Marvinmente

Vista is almost in consumers' hands, but techies don't have to wait for the official launch to find things to complain about.

The latest concern is the requirement that users installing an upgrade version of Microsoft's new operating system have an older version of Windows working on their computer. Earlier Windows upgrades simply required users to have an old installation disk on hand as a proof of ownership.
Microsoft says it made the change because Vista, which goes on sale first thing Tuesday, does not check upgrade compliance. But the new requirement has irked many users who prefer "clean installs"--formatting the hard drive before installing the upgrade.