Comments

1. mesaboogie

   
   Posted on: February 08, 2007 at 12:25PM  

   Hey, when I ran the advisor, It failed to noticed that I had a DVD Rom???? This is a pretty poor advisor. I have a year old viao TX650P..... which I wanted to upgrade..Looks like I'm not upgrading, it's tooooooo bad microsoft lost another sale/ and probably customer. I'm also now looking at mac laptops for my kids vs. pc's............. very long time pc guy going over to the other side.....
2. u2v

   
   Posted on: February 08, 2007 at 2:41PM  

   It's here and it looks good! You can't beat Dutch design: http://www.upgrade2vista.com/index.php/19/the-dutch-are-taking-over-the-desktop/
3. DON

   
   Posted on: February 09, 2007 at 1:58AM  

   Well nick, I like vista, But like xp, at first I have some issues, Lost all shared printers and shares xp computers, Ive read about it a rried alot, but still when will the fix be
4. Nick White

   
   Posted on: February 09, 2007 at 9:32AM  

   Hey mesaboogie:  the Upgrade Advisor is a beta tool at this point.  You computer will run fine with a DVD-ROM drive, even if the tool happened to indicate otherwise.
5. rod12345678910

   
   Posted on: February 09, 2007 at 2:43PM  

   Hi

   I am interested in purchasing the OEM or Retail versions of Windows Vista.

   How many times can you install Windows Vista with a retail version compared to a OEM version using the same purchased product key????

   What Im saying can I install Windows vista (Retail version) on 5 machines using the same product key???? Thanks
6. pkarlos_76

   
   Posted on: February 11, 2007 at 11:27AM  

   I have a an intriguing story of personal experience with a retail ultimate vista full edition in which I purchased from CompuSmart here in Canada and it's Product ID key. I recently decided to take advantage of the 90 day support cycle due to a problem I encountered while trying to register my Windows Vista with IE 7 32 bit edition which did not work, but did work with the 64 bit edition by the way. Here are the steps I used;

   - Goto http://support.microsoft.com/ and under Support New Products click "Windows Vista"

   - Next I clicked on "Contacts" in the left menu and then clicked on "Contact a support professional by chat, e-mail, or phone. Live chat support may be available to you."

   - Next under the Select a Product options I clicked on the windows vista ultimate version I was using which is "Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition (All Languages)" Also please note the language in the top left corner that is selected which in my case is "Canada".

   - I then was presented with 3 options, Email Support, Individual Chat Support, and Phone Support, keep in mind I tried both Email support and Individual Chat Support and obtained the same result.

   - I then clicked on "Start Email Request" to take advanatge of my 90 day support period.

   - I am now presented with the option to Select a computer, I then chose " Yes, this Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition (All Languages) problem is on the computer I am using now " because the issue was ont his computer that I am using and clicked the "Continue" button.

   - This next step I am presented with the options  " Let Microsoft locate the product identification number(PID) To help resolve your problem more quickly, your product ID number and other technical information will be collected by the file that downloaded to your computer. ", so I try this option and am presented with message after a few seconds " We could not find your product ID number automatically. Please enter a product ID number below." So I try the second option "Type the product identification number.

   How to find your product identification number? I get this from my "System" option in the control panel which lists the product ID key and enter it and I get the following message "The product ID number you entered is not supported in the country that you have selected. Enter another product ID number or select a different support option below." So I reenter the number with the dashes and get the same result.

   - I then change my region or language in the top left corner by clicking on it to change to "United States", and repeat the process and get the same result. I then at the behest of the MS Support Case work that I contacted by phone try "United Kingdom", in which I am presented with Email Support and Phone Support options, and no Chat Support option. This works for the Email support option, however I'm in the UK.

   - My MS Case Worker contacts MS Customer Service and they advance my Retail Vista Ultimate key product ID key is in fact a Windows XP key according to them, so the generate me a new key and we repeat the process all over again only to come to the same result.

