think I have like 7 GB left on the stick.......can you think of anything else that i shold put on it...........IF not I think I'll put 4 patches for Call of Duty on there and call it good.

TKS to ALL! michael

19 Feb '10, 7:22 pm Thrax

You can leave everything connected. All you have to do after following this guide is insert the Windows 7 DVD and follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade your OS.

You can register the OS with your CD key during the upgrade. It's fine.

19 Feb '10, 7:54 pm cyberized

Thanking God I found this site and your GOOD Samaritan HELP - THRAX!

19 Feb '10, 10:24 pm cyberized

WELL - The Time has Come Today! YOU could say! I received my NEW OS in mail today.....I have the CDROM presently in my HTPC Drive, and am wanting//trying to make that copy of it onto my HD......HOW exactly do you do that. please tell? I thought it would be as simple as right click on the CDROM and choose "Copy", just found out that it is NOT that simple.

TKS michael

19 Feb '10, 11:00 pm Thrax

Highlight all the files. Right click and hit copy. Create a new folder somewhere and then hit paste.

20 Feb '10, 12:33 am cyberized

GREAT! TKS! Now have that done and the 1st change made in "Sources"; BUT stuck now on how to open the Registry in that NEW OS; have gone thru everyone of those folders but cannot find....please direct me steps?

TKS michael

PS - Hope you are handy tomorrow [BEWARE!] because I plan to take the plunge tomorrow AM when am fresh and have the day ahead of me to deal with problems IF they just might arise. HeeHee!

20 Feb '10, 12:49 am Thrax

You open the registry on the current OS.

20 Feb '10, 12:53 am cyberized

Roger dat! TKS [again]

20 Feb '10, 1:45 am Basher

FYI, worked like a charm from a folder in c:\

Thanks!

20 Feb '10, 2:00 am Toord

I can confirm that this solution worked for both the 32-bit and 64-bit version of Home Premium.

Great, simple article and solution.

20 Feb '10, 2:22 am Melege

Hello,
Thanks for your use tips.
My question is: Can I just stop my Windows RS 7100 from being restarted every two hours without an upgrade?
I will be very thankful if there's a way.

20 Feb '10, 2:32 am Thrax

No, there is no way to do that.

20 Feb '10, 6:19 pm Greyday

I need to do this on multiple machines - can I use the media to upgrade RC Ultimate to Pro, but then use the Serial Key found on a Upgrade Anytime purchase for activation - thereby saving me $100 per machine? As far as I understand, the serial just indicates the version so wouldn't this work?

20 Feb '10, 9:03 pm cyberized

THRAX: TKS for ALL. I have a Positive and Negative report to make. 1st: The INSTALL using your instructions actually went smoother than silk in spite of all my nervousness. BUT, this is where I need further advice, having to upgrade I also wanted to do a CLEAN install and re=partition my HD because previous owner had put an unuseable version of Vista on one partition.......so I chose do to a "CUSTOM" install.....and when it got to the place where it asked where to put the NEW W'7 I picked a partition.....BUT down below in smaller print it had an option, something like, IF you want to re-partition then RE-START the Install. Here, I hesitated, thinking they MUST mean to go back and click on "SetUp" again?????? Unsure, I just HOPED that it would still re-format the present partitions. As you would well know it did not.....so it esentially did an upgrade which made it nice because so much that was already functional still is.....BUT I still have the old RC W'7 and that old useless Vista on there too.
I am writing now before I install anything else on this new OS.....I need to get your help about essentially starting this over and really doing it right....making it truly a CLEAN W'7 Premium install.
Tell me IF this is what i need to do: put the CDROM back in; Hit Setup again, then when it gets to that place where it tells you to re-start to re-partition - - - go back and hit set-up again, then I will be able to tell it how big to make each partition and where to put the new OS [iit should then reformat etc] and be on it's way again eh?

TKS michael

20 Feb '10, 9:20 pm Thrax

I'm not sure why you followed this guide if you're looking to start fresh with Windows. But if that's what you really want to do...

1. Make sure you have all your important info backed up because this will destroy all information.
2. Turn your computer on with the DVD in the drive so it boots from the disc.
3. Start the setup and choose ADVANCED.
4. Delete all partitions on the drive.
5. Create a new partition of whatever size you want (I advise about 30GB. Install everything else you ever install and save to the second partition it automatically creates).
6. Begin the install.

21 Feb '10, 5:57 pm Shhhteve

I can't seem to get this to work from 7100 to Windows 7 Ultimate N (Both 64bit) Anyone else tried it?

21 Feb '10, 8:57 pm Shhhteve

Dont worry I sorted it with an adjustment of the registry along the lines you guided ta matey

22 Feb '10, 1:16 am Mike

Followed the instructions, did the install, typed the product key but it's hung up at the Home Network connection screen. The screen after I chose which location my computer is located. It says it's 'connecting to your network and applying settings.' It's been hung up at this screen for 15 minutes. This is the second time. It hung for almost 30 minutes before, I shut the PC down and rebooted but did the same thing. Any suggestions?

