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MS To Offer Free Windows 7 Upgrade To Vista Users
crazyeyes writes "With Windows 7 set for release in Dec. 09, Microsoft is getting ready with their free upgrade program, which allows Vista users to switch to Windows 7 when it arrives. The folks at TechARP have consistently scored accurate scoops on Microsoft software releases. They have now revealed Microsoft's upgrade plans, schedules and even screenshots of the upgrade process."
Similar to previous upgrade programs. The goal is minimizing the number of end users who may postpone purchasing a new computer because of the next version of Windows will be released soon.
Buy an eligible new PC with Windows Vista (Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate) and get a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it's released.
No free upgrade to anyone who currently has Vista, and the program doesn't exist yet so no free upgrade if you buy a new PC tomorrow.
No free upgrade for Windows XP...
Absolutely nothing unexpected here.
I'm going to go back in my box and will think within the limits of my box: MS Sucks Linux Good I read too much Slashdot.
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Starter Edition, and Windows XP (all editions) are not qualifying products under the program.
If you buy a PC with Vista pre-installed after July 2009, you'll get a free upgrade to 7. Everyone else will still have to buy the upgrade. This is a common practice for software (I think they did the same thing for XP -> Vista); there's really not much to see here.
Don't you mean 7 times?
If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
1. This isn't for arbitrary XP or Vista users; it is (assuming the rumor holds) a program which they will start at some point, so that if you buy a new computer during that time with Vista Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate, you'll get an upgrade to Win 7 when it comes out. This is to reduce the number of people who hold of on buying a new computer until that time.
2. It isn't for XP users at all. There are eleven occurances of "XP" on the linked page, and all but one is in an ad: "* Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Basic, Windows Vista® Starter Edition, and Windows® XP (all editions) are not qualifying products under the program." (emphasis mine).
It's a bit cliche to complain about the editors reading the articles before posting them, but did the poster even read this one?
dos 1
dos 2
dos 3
dos 4
dos 5
Windows 1
Windows 2
Windows 3.1
Windows 3.11
NT 3.5
ME
Bob
95
98
2000
2000 professional
XP Home
XP pro
Media Center
Vista Home
Vista Home premium
Vista Business
Vista Ultimate
I've used all of those to some degree except Dos 1 Dos 2 Windows 1
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
You know, if you RTFA, it does state:
...and:
...and:
So let's recap: no free upgrades for XP users, you have to have bought a qualifying Vista-based system within an as-yet undetermined qualifying period, and even then you'll only be able to get a free upgrade from your systems OEM if they choose to participate in the program.
This looks like the standard upgrade protection that Apple typically offers to those who buy a new system just prior to the ship date of their latest and greatest OS. So in essence, there is nothing to be seen here. Please move along people.
Yaz.
You should ask Apple, they seem to have gotten away with it a few times.
This happens more often than you think. Just browse at -1.
Its funny really. If they change the UI too much, people bitch that they changed it just for the sake of changing it, and thats its the same OS with a pretty face. If they change mostly the backend and whats under the hood, then people say "Its an overglorified service pack"
So I'll ask you. Have you actually looked at the extent of the changes they made to Windows under the hood? No, it didn't break much compatibility because they didn't change something that does, such as the driver subsystem. Still, the changes, for example the new service trigger engine, the user mode scheduler, the remoting system, the amount of new APIs added, the UI revamp (not like XP to Vista, but still quite significant), the software DX renderer, the upgrades to the enterprise service versions, the updates of many of the userland apps, the netbook and touchscreen features, yadah yadah yadah... overall, I'd dare say its one of the more massive updates to Windows in a long time, and greater than XP -> Vista in term of features. But yes, a lot of customers won't notice this, on top of people being comfy in the XP -> Vista release schedule (and their comfortable zone got shaken off as MS came back to the old release schedule), so they have to do this and give it.
Doesn't change how massive the update is, though.
As for drivers, you should be fine. They aren't changing the driver model for Win7, so Vista drivers will work with it.
I beg to differ unless something is intentionally borked with the Win 7 beta. I can't get half my Vista drivers to work with my Asus laptop. I've tried 32 bit, 64 bit and Vista compatibility mode to no avail. I am not the only one having the driver issues according to the forums I've looked through.
I was pleasantly surprised on how many devices were supported just from the install disc however. I guess I will have to wait a little bit longer to fully convert to Win 7.
At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don't care that you're not here with me
Many of us would agree they could do no better. But that is not the same thing as thinking the product doesn't suck.
Help stamp out iliturcy.
This is not news at all. This is the same thing they did with the Vista launch. This plan was rumored months ago.
During a period before the next OS release anyone who buys a computer with the old OS will be able to upgrade to the new OS for free, via their OEM.
The are NOT giving all the Vista users a free upgrade.
Don't judge me by my spelling
I was thinking the exact same thing, but, since I don't have the mod points to mod you "insightful", I'll add:
Not to mention 6.1 and 6.2 (to remove Stacker) :D
This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
Actually, 6.21 removed DoubleSpace, 6.22 reintroduced it under the name DriveSpace with the offending code removed.
