MS To Offer Free Windows 7 Upgrade To Vista Users 417
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."
Re:2 months to april (Score:2, Insightful)
Why is this getting so much play on /. recently? That's an edition that was available with XP and Vista, and had the exact same restriction. How soon people forget. And if XP and Vista starter editions are any indication, the Win 7 won't even be available outside of basically Asia and Africa.
Re:Misleading summary (Score:3, Insightful)
That makes sense.
It's probably at the request of OEMs who don't want customers to put off buying a computer to wait for a new OS.
The article might even say as much, if I bothered to read it.
duh (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Fool me once, shame on you (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Of course its free (Score:2, Insightful)
Since Mac OS X 10.1 .2 .3 .4
and
and
and
and...
Re:I see your free software and raise you? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe offer a free downgrade to XP for all OEM Vista users that couldn't get the downgrade from the manufacturer?
You know what's sad? I've been around here long enough to remember when people were cursing XP and swearing that they'd never leave 2000. God help us all if I see the day where we are bemoaning the new release and swearing that we'll stay with Vista.
Re:Misleading summary (Score:2, Insightful)
That's ok. I have a PC here stuck with Vista and I'm sure it will welcome Windows 7 pirated edition.
P.S: I would like to commend the people who made XP Pirated Edition, you are the best. I had to install XP on a PC of somebody who messed up his previous installation and XP kept on wining about SATA drivers(which I didn't have). Luckily, PE had a great version without any CD-key crap or driver mayhem. It's rather sad that the best Windows versions are made by pirates.
Re:What a shitty article (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Misleading summary (Score:5, Insightful)
Luckily, PE had a great version without any CD-key crap or driver mayhem. It's rather sad that the best Windows versions are made by pirates.
Or you could have just used a newer genuine XP oem disk. SP2 and SP3 disks have SATA drivers, maybe even SP1 disks. If all you had was an original XP cd, you can slipstream your own XP SP3 disk pretty easily.
Or your friend could have made his recovery disk set and kept it after he bought the laptop, so that when this eventually rolls around, he's all set, and you wouldn't have had to fumble around for something that worked.
Or you could have ordered a replacement recovery disk set from the OEM. Granted its usually 15-20 bucks or so.
But its not like you don't have lots of options.
Re:I see your free software and raise you? (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what people don't miss one bit? Windows ME. When XP came along people abandoned ME like yesterday's roadkill sandwich. (And if that makes you hungry please seek help!) I don't know one person who misses ME and regretted moving to XP. XP was gold compared to ME, and while I haven't tried the beta I'm guessing it will be the same way for 7 vs Vista.
Re:What a shitty article (Score:1, Insightful)
I thought I was crazy. I further don't like that without the XP bit, this isn't really interesting or noteworthy to me. But I guess it's too late to remove the whole article now that it isn't interesting.
Re:Misleading summary (Score:2, Insightful)
Pirates learn much quicker than MS management does. The versions that one can buy in easter Europe now include many useful programs such as WinRar by default. You usually buy a DVD which includes not only XP, but also MSOffice, Photoshop, several antivirus and antispyware products, firewalls, various tools and utils including local street maps, telephone books etc. And there is some kind of a package manager on DVD. And the worst thing is: no matter what's on DVD be it XP, Vista, Linux or some movie -- every DVD costs exactly the same.
That is the closest thing to a Linux distribution in Windows world both in features and price. And you can have LiveCD-like environment (albeit crappy in comparison) with bartPE on the same DVD. Little wonder that Windows monopoly is absolute in countries with high level of software piracy. Linux can hardly compete with such offerings given usual vendor lock-in and users' mind inertia.
Re:Not really an apology (Score:4, Insightful)
But here is the $45,000 question -will they count the sales of those machines as Vista sales, or Windows 7 sales -probably both....
I just know that they didn't take into account all the 'downgrades' to XP when counting Vista sales...not that it helped much considering Vista's DOA status.
-I'm just saying
Re:Exclusive Steve Balmer Email: (Score:1, Insightful)
Because Stevie B is seriously concerned that this year might really be the year of linux on the desktop. Seriously and deeply.
Re:downgrade (Score:3, Insightful)
Rumor has it that MS now has a hundred sock-puppet accounts on slashdot...
Next to the hundred thousand vehemently anti-MS posters, I don't think that that would even be worth their time.
Re:I got my 'free upgrade' 15 years ago ... (Score:4, Insightful)
gah..slackware 1.0..the pain, the PAIN~
Re:I see your free software and raise you? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Fool me once, shame on you (Score:5, Insightful)
You seem to have forgotten DOS 6.
Agreed (Score:1, Insightful)
Almost PR-like. A casual reader scanning headlines will think MS is awesome for giving every Vista user a free upgrade to 7. In fact, it's no different than their past releases. Promise a free upgrade so PC sales don't plummet while people wait.
Re:Exclusive Steve Balmer Email: (Score:2, Insightful)
most people just don't give a shit, and even if they did, are not tech savvy enough to use anything that doesn't "just work".
and yes, windows does "just work". through windows update microsoft has gotten almost as good as mac at finding at least generic working drivers. 90% of all users will be able to work just fine with default settings, and 99% of all users will never need or want to touch the command line, unless they call tech support and are asked to run something trivial like ipconfig.
yes, ubuntu has gotten better about this, but it still just isn't there.
Re:Somewhere in Redmond... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, prodding somebody because they made one grammatical error is a little trite, but don't you think bitching about signatures is (at the very least) equally trite?
Re:I see your free software and raise you? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Misleading summary (Score:4, Insightful)
OH come on man! Name me anyone outside of IT that slipstreams their own disks?
So, knowing how to navigate usenet (and what usenet is), and the nettiquette there so you get the real goods instead of a disk full of viruses, knowing and using the specialized software to pull fragmented binaries of off usenet, knowledge of what a .rar even is (and what to do with it), reconstituting it into an iso or nrg or daa (and knowing what those are), and burning it to disk...
And the guy who can do all that can't slipstream his own disk? Oh come on man!
So your options are pay twice, or get an IT degree. That's not reasonable.
Any particular reason you edited out the simple and free option? Keep your original recovery media. Only recently have they stopped shipping discs with a lot of the cheapest PCs, but even there they have a 'make your own recovery disk' tool that usually prompts you within the first few days of using it and a pamplet in the box telling you to use it. If you don't want to pay twice or get an IT degree, follow the stupid wizard and make your recovery disks.
Re:Somewhere in Redmond... (Score:5, Insightful)