Microsoft Sets Windows 7 Pricing, Upgrade Programs

Unexploded said:
Can anyone confirm you'll be able to keep your existing install of XP *and* install the "upgrade" version of Windows 7 to a different partition?

I wouldn't mind saving a few bucks by getting the discounted upgrade vs oem, but don't want to find out it'll only install on the same partition as XP, or that it deactivates your old XP license. They've done weirder things. Thanks.
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No, you would have to install the upgrade in place of your XP partition. If you want to dual boot then you would need to install a full version of windows 7. When you upgrade an OS the old license key is no longer usable as it is tied to that machine. So when if you Installed XP then upgraded to Vista then Upgrade from Vista to windows 7 your machine is actually using all 3 windows keys still, not just the windows 7 one. You are are not freeing up a key. That is what the Full version is for. It has always been like that, you always have to install an upgrade overtop of your current OS and loss the previous license.

However keep in mind that with some versions of windows 7, you can use XP mode, which gives you a virtual machine running XP. So if you are wanting to keep XP around for backwards compatiblity, then XP mode (assuming you can run it) would help you there without the need to dual boot.
 
Blown 89 said:
I don't get it...the main page says a 3500 but the product page says a 5500 but every press release google came up with said the 3500 is correct.
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Seems like single CPU configurations are 3500 while dual CPU configurations are 5500. They could be more clear on that. Based on the price deltas on prior Mac Pros I just assumed that they all use 5500 series Xeons, go figure. Xeons are a waste of money for me anyway, its the #1 reason I don't own a Mac tower.

i7 pricing is weird in general, my next build is in a few months is going to cost me more than usual, and most of it is going to be from just the motherboard. At its launch I could easily get a high quality Core 2 board for less than half of the average price of an i7 board right now. At least DDR3 has come down a lot in the last few months.
 
Serpico said:
Why do you want to keep two partitions, backwards compatibility? Just curious.
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Yup. Backwards compatibility primarily. I'd also like to keep XP around until I'm sure there's no weird DRM in Win7 that'll stop me doing any of the usually DVD ripping, utility "testing" (like to try before I buy), etc..

Besides drive space is cheap and it's nice to have an OS to fall back on if you're paying the bills with your computer.

I've currently got a 500GB drive split into two partitions: XP Pro on one and the Win7 beta on the other. It would be sweet if I could just pop the Windows 7 Pro upgrade disk in and install directly over the Windows 7 beta, but I have a feeling it's not going to be that easy.
 
Exavior said:
No, you would have to install the upgrade in place of your XP partition. If you want to dual boot then you would need to install a full version of windows 7. When you upgrade an OS the old license key is no longer usable as it is tied to that machine. So when if you Installed XP then upgraded to Vista then Upgrade from Vista to windows 7 your machine is actually using all 3 windows keys still, not just the windows 7 one. You are are not freeing up a key. That is what the Full version is for. It has always been like that, you always have to install an upgrade overtop of your current OS and loss the previous license.

However keep in mind that with some versions of windows 7, you can use XP mode, which gives you a virtual machine running XP. So if you are wanting to keep XP around for backwards compatiblity, then XP mode (assuming you can run it) would help you there without the need to dual boot.
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Thanks. I figured it would be be something along those lines.

Up till now, I've always just purchased OEM copies vs. upgrades. Looks like the trend will continue.

If Windows 7 Pro OEM is priced about the same as Windows XP Pro, it's not that much of a difference between the current upgrade deal and the full oem.

I'd rather spend the $50 on software vs. aspirin. :)
 
Exavior said:
No, you would have to install the upgrade in place of your XP partition.
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So far I've read that Windows 7 needs a clean install if you're upgrading from XP, so I'd assume that you install Win7 like new and then enter both your XP and your Win7 keys when prompted. Is this incorrect?

When you upgrade an OS the old license key is no longer usable as it is tied to that machine. So when if you Installed XP then upgraded to Vista then Upgrade from Vista to windows 7 your machine is actually using all 3 windows keys still, not just the windows 7 one. You are are not freeing up a key. That is what the Full version is for. It has always been like that, you always have to install an upgrade overtop of your current OS and loss the previous license.
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Yup, this makes perfect sense.

