JUST A RANT ABOUT THE PURE STUPIDITY OF THIS UPGRADE PATH, AND THE COMPLETE ALIENATION IT CAUSES THOSE WHO ARE SPENDING GOOD MONEY TO REMAIN LEGIT AND LOYAL CUSTOMERS Gotta bitch a little bit while I wait for an illegal copy of the software to download so I can do a reasonable install and then input my legit license. I did not do my homework, instead thinking as is totally common that "upgrade" pricing meant "full version, lower price for exisitng customers." Mistake #1 Then, I thought "Buy and Download = convenience at 3:00AM" Mistake #2 ALL I want to do is install my Vista on to a Primary Master Partition, to eradicate the install I had to do on Primary Slave with XP when I had no time and no drive space a year or so ago. Totally legit XP and totally legit $260 for Vista here -- absolutely no monkeybusiness. First, you cannot install Vista to a different partition as an upgrade -- it will automatically install as a dual boot and keep the system partiion equal to the one you are running your ramp-up system on. To choose partitions, you have to have a bootable disk. Second, although you download 2.4 gigs from Circuit City, you don't get anything that can be burned -- it is in the WIM format and XImage is no longer anywhere to be found. So you can't burn the stuff you just downloaded. Third, if anything ever goes wrong, I will have to install a (now illegal) version of XP, just to get access to the repair abilities of the $260 turd I just bought. That means (essentially) I have to keep a partition either blank and ready to go with a WinXP install. I understand the need for world domination, but I have already been "activating" and "authenticating" every time I want to scratch my a$$. I have a license that requires two operating systems to use, and don't even gt the priveledge of telling it if I want it in "this" drive or "that" drive. Given the common conception that "upgrade" means "fully functional," and "purchase and download" means the same as "buying the box, without the box and the line, etc" it seems only reasonable that IF this was going to be sar far from convention there might be some sort of disclaimer along the lines of: "What you are buying is not fully functional, not capable of standing on its own, not capable of repairing itself, not capable of -- well, anything really other than upgrading XP to Vista -- once. You should really think long and hard before you buy this upgrade, because you aren't really saving anything. " So, IF you are smart enough to read up before sinking your money into something, and at the same time dumb enought to even be considering buying the "upgrade" (much less the pure stupidity of DOWNLOADING IT) then please, for the love of God, listen: DO NOT BUY THE VISTA UPGRADE. DO NOT BUY ANY VISTA PRODUCT ONLINE!!!! If I can save one poor sap the misery that this waste of coding talent has become, I might have some feeling of redemption. Whoever thought up this ridiculous upgrade path should join the schlub who thought of non-bootable proprietary file structure in the downloads and engage in a contest to see who can find the other's butt with a flashlight and a magnifying glass. This is bad. This WOULD be poor business if the market were not essentially being held captive. This is how the "Davids" of any industry get the seed planted in their minds to pick up a stone against the "Goliaths." If you do something this poorly simply bcause you can get away with it, it will not be long before you no longer will be able to get away with it. Shame on you!
I understand your frustration, but this is how Microsoft has done it for years. In past "upgrade' version you only needed to have the floppy\CD handy (but still had to have it). Under the new way of doing things, and upgrade means a little something different. Not to rub salt in your wounds, but it is the reason you should always do your research for making a move.
I hear you, and I have calmed down a little it, though I am still irked that I paid for a license and got a lesser product. There is simply no way I will ever be able to install my product on a new partition without first installing XP on it. Considering my XP hs been activated/verified 400 times in recent months (with every update, every DL from MS), you would think MS could simply keep track of my key as "valid" XP key, then ask me to enter it prior to allowing Vista to install. Much bette to rrequire network than to have to have XP installed on the partition you want to install on. Making upgrade customers prove themselves is understandable; giving them an inferior product once they do is inexcusable. But, as you said -- shame on me for not doing my homework. Hopefully others will. If I could trade in my key for full credit toward purchase of a full version, I would do it in a heartbeat. Hopefully my troubles will save someone else from making the same mistake.
