Update: This offer is now expired. The links below now go to pages where the upgrade packages are offered at their full retail prices.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced pricing information for Windows 7. (You can read all about it in my post at ZDNet: Microsoft unveils ’screaming deals’ for Windows 7.)
The big news for would-be upgraders in the United States is that you can pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional at a significant discount right now, and have the product shipped to you on October 22, when it’s officially released.
The discount is 50% or more over the normal estimated retail price (ERP) of the two mainstream consumer editions. In the United States, you’ll be able to buy a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade for $50 or get the Windows 7 Professional upgrade for $100.
At Microsoft’s website, you can find links to 12 online dealers that are participating in this promotion. If you want to buy from Amazon.com, you can use one of the links below and order directly (full disclosure: I make a commission on each sale through these links):
Here are the links to the software:
You’re eligible for this special upgrade pricing on any PC that currently has a licensed copy of any edition of Windows XP or Windows Vista.
Questions? Ask away in the comments below.
I have a Vista x64 Preinstalled machine. I ran Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (Beta), and it made no mention of my newish HP printer. Does Windows 7 x64 use Vista x64 printer drivers, or does HP have to write a new one?
JohnJ:
Windows 7, both 32 bit and 64 bit were aware of my HP D2500 series printer, and it ran right away.
I have Vista x64 Business on my laptops, so I plan to purchase the Win7 x64 Pro version. You can either do an in-place upgrade, or a clean install. What I would like to do is create a separate partition for a Win7 clean install (I already have this for Win7 RC). Does the Win7 upgrade license (at the special price, as described in your post) allow me to create a separate partition for the Win7 installation? In other words, am I allowed to use both operating systems (obviously not simultaneously)? BTW: with the purchase of an upgrade license, do I get a new activation key?