However keep in mind that with some versions of windows 7, you can use XP mode, which gives you a virtual machine running XP. So if you are wanting to keep XP around for backwards compatiblity, then XP mode (assuming you can run it) would help you there without the need to dual boot.
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Here is a handy comparison between versions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions

The only mass market version for the US that does not have XP compatibility mode is Home Premium. If you have Professional or Ultimate then you're golden.

PS - Starter, Home Basic, and Enterprise editions will not be available to 99.9999999% of the people reading this, so no complaining about all the editions. :)
 
Unexploded said:
Yup. Backwards compatibility primarily. I'd also like to keep XP around until I'm sure there's no weird DRM in Win7 that'll stop me doing any of the usually DVD ripping, utility "testing" (like to try before I buy), etc..

Besides drive space is cheap and it's nice to have an OS to fall back on if you're paying the bills with your computer.
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I think you'll be in good shape with just Windows 7 Professional if it comes down to having just one partition. It comes with XP mode included so you should be golden there.

If you really need a fallback OS if something bad mysteriously happens then you can just install a tiny Ubuntu partition or have it on a Live CD. You don't need much more than a web browser if you're paying bills. :)
 
Serpico said:
I think you'll be in good shape with just Windows 7
If you really need a fallback OS if something bad mysteriously happens then you can just install a tiny Ubuntu partition or have it on a Live CD. You don't need much more than a web browser if you're paying bills. :)
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Nah, I meant connecting to work via vpn. They got rid of our cubicles to save money on office space. :D

I suppose I could always just restore from image should I be taken out by a wayward MS patch or something. Part of my reluctance to leave XP likely stems from the fact it took forever to get everything dialed in for XP. Even with compression the C: drive image is over 100GB--but hey, all the games are patched and tweaked. :)

I can't see them charging too much more for OEM Windows 7 Pro than OEM XP Pro. Hopefully that pricing leaks out next.
 
Unexploded - I see. Yeah, in that case you should wait and see how OEM pricing works out, although have to say that the preorder pricing is mighty good. I don't know how much better you'll get with new OEM, but we'll know soon enough.
 
Serpico said:
Its possible, they are both $1500, same price. With the awesome H-IPS display, double the HD storage, higher clocked CPU, much faster GPU, DDR3, and great hardware/software integration on the machine that you'd expect from Apple, the 24" iMac is really a tremendous value compared to other all-in-ones out there.
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If that iMac sells for $1500, then that's a smoking hot deal for anyone that does photo or video editing.

OTOH, I'm still surprised that the XP ever ships with Intel graphics.

Oh, and I'm pretty po'd with the 'No pre-order deal for Ultimate Upgrade' customers. But, seeing as how MS (and the PC industry) estimates 5% of Windows 7 purchases to be via boxed-retail, I can hardly blame them.
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Ed Bott suggests those who want Utlimate buy the Pro upgrade and wait for MS to announce the anytime upgrade pricing. Unlike Vista, you install all parts of the OS, regardless of what version you buy, so it appears you'll get a new license, that activates thoseparts that otherwise lay dormant.

With that said, I'm still unsure how much value there is to Ultimate, aside from drive encryption. It doesn't seem like any of the other features apply to home use. Maybe i'm missing the boat, but I fail to see how booting from a VHD is much different than booting a VM. Maybe you can use it to test customized OS build....if so, that'd be useful for some, but still seems fairly business related.
 
Exavior said:
No, you would have to install the upgrade in place of your XP partition. If you want to dual boot then you would need to install a full version of windows 7. When you upgrade an OS the old license key is no longer usable as it is tied to that machine. So when if you Installed XP then upgraded to Vista then Upgrade from Vista to windows 7 your machine is actually using all 3 windows keys still, not just the windows 7 one. You are are not freeing up a key. That is what the Full version is for. It has always been like that, you always have to install an upgrade overtop of your current OS and loss the previous license.

However keep in mind that with some versions of windows 7, you can use XP mode, which gives you a virtual machine running XP. So if you are wanting to keep XP around for backwards compatiblity, then XP mode (assuming you can run it) would help you there without the need to dual boot.
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Unless something changes between beta/rc and RTM, he doesn't really have to have the OS installed.

What's more when you use the upgrade, you can do a completely fresh install (you have to if you're going from XP to 7).

Finally, Vista upgrades didn't really require you to have XP at all. You just installed Vista from the upgrade disk without entering a key and then you reinstalled it again with your key.

Took longer, but it could be done. My guess is that 7 will work the same way, because MS didn't kill this method with SP1 or SP2.
 
