UPGRADING VISTA TO 7, BUT HOW DO I KEEP THE VAIO APPS

[terrortowers]

Hi there, was wondering if anyone could help me (again) :smileygrin:

(if you want the short version, just read the underlined stuff)

i have an msdn account and a VGNAR71S vaio with vista home on it

the msdn account recently offered me a copy of windows 7 proffessional (only that version).

this poses a dilemna, if i want to upgrade to windows 7 i will most likely have to do a custom install, which will end in me formatting the hard drive. which will lose me all of the vaio software (musicbox, sonicstage mastering, etc.) and the system tools, like the vaio recovery center and the little menu that controls the light up sony logo (lol) and along with that, all of the configurations sony did before i got the laptop (which i didnt mind, and actually liked)

if i format and upgrade, how do i get all this stuff back????

silly microsoft and their flashy new o.s.'s making me want them..... 😞

hope anyone can help me

TT

[Blencogo]

Hi TT,

All the Vaio Apps and other perinstalled software are part of the Sony OEM software package and for licensing reasons the software cannot we made available for download and installation on any other OS than the Sony OEM install.

All Windows 7 installations in Europe will be a clean install and consequently anyone installing Windows 7 (with the exception of recent Vaio purchasers who qualify for a free upgrade)will lose all the preinstalled software and most of this cannot be recovered.

There was a hack with XP to reinstall the applications from the Recovery Discs but this was stopped with Vista and Win 7.

The Drivers and Utility programs (with the exception of Vaio Update and the Recovery Centre) can be downloaded and installed but some don't work with Win 7.

In summary, if you change from the OEM Vista install you lose this software and there is no way of reinstalling it.

[Blencogo]

As v.57 has reminded me, the reason no upgrade is available in Europe is because they are no longer allowed to issue a version with Internet Explorer included because of EU competition legislation. (Windows 7 E). IE must now be an optional install.

There is no equivalent Vista version without IE so no upgrade is possible. It may be possible with the US produced RC1.

I think Microsoft are making a point after the EU took them to court on the monopoly of browsers - and we will all have to do clean installs as a result.

[terrortowers]

scuse my french, but hearing that sucks balls to be honest

thank you for filling me in though

TT

[72GE]

Hasnt that been scrapped now and microsoft are releasing upgrade versions in europe?

[rich912]

Hasnt that been scrapped now and microsoft are releasing upgrade versions in europe?

Not quite there as yet but things look hopeful...

I seems that it is down to the European regulators now.

Microsoft: No browserless Windows 7 after all