i do not like upgrade CDs

Newegg canada doesn't have it :-(

hmmm....This is a really good deal, but I've always been a fan of fresh installs. That, and *if* I need to re-install Windows, I really don't feel like installing Vista first, then upgrading to 7. Sure, half the price but takes twice as long (from a clean slate).

What to do what to do...

Just noticed Win7 Pro has an "XP Mode", but it requires Virtual PC. Anyone think it's worth it? Early testers, have you noticed any older software that doesn't work on Win7?

Hmmmmm.....after some more digging around it looks like you MUST choose the Upgrade Option on the second Install in the method I posted. In other words you can't wipe out the first (trial) install. You have to actually "upgrade" that install to get the key to activate.

THAT SUCKS.

Can anyone confirm from their Vista experiences? I understand they behave the same as far as installs.

so what are the downsides of a an upgrade compared to an oem disc?

How do upgrades work these days? It's been awhile, but I might consider it as a cheaper alternative to the full. I remember some annoying experiences with 98 and XP upgrades; fishing for old CDs or having to pre-install was kind of stupid.

How do they verify your old copy now? Enter a valid code?

If I'm reading this right you can do the 'install upgrade on top of itself' trick with Win7: http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2009/06/25/cle...install-with-windows-7-upgrade-media-what-about-...[ersite.com]

What about those of us who are running the Windows 7 RC? Is there an upgrade option for us or are we going to have to re-install an older O/S first?

Micro Center is running a 3-day promotion, where upgrade editions of 7 HP is $40, and 7 Business is $90. Just FYI for anyone with a Micro Center near them. I don't plan on buying it myself, as I am just fine with my Vista Ultimate install.

If I preorder it now, does Newegg have the same Policy as Microsoft itself and will not charge me until it ships (i.e. october)?

My machine is running WinXP x64 using my university's system-wide software licensing. I wonder if an upgrade would work with that. I'm inclined to say no, since the same product key can be used multiple times.

Anyone know how well Win7 plays with Linux and VM software? I picked up a copy of XP Pro before the supposed deadline earlier this year, was wanting to learn more about Linux. Used Red Hat many many moons ago but haven't tried it since. I've got a decent library of Windows software, and I'm going to guess that I'll be better off using Win7 has a host and then running Linux (probably Ubuntu, maybe Kubuntu, also looking at Linux Mint) in a VM (VirtualBox 3 when it comes out?) or via a Live version. Thoughts? I'm pretty serious about trying out Linux for a while, and already know a few software packages I want to use on it, just not sure if Win7 is too new and I should stick with XP for a bit longer. Dual-boot would be ok, but I'd prefer virtualized concurrent execution.

System: Phenom II X3-720, Asrock 780GMH/128, DDR2-1066-CL5, WD Black 640. Using 780G video until next round of GPUs arrives.

It's a trap!

This didn't dawn on me until after I made my purchase, but does anyone know what version this is? 32 bit or 64? I wasn't given the option. Or has it been reported that 7 will ship with both on the disc?

I haven't looked for very long yet, maybe the collective brain can answer:

Are you upgrade eligible if you have OEM copies of XP?

Yeah, over the next 2 weeks I'll probably be ordering 1 copy of home and one copy of pro.

...or maybe 2 copies of Pro. Home supposedly doesn't have the built-in backup?

In theory, you had to upgrade Vista by starting the installer from your old OS - clean installs weren't meant to be possible with upgrade discs. What actually happened though was that Vista allowed you to install without entering a CD key (which gave you a 7 day trial), and you could then install the full version of Vista from within the trial version you'd installed. No idea whether MS will "fix" this loophole for Windows 7, though.

This method still works on W7, according to Paul Thurrot. at WinSuperSite.

The MS page doesn't specifically mention Remote Desktop. It's not a deal breaker for me but I'd like to know.

Sounds like a good deal, but I'm sure many here will find something about it absolutely dreadful. Judging from past comments from past articles.

If you buy a system with Windows today, you get an upgrade for free. Otherwise you get to pay $120. And the release is months away. Don't they realize how completely and utterly retarded that is.

For those that missed it, upgrading from xp involves a format so really its a clean install. vista will do the whole live migration thing.

Can't go wrong with half price... bought 2 copies. One for me 1 for the wife.

I have a computer with Windows Vista Home Premium OEM, and my next computer upgrade should be about a year from now. I don't really feel like an upgrade to windows 7 at this point on this machine would be worth it, but my next machine will most likely have windows 7 on it.

Would buying the upgrade do me any good? Or should I be waiting for OEM priced Windows 7 next year?

Best Buy here in Canada has a similar promotion with a July 11 deadline, although of course it is a little more than $50. If I was to build another tower, I would be on it, but I've decided I'm going the laptop route from now on.