Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate with Anytime Upgrade. The other day I was discussing with a friend the benefits of dual- booting Windows 8 using a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) as I wrote about in the article Dual- boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 using a VHD. My friend has Windows 7 Home Premium installed on his computer and was saying that he would give anything for a way to add the Bootable VHD feature to his system so that he could experiment with Windows 8 and keep his Windows 7 setup intact. When told him that it would cost him about $1. Windows 8 on a VHD, it would be worth it. I then explained how he could purchase a Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade key that would allow him to easily upgrade his Windows 7 Home Premium system to Windows 7 Ultimate.

Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate with Anytime Upgrade. The other day I was discussing with a friend the benefits of dual- booting Windows 8 using a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) as I wrote about in the article Dual- boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 using a VHD. My friend has Windows 7 Home Premium installed on his computer and was saying that he would give anything for a way to add the Bootable VHD feature to his system so that he could experiment with Windows 8 and keep his Windows 7 setup intact. When told him that it would cost him about $1. Windows 8 on a VHD, it would be worth it. I then explained how he could purchase a Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade key that would allow him to easily upgrade his Windows 7 Home Premium system to Windows 7 Ultimate.

A half hour later we were standing in line at the local Best Buy purchasing a Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade key. The upgrade went very smooth and soon my friend was installing Windows 8 to a VHD. After we were finished, I figured that there were probably other folks out there that would be interested in learning more about using Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade to be able to install Windows 8 on a bootable VHD.

As such, in this article, I'll walk you step by step thru the entire procedure of using Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade to upgrade a Windows 7 Home Premium system to Windows 7 Ultimate. This blog post is also available in the slideshow format in a Tech. Republic Photo Gallery.

Editor's Note: Since this article was published, it has been discovered that Native VHD Boot is available in all versions of Windows 7, which means that you can set up a Windows 8 dual- boot configuration in Windows 7 Home Premium. See the article Native VHD Boot is available in all versions of Windows 7 for more detail. Creating a System Image. Even though the Upgrade will not alter any of your data or other configuration settings, I recommend that the first thing that you'll want to do is create a System Image from within Windows 7's Backup and Restore. When you do, you'll end up with a complete image of your hard disk. That way, if anything out of the ordinary were to occur as you follow the steps for performing the Windows Anytime Upgrade, you will be able to return to your current configuration. Furthermore, I recommend that you also create a separate backup of your data.

Maybe just make copies of all your data files on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup will give you peace of mind. To create a system image, you'll need to have a CD- RW/DVD- RW drive, an external hard disk, or access to a network drive. To access Backup and Restore, click the Start button, type Backup in the Search box, and press .

As you can see in Figure A, I used a DVD- RW drive on my system. To initiate the operation, just click Start backup. On my test system with a 5.

GB hard disk, it took over an hour and required eight DVDs. This is the disc that you will use to boot your system and restore your system image in the event that you need it. To purchase Windows Anytime Upgrade key from within Windows 7, click the Start button and type Anytime in the Start search box. When you see Windows Anytime Upgrade appear in the results, press . You'll then see the Windows Anytime Upgrade window, shown in Figure D.

Once you work through the steps, you'll instantly receive the Windows Anytime Upgrade key and the upgrade will begin immediately. To use the key, follow the instructions to access the Windows Anytime Upgrade window shown above in Figure D.

Windows Vista, a major release of the Microsoft Windows operating system, was available in six different product editions: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business.

You'll then click the Enter an upgrade key button. When you do, you'll see the window shown in Figure F and will be prompted to enter the key. It takes just a few seconds to complete this step. If you want all the details, just click the Microsoft Software License Terms link. To begin the procedure, just click the Upgrade button. On my example system, only one update was needed.

I noticed that after the first reboot, you'll see a screen like the one shown in Figure K, which shows that at this point the operating system is still Windows 7 Home Premium. When you log on for the first time, you'll see the last screen in the Windows Anytime Upgrade procedure, as shown in Figure M. To complete the operation, just click Close.

Would you like to set up a Windows 7/Windows 8 dual boot system using a VHD? Will you take advantage of Windows Anytime Upgrade to move from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the Tech. Republic Community Forums and let us hear from you.

How to Upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 with the Toshiba Upgrade Assistant. Return to 'Windows 7 Support'Note: Not all Toshiba laptops supported for use with Windows 7 can be upgraded using the Toshiba Upgrade Assistant for Windows 7. To create a recovery DVD, click the Windows Start button, and type “recovery” into the Start Search field. Then click . Click here to run Microsoft’s Windows Update. You may also click here for detailed information about Microsoft’s Windows Update. Note: Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 are required in order to perform an upgrade to Windows 7.

A detailed guide that shows you how to easily upgrade Vista to Windows 7.

Windows vista to windows 7 upgrade free download - Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, Windows Vista Business upgrade, Windows Vista Home Basic upgrade, and many more programs. Upgrade Install - Windows Vista to Windows 8: This tutorial details the steps involved in upgrading a current Windows Vista installation to Windows 8. As soon as the System Image is complete and before you begin the Windows Anytime Upgrade procedure, I recommend that you reboot your system to make sure that you have. This did work for Windows 8 as well from an upgrade for Windows pro 8. I had a new computer with 8 installed by a friend but couldn't. How to Upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 with the Toshiba Upgrade Assistant.

Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor checks hardware and software compatibility with Microsoft Windows 7. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor may advise you to remove or update some application software before upgrading to Windows 7. Note: Toshiba Upgrade Assistant for Windows 7 will resolve issues that may be reported by the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor for Toshiba- provided drivers and utilities, so there is no need to manually act on reports about Toshiba software. Download the Toshiba Upgrade Assistant and save it to the Windows Desktop. Click here to download the Toshiba Upgrade Assistant now.

If you will be upgrading to the 6. Windows 7, you may need to first update your BIOS. If this happens, Windows needs you to give permission to run the program. Instructions for this Windows 7 installation method, including use of the Toshiba Software Installer for Windows 7, Click here for detailed instructions of that installation method. Note: The Toshiba Upgrade Assistant for Windows 7 normally provides full functionality of your hardware features by installing any required drivers and utilities.

You can also find the latest drivers and utilities for your Toshiba laptop computer by clicking the 'Download' link near the top of this page. If you experience any problems with features and functionality of you laptop as a result from upgrading to Windows 7, download the latest Windows 7 driver or utility supporting that feature.