22 Feb '10, 10:07 am Snarkasm

Are you connected to a network that's properly giving out IP addresses?

22 Feb '10, 12:33 pm Mike

Hmmm, I dont know if I am connected to a network that properly gives out IP addresses. How do I find out? It's my home network. I have the PC, connected directly to router and a laptop connected wirelessly.

22 Feb '10, 12:35 pm Mike

It hung at that screen all night. Finally turned it off but I really need some help to fix this.

22 Feb '10, 2:41 pm Thrax

There are many reasons why the upgrade process isn't going as planned. It could be a driver, or another piece of software that is preventing the upgrade from occurring, but it's practically impossible to tell which one.

22 Feb '10, 3:04 pm Mike

Even if it's gotten this far into the upgrade, after adding the product key?

22 Feb '10, 5:20 pm Tom

This worked for Ultimate. This really saved me a lot of work. Thanks!!!

22 Feb '10, 6:36 pm Mike

With the hanging issue at the Home Network (connecting to your network and applying settings) screen, what do you recommend I do?

22 Feb '10, 6:39 pm Sumit

hey thrax,i did the same as mentioned here, bt facing the same prob as b4. it's still showin me the expiry date of 2-3-2010. wt 2 do xactly ?
mine is build 7227 n i chngd it 2 7000(bt u've mentioned 7077). n plz tel me abt step-3. do i need 2 make any chngs in it ?! m nt sure wt 2 do coz hav already tried this process, not worked
well, 1 more thg-shall i put the same product key wt i'd done during the RC installation ?!
plz help me

22 Feb '10, 10:33 pm Ethan

Hey sorry for the naggyness about the OEM thing, but I don't want to spent 180 bucks and find out it doesn't work. So just to make sure, this copy would work, right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762 the quicker response the better thank you

22 Feb '10, 10:39 pm Snarkasm

Sumit - would you mind typing full words? It makes figuring out what you're saying easier. You shouldn't use the product key you used for the RC - that's an RC key. You need to put in your valid Windows 7 final key.

Ethan, that copy will work.

Mike, I suggest disconnecting your PC from all networks (physically unplug any ethernet cables and remove any wireless cards) and just seeing if the install finishes. If it does and you can boot into Windows, you can debug networking from there.

22 Feb '10, 10:48 pm Ethan

Thanks Snarkasm, I'll get back to this forum as soon as the success is accomplished!

23 Feb '10, 12:14 am Thrax

Quoting Sumit

hey thrax,i did the same as mentioned here, bt facing the same prob as b4. it's still showin me the expiry date of 2-3-2010. wt 2 do xactly ?
mine is build 7227 n i chngd it 2 7000(bt u've mentioned 7077). n plz tel me abt step-3. do i need 2 make any chngs in it ?! m nt sure wt 2 do coz hav already tried this process, not worked
well, 1 more thg-shall i put the same product key wt i'd done during the RC installation ?!
plz help me

I can't help people I can't understand.

23 Feb '10, 12:22 am bear

hi all, after doing upgrade to win 7 ultimate i keep getting a dos window that says system32 wpeinit startnet.cmd after the first reboot, any idea why? installing from modded file on hard drive as well....thnx

23 Feb '10, 12:34 am Meebes

After getting those nag messages from MS, I did the install RC to Pro. It took about 1.5 hrs, without a hitch all my "stuff" is still there.

23 Feb '10, 2:27 am bear

just finished with attempt number 6 trying to upgrade win 7 rc build 7100 to to win 7 ultimate 64 using the above instructions but after first reboot command prompt stills comes up saying system32 wpeinit startnet.cmd. very frustrating. any help in this matter would be very much appreciated...thnx again for your interest

23 Feb '10, 7:08 am Sumit

sorry for my previous post that you guys didn't understand !
well, i wanna say that i followed the same process as u have mentioned. but it still shows me the expiry date as before. so i want to know that which key i should put when it asks me for product key because i've only one key which i used during the time of RC version installation. or do i need to make any other chnages !
the version i am using is windows 7 Ultimate RC build 7227. so i guess, step-3 is not required to follow in my case.
guys...plz help me. any kind of help will be appreciated.
regards,
sumit

23 Feb '10, 8:40 am Snarkasm

You need an actual Windows 7 key - I can't be more clear than I was last time. If you use the key that you got for the Release Candidate, guess what - you're still going to have the Release Candidate, not the final version of Windows. Do you own a legal copy of Windows 7?

23 Feb '10, 9:37 am Sumit

@Snarkasm
No man, i dont own a legal copy of windows 7. so i dont have the actual key of it. now can u plz tel me where to find the actual key of it because keys available on the interent are not working as i had tried them on this installed RC version.
plz tell me what to do ?
and thk u for ur help.

