Peter, in my thread at the Installation panel noted in answer, that restore
from disks is only available on Vista Ultimate. This revelation, such as it
is, is found here on line two:
[url]http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/footnotes.mspx[/url]
(thanks Peter, thanks Rock)

As such, the mention is so nearly -nothing- but a hidden coincidental, of a
factor so basic and so important to USERS, as to be fundamental.

What Microsoft failed to say was: If you are on RC1 and do the total backup
as directed, and then buy Vista as directed, you cannot make use of the
backup unless you spring for Ultimate cost.

Instead, Microsoft explicitly said that the RC1 user should make his/her
backup and then buy and make a clean install (if so-required as told by the
table) of ANY version of Vista.

This is fundamentally wrong. I hope for a speedy answer.
I do not feel it it at all fair to FORCE the RC1/2 group to BUY Ultimate
just in order to have their data back again.

I can't even get my life back were I to revert to XP. All my data is on RC1
backup disks.

What say, Microsoft? Do you have any advice for us? How much do I owe to
you for the favor of return of my programs, settings, passwords, email
access, photography and writings?

"Anytime Upgrade" is what I'll eat if held hostage in this way.

I do not think this is right at all in any form, by any stretch of any
imagination.

Thank you for responding here.