:)
6.2 had DoubleSpace and introduced various other notable bits and pieces. Scandisk, which I suspect many Slashdot readers are familiar with, was introduced in 6.2.
Just some useless and ancient trivia for you
The exception being XP SP3.
And Windows 2000 SP3 (Aug 2002) and SP4 (Jun 2003; XP was released Oct 2001), which are more definite exceptions you either don't know about or are lying about.
NT4's SP6 security rollup was sort of a mini-service pack, and was released July 2001 (2000 came out in Feb 2000). (Ironically for MS naysayers, the reason that they didn't release a full SP was because they didn't need to release enough patches to make it worthwhile.)
NT 3.51 had a SP5 released, near as I can tell, Aug 1996, a month after NT4. (That's not a very long time though, not like XP SP3, Win2K SP3 or 4, or NT4's SP6 security rollup.)
Actually, I've never seen Microsoft do this with any other version of Windows
Really? They did it with Vista:
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/08/free-windows-vista-upgrade-coupons-for.html
"Windows XP Users will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows Vista if they purchase a Vista-enabled PC starting October till the time Vista formally hits the store shelves."
They did it with Windows 2000:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/WorkingGroups/Users/CUC/2000/csejan00.htm
"We have been told by our suppliers that a Microsoft technology warranty will apply to all copies of NT Operating systems bought after 1 January, 2000 and before the launch date (expected to be 17 February, 2000). So new system purchasers within those dates will have a free right of upgrade."
They did it with Windows Mobile 2003 from PocketPC 2002
"PDAs bought between 23 May and 23 September can be upgraded to the updated OS for free."
I'm having trouble digging up articles about upgrade rights or free upgrade programs from 2k to XP, and I honestly don't specifically remember there being a program for that one, but the point stands; while it might not be universally true, its certainly not uncommon for Microsoft to offer a free or 'cost of shipping' upgrades to people who buy a product in the weeks or months immediately before a new release is expected.
And you forgot VMS -> NT versions -> XP -> Windows 2003. OK, Microsoft didn't write VMS, but they surely stole wholesale from it for NT when they hired David Cutler, one of its authors.
Most everything in the summary is wrong. :(
The article does not state that Vista users are getting free upgrades to windows 7. It says that people who buy new PC's after the upgrade program takes effect will be eligible for a free upgrade to windows 7 if those new PCs came with Vista installed.
That is the exact same upgrade program they have offered in the months preceding the release of every version of the windows operating in recent memory.
There is no news here.
In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. -T.S. Eliot
You can turn off signatures in your user preferences. I did this years ago so I don't have to see all the crap people put in their sigs.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
However getting more RAM means either higher price because it has only DDR2 slots or upgrading motherboard - and while upgrading motherboard I'll have to upgrade CPU and graphics card.
DDR2 RAM is the cheapest RAM you can buy.
Suddenly it is not that cheap to throw more RAM on the problem.
2GB of DDR2 won't even cost you US$25. Heck, you can pick up 4GB for about $40.
The funny thing is that you seem to be chanting the mantra of "Vista sucks", based on old negative press. I and many others who have been running Vista since July or so of 2007 have not found Vista to be all that bad on new hardware.
The key to the whole Vista sucks issue is looking at a system with bad drivers as an example of how good or bad the OS is. People with Creative Labs sound cards may assume that problems are due to Vista, without even thinking that Creative Labs can't write a driver to save their lives. Look at Windows XP at launch and those who had a Sound Blaster Live sound card. People without any common sense might have bashed Windows XP if they didn't know that the drivers were at fault.
With 2GB or more of RAM and decent drivers, Vista runs decently. The pre-caching of software makes it seem like Vista is more memory hungry as well, but it isn't THAT bad. I am not saying that Vista is perfect, but too many people do not make an analysis of why they are having problems.
Did you try running Windows XP with only 128MB of RAM and then assume Windows XP sucked because it ran slower on your computer? Then later, running XP with only 256MB of RAM, but you put Norton Internet Security on your machine and then tried to play games, only to find the machine ran slower than Windows 98?
Microsoft is moving to Windows 7, not because Vista isn't good, but because there are has been so much regurgitated negative press from Feb 2007 that people without a clue are avoiding Vista.
The only real negatives in Vista that I have run into include some software compatibility issues relating to the Network and hardware layers, DOS applications can not run in full screen mode without DOSbox, and UAC being a nuisance. Most problems come from those with under 1.5GB of system memory, drivers either not being available or poorly written for some applications, or just bad software that wasn't written well in the first place but SOMEHOW managed to work.
Oh, and of course, there is no BartPE for Vista, which I still prefer to WinPE.
As I read it, they're not offering free upgrades to people who already have Vista, they're offering free upgrades to people who are going to buy Vista between some point in the future and the release of Windows 7. It's the same thing they did with XP before Vista was released.
I'm not if they think as few people will take advantage of the offer this time around.
Fanatically anti-fanatical