23 Feb '10, 10:14 am ardichoke

We cannot assist you in performing any illegal actions including installing software without a valid license.

23 Feb '10, 11:01 am Snarkasm

Sumit, this is one version of Windows you should really buy. Other than that, Icrontic will not discuss piracy, nor will we help you achieve it. If you're unwilling to purchase a license, please feel free to visit some other community who is willing.

24 Feb '10, 10:46 pm Ryn

So I have the 32-bit RC, and I get that this won't work. I bought the upgrade-version RTM of 64-bit pro, though. So to do a clean install, do I have to first reinstall a 64-bit xp or vista, or will 32-bit work? I don't have a 64-bit xp/vista key...

24 Feb '10, 10:57 pm Snarkasm

If you want to do a clean install, you don't need to do anything special, as I understand it; just install it and go.

If you can't, the old workaround was to install it as a trial, then "upgrade" it to the final version. If you had a legit XP or Vista license, that's a reasonable route to take.

25 Feb '10, 7:58 am Tiffany

Most everything seems to have worked. Windows has taken it upon itself to lock some files and folders, including access to World of Warcraft. All the other installed programs that I've check still work, but this one has been denied, and I can't it unlocked. Any ideas?

25 Feb '10, 8:00 am Tiffany

wow, it's early, I guess. Ignore my typos, please.

25 Feb '10, 8:27 am Tiffany

Ok, I seem to have figured out, finally, how to change my permissions, after much trial and error. I have regained access to the locked folders. I still, however, don't understand why it did this. I guess everything now seems to be working as intended. Thanks for the work around!

25 Feb '10, 4:12 pm Edison

Thanks Thrax ...
Everything works fine!!
From Win 7 RC to Win 7 Ultimate Retail...
One tip:
If you have installed any laguage pack...you will be obligate to install the version in English and after the complete installation, add the pack again...

Thanks everybody!!

Edison from Brazil.

25 Feb '10, 6:35 pm Josef

I confirm this tutorial working for downgrading a german version of the rc to an official german home premium system builder version. update process took 5 hours. Althouh german version "HOMEPREMIUM" as EditionID needed to be entered.
Thanks for this tutorial

25 Feb '10, 6:36 pm primesuspect

Thanks for the tip for our german readers, Josef

25 Feb '10, 9:59 pm CV-6Enterprises

Maybe I missed it, but I do not see anywhere that the type of W7 disk to be used is specified. Is it upgrade, upgrade from say W7 HP to W7 Pro, or is it the full retail disk. Thanks

25 Feb '10, 10:06 pm Thrax

Doesn't matter.

25 Feb '10, 10:17 pm _eclectic_

all my base are belong to you!

This is absolutely fantastic! I haven't tried it yet, but have 3 machines to upgrade before 3/1. This will save my weekend.

I genuflect multiple times in your general direction!

26 Feb '10, 6:12 am YellowJacket PC

Thanks so much for this "fix". Worked like a charm. Upgraded from RC to Windows 7 Home Premium. Will be using this much more in the next few days I'm sure.

26 Feb '10, 12:34 pm Ethan

The process worked smooth as silk. I upgraded to the OEM Windows 7 Ultimate from the RC and everything is crystal clear. Thanks for the article Thrax, you're a life saver.

26 Feb '10, 1:20 pm kcgromit

Will this work with specific upgrade discs? I have a Dell upgrade disc that says "Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional". I installed the RC on a clean hard drive. Thanks for any help you can provide!

26 Feb '10, 2:22 pm Thrax

It's impossible to know, kcgromit, as we can't tell if the Dell disc is an original Windows 7 DVD with different labeling, or a custom disc.

26 Feb '10, 6:40 pm kcgromit

Thanks for the response, Thrax. If it is an original Windows 7 DVD, would it work?

26 Feb '10, 6:54 pm Thrax

Yes indeed.

26 Feb '10, 10:31 pm Drewser

Just tried this on an asia-pacific OEM. (Home Prem). Flawless. thank you.

8)

27 Feb '10, 2:32 am wambamkongbong

THRAX / mr. Hallock....thank you very much bro....it worked for me.....

but just wondering, did i really need to change the MinClient into 7077.0 , if i have a full Windows 7 Ultimate DVD, to actually upgrade from RC 7100 to final retail version. I didn't try it...so i'm not sure......Anyways thanks again!!

27 Feb '10, 2:34 am wambamkongbong

What i meant is i have not tried upgrading without changing the cversion.ini file.

27 Feb '10, 5:55 am Mike

Wanted to let everyone know. It worked for me. Awesome. Thanks.

27 Feb '10, 7:07 pm Charlie

Robert this is simply amazing! I am planning on doing the downgrade to Home Premium OEM tomorrow. I have a question either for you or for other readers who have successfully done this: I know it's completely subjective, but what have your upgrade times been like? I'm wondering if I need to commit an hour or two, or just let it run overnight?

