Getting rid of ACER home premium tweaks with anytime ultimate upgrade? 1

[jlockley]

The situation: I have an off the shelf Acer with their somewhat proprietized system, which is about as annoying as vista itself.

Acer offers Anytime upgrade, and there's a "signature" upgrade available for about the same price (and you can do it directly from MS).

What I am wondering is if it is possible to do a fresh install of the upgrade after wiping the HD of all acer. Note: Acer does not supply a system CD, but has the installation software cached on the HD with a proprietary recovery system. I would get the s/n and use this. I haven't been able to reach MS on this yet, but I though y'all might have thoughts.

Also: I have been warned by a thoroughly questionable source that Acer's setup/circuitry/bios will not allow reinstalling XP. Anyone ever heard of this?

 

[wolluf]

Well I've certainly installed XP on Acer laptops supplied with Vista pre-installed. The partitioning structure/types they use is a little bizarre (IMO) - but you can just wipe it and start fresh.

As you've got s/n for your vista, all you really need is an install DVD - then you can just do a new clean install.
Or of course, you can spend time just uninstalling the Acer software.

I do agree that they put a lot of rubbish on - even when keeping original setup, I always do a 'decrapification' exercise first (Acer laptops are widely used in schools I support - mainly because you get good spec for reasonably low cost. Mind you most laptop suppliers have just as intrusive software of their own).

 

[jlockley]

This was the first one I didn't build myself. The price was right and most of the components are just fine. The motherboard seems an issue, but that could at some point be replaced. It was priced down to something like $350 (c2d/Vista HP, 2GB) and it seemed a good idea at the time.

Thanks for the info. That's what I thought, but the guys at Comp USA (going out of business, so I stopped to pick up a modem and saw the discounted upgrades, which are about the same as those offered directly by MS) opined that you could not upgrade from oem, which this of course would be.

How, please, do you decrapify?

 

[linney]

Installing Vista Clean, With No Crapware

http://directedge.us/node/24

The PC Decrapifier (originally titled, Introducing the Dell De-Crapifier…)

http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

Install Windows Vista on Toshiba Laptop Without All Bloatware?
thread1583-1418627

 

[harebrain]

Rule no. 1: Don't believe anything they tell you at CompUSA.

Rule no. 2: Don't believe anything you hear from somebody who's going out of business.

And, BTW, I followed linney's advice ^^ months ago: followed the instructions given at the directedge.us link. (I have an hp.) It was time-consuming, but the clean system was worth it.

 

[jlockley]

harebrain: Not too surprising. That's why I ask here
Thanks Linney. I wonder if it would work with a regular upgrade just as with the anytime. Seems to be the same content. Same price.

 

[linney]

OEM have special rules when it comes to upgrades. A clean install with a full and expensive expensive retail version should work if that is the question you are asking?


Older operating systems use to require you to show a Qualifying Product CD during Setup in any Upgrade. I don't think Vista does that (not 100% sure as I always clean install) but relies on you having a qualifying operating system installed to upgrade from. Read this however.

Use Vista's 'upgrade' version to clean-install

http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070201/#story1

The ethics of installing Windows Vista

http://windowssecrets.com/2007/03/08/02-The-ethics-of-installing-Windows-Vista

This FAQ makes mention of Bios locking too.

Should you purchase an OEM license version of XP?
faq779-4004

 

[jlockley]

Thanks linney. Good reading. I think I may have a workaround. My old w3k copy. I can as a fallback install that and use the upgrade. Will pick up a copy tomorrow either way. Good information. Much appreciated.

I called MS presales info today and got..well, really nothing. I explained that I had the valid version on disk but wanted a clean install. All I got was a repeated: If you have vista on your disk,you can clean install. Is it a legal version? Sort of like groundhog day.

The column fairly well clears that up.
When I have some time, I will try both ways.

Interesting aside: My associate had to reinstall windows and all of his Office software. He could not find the key for MS Office and installed it without. Seems to have worked. I can figure out kind of what happened, but it's still interesting.

 

[linney]

A Repair Install of Windows would not remove Office, is about all I can contribute on the matter. Maybe Office has gone back to a Trial Version, with 50 free goes, but you would be informed of that, wouldn't you?

You could also look to the MS Office forum for expert help.

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=68

 

[jlockley]

Thanks. That's his problem. I concur with you that he did a repair rather than an install and has effectively installed Office over an existing copy.

Microsoft is one messed up company, methinks. At least from the information you linked.

 

[jlockley]

OK, to summarize, and it's a little more complex than I have written:
1) Desktop 1, also known as Fluffy IV (murder on mice - or the old ones were): Currently Acer version of Vista. Will wipe after backups, Then do fresh install from the upgrade (based on a redundant copy of 2k.) Problem solved, assuming that there are reasonable procedures for doing so from an upgrade disk. (On sale at C.USA now for the same as the Anytime Upgrade).
2) Desktop 2, also Known as HAL (for the obvious reasons)is now running XP64, which is great, but I don't have disk. DO have legal oem (I built it, so it's legal, right) Vista sent by Tiger when MS refused or at least made it impossible to get the upgrade they had promised. This is the full version. I am thinking I cannot upgrade to this one, so probably installation on a wiped drive would be best.

I am so not looking forward to any of this. thanks for the help.