Can't upgrade

[carday]

I have a Acer Aspire laptop which came with Windows Xp home preinstalled (OEM) however when I tried to install a Vista upgrade that i got with my daughters new laptop it comes up with the error "unable to activate product code" any ideas

[Chenks]

that messages sounds like you have already installed vista ?

if so, have you checked that your network devices are installed properly (assuming that you are connecting to internet using network)... or if it's a USB modem, then that is installed properly ?

activation requires an internet connection

[Fireblade]

If Vista is still installed on your daughter's laptop... you can't install it on yours as well!
You can only install the OS on one system at a time... and it's [usually] tied to the system it was supplied with/on which it was first installed - i.e. your daughter's.

If you're wanting to install Vista on your laptop, you're going to have to buy your own copy of it.
You can buy a full OEM version of Vista Home Premium for around £65.

[anthonylei]

sounds like your vista is supplied with your daughter's pc.... i dont think you can install it on your pc

Why do you want to upgrade anyway??? there are still a lot of bugs, performance and stability issues.... just stick with xp

[Chenks]

Why do you want to upgrade anyway??? there are still a lot of bugs, performance and stability issues.... just stick with xp

sounds like someone who hasn't used vista

[mattierara]

sounds like someone who hasn't used vista


Indeed, it's been going four months strong on my pc and i've had no issues whatsoever :cool:. If he's speaking from experience then I feel he's been unlucky. I don't know anyone who has had any major issues with it all.

[Fat Jez]

sounds like someone who hasn't used vista

Sounds like Jacobzcool or Aztec too.

The reason your Vista won't install, is that it is locked to an Acer laptop's bios. If it came with your daughter's laptop, it is not an upgrade.

Cheers,
Stephen

[carday]

cheers guys that about sums it up I think, must admit that my laptop (acer) works fine with its original xp Home O/S without the auto updates turned on, just thought I would try and see if I could upgrade using her copy but it aint a problem.

[Stocky]

...activation requires an internet connection

You can activate over the phone. Although, it's an extremely tedious process which is worth avoiding! :rolleyes:

[anthonylei]

Indeed, it's been going four months strong on my pc and i've had no issues whatsoever :cool:. If he's speaking from experience then I feel he's been unlucky. I don't know anyone who has had any major issues with it all.

indeed I havn't tried vista yet.... it is still sitting in my hard drive....

I am quite worry with the security and hardware / software support~~~

P.S. I also dislike the vista theme / interface.... :D

[Fireblade]

You can activate over the phone. Although, it's an extremely tedious process which is worth avoiding! :rolleyes:

I've activated over the phone 4 or 5 times in the past, and I can honestly say it's been painless?

It took about 2 minutes when I spoke to 'live' support... but even the new automated system was pretty straightforward?
It's a lot lengthier a process than it used to be (when they had 'live' support), for sure - now that you have to input your code via the telephone handset... but I wouldn't go as far as t' say it's "extremely tedious"?

[Stocky]

aye, it's tedious when compared to clicking an 'activate' button on the PC! ;)

I had to type ~50 digits separated into sections into a mobile phone keypad, plus I got cut off just before I finished it the first time! :(

[Cosmo_1847]

Personally I wouldn't upgrade to vista unless you have a problem with you laptop and need to reinstall the OS. You can get the OEM versions with a cheap hard drive instead of having the full retail. This also gives you the advantage of an external hard drive (needs enclosure) or a better internal hard drive.

[crypthacks]

Bad situation Windows strikes again