27 Feb '10, 9:03 pm Thrax

Charlie: It depends on how much data you have stored on your C: drive. I have a very small amount, as I store all my files and programs on another partition, so my upgrade process was only about an hour. Other people have reported as much as 4-5 hours.

27 Feb '10, 10:06 pm Tim

I am upgrading from Windows rc 7 to Windows 7 Ultimate from an iso image. I copied the image to a flash drive and edited the cversion.ini file. I have tried editing it to 7000 and 7077 and neither has worked. It goes through almost the whole upgrade, and at the very end it fails, restores my previous installation and then tells me that it isnt compatible with my current version of Windows,etc. can anyone advise what could be the problem?
Best Regards!

28 Feb '10, 12:47 am Simon

Hey, I'm trying to downgrade from the RC to Home Premiums RTM. to my knowledge I followed all instructions to the letter, however after pressing upgrade I get a message saying that I can't upgrade from Ultimate to Home Premium. I double check the Reg and everything looks fine. I just copied and pasted the text from the article into the boxs. I am from Canada though. should that make a difference?

28 Feb '10, 4:38 pm Dan

I followed the instructions exactly and got only an unidentified error message. The installation program first asks whether I want to go online for updates to Windows 7. Maybe those updates disable this tweak.

28 Feb '10, 4:49 pm Telecaster55

Every time I try to do the upgrade I get this message.

Windows 7 Ultimate cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Ultimate instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. Youâ€™ll need to reinstall any programs using the original installation discs or files. To save your files before installing Windows, back them up to an external location such as a CD, DVD, or external hard drive. To install a new copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, click the Back button in the upper left-hand corner, and select â€œCustom (advanced)â€.

Thoughts?

28 Feb '10, 4:54 pm Telecaster55

Sorry don't respond to that last post. I made a moronic mistake.

28 Feb '10, 7:15 pm Chris

Do the contents of the retail version of Windows have to be copied to a folder on a separate drive or can it be copied to a folder on the same drive (=C) you are upgrading to?

28 Feb '10, 7:21 pm Thrax

They can be copied to the same drive, just make sure that there's at least 20GB free on that drive for Windows to move files around during installation.

28 Feb '10, 7:23 pm Dan

The $19.95 version of Laplink Pc Mover (in place upgrade edition) works to enable a fairly painless transition from RC to Home Premium RTM. You install PC Mover on the RC drive and run it. Then use Home Premium Upgrade to do a Custom installation over the top of the RC drive. Then install and run PC Mover on the Home Premium installation. Nearly all settings and programs transfer correctly, with the exception of Norton 360 so far.

28 Feb '10, 7:43 pm Thrax

This article performs the same action, is 100% free, works virtually every time, and saves everything during the upgrade. Laplink is clearly inferior.

28 Feb '10, 9:12 pm Rockape

Brilliant! Thanks. RC Ultimate to RTM Home Premium with no probs at all.... took all afternoon but worked like a dream.

28 Feb '10, 11:27 pm Telecaster55

I tried the upgrade today and here is what the upgrade found on the compatibility check.

Upgrading Windows will affect the following devices and/or programs:

These devices might not work properly after the upgrade. Before upgrading, we recommend updating the drivers for these devices. Cancel the upgrade, open Control Panel and search for "update device drivers", or go to the device manufacturer's website to search for updated drivers.
Storage controllers: AB58MNH0 IDE Controller
Storage controllers: ABFVH437 IDE Controller
These programs might not work properly after the upgrade. We recommend uninstalling these programs before upgrading. Cancel the upgrade, open Control Panel, and search for "uninstall a program". (Note: Programs marked as * can be safely reinstalled after the upgrade.)
Daemon Tools
iTunes (Please deauthorize computer prior to upgrade)
ATI CATALYST Install Manager *
ATI Catalyst Control Center *
SCSI Pass Through Direct
MagicISO Virtual CD/DVD Manager *

I'm not sure what to do about the IDE controllers. Windows said they were up to date when I checked them in device manager. I also went through that list of programs windows recommended unistalling and unistalled everything except the SCSI Pass Through Direct. I couldn't find that in uninstall manager. Is there a away to bypass these warnings and go ahead with the upgrade? Windows didn't give me a choice it just made me cancel out of the installation.

Thank you for your help.

28 Feb '10, 11:44 pm Bernardo

Hello Thrax!
Unfortunately I read your article just after I made the upgrade from RC ultimate to RTM Professional and was getting an error. I followed another article on the internet to upgrade windows and it havent said I needed to change my version in the registry before the instalation.. So I was able to upgrade but now the windows is not recognizing my valid Professional serial number, because he thinks he is Ultimate.
My question is: Will I Have to do a Clean Instalation then or there is a way to make the windows see now he is "Professional" and then accept my key?

thanks and sorry if any english mistakes.

