Windows 7

[Cube]

I dunno, how was the RC installed anyway? Probably be similar to that.

 

You saved the installer then ran it from Vista whenever it suited you.

[Ten10]

Well considering the broadband I get from sky is crap and I have a 10 Gig download limit because Sky broadband sucks ass, I was forced to go with the disc based option. But either way I win in the end as I decided against getting the pre-order within that short window where it was £45.

[Cube]

Well considering the broadband I get from sky is crap and I have a 10 Gig download limit because Sky broadband sucks ass

 

Sky don't care about the limits.

[McPhee]

Well considering the broadband I get from sky is crap and I have a 10 Gig download limit because Sky broadband sucks ass, I was forced to go with the disc based option. But either way I win in the end as I decided against getting the pre-order within that short window where it was £45.

 

Well not really, cause y'know, this student offer thing is only an upgrade. If you were to stick to the license agreement then it'd suck compared to the £45 full retail copy. Obviously if it's anything like Vista then it shouldn't be hard to exploit the functionality so that it's like a retail copy, but that's kinda illegal.

 

I thought about getting this upgrade but figured for an extra £15 (or £6 really because i'd need the disk) it's more than worth keeping a full retail copy. This way i can legally run both my copy of Win7 and my copy of Vista.

[Wesley]

I did think that maybe it'd be a little lame being an upgrade copy. But you can upgrade from Windows XP... need a I say more my fellow Americans?

[Ten10]

Well not really, cause y'know, this student offer thing is only an upgrade. If you were to stick to the license agreement then it'd suck compared to the £45 full retail copy.

 

Well according to the preorder page you can do a custom install which would be a clean install essentially. And since windows Vista is already on the machine I intend to install it on. So Microsoft pretty much promote it.

 

I've already broken the rules on this since I'm no longer a student. And as I got the pro version in the end its still a saving of near 50 quid on the pre order price of £90. So it meets my needs.

[Charlie]

Well according to the preorder page you can do a custom install which would be a clean install essentially. And since windows Vista is already on the machine I intend to install it on. So Microsoft pretty much promote it.

 

You're still 'upgrading' your Vista license to a Windows 7 license though.

[Wesley]

So? Would that keep you awake at night? It would work no different from your full license, apart from my wallet being slightly heavier from the money saved.

 

EDIT: That came across as quite spiteful.... I shall not post for 2 days in a way of redemption.

[McPhee]

So? Would that keep you awake at night? It would work no different from your full license, apart from my wallet being slightly heavier from the money saved.

 

Nope, but i'm happy to spend the extra £6 to actually keep to the EULA. If it was a significant amount then that'd be different. You can also legally sell retail copies on afterwards which is nice, means i can get rid of it on AVForums or Hexus.net if i sell my PC.

 

The way i see it is if you're gonna brake the EULA anyway why not just torrent + crack it? Then you save yourself £30 and are still running an install that's classed as illegal. The only real difference is that £30 donation you gave to Microsoft to make you feel better (not specifically 'you', the kind of 'you' that applies to the people that this applies to).

[Wesley]

I don't understand the "you" bit. If you mean by "you" as in not "me" then why mention it. I won't be breaking any EULA; I've bought a functional version of 7 Pro on the cheap that does everything a regular "full" version does. If I ever have to install it on a newly built PC I'd just install one of my legal versions of Vista or XP and then 7. Also, if your copy cost £36, then awesome, it was a good deal.

[Ten10]

What Wesley said. But even then I read on the Microsoft support page that you can get away with just having to put in a xp / vista disc during the installation to confirm that you own the previous media and install as normal. Works perfectly for me, at a price I was willing to pay.

 

As for torrenting I wouldn't be given a legit license key and I'm not up for being slapped with WGA down the road either.

[Wesley]

Ah, I didn't know that bit, Ten10. That's awesomely convenient. And yeah, I mean... torrenting an OS is a bit of hassle... you really don't want it to randomly start playing up when I boot up one time; having to worry about it passing checks for updates, etc. I have a legit copy of XP, but wanted to install it on my Mac and couldn't find the disk (it was back home). It was just a pain. I got the right cracking method in the end, and wasn't too worried about my morals because I do have a paid version sitting at home... but on my main working PC... not worth it.

[Daroh]

Something I've found rather odd, the "upgrade" version of Windows 7 Home Premium currently costs the same price as the full package... So why would you want the upgrade version when you can get the full package and keep your old OS too?

 

I've currently got Windows XP and Windows 7 RC2 set to dual boot, I didn't see the point in getting 7 Pro since I already have a fully functioning version of XP and can access files and resources from both.

I currently have Home Premium pre-ordered.

From what I can tell, the only advantages to having pro is the encryption and Virtual Windows XP or is there some significant feature I'm unaware of?

