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You cannot select the Upgrade option when you try to install Windows Vista, and you receive the following message: "Upgrade has been disabled"

Article ID: 926069 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install Windows Vista, you cannot select the upgrade option. You receive the following message in the Install Windows dialog box:

Upgrade has been disabled.
To upgrade Windows, your hard disk partition must be formatted as NTFS. To reformat the partition, cancel the installation, open the Command Prompt window, and then type: convert c: /fs:ntfs

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CAUSE

This problem can occur if you are upgrading a version of Windows that is installed on a FAT32 Volume. For more information, see the "Convert the hard disk partition from FAT32 to NTFS" section in the Resolution section.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, follow the steps in the appropriate section.

Convert the hard disk partition from FAT32 to NTFS

Windows Vista requires that the hard disk partition (disk volume) you are installing Vista into is formatted by using the NTFS file system. To convert the hard disk partition to NTFS, follow these steps:

Note Corruption and data loss are unlikely when you convert the partition from FAT to NTFS. However, we recommend that you back up all data before you do this. We also recommend that you verify the integrity of the backup.

To convert the partition to NTFS, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type convert driveletter:/FS:NTFS. For example, if you want to convert drive C, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
convert C:/FS:NTFS
When the conversion is complete, restart Windows Vista Setup.

Note When you run the convert driveletter:/FS:NTFS command, you may receive the following error message:

Convert cannot gain exclusive access to the drive_letter:, so it cannot convert it now. Would you like to schedule it to be converted the next time the system restarts (Y/N)?

You may receive this error message under any of the following conditions:

Condition 1

You run the convert command when the current folder is on the partition that is to be converted. For example, you type convert C:/FS:NTFS at the command prompt.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:

Click Yes in the error message, and then restart the computer. The partition is converted when the computer restarts.
Switch to a folder on another partition, and then retype the command. For example, type the following commands to use drive D. Press ENTER after each command.
d:
convert C:/FS:NTFS

Condition 2

A file is open on the partition that is to be converted.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods:

Click Yes in the error message, and then restart the computer. The partition is converted when the computer restarts.
Exit every program that may be using files on the partition.

Note These programs may include programs on other computers that use a network connection to open files on the partition.

Sometimes, the open files may include a paging file. In this case, click Yes in the error message, and then restart the computer.

Condition 3

You try to convert the partition on which the current operating system is running. For example, the WINDOWS folder and the WINDOWS\System32 folder are on drive C, and you type convert C:/FS:NTFS.

This partition is known as the boot partition. You cannot convert the boot partition when the operating system is running.

To convert the boot partition, use one of the following methods:

Click Yes in the error message, and then restart the computer. The partition is converted when the computer restarts.
If Windows is also installed on another partition, restart the computer by using the installation of Windows that is on that partition. Then, convert the partition that Windows is no longer using.

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MORE INFORMATION

For more information about the differences between the FAT and NTFS file systems, and about the advantages and disadvantages of each file system, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

100108

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100108/ )

Overview of FAT, HPFS, and NTFS File Systems

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