1 Mar '10, 12:10 am Charlie

Just wanted to stop by and say thanks again. I ended up 'upgrading' from the RC to Home Premium OEM this afternoon. Took about 2 hours and everything is just as it was before I upgraded. Such a relief and wayyyyy less of a hassle than a clean install.

1 Mar '10, 12:12 am Kem S

Thrax,

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!
I got the dreaded 1 day expiration notice that the eval copy was expiring. After searching everywhere for the Vista disk to reinstall and not finding it I stumbled across your "solution". I followed it exactly and voila! I am up and running (albeit 4 hours later). Yes I had the upgrade and yes I had the key so piracy was never an issue. But what a saving solution you provided. I can attest it works perfectly, the edits are nothing challenging to anyone who has ever run regedit and the result is perfect. Thanks again for the help.

1 Mar '10, 3:10 am Brandon

The problem I am running into is going from a 32bit OS to the final version of 64bit. It will not let me convert. Any ideas?

1 Mar '10, 3:29 am ardichoke

You cannot do an in place upgrade of 32-bit to 64-bit. You must wipe and reinstall to change architecture.

1 Mar '10, 4:22 am Frank Coughlan

I need a little help. Is the suggestion to copy the installation files to a folder on the drive containing the win 7 rc os, drive c in my case? Can the upgrade be run from there or do the installation files need to be copied to a separate partition or to a usb drive?

1 Mar '10, 7:15 am Bobby B

Hi guys
Can someone please help me
I have a t400 that had RC 7100 on it. I followed the steps exactly to install a retail copy of windows 7 ultimate so i skipped step 3

The install went fine it appears however for some reason it did its reboot in the middle to try and restart and it is just hanging now. It keeps giving me the "starting windows screen" sits there for a few moments and then does it all over again. Any ideas. Im basically screwed if this install just got hosed.

1 Mar '10, 7:51 am Snarkasm

Telecaster: you're not required to run the compatibility check. Windows would have let you install even if you hadn't run it at all, never mind uninstalled things it recommended. Further, upgrading from Win7 to Win7 should have resulted in zero compatibility warnings anyway, since it's going to be the exact same system. You could have ignored it entirely and just went on.

Bernardo: I'm not sure, but can you try doing the relevant registry edits post-upgrade and see if it'll accept it after the fact? Otherwise, you may be out of luck...

Frank Coughlan: You can copy the folders to any drive you want, including your own C (boot) drive. It's no problem.

Bobby, can you boot with the install media in the drive? Can you boot into safe mode? Can you get into the "Repair" function on the install disk and perform a startup repair?

1 Mar '10, 11:19 am equusmedical

Thanks for the tips. Worked well here beautifully. Had to uninstall itunes and remove all references from the registry for Epson Perfection1240, although not attached.

Once upgraded (from RC Ultimate to Home Pemium)had no Internet access. Fortunately found a tip (using my phones access) that ESET antivirus had to be uninstalled and reinstalled. Was blocking Windows 7 from everything. Could be useful for someone.

1 Mar '10, 11:31 am Snarkasm

Interesting. Thanks for that, equus.

1 Mar '10, 11:32 am Bernardo

Snarkasm: thanks for the awnser. I tried searching and changing in registry everything that was Windows "Ultimate" to "Professional", but when I try to activate it still tells me that my license is for another windows SKU. Must have files or hidden registry keys that tells Windows his version.. if only I knew them..

1 Mar '10, 12:47 pm Snarkasm

Bernardo, how is your system set up currently? Do you have programs installed to a different partition than the OS is on?

If so, your best bet is to use Windows Easy Transfer to pull your My Documents and such out of Windows, reinstall properly, then transfer the information back in; that should retain most of your programs and stuff. Thrax has done this before - he might chime in with more info.

1 Mar '10, 12:54 pm Dan

Thrax, the method outlined in this posting does not work every time. It did not work for me and did not work for others who have posted here.

1 Mar '10, 12:59 pm Bernardo

Yes, my programs are installed in another partition!
With Windows Easy Transfer I wont need to install everythig again?
By "reinstall" you man clean install right?

1 Mar '10, 1:02 pm Dan

Also, when I used the method outlined in the posting, to the letter, the upgrade failed "due to unknown error." Further, it altered my boot partition on the RC machine so that the partition is not recognized in any other machine. It also disabled many of my programs on the RC machine.

Fortunately, I had made an Acronis Trueimage backup before using the technique. The technique also disabled Acronis Trueimage on the RC machine. So I had to use a different machine to restore the image to another drive, and I inserted that into the RC machine, thus restoring my RC configuration. Then I used Laplink Pc Mover on the RC machine, followed by installing Win7 HomePreium over the top of the RC installation, followed by running PC Mover again with acceptable results. The printer drivers did not transfer and Norton 360 did not transfer.

