Upgrading windows 7 professional to ultimate. How to change the edition of Windows while keeping settings and installed programs

Buying a computer with a pre-installed operating system is justified and convenient for those users who do not have the skills self-installation and operating system settings. However, you should take into account the fact that most often installed on computers initial versions Windows systems 7, which include Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium. These versions, in turn, have limited functionality, which is sometimes not enough. You can, of course, buy a disk and reinstall the system, but in this case you need additional time to profile transfer And Windows installations 7. There is a special solution - Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU), which allows you to, without reinstalling the system, by adding necessary functions upgrade Windows 7 version.

The first thing you need to do is understand which version of Windows 7 you are using and what features your version has, and which ones you would like to add; for this you should read the article.

I will introduce some restrictions and clarifications related to changing the version of Windows 7 using Windows Anytime Upgrade:

The Windows Anytime Upgrade program allows you to upgrade a 32-bit version only to 32-bit, and a 64-bit version only to 64-bit. That is, with the help Windows programs Anytime Upgrade cannot upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit.

Program Windows updates Anytime Upgrade is not available on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise.

Changing the version in most cases will not affect the performance of your computer; you should not naively believe that a more advanced Windows version, will increase the speed of your computer/laptop. By upgrading the version you will only add additional functions, no more. To increase the speed of your computer, I recommend reading the articles Optimization, acceleration of Windows 7 .

The Windows Anytime Upgrade program key allows you to update from only one Windows release 7 to another release of Windows 7. It is not intended to be updated from previous version Windows to Windows 7. Below is a list of which versions you can upgrade to from which Windows 7.

Windows 7 Starter→ Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate.
Windows 7 Home Basic→ Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate.
Windows 7 Home Premium→ Windows 7 Professional (Professional) or Windows 7 Ultimate (Maximum).
Windows 7 Professional→ Windows 7 Ultimate.

ATTENTION!!! Before you begin upgrading Windows 7, you must install the latest Service Pack and all Windows 7 updates.

To upgrade your version of Windows 7 you will need:

Internet

Acquired Windows key Anytime Upgrade (WAU). The WAU program key can be purchased at a retail store.

So, on your computer/laptop, click right click on the label " Computer", select " Properties" or " Start" - "Control Panel" - "System"" and press " Get access to additional functions, install a new edition of Windows".

In the window that appears, select " Enter update key".

After that, enter the purchased key. It is important to note that the license key operating system Windows and the key for Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) are different things and in in this case you just need the key for WAU.

After checking the key, read and accept the licensing terms.

After that, click the " Update".

After a few minutes of installing updates and several reboots... you have the required version of Windows 7 (on average it takes me about half an hour).

Often, users who do not have the skills necessary to install, update or configure the operating system themselves buy a computer or laptop with already established by the manufacturer gadget with a specific OS version. True, almost always the installed operating system turns out to be a stripped-down edition of Windows 7 - Starter, Home Basic or Home Premium. The functionality of this edition is limited, and it may not always be sufficient for comfortable work. In this case, to change the current release to a more functional one, you can use special utility called Window anytime upgrade (WAU).

Determining the current edition of Windows

The very first step should be to determine the edition of the operating system installed on the PC, its version and bit depth, as well as the capabilities that this edition provides to the user. To do this, go to “System Properties” by right-clicking on the “My Computer” desktop shortcut and selecting the “Properties” menu item. Here you can see the type of installed OS, its version and other necessary data. You can familiarize yourself with the functionality of each edition on the official website of the Microsoft company in a special section that tells in detail about existing versions Windows.

Limitations of the Window anytime upgrade utility

Those who decide to use the WAU OS functionality extension utility should know that it has several significant limitations:

Using the program, you can update the edition only within one bit depth: 32-bit to 32-bit, and 64-bit to 64-bit, respectively;

Initially, the utility does not work in the Maximum and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 (however, there is a way to bypass this limitation, which can be found below);

The utility is designed to perform updates only between releases of Windows, and with its help it is impossible to update from previous versions of the OS.

Windows editions can be divided into levels according to the available functionality in each of them:

1st level: Beginner, or Home Basic.
Level 2: Home Extended.
Level 3: Professional.
Level 4: Maximum.

Increases are made based on increasing functionality. Thus, for example, the Basic edition can be upgraded to any of the subsequent, more functional ones, but the Professional edition can only be upgraded to the Maximum edition.

It is also worth considering that during the update process only additional functions are added, which is unlikely to affect the speed of the PC, and the extended edition will not lead to an increase in its performance.

Windows 7 anytime upgrade: getting new OS features

Before using the utility, you need to make sure that all the necessary updates from Windows Update, as well as the latest "Service Pack".

The WAU utility will require a stable Internet connection, as well as a Window anytime upgrade key purchased through a retail store.

To start the program, you need to go to “System Properties” through the control panel or context menu"My Computer" icon and select "Get access to additional features by installing a new edition of Windows 7." Next, the system will ask you to enter the WAU key, offer to read the terms and conditions and display the “Update” button, which you should click on. The update process may take up to half an hour, during which the OS will reboot several times. As a result, the required edition of Windows 7 will be installed on the computer.