Serpico said:
So far I've read that Windows 7 needs a clean install if you're upgrading from XP, so I'd assume that you install Win7 like new and then enter both your XP and your Win7 keys when prompted. Is this incorrect?
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You are slightly misunderstanding what you read. When you do the upgrade from XP to Windows 7, you will need to have XP installed to start with. However instead of it keeping your programs and data all intact it will instead install a clean copy of windows 7 making you reinstall all of your programs. However you still need to have XP installed to start with. This is the same way that Vista worked in regards to 2000. If you had windows 2000 installed and upgraded to Vista it would just use the 2000 install to say you have a valid copy of windows, then wipe it clean to install Vista.

nilepez said:
Unless something changes between beta/rc and RTM, he doesn't really have to have the OS installed.

What's more when you use the upgrade, you can do a completely fresh install (you have to if you're going from XP to 7).

Finally, Vista upgrades didn't really require you to have XP at all. You just installed Vista from the upgrade disk without entering a key and then you reinstalled it again with your key.

Took longer, but it could be done. My guess is that 7 will work the same way, because MS didn't kill this method with SP1 or SP2.
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There is no RC/Beta version of the upgrade. So there will be a change when the RTM version comes out. Like I stated above, you do not start with a clean install to upgrade form XP to 7. You actually have to start with XP install and let the installer see that is it there first, then let it do the clean install. Same as going from 2000 to Vista.

As for that trick. Yes that should work with 7. However, that really isn't suppose to be how you do it and actually doesn't really give you a "legit" version of windows. Yes it will pass the test and all, but you are suppose to be using the upgrade version to go from either XP or Vista. So you violating the EULA. That also doesn't save you anything as you are still installing an OS then upgrading it again to another OS. So it doesn't matter if you install XP, Vista, or 7 without a key, you can't start the Upgrade process outside of windows. If you don't believe me startup the window 7 install by booting to the disc and try selecting upgrade. It will tell you that the upgrade process must be started from inside of windows.
 
Unexploded said:
Yup. Backwards compatibility primarily. I'd also like to keep XP around until I'm sure there's no weird DRM in Win7 that'll stop me doing any of the usually DVD ripping, utility "testing" (like to try before I buy), etc..
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You can rip DVDs and all that stuff in 7. The RC lets you do it just fine. Even if you couldn't, you can always install XP in a virtual machine. MS even has a free one, Microsoft Virtual Machine... or there are other options like VMware. I wouldn't keep a full partition just for that.

Your other stuff? That's your call for your comfort levels, but what you see in 7 RC isn't going to be very different from what you buy.


-------------

How did this turn into half a Mac thread?
 
Syclone said:
You can rip DVDs and all that stuff in 7. The RC lets you do it just fine. Even if you couldn't, you can always install XP in a virtual machine. MS even has a free one, Microsoft Virtual Machine... or there are other options like VMware. I wouldn't keep a full partition just for that.

Your other stuff? That's your call for your comfort levels, but what you see in 7 RC isn't going to be very different from what you buy.


-------------

How did this turn into half a Mac thread?
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Question for you guys - and let me try to ask this without confusing anyone:

IF there was indeed some sort of weird DRM going on in Win7 that prevented ripping DVDs, don't you think that the Win7 driver set would still protect the DRM if you used the Win XP VM? As I understand VM's, it isn't like the host or primary system drivers unload from memory to make room for the VM's to somehow allow the VM special access to the hardware at a low level.

Am I thinking about this correctly?
 
Exavior said:
You are slightly misunderstanding what you read. When you do the upgrade from XP to Windows 7, you will need to have XP installed to start with. However instead of it keeping your programs and data all intact it will instead install a clean copy of windows 7 making you reinstall all of your programs. However you still need to have XP installed to start with. This is the same way that Vista worked in regards to 2000. If you had windows 2000 installed and upgraded to Vista it would just use the 2000 install to say you have a valid copy of windows, then wipe it clean to install Vista.



There is no RC/Beta version of the upgrade. So there will be a change when the RTM version comes out. Like I stated above, you do not start with a clean install to upgrade form XP to 7. You actually have to start with XP install and let the installer see that is it there first, then let it do the clean install. Same as going from 2000 to Vista.

