Microsoft KB Archive/930375

= Error message when you try to use a Windows Anytime Upgrade product key during a clean installation of Windows Vista: &quot;To use the product key you entered, start the installation from your existing version of Windows&quot; =

Article ID: 930375

Article Last Modified on 3/15/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Vista Business
 * Windows Vista Business N 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium
 * Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition
 * Windows Vista Home Basic
 * Windows Vista Home Basic N 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Starter

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SYMPTOMS
When you try to use a Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) product key during a clean installation of Windows Vista, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

To use the product key you entered, start the installation from your existing version of Windows.



CAUSE
This issue occurs because you cannot use a WAU product key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
 * 1) Obtain the WAU product key from the Digital License Package (DLP).
 * 2) Continue with the WAU process.



MORE INFORMATION
If you are trying to recover from a computer crash or a hardware failure, use the computer's recovery solution to recover the base operating system. Then, follow the steps in the &quot;Resolution&quot; section.

Note The WAU DLP contains 25-character product keys. These product keys are wrapped in XML, and you can extract them.

Keywords: kbexpertisebeginner kbtshoot KB930375

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