Vista Upgrade Invalidates Previous OS

A few days ago, I took a look at some of the reasons for the rather dull launch of Windows Vista, with many critics finding ample reasons to stay home, grumble, and refuse to do the XP upgrade shuffle.

Most of the criticisms were about the lack of "killer apps" already available for the new operating system, leaving many people wondering, "why bother?" Come to think of it, the lineup is thinner than most game console launches... and Halo 2's release party sure was certainly much more exciting. (Source: news.com)

Today, more criticisms are slowly rising to the surface. They're predominantly coming from very cynical sources, such as AppleInsider, lover of everything Steve Jobs. AppleInsider believes it's Vista's identity key that is scaring most potential buyers off from migrating to the new OS.

Apparently, if one purchases Vista as an XP upgrade he/she will see the identity key for the older operating system immediately become invalid. That would make it somehow illegal to use the older software. (Source: appleinsider.com)

Some criticisms of Vista, like this one, seem a bit moot. As the saying goes, why eat hamburger when you've got steak? On one side: most folks won't get all in a huff about losing the ability to use XP once Vista is installed.

On the other hand, if you use the "Upgrade" DVD and Vista is incompatible with a major piece of hardware or software in your system, you won't be able to reinstall (or re-validate) your previous copy of Windows XP incase you need to revert.

That would certainly be a sticky situation. If you're in doubt, buy the full Vista installation and stay far away from the Upgrade version.

For more on Vista's updates, upgrades, and what is missing from XP, stay tuned for Infopackets' eBook, coming soon!