What's up with upgrading?

Discover Windows Anytime Upgrade—the new way to upgrade Windows Vista

By Byron Ricks

Less is not always more. Sometimes, more is, well, more. For example, I bought a car and loved it… for a while. Seat warmers might have made winter seem shorter. A sound system set firmly in the digital age would have been nice. And, of course, even better gas mileage is always on the wish list. Now that I’ve gotten to know my car, I want a bit more—especially better mileage. You might feel this way about the edition of Windows Vista you’re running on your computer. You know and like the operating system now, but you want more features. More capabilities. Just more. Windows Anytime Upgrade is the new way to upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista—without going to the store. And it’s much easier than installing a new fuel-efficient engine in my car.

Upgrade options

Before you begin an upgrade of Windows Vista, you'll need to decide which edition you want to upgrade to. Depending on which edition of Windows Vista you are currently running, Windows Anytime Upgrade offers several upgrade options.

Which editions of Windows Vista can I upgrade to?

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Choose the edition you want

Each edition of Windows Vista has features tailored for the different ways you use your computer. You might want to do some edition-to-edition comparison shopping before upgrading. Windows Anytime Upgrade provides a handy chart to help you.

First, open Windows Anytime Upgrade by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Windows Anytime Upgrade.

To compare editions online, go to the Windows Anytime Upgrade comparison chart. You'll see a chart that compares the features of your edition of Windows Vista with the Windows Vista editions you can upgrade to.

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What makes Windows Anytime Upgrade different?

Windows Anytime Upgrade is a new way to upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista.

Old school: Go to store and buy an upgrade edition. The trip increases your carbon footprint.

New school: Use your computer and Windows Anytime Upgrade to buy the upgrade online. You save time—and help the planet.

Check your hardware

Before you continue the upgrade, make sure your computer has the hardware to support the new features that will be installed. On the Upgrade comparison chart, read the information below each feature description to learn about the hardware that is required. If you want to check your hardware automatically, use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to determine whether your hardware can run a particular edition of Windows Vista. Go to the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor on the Microsoft website.

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Purchase the upgrade online

Now it's time to buy. When you're ready to make your purchase, click Compare the editions of Windows Vista. Windows Anytime Upgrade automatically takes you to the Windows Anytime Upgrade website where you can purchase the Windows Anytime Upgrade Pack.

Unlike the past, where you might have purchased a fully packaged upgrade edition at a retail store, here you're purchasing only an upgrade pack, which contains your product key, Windows Anytime Upgrade disc, and upgrade instructions. The new product key allows you to unlock new features for the edition of Windows Vista you are upgrading to.

When your online order is complete, you will receive a Windows Anytime Upgrade Pack in the mail.

If you are upgrading Windows Vista on a computer other than the one you used to buy the upgrade, on the Get ready to upgrade Windows page, click Upgrade Windows on another computer (advanced). This lets you copy the product key you download to the computer you want to upgrade.

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Install the upgrade

Now that you've bought the upgrade for the edition of Windows Vista you want, it's time to install the upgrade.

Before you begin the upgrade, save all open files and close all open programs. You must insert the upgrade disc while your current edition of Windows Vista is running.

To begin the upgrade process, you will need your Windows Anytime Upgrade disc. The edition of Windows Vista that you are upgrading to is included on the disc. The product key included with your Windows Anytime Upgrade Pack determines the edition of Windows Vista that you can install from the disc.

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Enjoy your new features

Now that you have a new edition of Windows Vista, it's time to reward yourself with a good movie on Windows Media Center. I'll watch a movie, too, while I wait for my hybrid car to arrive.

About the author

Byron Ricks is a writer on the Windows team at Microsoft. Outside of Microsoft, he has written about natural history, technology, and travel for numerous magazines and websites.

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See also

• Windows Anytime Upgrade: frequently asked questions
• Upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista
• Installing and reinstalling Windows