Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Microsoft, Windows, 7 | Themes: Windows Tech Talk, Software
- 1. Buying Win7
- 2. Europe and IE8, Conclusion
1. Buying Win7
Windows 7 comes out in less than a week, but never fear! Guy Thomas will help you choose the right version of Microsoft's newest operating system.
Guy Thomas
Guy Thomas is the writer and editor of Computer Performance, a site dedicated to computer hardware and software maintenance and troubleshooting since 1996. He currently resides in England.
Traps to Avoid When Buying Windows 7
If you are thinking of buying Windows 7, then I want to help you clarify Microsoft's mind-boggling array of rules and options. Your best hope for success is to focus on the rules for your country and your edition of Vista or XP. Your nightmare would be buying a Windows 7 upgrade for Home Premium, which is useless because you currently have the XP Professional edition.
Migrating to Windows 7 from XP
When migrating from XP only a clean install of Windows 7 is possible. To put it another way, you cannot upgrade in the true sense of the word. The good news: if you already have Windows XP, then you can take advantage of Microsoft's cheaper 'upgrade' offer rather than buying the full version. In order to use an upgrade version of Win7, you must give the upgrade software proof that you own a genuine copy of XP. Before you do any upgrading or OS installation, make sure you back up any data that you don’t want to lose.
The three editions of Windows 7 that will be on sale next week are Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate.
Upgrading from Vista
In addition to a clean install described above, Vista offers an extra option for an in-place upgrade to Windows 7. The benefit of an in-place upgrade is that it preserves the user settings, and relieves you of the headache of finding the product keys and then re-installing Microsoft Office and other programs.
My friend Mick points out that you could upgrade from XP to Vista, and then make another in-place upgrade to Windows 7. Personally, I think this is another sign of Mick's madness.
Tier for Tier with Windows 7
The object of “tier for tier” is to give users a version of Windows 7 that is comparable to their previous OS. For example, you would upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium. Everyone agrees you cannot downgrade, like going from Vista Ultimate to Win7 Home Premium. However, it is possible for you pay a little extra money and go up to a higher tier, like from Vista Home Premium to Win7 Ultimate. Make sure you double-check because it did not work for me.
32 and 64-bit Processors
It is my belief that whichever version of Windows 7 you buy, the box will have two DVD's: one for 32-bit and another for 64-bit hardware. You use the same product key for whichever DVD you choose to install. Speaking of hardware, Windows 7 is the first Microsoft OS that does not require a faster processor or more RAM than its predecessor (Vista).
Plan B: Windows Anytime Upgrade
Plan B is to opt for Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU), in which you would buy a product key which unlocks the next edition. For example, you could start off with Windows Vista Home Premium, upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, and then buy a WAU upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. This worked smoothly for me.
Each Windows 7 edition is now a superset of the lower editions, thus you don't lose any features if you upgrade from Home Premium to Professional. This is a much better system than what Vista had to offer, where the Professional edition did not have all the features of Home Premium.
- Next page Europe and IE8, Conclusion
I work for computer shop and was on Microsoft 'training' for Windows 7. They said that 32-bit and 64-bit are two separate SKUs, so you won't get two DVD's. You'll have to decide before you purchase your edition or else you might get very disappointed.
But do check this info. Maybe our guys were misinformed.
I already have Win 7 64 bit. It seems great, but Windows Explorer always crashes when I try and right click or assign something to the Start Menu. I hope it'll be repaired soon. Until then, I'm sticking to dual booting with Vista 64 bit.
I only have windows 7 rc and I ordered the upgrade edition. Do you think I'm in trouble?
Microsoft representative (and common sense) told us that it is not possible to do 'upgrade' from RC because it's not paid version of Windows 7. Therefore you must have ordered full installation, so I presume there would be no trouble for you.
Manufacturer's Description
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favourite photos, videos and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
32-bit or 64-bit? For your convenience, every copy of Windows 7 Home Premium includes both 32-bit and 64-bit discs.
one-shot, I've been running 7 since beta and never had that problem. I think you probably need to reinstall.
My pre-ordered copies of Win7 Professional and Win7 Home Premium arrived in the post this morning.
Both copies include a 32bit disc and a 64bit disc.
This article seems to have a bit of a slant - I don't think any "HOME Edition" has ever been able to join a domain? Isn't that what differentiates the home versions from the professional versions? After all, the purpose of the professional version is to have centralized control of machines and account management, which is hardly necessary in a home environment unless you are a tech-head, in which case you should probably be running professional or higher anyway
Does someone who really needs xp compatibility need to pay extra for professional to run xp mode? Why not just dual boot?
Does someone who really needs xp compatibility need to pay extra for professional to run xp mode? Why not just dual boot?
XP mode lets you run XP apps at the same time as win7 apps, which you couldn't do when dual booting. On the other hand, dual booting ensures better compatabiolity - XP mode is no good for games and isn't perfect for some other programs. Either way, XP mode has been a bit over-hyped. Few users will actually need/be bale to make use of it. I think it is mostly aimed at large corporations who have some legacy proprietary software that they insist on using on their new systems.
To most people, including most bussinesses XP mode is irrelevant. However, some enthusiasts might find other possibilities offered by the virtual PC support quite intriguing...
My understanding of the 32 bit vs 64 bit issue is that retail box copies will come with both versions. OEM copies only have one version per disc. So if you are looking to save money that way, you'll have to choose upfront.
"Your nightmare would be buying a Windows 7 upgrade for Home Premium, which is useless because you currently have the XP Professional edition."
When I preordered Win 7 upgrade home premium it was clear that it was possible to upgrade from XP pro. Did I read wrong? Did the rules change since last july?
I already have Win7 Pro through MSDN-AA and it seems to be the perfect fit for me feature-wise
It'd be great to see a full list of the differences!
As an administrator on my own desktop and notebook pc's, I use gpedit.msc quite often!
I never use remote desktop though...
It'd be a pitty that I'd have to go to ultimate just because the basic version does not have this function!
What if the home edition is perfect for me,but there's one feat the 'ultimate' edition has that I want to have?
Can someone go from Vista Home Premium OEM to W7 Home Premium Upg.? I remember once upon a time there were issues with upgrading from OEM releases. Also, why's Lenovo asking for $32 per dvd for the so called "free" upgrade but other manufacturers like Acer are not?
Best solution is not to buy Windows 7 at all.
You can simply avoid all these problems and keep your money too.. Just go with Ubuntu instead.
Still need windows for some things? Run XP under Virtual Box. Total cost for all this: $0
So far Windows 7 RC has bee good to me. I get the it legally when it comes out.
Win 7 Pro Has gpedit (just checked)
Manufacturer's DescriptionWindows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favourite photos, videos and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. 32-bit or 64-bit? For your convenience, every copy of Windows 7 Home Premium includes both 32-bit and 64-bit discs.
That's not true. If you are buying an OEM version say from NewEgg, you have to stipulate if you want the 32 or 64 bit. Since the equipment manufacturer stipulates the machine and CPU / motherboard, they expect you to decide their and then which route you want to ho.
If you buy the upgrade, you can install it, bu DON'T put the product key in. Then when it's installed, put the disc back in and 'upgrade' from that. Works like a charm!