Downgrading Windows 7

One of the main reasons for downgrading a publication may be the transition from a pirated “professional” edition to a licensed one. It may be more stripped down, but during the transition they are not lost custom settings and updates. Windows anytime upgrade allows you to do this, but you will need to do some additional actions, because the installer checks the edition before updating.

In order for the utility to successfully pass the compatibility check, you must use the Registry Editor to change the value of the installed OS edition.

In the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section, you need to go to the SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion path and change the EditionID parameter to the one corresponding to the edition you are installing: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise.

Next, using the Window anytime upgrade utility, you need to select the “Update. Change edition of Windows 7." After the update process is completed, the PC will be installed new edition operating system while maintaining all applications and settings of the previous one.

If you've been using one of the minor editions of Windows for a while, you may have been thinking about upgrading to a nicer, more capable system.

From this article you will learn the easiest way to upgrade the edition of Windows without losing your usual working environment. In this case, you only need the product key. I will also talk about how to downgrade Windows 7 while keeping all settings and programs, having a product key and installation disk.

Windows 10

Only edition upgrade is possible (Home → Pro or Home → Education)
Enterprise LTSC can only be upgraded to Enterprise or higher new version Enterprise LTCS
Downgrade with saving files, but loss of programs and settings is possible for Pro → Home and Education → Enterprise

In almost all cases, entering the older edition key in Options or from command line(changepk)
In some cases, a reboot is not even required (Pro → Enterpise or Pro → Pro Education)
Downgrade to more earlier versions(1809 → 1803) not possible except for rollback
Supported downgrade scenarios to minor editions upon license expiration

Windows 7

Important note about Windows 7 versions

You can only upgrade or downgrade Windows 7 using the installation disc if any of these conditions are true:

SP1 is integrated into the installation disk (recommended)
SP1 is not installed on the OS and is not integrated into the installation disk

Otherwise, you will receive a message stating that the system being installed has more old version than the current one.

Windows 7 edition upgrade

The Start menu is just in front of you installed Windows 7 "Home Basic".

Element Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) is also available from the control panel, so you will always find it by searching in all editions except “Maximum”. By the way, WAU is the only officially supported way to update the Windows edition.

You will need: product key.

Which publications can be upgraded?

With WAU you can very quickly upgrade any edition, with the exception of "Maximum", of course. The table lists all possible ways Windows 7 updates.

How to change edition

Launch WAU and enter your product key. You can purchase it here by paying credit card although this only works for some countries. However, nothing prevents you from buying a key in the Microsoft store or in the well-known online stores AllSoft.ru and SoftKey.ru.

The system must be updated before changing editions, so WAU will automatically download any corrections upon your approval. Nothing more is required from you, except maybe a little patience.

The process involves even less physical movements than reinstalling over an installed system, although the same approach is used, including saving data.

To speed things up, do a disk cleanup first. People with a small system partition or a large volume of personal Windows files may upset you with a message about lack of space on system partition. In this case, it is enough to transfer the files to another partition or external drive.

Upgrade Windows Server 2008 R2 edition

Not on server systems Windows features Anytime Upgrade, but a similar feature is included in DISM.

Dism /online /Set-Edition:Datacenter /ProductKey:12345-67890-12345-67890-12345

Moreover, this path is available only for server systems. To be honest, I haven't tested the command in practice, so let me know if it doesn't work.

Similar commands can be applied to offline images, as described here.

Downgrade Windows 7

There may be well-founded reasons for downgrading the edition. For example, you want to switch from pirated Windows 7 “Ultimate” to a licensed “Home Premium”, which you received as a gift for good behavior. At the same time, you do not want to reconfigure the system and programs.

In principle, in this way you can not only lower, but also increase the edition. However, it is more convenient to do the second using WAU.

You will need:

installation disk with the edition you want to install
product key matching the edition

Why does changing the edition by updating the system not work?

Windows Setup checks the current edition before changing it, so the upgrade attempt will be blocked during the compatibility check.

The message outlines a supported path, albeit not very convenient. However, there is a shorter workaround, although not officially supported.

Warning

I don't know if this method violates the sacred EULA. Anyway, I'll give you the information. solely for the purpose of demonstrating that is embedded in Windows mechanism System updates can work on upgrading and downgrading editions.

Edition change process

The TechNet library clearly states that reinstalling over installed system only possible within the current edition. This leads to a workaround: for the mechanism to work, you need to change the edition of the installed system to the one you are going to install.

Upon completion of the installation process, you will have a new edition with all the programs and settings of the previous one at your disposal.

Discussion

If you have questions about the material, I will be happy to answer them. I assume that there will be few of them, so I want to discuss two other points.

Which edition of Windows 7 are you using?

To be honest, for my daily work“Home Extended” would have been enough. However, for blogging and forum replies, “Maximum” is more suitable for me. Moreover, it is more convenient to use it as the main working system than keeping it on a virtual machine.

