Comments on: FAQ: Making sense of Windows 7 upgrade options

CNET News' Ina Fried walks through the basics and fine print on Microsoft's options for those who want to ensure they get the latest operating system from Redmond.

[PRsurfer`]

I bought my HP laptop only a month ago with 64bit VISTA... I had some problems with drivers , programs, media center , IE 64bit etc....

Is it OK for Microsoft to SELL incomplete expensive problematic software as if it were finished (VISTA)? Is is Ok for them to charge even a $1 to me for upgrading from a LEMON OS that I bought a month ago ?...

The least they could do is go at least 3 months back and GIVE US WINDOWS 7 as a FREE UPGRADE!!! .... Otherwise Microsoft is a REAL REAL BAD GUY!!!... Worse than IE ever was!!!

Google OS would be my upgrade if they treat us like that!...




and I hope Goo

[pdskep]

Vista is fine. Blame HP for not providing the correct drivers. It's not MS's responsibility to insure every PC is shipped in the correct configuration. They only sell the OS. It works fine for the vast majority of people. Especially since SP1.

[darkxeno]

Its SP1 that was your problem I too have an HP with 64bit Vista SP1 once I updated the bios and to SP2 I no longer have any problems with Vista.

[sobishop]

"The least they could do is go at least 3 months back and GIVE US WINDOWS 7 as a FREE UPGRADE!!! ...."

Then the people 3 months before that will ***** that they should could go back 3 more months. That sounds pretty asinine to me. It is your fault for purchasing the inferior OS without doing research. Vista has been out for quite awhile and since its inception has had problems that still haven't been resolved because third-party companies don't want to cater to MS new standards.

[Imalittleteapot]

darkxeno:

I had problems with Vista RTM. Updated some drivers, BIOS, and updated to SP1 and the problems went away. Now you're saying SP1 had problems and that you had to update to SP2?

I wonder if every time new hardware comes out this is going to be a problem for the Vista/7 architecture. I thought the problems were settled, but now the problems seem to return. I hope this isn't reoccurring.

[Renegade Knight]

@sobishop

Exactly. We early adopters of Vista who held out hope it would work, and it didn't, and who learend that the MS solution to Vista was 7 would like our problems fixed.

To this day SP1, SP2 included I have not had a problem free and fully working installation of Vista on any computer. (I may have just succeded with a Macbook Pro last week, but time will tell).

[kewell82]

Well that was dumb of you to go buy a new pc before the new OS was released. You should have known that it was coming out, but you had no patience and went and purchased a new laptop anyway. To me that sounds like it is your own fault. So stop being so prideful and admit that it was your own fault and that you were not smart enough to wait.

[cary1]

that's what happens when people don't do research. Everybody knew that Windows 7 is coming this year. You should have waited a little

[Figsology]

Hi Ina, I'm running windows vista on my computer right now, how exactly do I know that it will be able to run windows 7 smoothly?

[wolivere]

@ Imalittleteapot

No Microsoft provides a lot of base drivers but, its typically the manufacture to make drivers for the OS.

HP was really crappy about the VISTA roll out. HP had a lot of older hardware out there that runs fine *period* but they in there infinite wisdom to make money. Set a time/date in sand and said any device made before this will not be supported in Vista.

Its not that they could not support it, but they made a decision that they wanted those people to purchase new product from them.

HP filled there versions with crappy drivers and lots of bloat ware. Most friends who had HP product, we just flat lined the box, installed the drivers from HP's website, and everything was fine.

HP just put out one horrible VISTA image on there products

[drara07]

Yup, HP is alone to blame. They are really poor on Customer service. Try calling up their service and check for urself. It was ahuge mistake of mine to go in for an HP. Cheap laptops, but once an issue comes in then all hell breaks lose. Dell / Sony / Ibm would be other options now. Never going back to HP

[happygolucky101lol]

I got my HP laptop in January with 64Bit Vista Home Premium, and 2 other computers have Business. Anything for families with multiple computers with Vista/XP that want to upgrade?

[xcopy]

Just buy an upgrade for each. If necessary, but them from different places if they won't sell you more than one.

If you're expecting a "package" deal that covers all your computers, you're out of luck...

Total cost is about $300, but if Vista is working fine, then why bother?

[tgeng]

What if I upgraded my XP to Windows 7 Release Candidate? Am I still eligible for the $49 upgrade deal?

