Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade
596835
Upgrade loaded will no peoblem other than the long period to install.  Back everything to an external drive.  Vista wipes out more than other upgrades.  My iPod music library was wiped out along with my files in "My Documents".  Vista is not as stable as XP and you will have to down load a lot of new update for old software programs for Vista to run them.
577531
I've been using Windows XP since around early 2002, and have had virtually no problems with it. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the number of times that it blue-screened on me, where malfunctioning hardware wasn't involved. I tried Vista for a couple of weeks and was fairly underwhelmed, so decided to stick with XP. I was going to upgrade to Windows 7 when I got a new PC, but that probably won't be any time soon, and given that I am pretty much the default tech support 'computer guy' for my friends and family, I decided I'd go ahead and make the switch, just in case anybody who knows me buys a new PC with it and starts asking questions.

So now I've got Windows 7 up and running, and of course, it's rock solid. But then, XP was too, so that's not anything new. But what else does 7 have to offer? Well, they replaced the win32 'classic' interface with a bunch of transparent eye candy with glass effect, presumably to appease the iTards; that was the first thing that got turned off. For those of us that had 40+ apps on the quick launch toolbar, the new taskbar is a disaster. Fortunately, you can switch it back to XP-style. And don't get me started on Windows Explorer - I could write paragraphs about that train wreck. Oh, and one thing I liked about Vista was the new Calendar app, but they went and removed that in 7, along with other native apps like Mail and Movie Maker, replacing them with less functional online equivalents.

On the plus side, the start menu has been improved significantly. It's a lot more customizable than before, and the little search box means I don't have to hunt for anything in the start menu anymore. Other than that, I'm just not seeing a whole lot that made me glad I made the switch. They have moved and renamed a lot of stuff for no apparent reason, so now I have to relearn where everything is. In short, I guess there's not a whole lot to complain about, but nothing new that's exactly mind-blowing either.

BTW: If you've read this far and you're thinking about upgrading, I'll give you some tips you can use to increase the likelyhood that your upgrade and/or purchase of a new PC will go smoothly:

- Instead of upgrading one version of Windows over another, ALWAYS reformat and do a clean install. I know it sucks to have to reinstall all your apps, but you greatly reduce the chances of anything going wrong.
- If you buy a new PC, DEMAND from the vendor that they provide for you a 'vanilla' Windows install disc, meaning one that doesn't have all the crapware that they like to load down new PCs with. And don't let them give you any of that 'recovery partition' BS either. GET THE PHYSICAL DISC!!!! And once you get the PC home, the first thing you do is reinstall Windows clean with the disc they gave you, which should get rid of all the trialware junk that was installed by the vendor when they built your PC. Not following this step is the number one reason why so many people had problems with Vista (and hated it as a result).
- Don't install anything on your PC that says 'Norton' on the box. EVER! There are much better security products out there that won't thrash your machine, so do a little bit of research.
- If you have friends or family members who like to download a lot of stuff off P2P networks or cruise porn sites, don't let them anywhere near your machine, unless you are POSITIVE they've got enough sense not to run any .exe file that promises them nude pics of Megan Fox.
3109573
We ran one PC on Vista for the last year and several on XP.  After a year of frustration and garbage performance from Vista, we just spent $300 to switch the Vista PC over to XP.  Stay away from this stinker.
2809239
Update 3/4/15: My HP Pav. Elite  running Win7 Pro died and I was loaded this Win. 7 package, essentially resurrecting it.

I purchased "Win 7 Home Premium SP1 32 (OEM) System" to upgrade an older HP laptop running Vista which I totally hated. And I've very little to say about the experience, except that I loaded the DVD, followed the screen prompts, and now the laptop is running Windows 7 which I like almost as much as XP.

It was as easy as I hoped and, honestly, I'm beside myself; wow! Microsoft actually got something right.
4570023
I upgraded to this from Vista.  The upgrade process itself was relatively smooth.  When I first inserted the disc and tried to click the executable file I got an error message saying it could not be found.  Luckily after restarting the computer, and trying it again the upgrade started and proceeded just fine.  A couple things to note.  The upgrade comes with a 32 bit version and 64 bit version so you just need to pick the one you need.  If you don't know which you have, the instructions say try the 32 bit one first and if you need the other it will tell you.  Secondly if you upgrade from Vista (really any version of windows other than Windows 7 Home Basic or Premium) you will lose any installed programs you have and will need to reinstall them (if they are on your C drive).  From the looks of it you may not lose them if they are installed on an external drive.  That could be a small inconvenience or a large pain in the butt depending on what you have on your computer, so be aware.

