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Confirmed: Windows 7 Family Pack Disc is Identical to Upgrade Media

Oct. 26, 2009 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Just in case this was a concern: I've done a file compare between the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade media and the Windows 7 Family Pack media and they are indeed identical. The weird thing is that you only get one product key with the Family Pack, so the only real difference is up in the cloud: The Family Pack product keys can be activated three times.

From a practical standpoint, this means that any discussion about Upgrade media applies equally well to Family Pack, I guess.

Discuss this Article 10

jfp14reg
on Oct 26, 2009
I installed the family pack on 3 pcs (1 desktop, 2 laptops). When it says it can be activated 3 times, what would happen if I have to reinstall for some reason, let's say 6 months down the road? Would it recognize that it's the same pc signature or would I have to jump thru hoops to call Microsoft?
Rasken
on Oct 26, 2009
I've been digging into the various licensing options for Microsoft products between KMS servers and MAK(Microsoft Activated Keys) systems and it's amazing how they can generate a MAK with a specific number of activations live from their sites on the fly. I needed a Server 2008 MAK this morning and within 2 minutes I had generated a key and put it on the server completely painlessly. Makes sence that they do this with the family packs too.
DaveyJ
on Oct 26, 2009
@JFP I've had that problem with the Office 2007 home and student pack. I do tend to go through machines. If you go through and try to activate it and it says you have already used the activation key, you can do telephone activation and get it activated that way.
jfp14reg
on Oct 26, 2009
Thanks Davey, as long as I know if I have to reload I can make an easy call, then I am ok with it.
whiplash55
on Oct 26, 2009
Epic fail on Amazon, still haven't gotten my Win 7 disks, fortunately I also got them from MS, but if I hadn't I'd be pretty pissed. Clean install with the upgrade media worked great it activated no problem!
robertsjoe
on Oct 26, 2009
Just when you thought Microsoft marketing was so pathetic, that they couldn't get any worse.. they do. http://www.therawfeed.com/2009/10/microsoft-pulls-out-of-family-guy.html#
roteague
on Oct 26, 2009
Too bad they wouldn't make a Family Pack with Windows 7 Ultimate ... that would be about perfect for me.
NoNameAtAll
on Oct 26, 2009
"Just when you thought Microsoft marketing was so pathetic, that they couldn't get any worse.. they do." And this has to do with the Family Pack...how? In any case, it's interesting.
Waethorn
on Oct 27, 2009
"Just when you thought Microsoft marketing was so pathetic, that they couldn't get any worse.." That statement should only have been said had they actually stayed with the Family Guy project.
anonymous
on Oct 27, 2009
This post was mentioned on Twitter by the_pc_doc: There you go @edbott - confirmation that you get one product key in a family pack http://bit.ly/47Ol1R

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