Microsoft to Offer Free, Discounted Vista

By Slimy
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Grand Master

Slimy

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Microsoft is set to offer either free or discounted Vista upgrades to those who purchase new computers during the holiday season, press reports indicate. To qualify for the coupons, a PC would need to be purchased after October 28 of this year, and the upgrade would be good through March 15, 2007.

The Redmond company would not confirm the program publicly, other than saying "we're working with partners on this." Reports indicate that the free or discounted upgrade would be based on the version of operating system installed.

For example, those who have Widows XP Professional, XP Tablet PC Edition, and XP x64 Edition would be entitled to the free upgrade. Those using Windows XP Home would be permitted to upgrade to Vista Basic for $49 and Premium for $79. No upgrade price was specified for Media Center Edition.

"I like this move on Microsoft's part, even though they haven't confirmed it. It should help boost holiday sales of computers," Microsoft MVP Terri Straton wrote for The Hive. " People will be able to buy Vista-ready computers confidently, knowing that they won't have to pay full price to upgrade when Vista is released."

Windows Vista continues to progress towards a release to manufacturing, possibly as early as next month. Microsoft will make available Release Candidate 2, numbered build 5744, of Vista on Friday to testers and select CPP participants.

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Grand Master

NoneAvail

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Pretty good deal if you ask me, I'll be buying a dell laptop for my mother around Chirstmas, I'd love to get Vista for a good deal... But I think they should make you send in your windows xp CD that came with the PC and send a Vista CD but just only pay for S/H. But off course not everyone sends in a OEM windows xp cd with their computers.

Grand Master

Brian M. Veteran

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Why not wait for vista to release and then buy a pc? That way you get the OS free :)

And you dont think pc manufacturers will take advantage of that and whack pc prices up because they have "Windows Vista"...

Ive already seen PCs with Vista RC1 installed going for ?500 around here... if only the noobs knew it was gunna timebomb in 6 months:((

Grand Master

L3thal Veteran

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So let me get this straight. Since I have owned XP x64 for over a year, will I qualify for this "free" upgrade or would I have had to buy it after October of this year?

Not that it really matters since I am getting Vista free right from Microsoft, but I am just curious.

Grand Master

John Veteran

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So let me get this straight. Since I have owned XP x64 for over a year, will I qualify for this "free" upgrade or would I have had to buy it after October of this year?

Not that it really matters since I am getting Vista free right from Microsoft, but I am just curious.

You would have to have bought it with a computer after October, yes. They're not giving all x64 users a free upgrade... They're merely saying "Vista won't be available until after Christmas, but don't let that stop you from buying a new PC this Christmas" :yes:

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