[JonThomasDesigns]

Yes But you will need a clean install

[sobishop]

Why would you replace your perfectly working OS system for one that is still in its beta stage? Your a Geek Squad's wet dream.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ sobishop:"Why would you replace your perfectly working OS system for one that is still in its beta stage?"

Because Win 7 will NOT be in beta stage by the time it ships on October 22nd?
DUH!
Plus Win 7 RC is already one of the most stable, fastest, smoothest operating systems I have ever used, even in beta. I use Win 7 now almost exclusively in my dual boot laptop.

[sobishop]

@Kawasaki

It is in beta form now so replacing your extremely stable XP with a beta OS is pretty damn stupid. I have it setup like a dual boot also but I certainly would not REPLACE XP with it right now.
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]

[Get_Bent]

@sobishop

"It is in beta form now"

No, it's in Release Candidate form now, dimwit.

"I have it setup like a dual boot also but I certainly would not REPLACE XP with it right now."

If you buy the Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate edition _and_ have a CPU with virtualization support, you can run apps in XP Mode. This is a full-bore XP virtual machine, not XP compatibility mode in the native OS.

[wolivere]

@Sobishop
I was going to make a comment, but *shrug* you do a better job of chewing on your shoe then any retort from the community.

[sobishop]

@Get_Bent

Your response is to argue semantics? OK it is still not in a finished state. Is that better? Since it isn't available yet, the XP virtualization comment was competely irrelevant to my point but how about an A for effort.
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]

Guys, as much as I think W7 might actually be a good product, will you buy a car from a dealer that sold you crap the last time? (not to mention lied about it all the way)

Not me. I got principles.

Made the switch and very happy about it. (and no... It's not an Apple...)

[Get_Bent]

@sobishop

"Your response is to argue semantics? OK it is still not in a finished state. Is that better?"

No, I am NOT arguing semantics. Software development proceeds from alpha to beta to release candidate to final product. Beta means that it still has unfinished features. Release candidate means that the features are done and it is being checked for official release.

"Since it isn't available yet, the XP virtualization comment was competely irrelevant to my point but how about an A for effort."

No, I'd give you an "A" for *******.

[Idyot]

>Will I get both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating system?
>Yes, although moving from a 32-bit version to a 64-bit version (or vice-versa) also requires a clean installation of the operating system?

In the past an upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit required replacing the 32-bit version with the 64-bit version prior to installing the 64-bit upgrade.

Does this mean that I can use the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade to go from Vista Home Premium 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit?

[PrimalZed]

Yes. In fact, I asked some friends over at Best Buy Geek Squad, and you can currently contact Microsoft to order a 64 bit Vista for free if you have 32 bit Vista Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate. (I did not ask for clarification on how you get the 64 bit version, if it's a download or if they mail a disc.)

[OmarASultan]

I have a confusing question:

1- I have Windows Vista Home Premium and it came with my laptop (OEM) am I eligible to use the Pre Order program or does it not apply to OEM

2- If I am elegible to use the Pre-Order program, do I have to upgrade my system or can I use the new CD Key with a clean installation?

Appreciate your help :)

[fault360]

Yes the pre-order will work with an OEM copy since you still had to use a CD key to activate Windows.

As for your second question I do not really understand. When you pre-order you will get the case Win7 comes in at the store or on Amazon or any other site that is selling it. In the box will have the Win7 disk plus the key to go with it. You could do a fresh install if you wanted and load Win7 right away or you can choose upgrade and keep all of your files and programs intact.

[sharmajunior]

Get an upgrade version and do a clean install. It's better that way. You will avoid so many headaches.

[Knightro2]

I just purchased a new HP desktop a couple of weeks ago. I am still within my 21 day return policy. After not being able to get anywhere with HP's upgrade line (they are a 3rd party) I hopped on to the Customer Service Live Chat. After explaining my situation whereas I told them if I didn't get the free upgrade I would return the computer and order the same one again to qualify for it. I was sure HP didn't want the hassle and cost of doing that and I know I didn't want the hassle. So they gave me a $50 refund on my order to cover the cost of ordering the upgrade myself. Now this works if you ordered from HP.com...not sure about retail stores. Just wanted to let guys know.

[benmc5]

i bought a laptop just over a month ago loaded with vista 1 day later i installed windows 7 RC on it and its great going to buy it for sure.