The bulk of the install process takes under an hour.  I started it about a half hour before I went to work and it was mostly finished.  By the time I got home it was at the password screen and went through a few more things that took minimal time.  The feel is much different than any other versions of windows.  The start button and menu is gone.  Or I guess hidden is a better way to describe it.  You access it by hovering the mouse over the top right corner of the monitor and then you get a bar that has the windows icon, and when you click that you see all your installed programs.  Other than that the desktop basically looks the same however.  It seems to function much better than vista (although to be fair my version of vista was getting very buggy and glitchy toward the end which is part of the reason I upgraded it).  It runs much faster, and has far less problems freezing up and so far no random issues like the snipping tool suddenly ceasing to work.  There is definitely a learning curve though getting used to how things are laid out and how to access programs, folders or accessories.  I do not think they really needed to do a total redesign of the layout and losing the programs was kind of a pain, but now that I am getting more familiar with it I am glad I upgraded.
3295931
I upgraded from Vista to Windows 7 and Windows 7 is better, though the bar was so unbelievably low with Vista, that doesn't mean much.  Just be aware that HomeGroup flat out doesn't work. I've spent four hours on the phone today with a combination of Geek Squad and Microsoft Support, and we finally got it to work once so that my laptop could see files on my PC.  But the next time I restarted, it went away.  It's just another Microsoft rip-off, a supposed feature that can't be used by mortals. So if you don't plan to network your computers with HomeGroup, no problem.  But don't count on that feature, because it doesn't work.
4851911
im very experienced with windows and I did an upgrade from windows 7 home premium and within 4 minutes of doing nothing but trying to get the xbox smart screen to work and I it a blue screen.
cant start computer. forced to do a reformat. I wanted to move on from 7 as I like moving forward in tech but this upgrade is awful
2025034
We upgraded from 2008 due to the fact that after our service ran out it started to act up.  (Which always seems to be the case.) We had to wipe out our computer and start over from scratch due to the fact that we didn't have the newest version of Vista.  Should've updated the computer first!  All in all after spending the money to get the computer back to where it was prior to installing Peachtree 2011, it is up and running and the Peachtree program is once again doing fine.
2999636
The upgrade isn't happening for me.  I've called MS many times and they say it's a known issue but for all the help they've given me, the installation still isn't happening.
3290498
The Anytime Upgrade is a painless way to upgrade the Windows 7 Home Premium to Ultimate. On the two boxes I've upgraded it took perhaps ten minutes to complete the process. The upgrade is not cheap, so why bother? There are only a few additional features that Ultimate adds to Home Premium. The feature that I wanted isn't even mentioned anywhere that I've looked: Windows Media Center gets a drag-able slider for TV recordings with a small window showing the content at the slider's position. This works exactly like the slider in the Netflix streaming viewer. It's easy to use the slider to find where a TV program resumes after the ads, so I don't have to us Media Center's clumsy two-speed fast forward control (which is too slow or too fast).
1524147
I picked up a new netbook that came with Windows 7 Starter OS. This software installed quickly with no glitches, giving me a fully operating Home Premium edition for a very modest price.
4577904
Vista 64-bit home premium came preinstalled on a new laptop.  I purposely selected this option because I wanted a laptop that would be current for about five years.  Have used it for about 6 weeks now and it's not as difficult to use as I thought it would be.  However, yesterday I ordered a new desktop -- NOT with Vista 64-bit.  Am tired of having to upgrade fairly new software just for Vista 64, tired of not being able to hear streaming music, not being able to use my Slingbox, not being able to see certain HTML effects, and not being able to get help for any of this.  I also needed something that would work with my other hardware such as printers, scanners, etc. for which there are no Vista 64-bit drivers.  By the time Vista 64-bit is ready, five years will likely have passed. Don't buy this unless you're running something that truly needs it or you have another PC that you can count on.
4002543
