Windows 7 Release Candidate expiring...upgrade or full package?

[oboe]

My Win 7 RC is set to expire Mar 1st.   Can I just get the Win 7 upgrade or do I need to buy a full version?    This computer has never had any other OS on it.

Also, do you guys recommend the Professional version over the Home version, to get the XP compatibilty mode feature?

[FLS]

MS says you cannot upgrade Win7 RC1. You need to do a clean install. You can do a clean install with an upgrade version if you have a copy of XP or Vista to validate it. I have the home version after using RC1 and I'm happy with it. YMMV

[Reschke]

I bought the upgrade version of Win7 Ultimate 64 bit and it does everything I need and then some that I don't. I also did a full install from that same upgrade disk since I have 3 versions of Win Vista Ultimate just sitting here doing nothing now.

[oboe]

Just ordered 64-bit Win 7 Pro for OEM system builders from NewEgg for $149.   Full install, not an upgrade.   Best buy I think was charging $300 for this.

[Tigger29]

I somehow managed to score a 3-pack of 7 Home Premium upgrades (both 32 and 64 bit disks) for $140 and some change through amazon.com a few months ago.  I see now it's up to like $250.

I have since installed two of them on computers with pre-formatted hard drives (one of which was a brand new hard drive) so it is not absolutely necessary to physically install an upgrade version of 7 onto a computer that did not already have windows installed.

On one of the computers, I had to change a registry setting upon first boot to get it to activate... the other did not require this.

Neither one of the computers required me to insert the XP disk at any time during the install, nor did it ask me to input any of the previous product key codes.

Also I did have legitimate copies of XP previously installed on both of these systems, but if I'm going to have to do a clean install anyway, I'd rather it be on a fresh hard drive, not over a previous installation...

[eagl]

I had to decide what to get for my older laptop...  The original hard drive failed and took the recovery partition with it, so I was pretty much going to have to get a new license for that laptop no matter what OS I got, since IBM/lenovo is pretty useless on helping get back a lost recovery partition.  Their solution is to buy a whole new drive from them.

In any case, I went for an OEM copy of win7 home premium, 32 bit since it is an old laptop and 64 bit wouldn't work on it.  I could have slapped a spare copy of winXP on the laptop, but after trying out the win7 beta and RC, I liked how the old laptop responded when running win7.  It seems more responsive and with only a couple of minor glitches, I've had less trouble with win7 than with winxp.

To be clear to answer the original question, I'd go with an OEM copy to get the lowest price, and make sure you get the right version (32 vs. 64 bit) since the OEM copy doesn't come with both like the retail upgrade and full packages do.