[tuxxo]

Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit, Professional 64bit, Starter Edition on 32 bit.....Omg how many versions and configurations are there? MS has a lot more to learn from linux distributors. Has anyone seen Ubuntu Home premium or Opensuse Ultimate? Of course not, you only get the 32 bit or 64bit package and that's it. Maybe for the next windows release they learn it.

[PrimalZed]

That is because Linux OS are free, and there is no reason to withhold features to make a cheaper version of the product. There are some handy features in the more expensive versions of WIndows, but if you don't want or need them you don't have to pay the extra money to use them.

I do like using Ubuntu on a few of my computers, but honestly sometimes the "Linux is better" arguments people sometimes try to make are just plain silly.

[Charleston Charge]

Actually there's Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and even Ubuntu Ultimate Edition. There's also 32 bit and 64 bit versions of these as well. I'm not complaining though I think it's good that there's choice.

[Seaspray0]

@tuxxo. "Omg how many versions and configurations are there?" Well, there's ubuntu, red hat, debian, suse, linux mint, bsd, fedora, mandriva, centos, pclinuxos... and thos are just the major ones, not to mention the multiple gui's.

Open your mouth, insert your foot.

[reya276]

@Seaspray0
No the only distributions that Canonical which is the parent company of Ubuntu is Ubuntu Desktop 32/64bit, Ubuntu Server 32/64bit, Xbuntu 32/64bit(for much older hardware) and Kubuntu 32/64bit(which is what Windows 7 copied from). All others are separate distributions which have nothing to do with Ubuntu/Canonical. And in reality most users usually use Ubuntu Desktop version. So yes Linux is vast but the focus here is Ubuntu and Ubuntu is simple, secure, easy to use and most of all free on both freedom and money. So yes while Windows gets more advertising and they can keep pushing the monopoly Ubuntu will just keep getting better and better so no matter how hard the Windows(geeks) try to support their monopoly we will keep on trucking and providing free software for all those whom choose, so if you don't like it no need to fuss about or complaint, just don't use it. So we will stick to our OS versions which work and are secure and you guys can stick to what does not work(Bloatware, yes give it 6 months) and not secure(they already cracked the UAC again!).

[tuxxo]

It does not matter what ****ubuntu you have. You can install all the features that you need later. You'll never install the advance features from enterprise on some home edition!

The M$ fastfood does not take special orders. You get only what's on the menu and not extras.

[SooneratND]

I've got a desktop running Vista-64 Home Premium and a laptop running Vista-32 Professional.

If I buy the Windows 7 Professional disk, would I be able to load it on both systems? I know the license for MS Office allowed me to load a copy on both the desktop and laptop, but do they do the same thing for OS's?

I saw that both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions came on the same disk, so that's nice if you can install it on both systems.

[techman21]

Office 2007 Home and Student Edition had the 3 PC limit (unusual to be more than 1), but for Windows itself, the limit is still 1 license per machine.

[adampuls]

How about this... I have a laptop that is running WinXP and I'm building a computer that does not have an OS. Can I buy the Win7 upgrade, install it on the new computer and keep the laptop running WinXP? Ok, yes I can, but would it be illegal?

[PrimalZed]

I made an account here JUST TO ASK:
Whatever happened to the 128 bit Windows 7 I heard about six months ago?

[Sausagebiscuit]

Uh what?

[Seaspray0]

It's probably with the 128 bit processor you don't have either.

[PrimalZed]

@Seaspray0
Well, obviously. I just thought it was very interesting, but it's something that was only briefly talked about last August (and I spoke with an HP rep about around April, who at the time confirmed there will be a 128 bit version). I was wondering if there were still plans for it, or if that was dropped altogether.

[paulej]

@PrimalZed, Oh! You were talking to HP? That explains the confusion, and perhaps that's also why PRsurfer is having so much trouble with his HP drivers. He must have those 128-bit drivers on his 64-bit machine ;-)

[bizkit]

I have windows vista home premuim 64 bit and wanted to know if I upgraded would I have to do a clean install if I went with windows 7? Will I lose all documents, music, and other programs? The reason I want to upgrade is because of Vista not reponding to commands at times. Internet explorer locks up at times, my computer locks up at times . etc.

[Imalittleteapot]

Just burn the files you want to keep to DVD or you can split your hard drive into two virtual hard drives by partitioning the drives.