   - My assigned case worker is currently working on finding a solution right now and we have my fourth call back scheduled for tomorrow. Also to note I worked for a outsource company at one time that took MS Windows XP Tech Support Calls, so I questioned my case worker if she in fact worked for a outsourced company, her silence and avoidance of the question indicated that this is indeed the case. Because outsource companies are on a need to know basis with Microsoft, I feel that my issue may not get resolved, which is why I wish to bring this to the attention of a well respected site.
7. GS-SSCIA-Fox

   
   Posted on: February 12, 2007 at 11:17PM  

   Hey Nick, When i was at a Vista Launch event for IT pro's, i thought i saw a third way to see/toggle through multiple open windows at the same time. There was flip 3d (windows key+tab), flip (Alt+Tab), and i thought i saw a third one that pulled up all the open windows and put them side by side, but taking up the whole screen like flip 3d does. similar to how quick tabs does it for IE7 exept larger and for all open windows, not ie7 tabs. Do you know what the hot key would be for this?

   Also, i cant remember the name of the MS rep that did the event, but he was going post up the "share the pain" video on his blog, do you know where i can get this?

   Thanks
8. GS-SSCIA-Fox

   
   Posted on: February 12, 2007 at 11:33PM  

   Hey rod12345678910: First off, OEM copies of Vista require that you purchase the unit with a new PC, in which case it should come with Vista pre-installed, or that you purchase it with a qualifying piece of hardware, as-in your biulding a new PC. With that said, if your trying to install this on an existing computer (running windows xp or 2000) than OEM is not the option. For this, you would need the Retail-Upgrade copy of Vista. Or, for a PC running some other OS or older verison and you would like to install Vista, you will need a full version of the retail product.

   regaurding installation on multiple PC's, Each copy of Vista is only good for one computer. It is my understanding that the EULA has changed to allow you to remove the installation from one computer and install it to another but any other configuration such as installing a single copy of vista on 2 or more PC's violates Microsoft's EULA. Volume Licenses are avalible if you need to install it on many PC's.
9. GS-SSCIA-Fox

   
   Posted on: February 13, 2007 at 12:27AM  

   Hey pkarlos_76: A few questions for you.

   You state that is worked on the 64bit edition but not on the 32 bit. Are you trying to install the 64-bit on one computer AND the 32 bit version on another computer, using the same copy (well different DVD, but same box copy) of windows?

   If you are only taking about a single computer, and have tried the 64 bit version and found it to work, then your PC must be 64 bit capable. In this case, why install the 32-bit verison? You CAN install x86 (32-bit) programs when running Vista's 64 bit edition without any problems. Vista even sorts out x86 app's and stores them in a seperate programs folder.

   You say you cant register.. Vista will normally let you register over the internet, if that doesnt work, the next best option is to register by phone. Note that i am not saying contact MS support.. when the window pops up for registration, look for the option to do this over the phone, this is a different hotline then the support number.

   As far as the key not working, Did you use the key when installing vista (during installation, not post install)? If so, did it work fine and continue setup without errors? If so, i would assume your product key is ok. If you right click on computer and go to properties, does the version of vista listed on there match the one you bought?

   Going back to the registration, after you click on the phone option, it should open a window that lets you select a phone number in the drop down box and below that it should generate a series of numbers, in groups of 5 or 6, that you will need to read out to the automated phone system, or live rep, if the automated system cant help you. Does it generate this group of numbers?

   If you can answer all of the above questions, this will narrow down where the problem may lie.
10. pkarlos_76

    
    Posted on: February 13, 2007 at 1:36PM  

    No my registration issue has nothing to do with my    support issue. You have completely misunderstood my post. Please reread it. I said I encountered this issue as a result of the browser issue which caused me to attempt to get Tech Support and resulted in this product ID not being supported in North America which is generated by the activation key. The install was a fresh Retail Edition 64 bit install on only one computer. Skip the whole thing about the browser and reread the issue I experienced. No errors were experienced, and MS said both keys were valid. if you noticed I said registration worked with the 64 bit edition of the browser, that was not my issue. My issue was in obatining tech support using the product key, which seems to be only valid in the UK.