Have you pre-ordered Windows 7? (1 Viewer)

[Bryan X]

I decided to pull the trigger and bought three copies of Windows 7 for my PC, my wife's laptop, and my son's PC. Right now we're running Vista on all of them and I'm pleased with Vista. But combined with the reports of Windows 7 being leaner and faster, I couldn't pass up the temporary pre-order price of $49.99 each. Anyone else here pre-order?

 

[Diallo B]

i got lucky and got my copy of home premium for 39.99.

i have been running the rc1 for a while and find it to be a pleasant experience.

 

[Mark Leiter]

Thanks for the heads up. Can't wait to finally be able to laod a 64 bit OS. Now I'll finally be able to get the speed out of it that it's supposed to have.

 

[mattCR]

Yes. Been VERY happy with RC1

 

[Bryan X]

I ran RC1 for a while in dual boot mode with Vista. I was quite impressed with it also. I never really ran it through it's paces though because I really didn't think I'd upgrade. I never thought 7 would be offered for $49 and I've been very pleased with VIsta. Vista has been VERY stable on all our computers.

 

[Dennis*G]

Have my 2 copies of home premium pre-ordered. Been using Win 7 since beta 1 and have enjoyed it. No problems

 

[nolesrule]

Is there any site that does a comparison of the different versions? And where's a good place to preorder?

 

[don monteith]

Joe, Microsoft has all that on their Windows 7 site. I ordered mine from Best Buy. That way I get points but there are a lot more places that are selling it, like Frys. The list of online retailers can be found on the same site.

 

[Bryan X]

Originally Posted by nolesrule

Is there any site that does a comparison of the different versions? And where's a good place to preorder?

I got mine from Amazon. The special pre-order price was supposed to end yesterday (July 11) but I noticed, at least as of now, Amazon still has it going.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Heck I'm still on XP sp3. I'll see how long I can drag out getting a new desktop - mine's a Dell from 2001. There's no way it would run Vista, much less Win7, even though Win7 is touted as being more compact and resource frugal.

I even have a thread in here about cloning and replacing the hard drive after 8 years to avoid a service interruption.

Contrary to some reports, I've had no problem with a computer built in 2001.

 

[nolesrule]

Dennis, the hard drive is less of an issue as when some of the other legacy hardware in that machine starts to fail.

Make sure that you have the installation software, because if the motherboard goes, you might find yourself in need of a reinstallation.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

If the motherboard goes, that's my signal to get a new machine, preferably with Win7 preinstalled. But those big-box desktops like my Dell 4300 probably have far superior heat dissipation compared with the newer tiny-box desktops, much less slimline laptops. The motherboard may live on indefinately. I open the box every 6 months and blow out/ vacuum out the dust and cat hair so the thermal path should be good.

Actually the cheapo $35 disk I threw in has twice the capacity and much lower latency than the OEM disk from Dell. Putting it in and some more memory really woke up my older 1.4 GHz P4 system.

 

[Sam Posten]

Instead of pre-ordering I signed up for Microsoft Tech Net. Included in your yearly subscription ($260+ shipping/tax) are keys for 10 copies of Vista Ultimate, 7 RC (and soon to be RTM Ultimate), Office Complete etc. You arent allowed to use these keys on production systems, but for individual use they really don't know the difference.

The keys do not expire at the end of your subscription but still this is not an option for those who are not tech savvy tho. If it sounds like something interesting start here:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1430577

 

[Dennis*G]

^^ It is a good deal, but it does violate all the license agreements you acknowledged when you signed up for it. Always the possibility they could 'ban' your key, then you are stuck with a non-up datable software.

 

[DavidJ]

Thought this was funny/sad:

www.engadget.com/2009/08/06/official-windows-7-upgrade-chart-is-ridiculous/

I may be staying with XPsp3 on my machines for the foreseeable future.

 

[mattCR]

I've been a TechNet member for about 5 years. Lots of people get in and get out. But it isn't the right way to do it. It's so damn cheap and yes it's for your personal use, but I love the access to everything out there. And in comparison to buying Windows/Office/other tools.. easy.

Plus, this weekend I downloaded the official, legitimate WIndows 7 RTM straight from Microsoft through my login. So there.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I read on one of MS's own sites today that the official launch of Win7 is scheduled now for 22 October 2009.