Despite previous FUD claiming MS had closed the “Double Install Upgrade Loop hole” that existed in Windows Vista it now appears that the old trick STILL works with the cheap Upgrade Editions many of us pre-ordered some time ago. The “trick” allows one to clean install Windows (Vista or 7) onto a bare hard drive. This of course is the preferred method of install for geeks everywhere. Windows Upgrade edition retail media before Windows Vista would allow for clean installs simply by inserting older O/S media when prompted for “proof of previous ownership”. Vista closed THAT loophole and it was reported that Win7 closed this one. This bit of info has been argued over for months on various blogs and news sites. Microsoft themselves seemed pretty confused about the matter as evidenced by conflicting posts by their own employees. So now we have an answer….IF we can believe “jacobhpaul’s” post over in the Engadget comment section:
I’ve had a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate for over three weeks purchased from the Indiana University Bookstore for $20. They only had upgrade disks available, but there was a workaround that involved upgrading the fresh unactivated install (basically you have to install it twice).
So hopefully this is true. Maybe when Paul Thurrott gets back from the Netherlands he will put the Win7 Upgrade Media through its paces and give us a full report?
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