Can you use your copy of Windows XP on another computer if you upgrade to Windows Vista?

Answer 1

If you had previously purchased a retail copy of Windows XP, then yes. The OEM copies that come with a computer cannot be legally transferred to another computer, and the install discs will probably refuse to work.

Answer 2

Yes, but it is highly not recommended as if you are running XP your computer will not be powerful enough to run Windows Vista Home basic or ultimate if you do install you could end up doing serious damage to your computer and may struggle to downgrade back to XP as your computer probably won't be able to start up. Note: If you computer has a label on it "Windows Vista Compatiable" your computer is likely still not to be powerful enough. You should run Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from www.microsoft.com to find out whether you computer is powerful enough.

Answer 3

No. Windows XP will not run on older 80886, 8088, 80286, 80386, or 80486. It will also not run on non-Intel designed architectures like SPARC, ARM, PowerPC, MIPS, etc... (AMD processors are compatible, however.) Windows XP cannot be run in under 22 MB of RAM, even in a reduced functionality mode. Due to performance reasons, it cannot run practically on old Pentium I class processors.

Answer 4

Legally, yes. Copying the files over directly could prove difficult, however. If you have any sort of install disks, such as factory restores or whatever, you should be able to install them to another similar computer. However, if you don't actually own a boxed version of Windows Vista, I would strongly recommend you try to install to another computer first, just so you know you aren't wasting your money when you go to buy Windows 7.

Answer 5

No because, the clean install is necessary because Windows XP Professional has features that are not offered by Windows Vista Home Premium.