Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

David Overton — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:25:20 GMT

I can confirm that I did a bare metal install without issue using the UK April Action Pack CDs.

Thanks

David

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

MAP subscriber #xxxxxxxxxx — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:38:25 GMT

When I posted about the 32-bit and 64-bit Vista DVDs, I was referring to the Jan 2008 "Welcome kit." (I started subscription just before April 1!) My welcome kit came with Vista Business 32-bit and 64-bit DVDs (pre-SP1.)

From what I understand, the CD-key tells the installer what installation-options to allow:

Upgrade CD-key locks in 'upgrade-mode.' And a full cd-key allows any installation-mode. So I eagerly await my April 2008 update kit.

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

David Overton — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:32:45 GMT

Hi,

so the behaviour I was explecting was a bare metal install ... I need to double check on this. Also, MAPS subscriber ... do you mean Jan or April kit? It is the April kit that contains the new DVDs

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

MAP subscriber #xxxxxxxxxx — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:27:36 GMT

I just got my Jan 2008 action pack welcome kit.

Well, the 64-bit Vista DVDs allow an "almost bare-metal install." You boot the DVD-media, it checks for a 'qualifying O/S installation' (on any hard-drive partition it can see, not just your current bootable partition), then lets you proceed to run the installation anywhere. (This was true for the MAP's Vista Business 64-bit DVD, and my separately purchased Home Premium Upgrade 64-bit DVD.)

The 32-bit Vista Business DVD (from MAP) still forces you to run the installation from the O/S (XP Pro, in my case.)

So far, of the promotional/NFD/NFR Vista DVDs I've come across, only the "Heroes Happens Here" Vista Ultimate SP1 DVD (32-bit) comes with a full retail key. (Strangely, that retail-key only works on the HHH Vista SP1 DVD -- it didn't work on the original Vista retail DVDs.)

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

David Overton — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:02:48 GMT

Oliver,

I am awaiting a kit, so have not yet tested this, butthe requirement to OWN an OS for the machine you are planning on doing a bare metal install from is not new and has been around for years. This could be a copy of Windows as shipped with the hardware, but does not need to be installed.

With this version, you can now boot from the DVD and do the install - or that was what I was told. So, you can still practise or use your bare metal installs, but you must have had a license for that machine in the form of any version of Windows.

Previously, while all the requirements were the same, you could not even perform a bare metal install.

Could you do me a favour and check if a bare metal, boot from the DVD is possible with the version you have now got?

thanks

David

re: Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

Oliver Sharpe — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:31:50 GMT

Got my new 'FULL' version yesterday - it is now a 'FULL CODE Upgrade Version' You still need to have a prior authorised OS installed and to start the install from that OS. Apparently it is illegal to do a bare metal install and has been for some time. So where were we with XP pro, then. I feel utterly conned after all this talk of FULL versions on the way. We need to do bare metal installs. Period. Microsoft has literally made things worse not better. I just can't believe it.

» Changes to Action Pack

» Changes to Action Pack — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:19:15 GMT

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Flott – MS gjør en endring i Action Pack når det gjelder Vista

Dag Staale Jenssen — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:58:39 GMT

Action Pack abonnenter vil i april 2008 få en full Windows Vista DVD (ikke en oppgradering) og vi får en full kopi av Ultimate også. Det står å lese på David Overton’s Blog. ...

Action Pack Changes

Tim Long — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:05:19 GMT

As you can see at David Overton's blog, Microsoft partners will once again be getting the full-install

Action Pack Changes « Andys Techie Blog

Action Pack Changes « Andys Techie Blog — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:54:18 GMT

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Major Action Pack changes at BMS Blog: SBS Consulting in the UK

Major Action Pack changes at BMS Blog: SBS Consulting in the UK — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 09:17:58 GMT

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Vista and Action pack

MVPs — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:20:07 GMT

Any day now the Vista wtih SP1 should arrive on your doorstep. If you are reading this blog, sell services

Vista and Action pack

The Official Blog of the SBS "Diva" — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:26:02 GMT

Any day now the Vista wtih SP1 should arrive on your doorstep. If you are reading this blog, sell services

Windows Vista, Windows XP, Office 2003, Exchange 2007 and Office 2007 Action Pack Update - my FAQ

David Overton's Blog — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:38:27 GMT

[last updated 8th Mar 2008 Please read uksbsguy.com/.../action-pack