Windows 7 Editions - Upgrade Compatibility

Upgrade Compatibility

There are two possible ways to upgrade to Windows 7 from an earlier version of Windows:

• An in-place install (labelled "Upgrade" in the installer), where settings and programs are preserved from an older version of Windows. This option is only sometimes available, depending on the editions of Windows being used, and is not available at all unless upgrading from Windows Vista.
• A clean install (labelled "Custom" in the installer), where all settings including but not limited to user accounts, applications, user settings, music, photos, and programs are erased entirely and the current operating system is erased and replaced with Windows 7. This option is always available and is required for versions earlier and up to Windows XP.

The table below lists which upgrade paths allow for an in-place install. Note that in-place upgrades can only be performed when the previous version of Windows is of the same architecture. If upgrading from a 32-bit installation to a 64-bit installation or vice versa, a clean install is mandatory regardless of the editions being used.

	Windows 7 Home Basic	Windows 7 Home Premium	Windows 7 Professional	Windows 7 Enterprise	Windows 7 Ultimate
Windows Vista Home Basic	In-place	In-place	Clean	Clean	In-place
Windows Vista Home Premium	Clean	In-place	Clean	Clean	In-place
Windows Vista Business	Clean	Clean	In-place	In-place	In-place
Windows Vista Ultimate	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	In-place
Windows 2000/XP and earlier	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean

In-place installation option available. Requires clean install.