installing windows 7...againFollow

I always thought myself to be pretty knowledgeable when it came to building and working on computers. I have been building and working on computers since the windows 3.11/wind95 era.

Problem I am having with Windows 7 is pretty much Microsofts BS copy protection. Before when you installed a newer version of windows it would just ask for the CD from the previous version of windows (98 asked for 95, 2000 asked fro 98, Xp asked for 2000. Well I skipped Vista completely after upgrading to Windows XP. I bought Windows 7 when it first came out which was awhile ago. The time I bought it I also bought a brand new HD and Motherboard so I wiped my MB and started from scratch. I did what I did with all previous versions of windows. I put the Windows 7 upgrade DVD in the drive and it installed windows. I expected it at some point to ask for my Windows XP cd as proof that I was eligible. It never asked me for it. AFter I get it installed it tells me when I try to put my CD key in that I didn't have a previous install of Windows XP so after X amount of time I won't be able to use it. After doing research apparently they want you on a fresh install to install Windows XP and fully update and register it, then they want you to install Windows 7 upgrade.... Why do we need to do this? I have legit copies of Windows 95, 98, 2000, Xp, and 7. Sadly people with illegal versions of the software installed it easier than I did.

Anyways I had to go to some dubious sites but I finally found a work around that got Windows 7 running for me. PRoblem I have now is I am upgrading my HD and need to install a fresh Windows 7. I plan to keep my old HD in the computer but I want to install Windows 7 on the new HD fresh as I also am getting a new motherboard. Do I gotta go through all the BS of installing XP, which prob won't work right since this MB and my hardware is so new, to legitly install Windows 7, or will it be able to see my legit copy of Windows 7 on my other HD and install it with no trouble?

Ashame when the most difficult part of working on a PC now is the copy protection....

Unfortunately, if you have the "update" version of Windows 7 and not the full version, then yes, you'll have to go with BS of installing XP again.

But double check the Windows 7 DVD - they sometimes sneak an option in there to allow a clean installation if you poke around the menus. I thought I was going to have to reinstall Vista on my machine when I upgraded to 7, as I had manually downgraded myself to XP when I bought this machine 3 years ago, but it turns out I was selection the wrong option. My copy of Windows 7 actually had a clean installation available.