Windows 7 upgrading from rc

weissmertz

New Member
im running the rc 64 bit .i bought the upgrade of w7 for 50. $ . i was reading somewhere online that you can upgrade from the rc only one time.but they "i think" were suggesting you could install and upgrade then make a clone or ghost image of the install and then be able to use this as a install cd. sorry if this is vague but i was wanting to learn how to do this cause i dont want to have to install an older os and do an upgrade everytime i have to do an install.anyone know what im talkin about .any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
im running the rc 64 bit .i bought the upgrade of w7 for 50. $ . i was reading somewhere online that you can upgrade from the rc only one time.but they "i think" were suggesting you could install and upgrade then make a clone or ghost image of the install and then be able to use this as a install cd. sorry if this is vague but i was wanting to learn how to do this cause i dont want to have to install an older os and do an upgrade everytime i have to do an install.anyone know what im talkin about .any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hi,
If your running the RC then MS recommends to do a clean install to trade up to the RTM version. If you are using an 'upgrade' version of 7 to do this then when it's in the installation process it will look for old copies of windows, if it doesn't find any the installation will stop and you will be asked to place an old copy of windows in the drive (so don't throw away your old xp/vista disk. This could any full copy of windows from 98 to vista and once thats been done the installation will continue.. I hope this answers your question..

As for using a clone copy, I'm pretty sure it would only usefull for back up purposes only..
 
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i have RTM on my laptop which is running ok, but i have made a full system image of the hard drive with the built in backup software that 7 has and made a repair disk.
I have ad to use it to do a full restore when things went wrong with the install (my own fault ) and it restored the machine to perfect condition with all my documents and data intact from when i created the image.

The system image feature of windows 7 is a great addition to the OS and should of been in previous versions.

So once you have the machine up and running with the full OS when it is released just make a system image and store it on an external hard drive for when things go wrong.
 
im running the rc 64 bit .i bought the upgrade of w7 for 50. $ . i was reading somewhere online that you can upgrade from the rc only one time.but they "i think" were suggesting you could install and upgrade then make a clone or ghost image of the install and then be able to use this as a install cd. sorry if this is vague but i was wanting to learn how to do this cause i dont want to have to install an older os and do an upgrade everytime i have to do an install.anyone know what im talkin about .any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

You "could" upgrade the RC to the final only after you take the final release disc and copy it's content to a folder on your current RC system, then locate the cversion.ini file inside this folder. Edit the cversion.ini and change the MinClient value to 7000 and then run the setup to install the final version, or in your case the "upgrade".

I've personally done this and it works. It's a hack, so it's not "official" and but detailed instructions can be found here: How to Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to RTM (Final Release) :: the How-To Geek


Edit -

Just thought about it. I don't think this upgrade disc you bought will work. The $50 version, IIRC, is only the Pro version. The x64 RC version you currently have is the Ultimate version. I don't think it's possible to downgrade from Ultimate to Pro. You'll have to do a "clean install", which means you can install the final version on the existing partition (in any event, the old RC Windows folder will be renamed to windows.old and the rest of the stuff you have on the C drive will be wiped out) or when you're in the setup, you can select the option to format the C: partition and then install Windows 7 final. I think what you're referring to, and I've read it before, it was said that you should back up all program or system from RC and then do a clean install. Once the new OS has been installed, you could copy those programs back - or reinstall those programs and then copy back the parameters so they'll work again. I always had trouble with that and found it easier to just reinstall the previously lost programs.
 
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Hi,
If your running the RC then MS recommends to do a clean install to trade up to the RTM version. If you are using an 'upgrade' version of 7 to do this then when it's in the installation process it will look for old copies of windows, if it doesn't find any the installation will stop and you will be asked to place an old copy of windows in the drive (so don't throw away your old xp/vista disk. This could any full copy of windows from 98 to vista and once thats been done the installation will continue.. I hope this answers your question..

As for using a clone copy, I'm pretty sure it would only usefull for back up purposes only..
I'm not sure if you've done it, but I had installed a fresh copy of Windows XP and then put in the Windows x86 RC disc (from XP) and was notified on screen that it would not be possible to upgrade that OS to RC. So, I then rebooted my computer - booting from the DVD drive to install Windows 7 and the upgrade option still didn't work. What transpired was that W7 made the old XP windows folder into windows.old and installed itself into the new Windows folder. I later wiped this HDD when I installed x64 RTM and chose the option to format the HDD. This worked so much better.
 
im not sure but i may have the rtm how can i find out if it is the rtm
Look at your system properties. Right click on My Computer (or Computer from the start orb) and then click on Properties. RTM is version 7600. I'm at work right now (using XP) so I don't have the exact info for you, but it should be the same for any of the Windows OS - click on property settings of My Computer and it'll show what version you're using, how much memory you have, etc.

I should be surprised when someone doesn't know if they have RTM or not, considering RTM was only released to TechNet and MSDN subscribers (and other IT professionals and students), but oh well. I will admit that I am surprised when people want to buy a retail copy of Windows 7 when they already have RTM install, considering that RTM is the ultimate version and assuming they're probably not using the software for commercial purpose, but just having it installed and using it, which IMO is evaluating the software. IMO, using RTM to "evaluate" the OS and not using it in a production environment, or for commercial or financial gain, is the same as paying for a retail version and using it at home, as long as they have a valid product key for RTM.
 
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at the top it say windows 7 ultimate i am a technet subscriber but wher does it say rc or rtm im pretty sure its rtm.so can you upgrade from rtm w/ out previous version of windows ? i do have windows 98 but i might have to dig it up
 
at the top it say windows 7 ultimate i am a technet subscriber but wher does it say rc or rtm im pretty sure its rtm.so can you upgrade from rtm w/ out previous version of windows ? i do have windows 98 but i might have to dig it up

I'm a technet subscriber, too. Actually, that is a good point you made, as I have always been calling it RTM as that is the latest version released on Technet in August. Where does it actually state RTM, I'm not sure now, but I thought it was under system properties. I'll have to check when I get home in about an hour.

Regarding your question about upgrading from RTM.... Um, RTM is the final release which is the same as the Ultimate version that will hit store shelves on Oct. 22nd. RTM is yours to keep, and will not expire. IMO, there is no upgrade from this version as it is the tip top of the Windows 7 OS and in my case, there is no reason why I would pay another $219 for that Ultimate "upgrade" disc. I'm not using W7 other than my home theater PC. Regarding that $50 W7 Pro upgrade you bought, IMO, you wasted your money, LOL, or you could sell it to someone else. Did you purchase that before you downloaded RTM? I mean, if you already had TechNet access, why buy the retail software unless you're going to use them at work or for your private business for financial gain, but if you're only going to be using it at home and no where else, then heaven forbid, but TechNet is like the bargain of all bargins as you get access to most MS software for the price of one retail item.

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Here's a FAQ I found, it'll explain it better than I can: http://www.ithinkdiff.com/windows-7-rtm-faq/
 
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To check which copy your running, open 'My Computer' and hit the 'alt' key and then click the help tab along the top. Then from the drop down menu choose 'about windows' . You should then see a dialogue box appear stating which version your running..
See screen shots
 
at the top it say windows 7 ultimate i am a technet subscriber but wher does it say rc or rtm im pretty sure its rtm.so can you upgrade from rtm w/ out previous version of windows ? i do have windows 98 but i might have to dig it up

If you have the RTM and it isn't an upgrade version then you won't be needing the old copy of 98. You can just install and format as needed..
 
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