Students, retired folks, IT pros, dabblers, 'nix heads, etc. would ALL find trying to UPGRADE from a 32 bit to a 64 bit OS hard. Three words - "can't be done."
There, was that hard? Why is this even news?
Students find Win 7 upgrade a tough assignment
Summary
Microsoft admits problems that students are having when they try to download a discounted upgrade version of Windows 7.
Topics
Microsoft's discount Windows 7 upgrade for students has proven to be a tough assignment for some of those who signed up for the offer.
The software maker is offering students the option of buying a downloadable upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29--a significant savings off the full boxed copy of the new operating system. However, a number of students have reported problems when trying to download and install the new version of Windows.
In a blog posting, Microsoft says it is aware of several issues that folks have encountered. Most common is the fact that folks can't easily go from the 32-bit version of Vista to the 64-bit version of Windows 7. That requires a clean installation.
Those in that camp can either get a refund or contact Digital River, the company managing the digital downloads, to try to get a disc with the operating system.
For more, read "Students find problems with Windows 7 upgrade" from CNET News.
Talkback Most Recent of 26 Talkback(s)
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Confused by religion26th Oct 2009 -
This is news
because some people like to keep spreading FUD that Windows Makes things more difficult. They are saying that they can get a refund or they can just have some patience and use the Migration wizard to make a backup of their files and some settings and then install Windows 7 clean and migrate the data and settings back. I helped a family do just that this weekend. Did it onsite so we could get the data over and they bought a USB Hard drive for data back up a while ago anyway. Took a couple hours but it went smooth. It's not super easy but it is not super hard either. Someone with average computer skills can do this with some simple basic instructions.
bobiroc26th Oct 2009 -
Perfect example of sloppy journalism.....
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/24/windows-7-student-upgrade-hell/
This journalist is so die hard Mac he can't find his face from his backend. Calling out Windows for a problem with Digital River. I think he is the mecca of all sheep for Mac and its so funny to see them try so hard to make Windows look bad. Its actually almost like you feel sorry for people like Philip Elmer-Dewitt. Poor guy can't find any bad news on the Windows 7 rollout so he goes and tries to make a story that even a Mac user would find pretty low.
OhTheHumanity26th Oct 2009 -
Maybe its news because other OSes can do
a 32-bit to 64-bit OS upgrade in place.
frgough26th Oct 2009 -
No OS can do 32-bit to 64-bit upgrade in place
It can't be done because there are real differences in the code used for 32-bit vs 64-bit programs. Trying to "upgrade" from 32-bit to 64-bit simply won't work.
Switching from 32-bit to 64-bit requires a clean install. Not only that. You will have to install 64-bit versions of some programs, if you want them to work properly (some 32-bit software will probably be supported). You will definitely need 64-bit drivers.
barence77327th Oct 2009 -
Poorly phrased
Well the fact that you can't upgrade from 32 bit to 64 bit I think has been made very clear and the issue is now a very beaten dead horse.
However that isn't the big issue with the Digital River upgrade files. The problem is that when you download the upgrade, it comes as an executable, which then you simply double click, it unpacks and the install starts. From there you can upgrade or do advanced install (IE format and clean install). All well and good and dandy - you don't even need a disk. BUT - there is a major caveat here and it is thus: the executable you download will only work on a 64 bit OS. In other words, if you are running Vista 32bit, you can't actually extract the installtion files and thus can never upgrade.
Now, there are workarounds for this that will convert the downloaded executable to an ISO, which can then be of course burned and used. But this is not mentioned anywhere by Digital River and users pretty much have to google it on their own to find the solution - not very user friendly, even if the solution IS very easy. This is definitely a problem with Digital River - I have NO idea why they wouldn't at least let you choose what format you are downloading. Some of the blame can go to MS as well, as they should have checked on their distribution partner to make sure they didn't do something like this.
