THE Vista Express Upgrade Thread

Below is all you need to know about Microsoft's Vista Express Upgrade as it pertains to your new Asus notebook.

I, like many others have grown tired of answering the same questions over and over (at no fault of those asking), but because the questions are being posed in various off topic threads, others can't easily pick up on them. For that reason I'm going to start this thread and include some basic information.... read it, understand it, follow it... get your upgrade! Feel free to drop me a line if you don't understand or they throw back some lanuage you find confusing... If you follow the steps below you should do just fine.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE:
If you purchased an Asus system which has a full version of XP (Home, Tablet, MCE, Professional) in one form or another (Notebook, Tablet, UMPC), on or after 10/26/2006 you can get this upgrade.

WHERE YOU GO:

https://upgradeweb.moduslink.com/vista/Asustek/

When you get on the page you'll be asked what language and country you're from. Then you'll click on the big "Windows Vista" button on the bottom. From there you'll be asked what version and language OS you currently have. When you make that choice, you'll then be given the options below depending on the OS you have.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS:
When you go through the options, you can pick either 32bit or 64bit. Basically these are the options you have depending on the OS you got with your system:

Windows XP Home Edition:
Upgrade to Vista Home Basic 32bit - $65.00 USD
Upgrade to Vista Home Premium 32bit -$95.00 USD <-- If your system can handle it, it's totally worth the extra $30.

Windows XP Professional Edition:
Upgrade to Vista Business 32bit - $0.00 USD
Upgrade to Vista Business 64bit - $0.00 USD <-- Good idea if you have a 64bit Core 2 Duo CPU but won't update for a while. 64bit drivers will be scarce for a while, so I wouldn't suggest installing this till maybe the fall or later... but will be nice to have for the future..

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition:
Upgrade to Vista Business 32bit - $0.00 USD
Upgrade to Vista Business 64bit - $0.00 USD

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005:
Upgrade to Vista Home Premium 32bit - $0.00 USD

There is NO Option to upgrade to Vista Ultimate (which I believe will come in 32 and 64bit, and is basically ALL of the added stuff in the business OS plus the media center side of Home Premium)

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
From there, you'll need to pick your model from the drop down list, enter the serial number off the bottom of your computer, enter the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) number (14 digits) off your windows sticker, which is also under the system. Then you'll simply put the date that's on the invoice you got with your notebook in as the "date of purchase". After you complete that order, you'll get some form of order number. You'll then need to send them a copy of the invoice you got from your dealer by means of fax or emailed .pdf. It's probably a good idea to mark the order number given at the end of the vista order process on the invoice you send them so that they can easily match up the information. After they confirm your invoice you should see an "Order Confirmed" messasge under order status when you log back into the site. This should occur within a week of you forwarding the invoice.

WHEN WILL YOU RECEIVE VISTA:
Microsoft's Vista Fulfillment Center says you will receive your Vista upgrade within 6-8 weeks from your order completion (this is when you get your invoice in to them), after the OS is released in your country and barring any sort of software shortage. So, since it'll be released in two (2) weeks from now, it's possible you won't receive it until April 1st or later.

COMMON ISSUES:
The paper that is included in your notebook box is simply a form letter explaining the upgrade and how it will work. They were printed before Microsoft got their stuff together. Forget everything you've heard or read to date - and anything that seems confusing on the upgrade site. Take what I've said above and just go with it... you'll be fine.

For good measure, there are three other threads that have these questions have been asked and answered over the last few weeks... you may like to glance over them:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=96989
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=98522
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=95482

 

Justin, I thought that the MCE upgrade was to Home Premium, not business.

 

Whoops.. sorry a lot of copy and paste on that part.. you are correct and I corrected it.

 

Temp sticked for now, already have enough stickies lol.

 

One question about the check order status page. Should the order status change after sending the receipt/invoice in mail? I sent the receipt by e-mail because its exactly the same pdf that I got with the computer, only printed ofc

Now the order status says Order Confirmed. I got no answer to the e-mail and I sent it over a week ago.