1 Mar '10, 3:30 pm Robert

Having a tough time here... I'm getting this error, although I've followed the document exactly. I've tried this with Win7 Ultimate and also a Win7 Professional and both give this error. Any ideas?

"Windows 7 Ultimate cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Ultimate instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. "

1 Mar '10, 8:16 pm Daniel

I'm an european user so unfortunatly can not upgrade like you have decribed. Would I be able to install this version?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Windows-Premium-Upgrade-Vista/dp/B002DGS81C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1267474064&sr=8-2

Thanks

1 Mar '10, 10:01 pm JerryK132

It worked flawlessly. abt 4 hrs. W7RC --> W7 Retail Pro. Perfect! Saved me days of re-installs. Many, many thanks, guys. Jerry

1 Mar '10, 10:43 pm Jim Mills

Thank you so much for this fix. It was a much better alternative to having my computer start shutting down every two hours, or having to reformat and start from scratch. I'm sure you saved many weary geeks with this.

2 Mar '10, 2:03 am Mark S

Thanks for the work-around! Very useful, and worked like a charm! Did the "downgrade" on saturday, only took about 2 hours, after about an hour or so of backing up a few things. Super glad that I back up files a few times a month, as this shortened my install time having only to go back and make sure everything and anything I needed/wanted was off the RC box and on my 1TB WD external. Instructions were easy to follow, and these couple quick switches took literally minutes..went safely from Win 7 RC (7100) to Win 7 Pro (Retail). Thanks again guys!

2 Mar '10, 8:29 pm Bubahlu

I followed these steps to the "T" but am coming across an issue where after selecting which language to use TWICE on different prompts followed by the install prompt, I get "Windows cannot determine which language to install." I am at a loss here as to how to continue =/

3 Mar '10, 2:52 am Kevin W

followed above instructions. My issue is that when I start to run the released version of Win7 it appears to completely skip past the Upgrade or Custom install screen. Any ideas?

P.S. M?y release version of Win7 is one that I bought through the Microsoft company store.

3 Mar '10, 9:27 am Mary

Robert:

If there was a religion of Windows 7 Updates, you'd be the one true god. All hail the mighty thrax!

(No, seriously, that was one of the best tweaks I've ever used. Worked flawlessly. Thanks so much!)

4 Mar '10, 6:15 am yez

AWESOME really saved me
@ Daniel make sure that the version you upgrade to is the same as your RC. E.G. I had a german x86 RC thus I needed a german x86 retail to upgrade. Thx Thrax and rock on

4 Mar '10, 11:24 am Terry

I attempted the above process twice and I keep receiving the notification that the upgrade did not complete and the previous windows installation has been restored. I am upgraded from Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate RC 7100 to OEM Windows 7 64 bit Professional. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

4 Mar '10, 6:24 pm Help

Can somebody help? I'm getting an error in the registery part. It's saying, "errror cannot edit..."

4 Mar '10, 9:38 pm DamonRipper

Just a note. I ran into the same problem as Jonathan ... not enough space on C: drive because I keep a smaller system partition. I circumvented this issue by copying the contents of the C:\Windows\Installer directory to my D: drive, which freed up enough space to upgrade. After upgrading, make sure you copy them back!

Thanks for the great post Thrax! I downgraded to Home Premium and it is working like a charm, with a ton of software (I am a DBA and developer).

4 Mar '10, 9:39 pm DamonRipper

Doh! I meant I MOVED the contents of the directory, not copied

6 Mar '10, 2:54 pm elfman

This worked beautifully Robert. I'm glad you had the ProductName example of "Windows 7 Professional" or I wouldn't have known exactly what to call it.

I normally wouldn't hack an upgrade like this, but I just assumed that by installing the RC, it would be upgradeable using my previous XP license. That's fair. I had an upgrade path. It would have taken days to reinstall XP and then set up all my applications and settings without the use of the transfer tool MS normally supplies with upgrades. MS dropped the ball. Thank you for staying on top of it Robert!

6 Mar '10, 10:05 pm Joel

Hi, Im triyng to upgrade my RC to Profesional RTM, but it seems I dont have the WindowsNT in the regedit.. What can I do?

8 Mar '10, 2:15 pm Karl

This is a simple great document but it failed for me. Now, admitedly I am attempting via a logmein session. Any of you out there with a Mother that is like a virus to a PC will understand why I am attempting this.

The system has been running RC 32-bit for months and is working like a champ. I have copied the contents of the disc to a hard drive, modified the regedit as recommended, started install and selected update. It seemed to run fine and restarted. It never asked for a serial number. When it came back up it still stated Windows 7 Ultimate and not Windows 7 HOMEPREMIUM as it should. I attempted the change license and it failed. Any ideas?

Is there a confirmation that I am not seeing on reboot?

8 Mar '10, 3:31 pm Karl

I should calrify. The contents copied were from the Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit disc.

