Upgrade the Windows 7 RC to retail

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  • edited March 2010
    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
  • edited March 2010
    It worked flawlessly. abt 4 hrs. W7RC --> W7 Retail Pro. Perfect! Saved me days of re-installs. Many, many thanks, guys. Jerry
  • edited March 2010
    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.
  • edited March 2010
    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!
  • edited March 2010
    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 =/
  • edited March 2010
    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.
  • edited March 2010
    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!)
  • yez
    edited March 2010
    AWESOME really saved me :D
    @ 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
  • edited March 2010
    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.
  • edited March 2010
    Can somebody help? I'm getting an error in the registery part. It's saying, "errror cannot edit..."
  • edited March 2010
    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).
  • edited March 2010
    Doh! I meant I MOVED the contents of the directory, not copied ;)
  • edited March 2010
    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!
  • edited March 2010
    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?
  • edited March 2010
    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?
  • edited March 2010
    I should calrify. The contents copied were from the Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit disc.
  • edited March 2010
    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?
  • edited March 2010
    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???
  • edited March 2010
    Joel wrote:
    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.
  • edited March 2010
    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?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Enter a CD key for the OS.
  • edited March 2010
    Worked a treat, many thanks! Saved a load of greif and hassle re-installing everything.
  • edited March 2010
    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.
  • Jim
    edited March 2010
    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.
  • Jim
    edited March 2010
    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.
  • edited March 2010
    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
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Definitely not.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    You cannot upgrade from a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit OS.
  • edited March 2010
    thanks guys
  • edited March 2010
    If you use the Phion Entegra Client Software, uninstall before. Ohterwise downgrading won't work.
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