Vista wont install

[beegeebee]

Have now tried 3 times to install Vista Premium upgrade. Have XPpro currently. When installing Vista Premium Upgrade, it stated it would not install the upgrade but would install the 'full monty' on another clean drive. Which it then proceeds so to do.

Everything goes very well but at the last hurdle the machine falls over!

When the installation reaches 'Completing Installation' the green progress bar at the bottom of the screen reaches about seven eighths complete, the computer shuts down. this has happened on each of the times I have tried to install so, where am I going wrong please?

On rebooting the screen states the computer did not shut down properly and tells me to click OK which restarts the machine which then goes into an endless loop, doing the same thing with the same meassge. Driving me mad!

I do disable the Firewall and av software and also ensure power settings are off.

Any help appreciated before I give up and revert to XP. B.

[vehelpfulguy]

Cannot answer your question exactly but a bit of background that may help.

There is a Home version of XP and two Home versions of Vista (Basic and Premium)

There is a Pro version of XP, and the equivalent version in Vista is called Business.

If you wanted to "upgrade" from XP Pro to Vista Business it could do it "in place" and you would keep all your existing programs and settings (it installs Vista over the top of XP).

(in the same way you could "upgrade" in place from XP Home to Vista Home Basic or Home Premium).

But you are tryng to go from XP Pro to Vista Home Premium, which Microsoft consider a DOWNGRADE (going from Pro version to Home version).

So you cannot do an upgrade in place and it has to be a complete new install of Windows. You "lose" all your existing applications and settings.

As I said, does not answer your question but may help you understand why it tells you that it has to do a full new install of Windows.

more.......

[vehelpfulguy]

continued....

I think what you are trying to do SHOULD work but I have two suggestions:

1) Run the Vista Upgrade Advisor on XP. Get it from here

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/wind owsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

This program runs on XP and tells you if your PC is capable of running Vista and will point out any issues and maybe things you need to do BEFORE upgrading to Vista (more memory etc).

2) If you do want to upgrade to Vista then consider going for the Business version as an upgrade from XP Pro to Vista Business is a straight upgrade in place and Vista can go right over the top of XP.

I have a "test" machine and I actually did an upgrade from XP Pro to Vista Business and it kept all my applications, settings and so on.

Took a while (2 hours?) but I was fairly impressed.

more......

[vehelpfulguy]

Final comment.

I actually think upgrading from XP to Vista is not worth it.

XP is a nice, fast, reliable, stable, solid operating system but Vista is a slow, badly built product that frankly has been a disaster for Microsoft, giving them some of their worst publicity ever.

IF you really want Vista then it may better to go out and buy a NEW computer with Vista on it than spend all that money JUST for a Vista upgrade.

Lets face it, you can buy a new PC system unit for about �200, when you can pay almost that much just for an upgrade to Vista.

Most computers are built for the operating system that was around at the time. So a PC that is say 3 years old was built to run XP and all the things like drivers etc were written for XP.

When Vista came out very few hardware companies went out and wrote Vista drivers for their old hardware.

This means if you upgrade your PC to Vista you may well find that there are no drivers for particular pieces of hardware in your computer and so it may not run correctly.

This MAY be your problem, although I have no evidence of that.

My suggestion is to stick with XP and look to upgrade to Vista with your next purchase (or the follow on to Vista).

[beegeebee]

vehelpfulguy. Many thanks for the rapid reply and have understood all you say. The upgrade advisor stated the machine is fine for Vista only the scanner (which is 6years old) is a problem. It would seem from what you say, Microsoft in its wisdom decrees I cannot upgrade from XP to Premium? So I obviusly need to get in touch with them as it appears to me rather a misrepresentation on their part.
Again many thanks for your knowledge. B.

[ACtheTROLL]

Here are your upgrade options.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/wind owsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx

MS should swap ... but they can be extremely rigid about conditions.

there is a gotcha that might get you out of your dilemma.

the upgrade should work as a clean install (don't enter the key - it should work without - in effect you are installing the evaluation version)
then run the install again .... so in effect this time you are upgrading the evaluation copy!

enter the key when the system starts up ... and you are away

[beegeebee]

ACtheTroll. Thanks for your timely answer, will give it a go either late this evening or later tomorrow. As I have been trying to do a clean instal, which Microsoft say must be done, I still fail to see why there is a refusal to complete the instal process?
Your way could be the answer I'm looking for and will put the outcome on here. Many thanks again. B.

[beso]

Changing Vista to XP is now known as upgrading. Vista is a lemon.

[beegeebee]

ACtheTROLL. Further to your info, I recalled tha last year I went to a site to make a slipstream windows CD. Lo and Behold found exactly what you said there!
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_ upgrade.asp
Everything has gone swimmingly. Many thanks for helping solve my predicament. B.

[ACtheTROLL]

It's nice to be right occasionally .....
(d' you thing you could tell my wife about this??)