Digital Home Thoughts: Upgrade to Windows 7 with a Clean Install

"I was so hoping to have better news to share, but with all the conflicting reports and my own troubles testing this while on the road, it's been a messy 24 hours. However, after staying up late last night and working through a few different scenarios, I think I do have a (fairly) simple way to clean install Windows 7 with Upgrade media."

So you bought Microsoft's pledge and decided that Windows 7 is the answer to all your life's problems. Paul Thurrott of the SuperSite for Windows has a treat for you. After much work, he has found a way to use the Windows 7 upgrade media to make a clean install. Traditionally, upgrade media requires that you have an existing copy of Windows on your computer, however, upgrades do not always go smoothly. While Microsoft has improved on this process, lots of techies recommend clean installs, meaning you install the OS on an empty hard drive. With Thurrott's tip, you can now do an "upgrade" without fear! The only suggestion I can make beyond this is that you keep in mind that this is probably not an officially supported method of upgrading your PC, so have that geek friend on speed dial if you want to try this.