User Confusion To Blame For Windows 7 Upgrade Woes?

As we previously reported Microsoft and Digital River had confirmed that several purchasers of their $29.99 Student Upgrade pack had experienced difficulties with their installations. Sunday in a follow up response posted to the Microsoft Answers forum a Microsoft support engineer appears to be blaming user "confusion" for the errors.

The issue arises from the fact that there is no direct upgrade path between the older 32bit operating systems and the new Windows 7 64bit OS. Despite that fact that it clearly states this one the Windows 7 upgrade page customers that had been running a 32-bit version of Windows such as Windows Vista purchased the 64-bit version of Windows 7 resulting in the the confusion.

Last week, users reported that an error message prevented them from unpacking files downloaded from Digital River. The message read: "We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded."

"This error occurs when you are in the unloading phase of the 64-bit Windows 7 download process and are running a 32-bit version of Windows such as Windows XP or Windows Vista 32-bit," Michael a Microsoft support engineer posted to the Microsoft Answers support forum. "This is by design," he added, stating, "you cannot launch setup for the 64-bit version of Windows 7 while running a 32-bit operating system."

Some versions of Windows can't be upgraded with the installation disc or in this case the download the users were trying to use. For example, you can't upgrade a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version, or upgrade from a higher edition of Windows, such as Windows Vista Ultimate, to a lower edition, such as Windows 7 Home Premium. If this is the case, you'll need to use the Custom option during installation.

If you're running a 32-bit version of Windows Vista, you can only upgrade to a 32-bit version of Windows 7. Similarly, if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you can only upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 7. Otherwise, you'll need to use the Custom option to install Windows 7.

Where to go for support for the Windows 7 Student offer?

For users who are having difficulty downloading the three files required for the Windows 7 Student Offer, please review the information on the Digital River help page including use of the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the following page. http://windows7.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.46353900 This includes error messages reported during the download phase and during the unloading phase. The most common are:

1. Error “We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded.”

This error occurs when you are in the unloading phase of the 64-bit Windows 7 download process and are running a 32-bit version of Windows such as Windows XP or Windows Vista 32-bit. This is by design as you cannot launch setup for the 64-bit version of Widows 7 while running a 32-bit operating system.

2. Error “This version of the file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running.”

The cause for this error is the same as #1 above and occurs if you attempt to launch the Windows 7 setup program located in the unboxed folder “expandedSetup”.

3. The download appears to hang at some % and will not continue or resume. Digital River and Microsoft are investigating reports of this issue. This appears to be a series of isolated issues that are often related to the user’s internet provider or installed 3rd party software. If you continue to encounter this problem without resolution, please contact Digital River at the following link.

http://windows7.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.46354000

4. Error “An error has occurred. Unspecified error.”

Digital River and Microsoft are also investigating reports of this issue. While not wide spread, this issue appears to be caused when one of the downloaded files is incomplete or has become corrupted on the user’s computer. Users encountering this issue you should try and re-download the files by logging into your order from the following link. http://windows7.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.46353900

If you continue to encounter this problem without resolution, please contact Digital River at the following link.

http://windows7.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.46354000

According to the last post by Michael there is additional information regarding the Windows 7 64-bit download process. For those customers of the Student Offer, who wish to install the 64-bit version of Windows 7, but are currently running a 32-bit Operating System, there is now an optional downloadable ISO file of Windows 7 64-bit to allow for install.

If you have already purchased the 64-bit version of Windows 7 from the Windows 7 Student Offer Online Store, please contact Digital River at the following link: http://windows7.digitalriver.com/servlet/PromoServlet/promoID.46354000

In the Web form select the Download Option in the drop down menu and include "64-bit Windows 7 Solution" in the first line of your problem description.

If you haven’t yet purchased your product, please download the Window 7 upgrade advisor to determine which version is right for you.