I have a new Dell Inspiron notebook which came with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. I want to go to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. I have a clean Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit image from MSDN. Do I need to modify the BIOS to allow for pre-activation of Windows 7 Ultimate or will Windows 7 Home Premium pre-activation work for Ultimate as well? I know I need a Windows 7 Ultimate key, but do I need a new certificate as well?
if your lappy came with win7 then u dont have to mod your BIOS as it should have SLIC 2.1 already included. you just need the cert and ultimate OEM:SLP key. if u use Windows Anytime Upgrade (by entering the ultimate key), your windows will be upgraded, no need for a fresh install.
I recommend doing the Anytime Upgrade. It's fast and easy. When it asks you for the product key, just give one of the Dell OEM product keys for Windows 7 Ultimate and you'll be good to go.