If you have SP1 installed you may be trying to upgrade when it would in
theory, be a downgrade. SP1 would make your installed Vista a more recent
version and not upgradeable unless you have SP1 on your Vista disk. If this
is the case, SP1 would need to be uninstalled prior to performing the
upgrade.

I have done upgrade installations in this exact manner, and have always done
so from within the Windows environment, not booting from the disk. The only
difference was that I used a full version Vista disk to perform the upgrade.

Mark

"montecarlo1987" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message
news:97dfa81495d68329d1aa7178e5b9c073@nntp-gateway.com...
>
> ::Hello. I have an serious issue with trying to do an installation
> repair with my Windows Vista Home Basic using my Windows Home Basic
> Upgrade DVD-ROM (not SP1). I am aware that a Vista installation repair
> is the same as a Vista upgrade, but it no avail can I get the Upgrade
> option to work. Let me explain. I have read on different reliable
> websites the different means to do a Vista upgrade as a repair
> installation - none are consistent. Some suggest that Vista upgrade
> installations run from within Windows and others you are to reboot and
> set your BIOS to boot from the Vista DVD-ROM. Also, these same reliable
> websites indicate not to input the CD key during the installation
> process and not to check the box for online activation and others say to
> do it during the installation process. What gives? Therefore, to see
> what would work for me and taking into account all the differences I
> have found, I performed the following scenarios figuring one of them
> should work:::
> ::1.:: ::Run Vista installation from Windows Vista desktop with CD key
> and checked box with online activation.::
> ::2.:: ::Run Vista installation from Windows Vista desktop without CD
> key and not checked the box with online activation.::
> ::3.:: ::Run Visa installation from Vista system reboot/restart
> (changing BIOS first boot device as DVD drive) with CD key and checked
> the box with online activation.::
> ::4.:: ::Run Vista installation from Vista system reboot/restart
> (changing BIOS first boot device as DVD drive) without CD key and not
> checked the box with online activation.::
> ::In all case scenarios I have attempted, I cannot perform a Vista
> installation repair. What is happening is this for each case scenario:::
> ::1.:: ::Run Vista installation from Windows Vista desktop with CD key
> and checked box with online activation.::
> ::Result: ::
> ::During the Vista installation process when get to the screen "What
> type of installation do you want?", The "Upgrade" choice is grayed-out
> and "Custom (Advanced)" is only active choice. Underneath it states,
> "Upgrade has been disabled. - The upgrade cannot be started. To upgrade,
> cancel the installation and then choose to upgrade to a version of
> Windows that is more recent that than the version you are currently
> running." ::
> ::I need to do an "Upgrade" and not "Custom (Advanced)" as a repair
> installation and the option for "Upgrade" is not available.::
> ::Makes sense in what is says -- I am trying to upgrade from Windows
> Vista Home Basic Edition to Windows Vista Home Basic Edition. The point
> is that you cannot upgrade to the same Windows version or Windows
> edition. It is the same thing! It appears early in the setup and
> installation process that this setup program knows what Windows
> operating system is already installed (Windows Vista Home Basic) on the
> drive and partition. I also think by having inputted the CD key it knows
> I have an upgrade version of Windows Vista Home Basic Edition. I see by
> inputting the CD key, I am telling the setup installation program what I
> have and it is prohibiting me from continuing on with the installation
> process. Okay, that is not it. So onto scenario number 2. ::
> ::2.:: ::Run Vista installation from Windows Vista desktop without CD
> key and not checked the box with online activation.::
> ::Result:::
> ::The same result as scenario number 2 above. This didn't work either.
> By not entering the CD key, the setup program must know what version and
> edition of Windows I have already installed. So onto scenario number
> 3.::
> ::3.:: ::Run Visa installation from Vista system reboot/restart with CD
> key and checked the box with online activation.::
> ::Result:::
> ::During the Vista installation process when inputting the CD key,
> immediately after get a message on the same screen stating, "To use the
> product key you entered, start the installation from your existing
> version of Windows."::
> ::Well, that did not work. Now the setup program knows that the CD key
> (since it is an upgrade key) is not to be used during a system
> reboot/restart; only within Windows operating system. States that I need
> to run from within Windows. .and you know how that goes. .both scenario
> 1 and 2 above and that did not work. Onto scenario number 4. ::
> ::4.:: ::Run Vista installation from Vista system reboot/restart
> without CD key and not checked the box with online activation.::
> ::Result:::
> ::The result is similar to scenarios 1 & 2 above. "Upgrade" is
> grayed-out and "Custom (Advanced)" is the only active choice on the
> "What type of installation do you want?" screen. It states, "Upgrade has
> been disabled. - To upgrade, start the installation from Windows." ::
> ::Therefore, it appears that I cannot perform a repair installation of
> my Windows Vista Home Basic. From what I hear, anyone can who has
> a Windows Vista DVD-ROM! Is there something that I am missing??? :sarc:
> There must be a way to do a repair installation with my Windows Vista
> Home Basic from my Upgrade DVD-ROM! ::
> ::Let me add, when I originally installed Windows Vista Home Basic on
> my computer; installed using that trick that everyone talks about. That
> is, I performed a clean install of Windows Vista Home Basic using the
> Upgrade DVD-ROM without CD key. Then performed an upgrade install with
> the same DVD-ROM of Windows Vista Home Basic and inputted the CD key.
> Things went well. .and online activation worked. From my take, this
> should not present any problems to performing a repair installation. ::
> ::Please elaborate on how I can do a repair installation with my
> Windows Vista Home Basic from my Upgrade DVD-ROM. Thanks a lot! ::
>
>
> --
> montecarlo1987