As for that trick. Yes that should work with 7. However, that really isn't suppose to be how you do it and actually doesn't really give you a "legit" version of windows. Yes it will pass the test and all, but you are suppose to be using the upgrade version to go from either XP or Vista. So you violating the EULA. That also doesn't save you anything as you are still installing an OS then upgrading it again to another OS. So it doesn't matter if you install XP, Vista, or 7 without a key, you can't start the Upgrade process outside of windows. If you don't believe me startup the window 7 install by booting to the disc and try selecting upgrade. It will tell you that the upgrade process must be started from inside of windows.
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That would be pretty retarded to have to start by installing your old OS, then installing Win7 over it. Previous windows versions just asked for the old OS cd to be inserted into the cd drive when installing a fresh OS install. Never had it ask for the cd key, just the cd. Im highly doubting the smarties at microsoft will require you to actually install the OS twice in order to "upgrade". That being said.. just having to worry about the location of 2 cds instead of one is enough to stay away from the upgrade version for me.
 
Exavior said:
As for that trick. Yes that should work with 7. However, that really isn't suppose to be how you do it and actually doesn't really give you a "legit" version of windows. Yes it will pass the test and all, but you are suppose to be using the upgrade version to go from either XP or Vista. So you violating the EULA. That also doesn't save you anything as you are still installing an OS then upgrading it again to another OS. So it doesn't matter if you install XP, Vista, or 7 without a key, you can't start the Upgrade process outside of windows. If you don't believe me startup the window 7 install by booting to the disc and try selecting upgrade. It will tell you that the upgrade process must be started from inside of windows.
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I still haven't seen an answer if the install somehow calls home to MS to invalidate your old XP key. I see technically by the EULA or whatever your key is invalidated, but I can't find any info on if it actually calls home to invalidate the key.
 
In for 1 year to Technet.

There's too many new MS products out or coming out within 12 months that'll be useful to have. Consider it renting software if you will, but having 4 laptops and 2 desktops along with 2 new systems incoming, I win hands down on that deal
 
So tempting to purchase...

Ive been loving windows 7 so far. Just wish there was some "official" word on how a clean install would go starting with a new HD, but owning a legit XP license.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
It's up at best buy too. I bought 3 copies at amazon because I would have had to pay tax at best buy.
 
Jim S. said:
That doesn't say anything about XP users being eligible for the upgrade pricing. So why do I keep seeing people saying that we will be?
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That's for upgrading via computers that you recently purchased that have Vista on it, which is different than the upgrade just for having an older copy of xp/vista.
 
Monkey34 said:
Huh. $50 for a couple of weeks when no-one has money to spend, then 2.5x that later when people might have the cash. Looks like I'll be sticking with Vista and XP.
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Did the world go bankrupt, or did I miss something?
 
I picked up a copy of Win7 Pro.
It came out to $141.24 on Amazon. That's Canadian pricing.
$124.99 + $16.25tax
 
Just got my 2 copies from the MS Store. Came out to $110 shipped to Idaho. :)
 
Exavior said:
There is no RC/Beta version of the upgrade. So there will be a change when the RTM version comes out. Like I stated above, you do not start with a clean install to upgrade form XP to 7. You actually have to start with XP install and let the installer see that is it there first, then let it do the clean install. Same as going from 2000 to Vista.
Click to expand...

There was no RC/Upgrade version of Vista media either. It was all the same. Trust me, I installed an upgrade version of Home Premium a Full version of Business.

Whether it's an upgrade or Full install is strictly determined by your key.

As for that trick. Yes that should work with 7. However, that really isn't suppose to be how you do it and actually doesn't really give you a "legit" version of windows. Yes it will pass the test and all, but you are suppose to be using the upgrade version to go from either XP or Vista. So you violating the EULA. That also doesn't save you anything as you
Click to expand...

If you own XP or Vista, you're not breaking the spirit of the Eula.
If MS was really worried about it, they'd cut off that work around.

If you don't believe me startup the window 7 install by booting to the disc and try selecting upgrade. It will tell you that the upgrade process must be started from inside of windows.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I said that the work around required installing 7 x2.
 
GreenMonkey said:
I like the idea of upgrading for $50, but I hate invalidating my old Vista Ultimate key as it would be useful elsewhere (like my media server which currently runs XP). And it sucks I'd be losing some features (like Remote Desktop hosting).

Does the upgrade really call home to MS and invalidate your old key? Even if you clean-install the upgrade?

Any other options? Could I re-install XP on my box and upgrade from that, perhaps, so I didn't invalidate my Vista Ultimate key?
Click to expand...

