MS adjusts Win7 European Prices

AFAIK (atleast in Vista) you get a better legit deal if you take your computer to someone who has the install disc, install it without putting key in and then wait till the 'trial time' ends. At this point MS offers to sell it to you directly and since that leaves the retail and distributor out of the equation it should be a bit less. Extreme case I'm aware of the 'bit less' has been 'quite a bit less'.

The bad thing about this approach is that MS still insists sending you discs and packages instead of just selling the code so if you want avoid the retarded bit about transporting bytes in cardboard or plastic boxes then I guess Linux is the only option.

BHpaddock said:

If you're in Europe you get the FULL version of Windows 7 for less than the Vista upgrade version... so what exactly is the complaint about?

How is being forced to spend 60% more a good deal if you only want the Upgrade version? (The UK £=$ pricing means we're spending 1.6x the amount. Our VAT rate is 15% so charging us 60% more is ridiculous.)

Sure, it's a good deal (for a very limited time) if you actually want the full, non-upgrade, retail version, but who does? If you already have a machine then you've almost certainly already got XP or Vista and an Upgrade is all you need. If you're buying a new machine then you'll either get Windows 7 thrown in or, if you're building it yourself, qualify for the OEM pricing (which hasn't been announced yet AFAIK).

androidi said:

AFAIK (atleast in Vista) you get a better legit deal if you take your computer to someone who has the install disc, install it without putting key in and then wait till the 'trial time' ends. At this point MS offers to sell it to you directly and since that leaves the retail and distributor out of the equation it should be a bit less. Extreme case I'm aware of the 'bit less' has been 'quite a bit less'.

The bad thing about this approach is that MS still insists sending you discs and packages instead of just selling the code so if you want avoid the retarded bit about transporting bytes in cardboard or plastic boxes then I guess Linux is the only option.

 

Speaking of which, I wanted to preorder W7 through the Microsoft Store so I could get a download and not have a box cluttering up either my apartment or a landfill, but the store wouldn't accept my order because "there was a problem with either your billing address or your credit card info", wonderfully helpful error reporting there, so I ended up ordering a physical copy through Amazon instead. 

contextfree said:

androidi said:

*snip*

Speaking of which, I wanted to preorder W7 through the Microsoft Store so I could get a download and not have a box cluttering up either my apartment or a landfill, but the store wouldn't accept my order because "there was a problem with either your billing address or your credit card info", wonderfully helpful error reporting there, so I ended up ordering a physical copy through Amazon instead. 

What's with the pre-orders? In some countries you can pre-order, in others it's not possible and in Japan they are already "sold out".

bbc news about microsoft http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7266629.stm

Can anyone tell me if I can upgrade from a Vista Home Premium to a Windows 7 Professional using the $99 pre-order?