Caveat Emptor!
No longer can you purchase a Windows Upgrade CD and do a fresh installation whenever you feel like it by just having your previous windows CD on hand! Now Vista Upgrades will only install over an existing installation. This means that if you do decide to wipe your system and start fresh you will need to Reinstall a fresh version of Windows XP and then run the Vista Upgrade from within Windows XP. Before you could just boot off the Upgrade CD and during the installation it would ask for your Windows 98 CD and just install from scratch.
Microsoft has changed this free path which some people used, spending less to purchase an Upgrade CD with the functionality of a Full Installation CD. Now you gotta pay the full price of a full installation CD, or go through the hassle of having to install XP first if you ever want to wipe your system!
Take that foul criminal customer! Raarrr!! We are Microsoft, and we want your extra 130 bucks! Raaarrr!!!
You can’t beat The System!
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Rarrrr!!
