Once you complete the upgrade, your key will be replaced by the upgrade key.
Should you ever need to reinstall, you will use your original key to install
the original product.

The disk doesn't matter. They all have all versions. It's the key that
counts.

"Jim103144" <Jim103144@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F5E434F0-5E6D-40B4-B244-E13B6DF67B6F@microsoft.com...
>
> Dear Rick, and all:
>
>> *****Thanks...NOW FOR BELARC disclosure of Myster CD Key...
> .Here's a bizarre corollary puzzle. Alarming. In one of the recent related
> threads one of you expert folk suggested to someone that they experiment
> with
> Belarc Advisor. Well, I did in the middle of the night, and it produces a
> ton
> of information about my computer... But my purpose was to confirm for
> myself
> my Vista CD Key. But the CD key it lists for my Vista is NOT the one on
> my
> Vista box-thing!!!! Because I'm in the "clean install" phase, does the
> computer somehow generate a CD key that is different? Also, it shows
> under
> software Licenses a separate heading for Microsoft VSTA , spelled without
> the
> I, listing a series of digits as a Key, but none of the alphabetic things
> that represent Keys as I'm familar with them. Does that refer to my
> original
> Vista install, which now is on (Lord help me!) Drive H.. or, maybe refer
> to
> the folder that either windows or seagate created and labelled Windows.Old
> and which contains 4 directories USERS, PROGRAM FILES, PROGRAMDATA, &
> WINDOWS. Or perhaps the directory (which contains most of the drive H:
> stuff)
> on my new C: Don't know now whether the Segate utility created that , or
> the
> Vista install did. But, why the mysterious unknown CD KEY listed by
> Belarc
> under Microsoft Vista.? I did have a kid help me with the installation
> back
> in March....and he did have his own vista....but, no.... It was my own
> disk
> that I used for the clean install to the new drive. It's all over my
> head.
> But, this, the Key thing, makes me nervous about the next step, in which I
> use my (store bought, at ? 259.00) Ultimate DVD to 'Upgrade" my clean
> install, that seems to have a mystery Key.....
> "Rick Rogers" wrote:
>
>> Hi Jim,
>>
>> Usually, an inplace upgrade preserves existing installed programs.
>>
>> --
>> Best of Luck,
>>
>> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
>> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
>> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
>> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
>>
>> "Jim103144" <Jim103144@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:B17B796D-D007-4C47-BF82-66BCEAC41077@microsoft.com...
>> > In april when I was struggling, an Elevated MS tech who suggested I
>> > reformat
>> > my hard drive described the "In Place" clean install using my purchased
>> > Vista
>> > Ultimate Upgrade Dvd. I forgot. Just Read Paul Randall's description.
>> > But
>> > here's the thing: I'm half way through, didn't do Part II, the
>> > install/upgrade from Vista itself yet. So in the intervening 7 days of
>> > my
>> > temp. activation, I already installed a zillion programs on my new hard
>> > drive, on my original vista machine, spending much time and effort,
>> > having
>> > to
>> > call software people for new unlock codes etc.
>> >
>> > I should know this but don't : Will the new inplace upgrade that I do,
>> > if
>> > I
>> > go this route, wipe out the installations of these programs? Wil the
>> > programs
>> > themselves remain on the Vista drive (after I "upgrade" it), and if
>> > they
>> > remain, will they function without needing reinstallation?? The
>> > history
>> > behind this is in a previous post...
>> > Jim
>>
>> Thanks...NOW FOR BELARC disclosure of Myster CD Key...
> .Here's a bizarre corollary puzzle. Alarming. In one of the recent related
> threads one of you expert folk suggested to someone that they experiment
> with
> Belarc Advisor. Well, I did in the middle of the night, and it produces a
> ton
> of information about my computer... But my purpose was to confirm for
> myself
> my Vista CD Key. But the CD key it lists for my Vista is NOT the one on
> my
> Vista box-thing!!!! Because I'm in the "clean install" phase, does the
> computer somehow generate a CD key that is different? Also, it shows
> under
> software Licenses a separate heading for Microsoft VSTA , spelled without
> the
> I, listing a series of digits as a Key, but none of the alphabetic things
> that represent Keys as I'm familar with them. Does that refer to my
> original
> Vista install, which now is on (Lord help me!) Drive H.. or, maybe refer
> to
> the folder that either windows or seagate created and labelled Windows.Old
> and which contains 4 directories USERS, PROGRAM FILES, PROGRAMDATA, &
> WINDOWS. Or perhaps the directory (which contains most of the drive H:
> stuff)
> on my new C: Don't know now whether the Segate utility created that , or
> the
> Vista install did. But, why the mysterious unknown CD KEY listed by
> Belarc
> under Microsoft Vista.? I did have a kid help me with the installation
> back
> in March....and he did have his own vista....but, no.... It was my own
> disk
> that I used for the clean install to the new drive. It's all over my
> head.
> But, this, the Key thing, makes me nervous about the next step, in which I
> use my (store bought, at ? 259.00) Ultimate DVD to 'Upgrade" my clean
> install, that seems to have generated a mystery Key.....
>
> Yike!!
>
> Jim
>