10 Mar '10, 12:39 am BoNubbs

I did the workaround and it worked like a charm. I'm a little leery to install the latest win7 update (KB971033). Anyone install this update yet?

10 Mar '10, 11:30 pm Tony C

When I try to use this method, the process will go as it should, until the computer reboots itself.
I then get a Windows is starting... screen, and then a cmd box with these lines:

X:\$WINDOWS. ~BT\WINDOWS\system32>wpeinit_

X:\$WINDOWS. ~BT\WINDOWS\system32>_

What should I do???

14 Mar '10, 2:51 am ABAL

Quoting Joel

Hi, Im triyng to upgrade my RC to Profesional RTM, but it seems I dont have the WindowsNT in the regedit.. What can I do?

Did you find a work around for the no WindowsNT Joel? I have the problem no WindowsNT in the regedit.

15 Mar '10, 4:20 pm RioT

I've use the process and it initally seemed to work to have win 7 build 7600 rtm. Now after march first it reboots every 2 hours. When i run winver it says
Microsoft Windows
Version 6.1(Build 7600)
Evaluation copy. Expires 03/01/2010 07:59 PM

How can i stop the reboots?

15 Mar '10, 4:23 pm Thrax

Enter a CD key for the OS.

20 Mar '10, 5:29 pm kenco

Worked a treat, many thanks! Saved a load of greif and hassle re-installing everything.

20 Mar '10, 5:34 pm Mark

Hi there. I have a crashed copy of XP. And I'm currently running on the RC.

I'm wondering if windows 7 would detect XP if I were to try to use the Windows 7 upgrade edition (the one that requires XP or vista already installed) with this trick.

21 Mar '10, 9:39 am Jim

Many thanks!!!

I was concerned about maintaining by dual boot with XP and Windows 7.

Fortunately I found this guide before I wasted too much time and aggravation.

I had 2 computers with XP and RC dual boot--upgraded the RC to Home Premium using two XP upgrade versions of Win7 Home Premium (full version not required, as many anal retentive "that won't work" geeks are saying on the net)--no problem--still got my dual boot and Windows 7 Home Premium is working perfectly, registered and updated fine.

21 Mar '10, 9:43 am Jim

To Mark, I think it will work without problem--there didn't appear to be any process I could see that attempted to detect if XP was installed or asked for an XP cd or reg code like there has been on previous versions of windows.

23 Mar '10, 4:18 am Mike

Hi, I'm wondering if it's possible to carry this out from a 32 bit RC(7100) to a 64 bit retail version of windows 7 home prem, sorry if it's been asked but i can't find it anywhere

23 Mar '10, 4:59 am djmeph

Definitely not.

23 Mar '10, 12:54 pm Snarkasm

You cannot upgrade from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS.

28 Mar '10, 1:00 am Mike

thanks guys

31 Mar '10, 7:03 am Alexander G

If you use the Phion Entegra Client Software, uninstall before. Ohterwise downgrading won't work.

31 Mar '10, 4:31 pm varun

hey many people seem to be satisfied by this but i got a problem.. i have the evolution copy of build 7077.. and it shows the following

[HostBuild]
MinClient=7000.0
MinServer=7000.0

how and into what can i change this as everything is "7000"??????? pls help

2 Apr '10, 6:25 am varun

pls pls pls tell me

15 Apr '10, 12:19 am mixn

I'm using an evaluation copy of win7 ultimate v6.1 build 7260. Purchased win7 home premium and have gone through the steps without any success. At first I was getting stuck at the home premium entry in the registry. Read on different sites it had to match what the installation dvd has. Tried HomePremium, HOMEPREMIUM, and then Home Premium (with the space, had to do a fresh installation on a separate hd to get that). The last one seems to have went the furthest since it took the installation from 1.5hrs to about 3hrs. Now instead of failing and giving me a compatibility report, it fails and gives me a message that 'this version of windows could not be installed'. It then restores ultimate. Has anyone come across this?

15 Apr '10, 11:37 pm djmeph

That immediately raises some flags to me, as the process went so smoothly both times I did this I am concerned there are other issues at hand. Format and install from the DVD.

28 Apr '10, 9:33 am Joseph

I've changed the cversion.ini
[HostBuild]
MinClient=7233.0 to 7000.0
MinServer=7100.0

no doubt, it works...
but after a couple of hours, when I turn on my PC, then my PC back to RC version, not the full
Please help...

thanks
Joseph

28 Apr '10, 9:37 am Joseph

more information.
I am using Ultimate right now
and try to upgrade to Ultimate build 7600.

thanks
Joseph

20 May '10, 1:18 am Jeremy

Hi everyone.
It might have been covered on this forum, but I haven't read every single word, so take this as my preemptive apology if I missed it. I'm exploring buying a copy of Windows 7, and wanted to double-check a few uncertainties of mine. I realize that the RC I'm running is 32-bit Ultimate. I've begun receiving the message that my version will expire in 'n' days, and need to purchase a copy. Will simply using an upgrade disk work to change to 64-bit, or do I need the full version?Also, do I need to worry about RTM/OEM, and if so, why/what is the difference? If I choose home Premium, what are the implications of not possessing the Windows XP productivity mode (i.e. Does it adversely affect playing older games)? Any additional useful information would be appreciated. Thanks.

