Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Chart: Multiple OS Versions

A chart has shown up on Engadget showing what versions of Windows 7 allow In-Place upgrades, and which versions of Windows require custom installs. To say the chart has no real pattern and is confusing is an understatement, if you would like to see the chart click here.

Obviously with all of the previous versions of Windows and the six main versions of Windows 7 there are a lot of different paths that can be taken, there are sixty six on the chart. For example if you are currently running Vista Home Premium 32-bit you can only carry out in-place upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit and Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit, all other choices require custom installs.

Even though I am a fan of Microsoft I can’t help but criticize how complicated they are making this, it will no doubt result in people losing data, people purchasing incorrect copies of Windows 7 and people on the whole being unhappy with the upgrade system.

A simplified version of the chart is shown at the end of the Engadget article.

What do you think of Windows 7’s upgrade paths?