Would like to know the answer to these questions as well.
 
Kaizer said:
That would be pretty retarded to have to start by installing your old OS, then installing Win7 over it. Previous windows versions just asked for the old OS cd to be inserted into the cd drive when installing a fresh OS install. Never had it ask for the cd key, just the cd. Im highly doubting the smarties at microsoft will require you to actually install the OS twice in order to "upgrade". That being said.. just having to worry about the location of 2 cds instead of one is enough to stay away from the upgrade version for me.
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I suspect you don't own an upgrade copy of Vista. What was described has been well known for 2.5 years (since Vista's release).
 
ToneEQ said:
BS, check these UK prices out:

WINDOWS 7 UPGRADE PRICES
Home Premium - £79.99 = $131.87
Professional - £189.99 = $313.21
Ultimate - £199.99 = $329.64
Source http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8118749.stm

US Prices
Home Premium $49 = £29.73
Professional $99 = £60.67

I wouldn't mind paying upto £100 for a Pro upgrade, but not that much. UK sucks as prices, that's what we get for having 2 types of each version of Windows, thanks EU!
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Yeah, UK prices are always rediculous (And this isn't just a price hike thanks to the EU fines, its always been 'Rip-off Britan'

Everythings focused on upgrade copies though. I don't want an upgrade, I want a new full copy. The wording seems to imply that they are one in the same for the UK, but the UK Preorder info page Has Win 7 Proffesional listed as £99 but also says 'To be eligible for the offer, you need to be running a genuine copy of the Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems.' hidden away.

So is there any pre-order for non-upgrades? If I just buy it anyway will it check for a previous version (since they say its a 'full' version)? I guess time will tell, but I just wish they had a page with a 'give us £X now and you can get 7 with no catches when its released'
 
faugusztin said:
It is the typical "screw the rest of the world" pricing.
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The "rest of the world" is suing the pants of of Microsoft for every reason they can think of. Blame the higher prices on increased costs of making the product available.

Anyhow -- Pre-ordered mine from Amazon.
 
Kaizer said:
That would be pretty retarded to have to start by installing your old OS, then installing Win7 over it. Previous windows versions just asked for the old OS cd to be inserted into the cd drive when installing a fresh OS install. Never had it ask for the cd key, just the cd. Im highly doubting the smarties at microsoft will require you to actually install the OS twice in order to "upgrade". That being said.. just having to worry about the location of 2 cds instead of one is enough to stay away from the upgrade version for me.
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Kaizer said:
So tempting to purchase...

Ive been loving windows 7 so far. Just wish there was some "official" word on how a clean install would go starting with a new HD, but owning a legit XP license.
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nilepez said:
I suspect you don't own an upgrade copy of Vista. What was described has been well known for 2.5 years (since Vista's release).
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Agreed. This not new, this is how Vista worked. Microsoft does not expect you to keep reinstalling your OS over and over and over. Of if you do, they expect you to be smart enough to make a backup of your computer. Unlike other older versions, Vista (and assuming 7) do not need to be reinstalled every so many months / years to keep them running like new. The only time you should need to do a resintall if for failed hardware.

I actually have to do this with visio for one of our users. They started with some old version then were upgraded every few years. In order to install their copy after a lost harddrive I had to install v4.5 or something like that, then upgrade to 2000, then 2002, then 2003.

GreenMonkey said:
I still haven't seen an answer if the install somehow calls home to MS to invalidate your old XP key. I see technically by the EULA or whatever your key is invalidated, but I can't find any info on if it actually calls home to invalidate the key.
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aldamon said:
Would like to know the answer to these questions as well.
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It doesn't not actually invalidate the key from being used. If it did then you could never use it again for a reinstall, or on another machine if you no longer needed that upgrade. Just like with every other version of windows. You are just suppose to be honest and not use it on another machine. Just like when you buy volume licenses. You are not suppose to buy 5 licenses, then install it on 50000 computers. Sure you could, but that doesn't mean you are suppose to. Same here, the key itself does not go into some list or become invalid from ever being used again, however since you are UPGRADING your current license to the new one, you are not suppose to be using it. Regardless if you do a clean install with the upgrade license or actually do an inplace upgrade.

stiltner said:
In for 1 year to Technet.

