Category Archives: software

Windows Vista to Windows 7: What will be the Upgrade Cost?

Ok, so Windows 7 is on the horizon, and going by the previews, its definitely going to be much better than Windows Vista. I have read a couple of articles on the net discussing how much Microsoft should charge for the upgrade from Windows Vista to 7. From those who are hoping for a free upgrade, to those who say its not gonna happen, theres even a leaked best buy memo supposedly detailing upgrade costs for the same. I am NOT referring to the official upgrade program which says that anyone who buys a system/copy of Vista like 6 months before the launch gets a free upgrade. I am referring to older users of Vista (like me, for example :P) who are looking to move to Windows 7. If the memos to be believed, the average cost from an upgrade should be half of what Microsoft charged for users moving from Xp to Vista. While a free upgrade for users of the obscenely priced Windows Ultimate sounds really good (disclaimer at the bottom ;)), its probably just a pipe dream.
I am still hoping for some gesture from Microsoft towards Vista users though. Thats one thing that would really make 7 worth getting. Of course, the very fact that it would hit their revenue/profit estimates takes it to the ‘Dream On’ category. 🙂

PS:
1. I own a copy of Vista Ultimate and need that cheap upgrade option. 😛
2. Need to try out the 7 RC too. Downloaded it long back. Just havent got the time to play with it, yet….

Windows 7 RC out for consumers today, Vista SP2 coming

Well, the long awaited RC release of Windows 7 finally goes out today (here) for the general public. The RC will be active till June 2010 (2 hourly restarts starting 1st March though.
Windows 7 has gotten decent enough reviews that lots of people (me included) are looking forward to trying it out. Even though Vista improved a lot post SP1, with the Vista perception being what it is, MS needs a new OS to start the cycle all over again, even if its just a tweaked version of the Vista codebase. To their credit, it is supposedly lighter than Vista and has a couple of new features which should make the whole experience even easier.

What to watch out for:

  • The RC cannot be installed over a beta Windows 7 release. You need a new install OR an upgrade over a Vista install.
  • Once the RTM version goes out, you cannot upgrade the RC to RTM directly, but will need a new install or a vista install again.

I am hoping MS gives Vista users a cheap upgrade option to move to 7. I need that. 😉

In other news, Vista SP2 has RTMed (Released To Manufacturing – implies its done from the coding/testing point of view) as well and should be available soon.