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."

Comments

Re:I see your free software and raise you?

[Arthur Grumbine]

i doubt they could have done anything better.

Maybe offer a free downgrade to XP for all OEM Vista users that couldn't get the downgrade from the manufacturer?

To all who said that Vista didn't suck...

[s_p_oneil]

...this is Microsoft's way of telling you that they feel guilty about fooling you into believing that. It's really more of an apology to the people who weren't fooled, but one implies the other.

Re:To all who said that Vista didn't suck...

[s_p_oneil]

"Same as they've done with every other version of windows"

Actually, I've never seen Microsoft do this with any other version of Windows (and I started paying for upgrades after Windows 3.11).As someone who has paid for "upgrade versions" of various MS Windows operating systems, I can tell you that while it has always been cheaper than the full version, I have never seen it given away for free, either at home or at work.

"Nice troll attempt."

I would agree with you if I didn't believe it was true no matter how much it sounds like bait. While it makes sense on one level to argue that they're doing it to boost Vista sales until Windows 7 ships, that argument doesn't make sense under scrutiny. It almost cannot help but be better than Vista, and they will make significantly more money in the long-run by charging for upgrades like they always have. MS has more than enough cash on hand to wait until Windows 7 ships, and they would sound much better to investors if they admitted they were going to have one or two weak quarters followed by a few quarters that would knock the ball out of the park. The only two arguments that would make sense to me would be: 1) Vista is costing them too much in support costs and free upgrades will lower those costs, or 2) Vista is costing them market share and they need to show some goodwill to win people like me back who bought Vista and then uninstalled it after trying it.

"Were you aware Apple does this with its holy OS X too"

It sounds like you think I'm a fanboy, but I've never even used OS X. I've used BSD and Linux, but as a game developer I use Windows almost exclusively. Either way, Apple has different reasons for doing this. They hold the mouse's share of the market, and they need to go to greater lengths to keep existing customers happy while they work to take more of the lion's share away from MS.

I would concede points if any of your arguments made sense to me, but they don't. Some of them are just flat out wrong (like Windows upgrades being given out for free).

In other news

[djupedal]

/. finds they can maintain their daily MS content quota with this 'story'... cha-ching for taco

Re:I see your free software and raise you? TWO!

[davidsyes]

But, see, back then ms didn't have to compete so much with Linux/Open Source. Back then, to them, Linux was a JOKE and Open Source was trashware.

Now, with the economy in a shambles, with what, only some 10% of the recently surveyed 1,000 companies having switched/upgraded to Vista, and with vista costing more than the hardware, and with many netbooks coming out with all number and manner of lightweight Linux distros, the writing was on the wall for ms.

Win 7 is a turnequit, to stem the hemhorraging of blood from being pummeled and bludgeoned in the press. Linux is the bullet or shrapnel that -- in combination with the economy -- is wounding ms badly. Their own arrogance was what got them stepped into the line of fire, like troops being led by hubris rather than field intelligence, straight into the "gunfire and artillery that our best intelligence said was not supposed to be a threat our superior forces..."

Just the other day i (like many i am sure) posited that the ONLY thing ms can do at this point is to offer free upgrades. However, anyone remember back in the early 90's, when you had to give MS your SSN to get money back for a rebate? They supposedly wanted to prevent fraud. I was royally PISSED that they could be allowed to demand AND GET legal backing (or no apparent government/legal authority backlash/smackdown). Imagine hundreds of thousands of SSNs ms must still have, not to mention the access to SSNs they get when doing HR and other consultancy work.

Anyway, with Compiz FusionPlasma turning heads every time a Linux-running laptop is fired up, and people likely being royally incensed that vista home basic TODAY IN ONE to TWO GIGS OF GRAPHICS RAM and 2 GB of SYSTEM RAM cannot even to a *fraction* of what Compiz and Beryl did in 2007 and even improved to current distros can do in under 256 MEGAbytes of... well, again the writing was on the wall for ms. It was nothing short of pure, fucking outrageousness and coy-ass-reach-around job on unsuspecting or disbelieving consumers (but not PROsumers) to get mislabled, or intentionally vista-ready labels on even machines not ratable for "vista ready"...

Well, i'll step down from my soap box... I've got to go into a public place and fire up KDE 4.1 on Mandriva 2009.0 Free (with updates, but STILL haven't received my PowerPack DVD I ordered WEEKS ago...) so people can oooh and ahhh over witnessing the POWER of Open Source and Linux...

Re:Misleading summary

[Nimey]

Wrong. XP doesn't have any SATA drivers. I think Dell's OEM version of XP SP3 does, but not standard XP SP?.

I use DriverPacks.net's drivers integrated into a DVD; works a treat for getting a computer up quickly.

Re:that was fast....

[shentino]

This is good, it means MS is admitting that Vista is crap and is keeping their customers by helping them get what vista should have been.

Re:I see your free software and raise you?

[jo42]

free downgrade to XP for all OEM Vista users

For the nth time, going from Vista to XP is an upgrade.

Re:Fool me once, shame on you

[pmarini]

It's happening !

Microsoft is now competing with its own products:
- IE 7 has just passed the 50% mark of the total IE share (remind yourself that it's a mandatory update so users must *explicitly* prevent its installation) and they're ready to roll IE 8
- Vista has barely passed the 10% mark (don't believe their hype, many have plainly got Vista OEM/SA but installed and used XP on their computer) and Windows 7 is already on the xmas shopping list
- what else, a German pope ? a black USofA president ? electric vehicles for the masses ? gee, the earth must be late for its magnetic reversal... oh wait

Re:downgrade

[Daengbo]

Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha4 destroys Windows 7 in benchmarks.

Couple this with the rumor about 3 app max...

[tommyhj]

So, you buy Vista, and for FREE upgrade to Windows 7, dicover its Windows 7 Standard with a 3 app limit, hence forcing you to fork out $$ for Windows 7 Home?

This could fool lots of people into spending money on upgrades they dont need... Oh - that's how this industry works, i forgot.

Vista Rev 2 (7)

[gx5000]

Don't care...My Full copy of Vista sits in a frame, with a nasty comment underneath.
They can take my Windows XPSP2 from my dead rotting corpse...

I will not be forced into a lesser product by lies and technical newbs.
This new MS OS scheme has become so politicized that facts are few and far in between.

We want a better, faster, more secure OS's...
What we get is a load of DRM topped with eye candy that requires higher end PC's.
I'm happy I don't work at M$ anymore, but sad that the corporate structure has killed off any innovation and intends to present us with multiple versions of crap.

Re:I've tried the beta

[awpoopy]

"...I'll be moving to it (buying the ultimate edition probably) as soon as it comes out...."
You must not work in IT. Since you're here on /. you must be a troll or just new here.
The slow upgrade cycle is called:
Service Pack 2 + 6 months.
Microsoft knows this and they push SP 1 and 2 out the door faster, which is why some are doing SP 3 + 6 months. The days of buying anything Microsoft "as soon as it comes out" are over.
IMHO, You might want to try Linux, or some form of BSD on that laptop instead?