 

Did it NOT say confirmed before you send it in? From what I understand, it shouldn't say confirmed until after they confirm the invoice is legit.... When they do they'll confirm the order. That's why they have the "check on order" button on that first page. They will NOT email or call you back. It's as automated as can be and there are a whole lot of orders these people are trying to confirm and I'm sure it's as minimally staffed as needed. If the page says confirmed, just make sure to keep your stuff and document what you've done. That way if you don't get it, you have that to go back to.

 

i gues ill wait...

 

I see you made it here before I actually posted in the other thread.... The only thing I don't understand is - what does "I guess I'll wait" mean? Meaning - you filled out the form and will be waiting for it...... or just forgetting about the whole process and be waiting to buy a system until Vista comes preinstalled? I forget it you said you already bought one or not...

 

Is it an upgrade only that you get?
What i mean is, will it be possible to install from a formatted clean harddrive?
I sure hope so coz upgrade windows have never been a good source for reliability and stability..

 

It's a full OS... most people simply put them over the current one, but basically you can install it just like any other new OS, but it'll ask you for both the other disk and I think the other serial number to "validate" it as an "upgrade".

 

Since the Asus laptops don't actually come with a "Windows XP Professional" CD, will the recovery Asus DVD work when it checks for the original software?

It would be nice if it only asked for a COA key instead of the actual media since the sticker will be right there under the laptop.

 

I'm not sure what it will ask for, but the asus recovery dvd is simply the xp pro cd with an automated install script...... it's what most all mass manufacturers do.. But basically I do know you can install it fresh if you so desired, but you don't need to.

 

Where do I find the serial number exactly ? The white sticker under my W3J has long since faded .. I see a "check number", is that it ? Or is it the number above the barcode ?

Cheers.

 

The SN is the one above the barcode...you can still find out your SN from your invoice

 

... Well, hopfully you can find your serial number on your invoice... Other places:

1. Typically a blue-ish sticker starting with s/n.
2. If you're in the US, this year anyway it'll start with the #6.
3. The second digit will be a letter, this year it'll be A,B,C for the most part.
4. It's also located on the notebooks retail box, on the outside.
5. It's also located on the shipping box, on the outside.

It's always an applied sticker..... if you're looking at the box and at all the numbers, most of them are personal numbers... they're numbers which represent say the entire model line, or what have you... You're looking for a little sticker near those that would be something different on every box.

 

my Order Status says "COA validated". Is that good or bad?

 

May I asked you if validated has ever been a term you've heard used in a negative way? I'm going to assume that's the message simply stating your order process has begun and your windows serial number is legitimate. From there, the date of purchase of your notebook which you do when you send in your invoice. If you've done that, wait until the status changes again.

 

Yeah, I found the SN on my invoice and the original box.

Thanks !

 

Hi im new here but have been reading about the new Asus Window Vista upgrade. When registering my PC-model (W3v) im not able to find that under the listings, or its other name Z63a. Can anybody tell me more about this? Thanks in advance

 

That's because the W3v does not qualify for the upgrade. If you don't have a "vista capable" sticker on your palmrest, it's not eligible for the upgrade. The upgrade was only good for models that were released after July of 2006. The W3v was released in March of 2005.

 

does anyone know if the F3F qualifies? I don't know exactly when it came out but i just bought it a week ago so I assume it's eligible.

there is a problem with ordering on the ASUS website....after "selected retailer" it goes to the next screen to choose "current op system" but it's a tiny drop down window with nothing in it, so i can't get to see the pricing.

Is it not free? I thought it was a "minimal" cost of shipping/handling. is the basic version really $65 USD??

 

You have a model with XP Home.... the upgrade FROM Home is not free, only Pro, MCE, Tablet...

 

really? i thought it was eligible for VISA basic

 

It is, just not free. If you read my first post in the thread, there are two options... basic and premium... neither were ever supposed to be free though. If you read anything on the contrary from Asus - I'd put in a claim with Asus. However, I never read anything from Asus saying that.

