i have a box with installed and long-used Vista Yet it was once installed as Vista Ultimate and holds it within, at least in registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion but perhaps in files as well. Now i want to *upgrade* it to Win7 Ent. I have a disk and a key for it. And it works for clean-install. But on this box i need an upgrade rather than reinstall. I have valid Vista Bus/Ent key, but not disk (that was the reason Vista was installed as Ultimate once ago). So i run VOATK and change the OS type to Ent. Retail (or Bus. Retail, no matter). I run slmgr -ipk ... and install Vista Ent key (or the same from My Computer / Properties) - ok I run slmgr -ato (or again same from GUI) - activation ok. I run slmgr -dli (or VOATK's view license menu) - it teels me i have Vista Business or Vista Enterprise ok. No i run w7 ent install disk - and it tells me it cannot upgrade this windows, only clean-install. Also My Computer's properties sheet claim Windows to still be Vista Ultimate. Frankly speaking, it seems that VOATK here not changed Vista edition, but made a kind of frankenbuild, partially Ultimate and partially Bus. or Ent. And different parts of OS treats itself differently now. I try slmgr -rilc - then activation got lost and no more can i input Vista Ent. key - it begins to say Ent. key cannot activate Ult. Vista. Perhaps original media, once used to install this box, only did have some files for Ultimate? On another box i once ago did that VOATK's change of edition and w7 upgraded quite ok. So how can i turn this installed Vista Ult, to be Vista Ent ? Will slmgr -ilc help me, if i get somewhere license file from MSDN Vista Business original DVD ? I just need to tempirary convert Vista Ult. to Vista Bus. or Ent. to upgrade it (not clean install) to w7 ent.
ok, copying that registry key from Vista Ent installation made the installer run yet after 24 hours of upgrade in process i failed to wait and reset the box intel Q6600 / 4GB / WD Raptor - i guess 24 hours is enough to upgrade it 10 times in a row !
Why would you even want to change from ultimate to enterprise they are basicly the same also to much hastle having to activate enterprise all the time.