Do you have experience reinstalling Windows 7 over an existing OS?

I have repeatedly reinstalled on top of virtual and physical machines, and the update mechanism worked without failure. Therefore, I confidently recommend this method in the forum when the standard set of solutions does not solve the system problem.

However, some participants are hostile to such a proposal - they say that reinstallation is not an acceptable solution. This was the case in XP, but in Windows 7 you don’t have to wait for the weather by the sea, but fix the problem within half an hour.

Have you ever reinstalled Windows 7 on top? Have you encountered any problems? Tell us about your experience!

Buying a computer with a pre-installed operating system is justified and convenient for those users who do not have the skills to independently install and configure operating systems. However, you should take into account the fact that most often the initial versions of Windows 7 are installed on computers, which include Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium. These versions, in turn, have limited functionality, which is sometimes not enough. You can, of course, buy a disk and reinstall the system, but in this case you need additional time to profile transfer and installation of Windows 7. There is a special solution - Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU), which allows you to upgrade the version of Windows 7 without reinstalling the system by adding the necessary functions.

The first thing you need to do is understand which version of Windows 7 you are using and what features your version has, and which ones you would like to add; for this you should read the article.

I will introduce some restrictions and clarifications related to changing the version of Windows 7 using Windows Anytime Upgrade:

The Windows Anytime Upgrade program allows you to upgrade a 32-bit version only to 32-bit, and a 64-bit version only to 64-bit. That is, you cannot upgrade from a 32-bit version to a 64-bit version using the Windows Anytime Upgrade program.

The Windows Anytime Upgrade program is not available on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise.

Changing the version in most cases will not affect the performance of your computer; you should not naively believe that a more advanced version of Windows will increase the speed of your computer/laptop. By upgrading the version you will only add additional functions, no more. To increase the speed of your computer, I recommend reading the articles Optimization, acceleration of Windows 7 .

The Windows Anytime Upgrade program key allows you to upgrade from only one edition of Windows 7 to another edition of Windows 7. It is not intended for upgrading from a previous version of Windows to Windows 7. Below is a list of which versions you can upgrade to from which Windows 7.

ATTENTION!!! Before you begin upgrading Windows 7, you must install the latest Service Pack and all Windows 7 updates.

To upgrade your version of Windows 7 you will need:

Internet

Purchased Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) key. The WAU program key can be purchased at a retail store.

So, on your computer/laptop, right-click on the shortcut " Computer", select " Properties" or " Start" - "Control Panel" - "System"" and press " Get access to additional features, install a new edition of Windows".

In the window that appears, select " Enter update key".

After that, enter the purchased key. It is important to note that the key for licensing the Windows operating system and the key for Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) are different things, and in this case you need the key for WAU.

After checking the key, read and accept the licensing terms.

After that, click the " Update".

After a few minutes of installing updates and several reboots... you have the required version of Windows 7 (on average it takes me about half an hour).

Hello admin! I want to update on my laptop Windows 7 Home Basic to Windows 7 Maximum (Ultimate). How can this be done without complete reinstallation operating system?Home Basic Seven was installed on my laptop from the store and it is quite flawed in terms of what it doesn’t haveAero Peek, BitLocker, and much more, I can’t even change the wallpaper on it. I tried to update myself, but I got an error"To upgrade from an edition of Windows 7 to another edition of Windows 7, use the Windows Anytime Upgrade program." What is “Windows Anytime Upgrade” and where can I get it?

Hello friends! Our reader is right and Windows 7 Home Basic does not contain quite a lot of functions (network, mobile, enterprise, etc.), which may well be needed experienced users or professional system administrators, but will they be useful? to the average user, let everyone decide for themselves. In today's article I will show you how to update your operating system without completely reinstalling the operating system. Windows computer 7 Home Basic up to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate , this is very easy to do, but you must have license keys for Win 7 PRO and Ultimate , if you don’t have them, then I’ll give you mine, I once bought the professional and maximum versions of the seven, these keys are only suitable for updating and will allow you to work in the system for 30 days without activation. I think in 30 days you will activate the OS. After the update all your installed programs will work and personal files will remain in place.Before work I advise you to do backup copy OS.

So, we have a laptop with Windows 7 Home Basic installed.

Download “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor” (Windows7UpgradeAdvisorSetup) from the official Microsoft website

if the site is unavailable, then download “Windows Anytime Upgrade” on my cloud storage.

Let's launch the Advisor.

After installation, open the “Start” menu and select “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor,” which will diagnose our OS to see if we can upgrade to the next version.

"Start checking"

The result of the check says that an upgrade is available to us from Windows 7 Home Basic installed on our PC to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

Now we launch “Windows Anytime Upgrade”.

Click “Enter update key”

Here you must enter license key from Windows 7 Professional. If you don’t have it, then take mine (VTDC3-WM7HP-XMPMX-K4YQ2-WYGJ8), it will be suitable for updating.