There's too many new MS products out or coming out within 12 months that'll be useful to have. Consider it renting software if you will, but having 4 laptops and 2 desktops along with 2 new systems incoming, I win hands down on that deal
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You aren't renting the software though. You are using it in a way that is against the agreement, but what ever.

nilepez said:
There was no RC/Upgrade version of Vista media either. It was all the same. Trust me, I installed an upgrade version of Home Premium a Full version of Business.

Whether it's an upgrade or Full install is strictly determined by your key.



If you own XP or Vista, you're not breaking the spirit of the Eula.
If MS was really worried about it, they'd cut off that work around.



I'm pretty sure I said that the work around required installing 7 x2.
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I meant key wise for the upgrades. You can't test how the upgrade version itself will work as there are only keys for full versions. With 7, I have been wondering if maybe there will be 2+ actual different versions or how that will work as you enter the key in last. So by that point you have already installed your OS which will prevent it from knowing based off of your key which verison to install. And for the RC there was no question about which version you want to install. It only installed Ultimate.

Correct, you are not breaking the spririt of the EULA as long as you do not use your old version of XP or Vista on another machine. However many people think that is a valid way to get away from having to have a previous version of Windows, or to not have to give up their old license. People use it as a way to get a full copy but at the upgrade price. I doubt Microsoft is really concerned about it. Getting you to at least buy a upgrade copy then trick it to be a full version still gives them money. So they would rather you did that then go and pirate the software.

and yes you did state it requires 2 installs, I was just trying to make it clear that method still doesn't gain you anything as it requires 2 installs just like installing XP then 7, or Vista then 7 and that 2 installs is the only way to do an upgrade as you can't boot to the DVD and select upgrade, that the upgrade button ony works if you are booted into windows. That was posted as a repsonse to you response to my post about how you had to already have XP or Vista installed to be able to start the upgrade process. Although actually I should have just said a valid OS for an upgrade path as you can go from 7 to 7 also as long as you are staying in the same version (repair install) or upgrading from 32-bit to 64-bit, or just upgrading versions. But either way, you still need to have some OS on there in some form to start an upgrade process of any type.
 
SilverSliver said:
The "rest of the world" is suing the pants of of Microsoft for every reason they can think of. Blame the higher prices on increased costs of making the product available.

Anyhow -- Pre-ordered mine from Amazon.
Click to expand...

Explain then same tactics for :
- Sony
- EA
- nearly every other company present in IT segment

No, this is a damage control. We pay the extra for the low prices of US market. It was allways like this, and unfortunately allways will be.
 
Let me ask probably a dumb question:

If I have Vista 64 Home Premium and I want to upgrade to Windows 7 64 Home Premium or whatever the equal/logical equivalent is...would the "upgrade path" be safe/sufficient or should I still stick with the old rule of thumb of buying the OS and installing fresh and brand new from the ground up?

Are any of you going to upgrade or simply format and go from the ground up?
 
Q-BZ said:
Let me ask probably a dumb question:

If I have Vista 64 Home Premium and I want to upgrade to Windows 7 64 Home Premium or whatever the equal/logical equivalent is...would the "upgrade path" be safe/sufficient or should I still stick with the old rule of thumb of buying the OS and installing fresh and brand new from the ground up?

Are any of you going to upgrade or simply format and go from the ground up?
Click to expand...

Just buy the upgrade for 50 bucks and do a "clean" install. This may involve installing 7 twice, which is identical to the Vista upgrade "clean" install.
 
Q-BZ said:
Let me ask probably a dumb question:

If I have Vista 64 Home Premium and I want to upgrade to Windows 7 64 Home Premium or whatever the equal/logical equivalent is...would the "upgrade path" be safe/sufficient or should I still stick with the old rule of thumb of buying the OS and installing fresh and brand new from the ground up?

Are any of you going to upgrade or simply format and go from the ground up?
Click to expand...

It is safe to upgrade. It has been for some time. Back in the days of 9X it wasn't a good idea. But I have seen little trouble going from 2000 to XP. Only problem is that tab complete doesn't work in the command line. XP to Vista has worked just fine on any machine I have done it on. I would assume that Vista to 7 should be just fine also.

So I myself see no problem in upgrading from vista to 7 like that. I'll probably upgrade myself. I upgraded from XP 64-bit to Vista. I'll probably just go ahead and upgrade that again to 7.

If you think that you might need / be able to use your old Vista license someplace else, then it would be better to buy the full version. Otherwise you should be fine buying the upgrade version instead. Especially if you buy it now for the $49 pre-order sale.
 
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