I Upgraded My PC Computer from Windows Vista Ultimate 64Bit, to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit! It took Me about 8 Hours to Upgrade, and then another 8 Hours to Update Windows 7! Could not transfer Windows Mail from Windows Vista, so I installed Windows Live Mail after Windows 7 Upgrade! Just be sure before you Upgrade to do a Custom Complete Scan your PC Computer to check for Viruses and Malware, and if you find any than clean them off your Hard Disk before the Upgrade, and then Defrag your PC, or else you could have problems with the Upgrade to Windows 7. Windows 7 seems to also work a lot faster and better than Windows Vista, and I was surprised to find that out! Anyway, also run that Windows 7 check Software Program first (Download it from Microsoft Web Site), to see if any Programs on your Hard Drive are not compatible with Windows 7, and have to be removed first from your Hard Drive Disk! Other wise Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit Upgrade Software seems to be working on My PC Computer just fine, and it Defrag Program is much better than that on Windows Vista! That is about it!
3463189
I have experience in every Microsoft and Apple/Mac upgrade product in that I own both PCs and Macs.  Yesterday I decided to attempt an upgrade from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate at on Dell PC w. Intel Core i7 920, 12 Gb RAM.  I inserted the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD and followed the simple directions (and held my breath).  I was advised by the system that I needed to (1) "deauthorize" my iTunes, (2) that my ATI drivers would no longer work, and that I would need to update them. The upgrade took about about 2 hours to complete (fully automated - no actions on my part), and to my astonishment, it worked perfectly.  Just like a Mac, all but one (1) my Applications and files were preserved and migrated. I lost use of the HP Printer Software for Officejet Pro L7680 All-In-One Printer/Scanner.  I went to the HP website, and HP does not have new software available yet.  The post-upgrade speed of applications/programs opening is much faster, but my boot-up speeds are not noticeably faster.  Mac still rules when it comes to boot-up speed.  I did have to download and install (free) Windows Email (since it no longer comes bundled with Windows 7).  The Windows 7 interface is easy on the eyes, and there seems to be some additional Aero features.  All in all, this the best upgrade in Microsoft history.
4512031
I just bought this upgrade on amazon. I have tried repeatedly to use it; i keep getting the message that this key won't work and that i need a different key. So, 84+ dollars wasted because of course amazon won't let me return it or provide any help. I did check that i had the right upgrade - from Windows 7 home premium to windows professional...but it doesn't work. I will never buy an upgrade from Amazon again. But I will call my credit card provided and file a claim, since I didn't get what i paid for.
1138566
Honestly, I am not a guy who favor more microsoft products. But Their products are no doubt damm good. I am very tired to read those negative review and complaint about "cannot upgrade from win xp pro to vista home..ect" Why don't people just read the label or run the microsoft upgrade adviser or check the vista home page and read word by word. It detail showed if you want to upgrade from win xp pro to vista home basic need a clean install. The previous version of window xp will be saved on the window.old file in your C drive. You still can retreived importing file there after you re-installed the program. After I upgraded my window xp pro to vista home basic, my machine is faster and the online experience is better. I don't need to worry and waste too much time on the security issue because vista securtiy is tight. Plus you can download the one full year spyware scanner software from CA. It is free for one year. Plus window firewall control traffic both way in and out and window defender. Nice destop design. I am running P4 3.2 2Gig ram, 6800GT with 128MB video with no problem using vista. This is not a high end machine, so don't worry too much about the hardware compatibility. Window vista comes with a lot of preinstalled new drivers for todays hardware. I only download the new sound card driver from creative lab. Vista home basic is worth each penny.
817553
Bought it to upgrade wife's Lenovo laptop that came w/ Vista Home Professional 64 bit.  Delivered on time.  Thanks UPS.  Tried the upgrade install first.  Got error msg. stating, "Cannot upgrade Vista Home Premium to W7 Professional."  Must perform a Clean Install.  Great.  Used MS Easy Transfer to move files to an external HDD.  After doing a clean install tried moving files back to the laptop, but kept getting an error message, "Cannot open Transfer File."  More great news.  Spent 2.5 hours on the phone with a very nice MS Tech Support agent, to no avail.  Files lost forever.  Don't try to upgrade unless you're prepared to lose everything on the computer you're upgrading.

Only good news is that the Lenovo w/ W7 smokes as compared to Vista.  Guess it should, as there's nothing on the hard drive now to slow it down...