Anyway, if you are reading this and are in the 32-64 bit hole, here is a link for the workaround. Actually there are two links in that article, one for the work-around, the other for a MS released tool that will allow you to make a bootable USB drive with the installtion files - in case you don't own a DVD drive. You are welcome
- ZDnet, once again I've done your work for you. Care to start paying me?
http://www.techspot.com/news/36698-microsoft-acknowledges-problem-with-windows-7-student-upgrades.html
The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."
gnesterenko27th Oct 2009 -
IT_Guy_z26th Oct 2009 -
I guess the real question is
are they going to report on the many people that probably upgrade successfully? Doubtful..there is no news in that. Who knows what was going on with their systems before they upgraded. Could have had spyware or corruption from whatever was done to their system since they first got it. The Migration wizard is fairly easy and recommend everyone uses it to do a "clean install" upgrade.bobiroc26th Oct 2009 -
I'm sure they're still investigating
and if this is the case, someone will report it or print the MS press release. I agree that negative press gets much viewing but there is almost always a rebuttal. Keep your eyes on Ed Bott if more is discovered.
Viva la crank dodo26th Oct 2009 -
Negative Press
I have been in IT for a very long time and have worked on many windows systems and the ones that have problems with upgrades that I have seen in the past most can be attributed to some sort of problem with the system that is not microsoft related in my experience. That is all I am saying.. Some may not have run the upgrade advisor and have some old software that is not Win7 friendly, some may have some malware infection, others may have a hardware problem or some software corruption that could have been caused by improper usage or maintenance. That is why I almost always do a clean install and back up files or now that there is a migration assistant it makes it very easy to get data and some settings over.bobiroc26th Oct 2009 -
My question to you is...
There is one windows vista laptop in my house, should I jump on the
deal and install vista? I used my student discount to buy a MacBook Pro,
should I do the same with windows 7? What are the advantages? What
are the potential pitfalls?
Rick_K26th Oct 2009 -
It's hard to say
I know some people that bought their computer with XP years ago and will most likely be in the market for a new computer pretty soon and I know others that bought their computer during the Vista era and downgraded. I think Vista is a very capable OS now. It was a little rough out of the gate but the patches and Service Packs have made it very good so in most cases I would say no to a Vista to Win7 upgrade if Vista is working for you. That being Said I think Win7 is much better than XP. Better support for Multi-Core processing, I think the file navigation and the searching abilities are an extreme time saver in some cases, the overall security of the OS is way ahead of XP. So if you have a recent computer under 4 years with XP I would say it is worthwhile for the most part if you can afford it. It also depends on your needs, some people turn on a computer and just launch the browser and never use anything else. So maybe they just use what they got. The best way to find out is to try it.bobiroc26th Oct 2009 -
The computer...
Is just over a year old Core2Duo 2GHz, 2Gb ram, 250 GB HDD. It came
with Vista SP1. I know that I added the second GB of RAm to speed it up,
as it was dog slow with only 1 GB of RAM. My main question is I paid the
$29 to upgrade to Snow Leopard (Bringing the total cost of my MacBook
Pro to $2,300), is 7 that much better on a machine like the one I listed? I
bought my wife a copy of Office 2007 Ultimate for $69, $10 extra for the
disks. Does anyone know if that option is available for windows 7?
Rick_K26th Oct 2009 -
Do you feel Vista is running well now?
On that computer? Vista SP2 should run fairly well on a computer with those specs and if it is performing well then maybe just stick with Vista. Windows 7 probably would perform a little better as every machine I have installed it on Windows 7 has performed better regardless of specs but the feel of Windows 7 is very Vista-ish mostly. If you can get Windows 7 at a reasonable price then I would do it. Not sure how you got Office 2007 Ultimate at that price but being in education our Microsoft reseller offers deals on office and Windows for our Students and Staff. Don't quote me on prices but I believe the deal was they could get Vista Ultimate for like $70. Not sure if the information is updated to offer Windows 7 yet but I will check because if it is I may purchase a second copy for my other computer. I got my first copy free through the launch party promotion.bobiroc27th Oct 2009 -
For whatever it is worth....
I NEVER do an OS upgrade, always a clean install. I do not want to bring old garbage to a "new" system.
MS could sell students a full copy instead and cancel the old product ID as part of the installation process. At least then you have a choice as to the type of installation you do. An ISO would be nice, if you can get W7 for 29 bucks. It would not make ANY difference to MS as far as I can see.
Economister26th Oct 2009
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