Move all the stuff you care about to the second drive that Windows is NOT on. Then when you have to do a clean install you only have to wipe the drive Windows is on. The other drive will be safe from the format.

[Sbell42]

Maybe these have been answered elsewhere, but here are my questions:

1) If I have the OEM Vista Home Premium installed, can I buy the $99 Windows 7 Professional upgrade or do I have to stick with the $49 Win 7 Home?

2) Has there been any word on whether Windows 7 Home Premium has full Remote Desktop support or will it only be fully enabled on the Professional+ versions as Vista was?

[bluemist9999]

1) You can purchase the Windows 7 Professional upgrade, but will have to do a clean install (this is a good idea anyways) instead of an upgrade install

2) Windows 7 Home Premium can connect to other Remote Desktop hosts. However, if you want to connect to your Windows 7 machine remotely (i.e. serve as a Remote Desktop host), you will need Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 Professional also allows you to join Windows Domains and provides Windows Backup. Unlike Vista, Windows 7 Professional includes everything in Home Premium (in Vista, the 'Business' version had less multimedia functionality than Home Premium)

The big feature for Ultimate is each user can use a different language. BitLocker is handy, but True Crypt is open source software for Windows that provides the same functionality.

[jragadio]

Am I eligible to upgrade from Windows 2000?

[techman21]

No, only from Windows XP or Vista.

[adityakalyan]

Windows 2000 is also eligible but you have to back up your data,do a clean installe and install all your softwares again
extract from microsoft ....
"Running earlier versions? If you have Windows XP or Windows 2000, you can purchase Windows 7 Upgrade versions. But you must back up your files, clean install, and reinstall your applications. "

[shellcodes_coder]

techman21: Even Windows 2000 users are eligible for upgrades. But am just wondering if the hardware requirement will suffice since he is using outdated 2000

[Ledoubleu]

I bought 2 upgrades. One for my old HP Mediacenter m260n with XP (seriously awesome machine). Over the years I've upgraded to 2 gig memory and a better video card. Installing an ATSC tuner shortly and planning on and larger hard drive. I expect to get another 5 to 6 years of home use out of it this way in the least. Not bad for an open box item bought 5 years ago for around $600.00. MS and HP both have had some misteps but I can't complain about the value there. I also bought an upgrade for my Vista HP Mediacenter even though I don't have a major problem with it.

[PirateMAN981]

Stop crying, just wait until it comes out then download it from http://thepiratebay.org/

[Zurcher]

Amazon is offering "Ultimate" at a $100 discount. According to their stats about 15% of the W 7 sales are for Ultimate.

[shellcodes_coder]

That's not ultimate edition, it's pro edition

[imacdane]

If I am running the Windows 7 RC on a Mac through bootcamp, could I use one of the windows 7 upgrade copies, or would I need to purchase the full version.

[shellcodes_coder]

Well do you own a copy of XP or Vista? if yes then you can upgrade from Vista or do clean install

[dave412]

haha wow this is some funny stuff. Why should people have to pay that much for an upgrade to windows 7. Its microsofts fault for making a crappy OS. Apples snow leopard will only be $29 at most to upgrade and there is only oner version.

[shellcodes_coder]

another ignorant iCrap users. Do you know the diff. between update vs upgrades? well you don't!!

[Dam89]

I used Windows Vista on my Laptop [AMD Sempron 1.8Ghz unicore, 1GB ram and ati x1100] for 2 years with no problems, performence was great (after uninstalling some junk and removing some startup items). I'd still be using Vista now but when the Public Beta for Windows 7 was released i switched to it then the same with the RC. I've had practically no problems (Any i did have was down to my own error).

People are too negative when it comes to vista, they don't realise that 80% of their problems are down to OEM errors or their own actions.

As for the update scheme i don't mind buying an OS which i currently use for free and have no issues with.

[Inconnux]

Im sure if you are only web browsing and using email that vista is fine... my benchmarks on a two year old desktop running XP and a faster laptop (faster processor, more ram) running Vista shows that Vista benchmarks at over HALF the speed (Fritz 10 benchmark). Vista is a DOG performance wise. Even after spending a whole day on tweaks to improve vista performance I was able to get it to perform at slighly less than half the speed of XP.

[MingTK]

So if i have a mini 1000 with windows rc1 how much will be my upgrade. 49??????