20 May '10, 11:53 am Snarkasm

You cannot upgrade to x64; you will need to do a clean installation. XPMode is only a loss if you have a program that won't run in Vista/7. If you're still playing games from that era, you might consider it.

20 May '10, 6:20 pm ardichoke

Last time I tried to play a game in XP Mode, it was a miserable failure. I really doubt that XP Mode has the power to play anything more than Zork from my experience.

20 May '10, 6:38 pm AlexDeGruven

It depends on your host hardware. You can tweak the settings for the image in XPMode. It's set pretty conservatively so as to have as little impact as possible on the host environment.

Even so, you're not going to be able to do any 3D acceleration in XPMode, so most games will be unavailable.

20 May '10, 6:45 pm ardichoke

Yeah, the 3d acceleration was what I was referring to mostly.

20 May '10, 7:52 pm Jeremy

Well, my box is custom-built so in terms of hardware, it's pretty current. Core i7 @ 2.67, 6 GB ram @ 1033 MHz, Radeon HD 4870 DK... I guess I'm looking at Professional x64 full version then. Anyone know where I can get it on the cheap besides ebay (ha!)? I checked Newegg, and it sells for $268. I was told to stay away from TigerDirect. Suggestions? Thanks.

20 May '10, 7:53 pm Jeremy

Or can I use the upgrade disc?

20 May '10, 7:54 pm Thrax

I would honestly recommend an OEM copy of Windows 7 Pro x64. You can get it for a fraction of the price of a retail copy and it installs without a prior version of Windows.

TigerDirect is totally legitimate, I will add.

Note that the OEM EULA technically says you can't transfer that license between systems, but Microsoft is more than happy to reactivate over the phone. I've done it myself.

20 May '10, 7:58 pm Jeremy

Awesome. Thanks for the second opinion. Thanks to everyone else too.

27 May '10, 4:36 am djmeph

The upgrade would come with both a 32-bit and 64-bit disk. Not sure if that helps.

1 Jun '10, 2:53 pm frankyboy707

When im trying to upgrade i get this message... "Windows 7 Ultimate cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. You can choose to install a new copy of Windows 7 Ultimate instead, but this is different from an upgrade, and does not keep your files, settings, and programs. "
Does anyone know what to do...

1 Jun '10, 5:29 pm eJTW

I'm posting this comment from my laptop which is still running the Evaluation Copy Build 7100. Didn't expect to be able to use it when I powered on this morning. So anyways... I'm thinking of going with the Full Retail Version of Home Premium. This is an Ultimate RC. Thinking that by the time buy the OS and install this one will be null, it shouldn't be a problem, right? And I did do a back-up of this one, but I doubt 'll be able to use it, correct?

7 Jun '10, 5:53 pm eJTW

So it's been almost a week and I'm still running the Build 7100. No major malfunctions. It now has a note under the EC, Build 7100 on lower right side of screen that says: "This is copy of Windows is not genuine". And every now and then I get a pop-up saying I may be a victim of counterfeit... other than that it's cool. I just bought a retail version of Home Premium. Do I just pop it in and install normally?

7 Jun '10, 8:46 pm djmeph

The directions in the first post of this thread answer your question.

18 Jun '10, 11:56 pm Mejoo

Hi thrax , its telling me this when i start my computer "to keep using windows back up your files then install any edition of windows ultimate" i have tried alot but don't know how to fix it so plzzzzzzzzzzzz help >> mine is 7100

18 Jun '10, 11:59 pm Mejoo

any relesed edition of wi7 ok ?

14 Jul '10, 6:43 pm 99

Hi, had a quick read through all the posts, someone did ask whether the win 7 trial for IT Professionals was eligible for this method, I dont think a clear answer was given.

Some clarity on, if this method will work, upgrading -Win 7 Trial for IT Professionals to win 7 pro would be great

Cheers

6 Aug '10, 4:29 am Brett

I'm trying to upgrade to an OEM Windows 7 HP 64 bit. I've followed the steps, but I cannot upgrade. It immediately tells me that it is not possible after selecting the upgrade option. I've tried various ways of typing homepremium for the registry, but it doesn't seem to be making a difference. Sure would appreciate your help.

8 Aug '10, 6:33 am ardichoke

The instructions here were for upgrading the Release Candidate to the full version of Windows 7. Since your Windows install was an HP OEM, you already have the full version. These instructions do not apply.

Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to any retail version

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Final thoughts

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