Can you upgrade Windows 7 Home Premium OEM version to Professional?

[jchindamo]

Hello all,

This board has been extremely helpful over the last few weeks as I've been working on my first build. I finally decided on all my components, and now it's OS time.

My question:

If I purchase the Windows 7 Home Premium OEM version 64-bit ($100 on newegg), can I THEN purchase the "Windows 7 Professional Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium" for $73 on newegg? That way, I'd have Windows 7 Professional 64-bit for about $173, instead of paying $258 for the FULL version of Professional.

Anyone know if this is possible? Or legal? I don't want to break any laws or pirate anything, and I'll gladly pay what I need to pay -- I'm just trying to figure out what the cheapest way to do that is.

 

[Jonmor68]

There is nothing to stop you using the Anytime Upgrade, that's what it's for.

 

[stecman]

Yes, this will work so long as the "Windows 7 Professional Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium" supports x64.

But first of all I would have a look at this:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx

I couldn't find the full list, but this demonstrates my point - the average user doesn't gain anything better from having pro or ultimate over home premium. Look at the difference between pro and ultimate: you get bitlocker (which is replaceable with the more flexible open-source [free] Truecrypt), and you can have different users with different languages. Microsoft is tricking people into buying 'better' versions by saying making them more expensive "you should upgrade to something better".

In Windows XP, the home version started significantly quicker than pro because it didn't have to load as many services. Pro offered things that average users would never use and had to be manually installed such as an IIS server (hosting web pages). I imagine Windows 7 is the same - the 'better' versions really only benefit technical users and specialists.

Don't kid yourself that pro will offer you more than home premium unless you know there is a something you need in pro. Save yourself $73!

 

[FALC0N]

Hello all,

This board has been extremely helpful over the last few weeks as I've been working on my first build. I finally decided on all my components, and now it's OS time.

My question:

If I purchase the Windows 7 Home Premium OEM version 64-bit ($100 on newegg), can I THEN purchase the "Windows 7 Professional Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium" for $73 on newegg? That way, I'd have Windows 7 Professional 64-bit for about $173, instead of paying $258 for the FULL version of Professional.

Anyone know if this is possible? Or legal? I don't want to break any laws or pirate anything, and I'll gladly pay what I need to pay -- I'm just trying to figure out what the cheapest way to do that is.

Perfectly ok. But why not just buy Windows 7 Pro OEM for about the same price? Same product and you save the upgrade step.

 

[FALC0N]

Yes, this will work so long as the "Windows 7 Professional Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium" supports x64.

But first of all I would have a look at this:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx

I couldn't find the full list, but this demonstrates my point - the average user doesn't gain anything better from having pro or ultimate over home premium. Look at the difference between pro and ultimate: you get bitlocker (which is replaceable with the more flexible open-source [free] Truecrypt), and you can have different users with different languages. Microsoft is tricking people into buying 'better' versions by saying making them more expensive "you should upgrade to something better".

In Windows XP, the home version started significantly quicker than pro because it didn't have to load as many services. Pro offered things that average users would never use and had to be manually installed such as an IIS server (hosting web pages). I imagine Windows 7 is the same - the 'better' versions really only benefit technical users and specialists.

Don't kid yourself that pro will offer you more than home premium unless you know there is a something you need in pro. Save yourself $73!

I agree in principle with your position here, but there is one consideration you overlooked. Security update support for 7 ends in 2015 EXCEPT for Pro which receives extended support through 2020. This adds 5 years of functional usage to the license which may or may not be of use to certain end users.

If you think you will still be using this OS past 2015 then pro is worth the upgrade.

 

[jchindamo]

Interesting. It's an option I may consider, knowing it would work.

One question:

Will the upgrade for Windows 7 Pro be a full install? In other words, let's say my computer crashes and I need to reinstall the operating system. Would I need to reinstall the Home Edition OEM first, and then upgrade again? Or, could I just install the Pro upgrade?

 

[FALC0N]

Interesting. It's an option I may consider, knowing it would work.

One question:

Will the upgrade for Windows 7 Pro be a full install? In other words, let's say my computer crashes and I need to reinstall the operating system. Would I need to reinstall the Home Edition OEM first, and then upgrade again? Or, could I just install the Pro upgrade?

I say again, why go through that prcedure when you can get 7 Pro OEM for $139.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

 

[stecman]

FALCON has a good point, but to answer your question - if you mean reinstall as in wipe, then yes you would have to do the whole install and upgrade again. Repairing the install could require either one, none, or both of the discs.

 

[mi1ez]

Pro can connect to a domain too!

 

[das_stig]

I used Home, then Ultimate, but dropped back to Pro as it gives a good balance of features.

Just buy Pro OEM.