 

you are correct. Looks like i'll be sticking with XP for a while.

also, will i be able to upgrade by purchasing an upgrade from the store, or does it HAVE to be from ASUS to work properly on my computer?

 

I'm considering to buy Asus G1 with WMC, and I want to upgrade it to a 64-bits Vista.

I have have talked to Asus and they told me that i should be able to upgrade WMC to Vista Premium 64-bits for a fee. But they didn't know how, and that I should mail Moduslink instead ([email protected]), After mailing about 4 mail to them and no one else seams to know.

I'm pretty sure that there are alot of ppl that have the same question. Does anyone know how this can be done??

thanx

 

How do i find the redemtion code? i have an asus g1

 

THERE IS NO REDEMTION CODE!!!! All you need is your Serial number and the COA of Windows XP. Once you complete the online registration, you email them a .pdf of your invoice that comes with the shipped laptop. AND THATS IT!! I bought mine (V1Jp) from Justin and I did everything as I just wrote it. I had everything verified by about one day after I emailed my proof of purchase. The website now states "POP verified." I'm just waiting for it to be released and shipped.

 

ok, my POP was just validated, is there any other steps before I'm good to go?

 

It's like people don't read, they just like to ask questions, gosh Please read the first page and if you honestly have a question after that, drop me a line directly and I'll help you out.

Again - There is no redemption code.

Microsoft doesn't appear to be allowing the 64bit Home Premium be an option so you may need to call up the fulfillment company that's running that and not Asus.

After the validate your invoice, that's it.. just wait.

 

I apologize if I am being dense, but just to clarify: should the final status be "POP validated"/"POP verified"?

I faxed my invoice to them last week, but my status is still "order confirmed", which (if I recall correctly) was the status immediately after I completed the online order process...

I feel that I should e-mail a scanned pdf them instead, perhaps. So, another clarification, please: should I address the e-mail to [email protected]?

 

That's it.

 

I just got me a G2Pc , and ordered my Vista home premium upgrade.
It will take about 4 weeks before i recieve it apparently.
I know it's possible to download and install Vista without a serial key, and try it for 30 days, and possible even rearm it for 30 days more, if nessesarry .
But will the OEM key i get when my genuine Vista upgrade arrives, work on a downloaded ''retail'' version of Vista?
Would be nice so i could just change the key, and not reinstall the intire OS.

 

Its no use mailing to moduslink...They dont seem to answer...but tell me if u get lucky.

Good luck

 

Where can I find my S/N?

 

Under your system.... starts - number, letter.......

 

so you think fax is better than e-mail?
sounds to me that people in this thread have had luck with e-mail; whereas I have not had luck with fax

 

Hi,
I feel stupid asking this cos i'm not even at the ordering thing stage... but I've looked and I have an A8Js Notebook... i'm running windows XP right now that came with the notebook. I'm wondering which upgrade I should get. the 32 bit or the 64 bit of.. windows vista business? I'm worried about ordering 64 bit and then my ntoebook not supporting it (I have no idea if my CPU is 64 bit or not - can someone tell me? I've searched all over for the core 2 duo T7200 if its 64 bit or 32 bit...)

It seems that PROPortable suggested 64 bit, so I'd probably get that - as soon as I know if my notebook can use it.

Also, I'm running win.xp right now. If my win.xp is 32 bit, is it possible to upgrade to 64 bit?

Thanks a lot, i know these are newbie-ish questions... but I really tried to google these answers and it seems that they're so newbie that no one's answering them or something

Thanks

 

Oh really? Aww man. I just purchased the S96J last week. I believe it was released in May? of 2006?? Palmrest doesnt have the "vista capable" sticker. That probably explains why the S96J wasn't listed in the drop down menu?

BUT - with my laptop (has xp pro installed on it) I was given the upgrade redempton form that has the redemption form number in the top right hand corner. So I'm confused??

Thanks.

