Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program Capped by Microsoft

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 30 Jun 2009

The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program allows customers that have purchased qualifying versions of Windows Vista to upgrade to Windows 7 for free. If you get Windows Vista Home Premium for example, all you have to do is go to the Windows 7 Upgrade Option web site here and order your free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. That and other details about the program we already knew; what we did not know is that Microsoft has capped the number of free Vista to Windows 7 upgrades.

It seems that the Redmond-based software giant has instructed OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to limit the number of free Vista to Windows 7 upgrades to 25. So if you have a small business and purchase 25 PCs with Vista preinstalled on them for example, you can upgrade to Windows 7 for free. But if you are a slightly larger organization that wants to get 50 OS versions, you will get 25 upgrades for free and you will have to pay for the rest.

And upgrading does not come cheap. Microsoft has recently announced the estimated retail prices for upgrading (as well as purchasing a full packaged product) and Windows 7 will set you back this much:
Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99
Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99

So what you are supposed to do if you have more than 25 PCs that you want to upgrade to Windows 7? Microsoft, and OEMs, informs you that you should look into volume licensing.

“You may order one upgrade kit for each eligible computer. However, if you are a computer administrator ordering on behalf of your company or organization, you may order a maximum of 25 Windows 7 Upgrade Kits for 25 eligible computers purchased during the eligibility period. If you need more than 25 upgrade kits, contact Microsoft about a volume license,” explained HP when asked the question “How many computers can I order Windows 7 upgrade kits for?”


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