[Ten10]

Apart from windows xp mode, pro version allows you to back up your entire system to a network and also allows you to join to a network domain. I just got the pro version because I got it for cheap £30. And considering to pre-order the pro version is £189 on MS' website I'd say that is quite a saving.

 

As for what I said about the original media in your disc drive earlier after looking for my source I found that it was mentioned on Harold Wong's blog site (Microsoft employee) although its possible he is just the janitor as I found this in a recent post:

 

I received emails from folks who have said a Microsoft representative had told them that an activated copy of Windows must already be installed onto the computer. I had stated that the original media would be required. Since I cannot get a solid answer internally at this point, I’m going to take the egg on my face and say that I may be wrong in my previous statement. I am not sure yet. Since I don’t have access to the Upgrade Media myself, I cannot test it to know for sure so I am waiting for the Windows 7 Team to post an update to their blog that states all the requirements.

 

I'll keep you all posted on whatever the windows 7 team say, but wouldn't affect me negatively if it were not the case.

[McPhee]

I don't understand the "you" bit. If you mean by "you" as in not "me" then why mention it. I won't be breaking any EULA; I've bought a functional version of 7 Pro on the cheap that does everything a regular "full" version does. If I ever have to install it on a newly built PC I'd just install one of my legal versions of Vista or XP and then 7. Also, if your copy cost £36, then awesome, it was a good deal.

 

The "you" bit clearly wasn't specifically referring to you, was it? You are upgrading your copy of Vista, right? It was aimed at those people who are buying it and installing it as if it were a retail OS (through various exploits, like the Vista one where you could instal it without a license key and then upgrade it to Vista afterwards by entering your "legit" Vista upgrade key). That sort of thing annoys me, people may as well go the full-fat illegal route instead of messing around with silly exploits just so they can justify it to their own moral compass.

 

£36? I explained where the £6 came from, I'd need the disk version (an extra £9) because my internet is crap. Obviously to you it'd be £15 extra.

 

You saved the installer then ran it from Vista whenever it suited you.

 

Don't do this. Burn the ISO to a disk. Installing inside the OS is unstable. You'd also need to remember to back up the file otherwise next time you come to do an install you might be stuffed, the download is timed, right?

[Ten10]

They give you something like 30 days to download it but you could pay £4 to have this time frame extended.

 

Doesn't make the best sense but:

 

The product key is available on the confirmation page and your confirmation e-mail. To re-download software you have already purchased within the 30 days of your original purchase, you will need to go to your order information page and press the download button.

 

So it could be a case of you have until you are ready, I say this because the optional extended download period has vanished from the pre order page basket showing just the backup disc option.

Edited October 2, 2009 by Ten10

[Cube]

How are Amazon with deliveries these days? I was thinking of getting Home Premium from them (Full Version, just to save 1p).

[Jimbob]

Windows 7 comes next week. Once i formatted my HDD then installed 7, can i sell the Upgrade disk for Vista Premium, or will it not work anymore??

[McPhee]

Is it a Windows 7 upgrade or the full retail. If it's full retail then i think you're allowed to sell the upgrade on. If it's an upgrade then no, you can't legally do it and Microsoft may well have found some way to block in being used on another system (time will tell).

[Jimbob]

Is it a Windows 7 upgrade or the full retail. If it's full retail then i think you're allowed to sell the upgrade on. If it's an upgrade then no, you can't legally do it and Microsoft may well have found some way to block in being used on another system (time will tell).

 

It's a full retail Windows 7 i am receiving next week. I am currently using Windows Vista Premium (which was an upgrade, still own the disk). If i format the old HDD, will i be able to sell the Upgrade disk on

[McPhee]

You should be able to sell it, yes. There's a niggling feeling that I have that says they might be "not for resale" but I've definitely seen upgrade copies being sold on some sites.

[Pyxis]

If anybody still hasn't bought a copy and wants one, quickly get over to ebuyer and grab the full retail version for £60:

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/168373

 

The deal is only for today and while stocks last. It's almost half the price of what other sites are now offering.

 

I got mine.

Edited October 18, 2009 by Pyxis

[Ramar]

I'm regretting not pre-ordering a copy of the professional version when it was dead cheap. And I'm too much of a wimp too bend the rules and get the student version. (No longer a student, but I believe my email address is still active).

[Wesley]

Just do it! They won't break your door down or anything. It'll be fiiiine.

[AeroScap]

I'm regretting not pre-ordering a copy of the professional version when it was dead cheap. And I'm too much of a wimp too bend the rules and get the student version. (No longer a student, but I believe my email address is still active).

 

I think the student offer last until jan 2010 so if you can still access your student e-mail (to validate) you can buy windows 7 home / pro for 30 quid!