Specs of my S96J:
Core 2 Duo 7200
2 GB RAM

 

It sucks ass that we get Business instead of Home Premium - it costs more and we miss out on Media Centre for TV reception and so on, and in exchange we receive a few enterprise features that few, if any, home users will require.

 

so they will send me the installer cd for vista if i do this? i can keep and install at a later date right? i'm using G1, what's the diff for 32 and 64bit?

thank you

 

'The provided order number or Certificate of Authentication number is no longer available in our system. Please click here to contact customer service.

This can't be good, this is what i got when i tryed to check order status.

 

Is there any way around this? Will they allow us to change if we speak with someone or note it on the invoice faxed to them?

 

I suppose it is worth trying, but I would not be hopeful that Moduslink would allow it

All of the MC files seem to be contained in \windows\ehome. Maybe it will be possible to just install Ultimate/Home without entering a serial number, copy that directory to another partition, reinstall Business, then copy the folder back. More likely it will rely on a lot of registry entries, services and other files that will not permit such a cheap hack

 

Hello All...

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed so please bear with me for a moment...

My status on the moduslink website shows 'Order Confirmed'. I faxed my POP to them over 3 weeks ago. Does 'Order Confirmed' mean I should just sit tight for now or is there another step that needs to be taken? Note that they have charged my CC the $6.xxUSD handling fee.

Thanks for setting me straight!

JWB

 

If I recall correctly, I read somewhere that they only charge you once they ship it. However, I would think that your status would change to something like "Order shipped".
I also faxed them my POP a couple of weeks ago, and the status remains "Order Confirmed", although this was the status immediately after completing the online order process and before faxing my POP. At the moment, the moduslink website seems to be under very heavy traffic... so I can't check my status now... In any case, I have faxed them my POP again and e-mailed them a scanned pdf just in case.

 

Yeah, the charge on your card should be a sign that they have shipped or will be shipping your upgrade shortly.

 

Good news - Sources are reporting that in order to use an upgrade CD, you must have XP pre-installed beforehand which eliminates the option of a clean install. Oh... wait, that's not good news at all. Disaster recovery will be a huge and annoying process and you have to worry about holding on to far more than just your Vista CD in case of a problem. Thank you Microsoft for always having the customer in mind. Grr

~ Brett

 

Microsoft upgrades have always required both the older version's COA and the ability to find a certain file on your system. I'm not sure how it's working now, but between 98 and XP there were a few tricks as simple as inserting the XP disc when it wanted to search for the file and send it to the D: drive rather than the C: drive or what have you. What I've heard of the new upgrade to Vista is basically that it's idiot proof.... It will completely remove all XP files and references from your system.... I wouldn't worry about it to much, even if that is the only way you can reinstall it.

If you're worried about reinstalling later, make yourself an image and burn it... that's always good. In fact, make it after you get all your other drivers and software installed and it'll make the next install super easy.

Remember, anyone getting the free upgrade that you're getting an added piece of software for nothing..... It's great to have XP as a fall back, but anyone getting the free upgrade is getting it because they bought a system prior to the Vista launch... You can only complain about it so much when you technically have two legal OS' for the price of one

If I find a way (or anyone else for that matter), to install the Vista upgrade on a new hard drive without first installing XP, I'll let you know.

 

From what I've read, in the past, simply entering the COA was enough, no need for files on the system. Now the consensus is you must have XP fully installed before upgrading.

I have no software to do so nor a blank HD to do it on. In the past I could just pop a CD in and have a clean OS one hour later with no additional costs or hardware to hold onto. A periodic wipe of the HD will be almost impossible.

Well, I for one included Vista in the price of my notebook when I considered buying it. If it hadn't included an upgrade to Vista, it's likely I would have waited for Vista to come out before I purchased it since an extra $200 is nothing to joke about. To me it's not a freebie, it's what I was promised and what I paid for.

If you found a way, that would be great. Hopefully with your resources you can come up with a way around Microsoft's attempt to [screw their customers...ehem...] ensure their customers get what they paid for.

Thanks,
~ Brett