Windows 7... we want to know what you want to know!

Hi Thomas!

  In your particular situation, I believe the answer is yes - but that depends on what you do first. As you have likely read, Microsoft is allowing an extra request for Vista or Windows 7 upgrades. This is only considered the "extra" request if you only request one or both of those products. If you do one or both of these products only, the request will begin your two year donation cycle and you will still be able to place a 2nd request within the next twelve months. Please keep in mind that the exception is for an extra request (3 instead of 2 over the two years) but the 6 title limit / 50 licenses per title still stands. So, if you request 25 Windows 7 Professional Upgrades today, you will have 5 more titles to request within the next two years and you can request additional (up to 25 more) Windows 7 Professional Upgrade licenses in either of those two additional requests.

I feel like I should take a breath now - even though I was typing that out instead of speaking :) I hope I have been able to clarify all of that for you. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Autumn

I am purchasing a new laptop that comes with Windows 7 Home edition already installed.  Can I use the Windows7 64-bit Professional Upgrade on this machine to bring it up to Professional level standards?  Your site refers to upgrades to Vista and XP but not to Windows 7 Home edition.

Thanks,

Michael

Hi Michael,

  The following information is from an early post:

"...we've checked every angle and possibilty, from getting XP Professional and then using Software Assurance to upgrade to Win 7, to getting Vista Business and using Software Assurance to get Win 7. 

Unfortunately there are NO legal upgrade options to go from Vista Home (or Windows 7 Home) to one of the upgrade products that are offered through TechSoup. This is because the Microsoft products carried by TechSoup are Volume Licensing products which have different licensing restrictions from commercial products.  I don't know if you can get a retail Vista Pro upgrade product and use that to upgrade - I'm not familiar with the commercial products' licensing rules - but that might be a possibility.  

For orgs that want to break the cycle (from the Microsoft Home line to the Business/Pro line) you'll need to either get a new pc with a professional license, or buy an OEM license and pay a little less. So if you pay $150 for an OEM Vista Business license, you can get a donation of Windows 7 Pro upgrade for $8, then you are still better off than buying retail, and you get Software Assurance benefits too."

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Autumn

Bummer.  I turned down the opportunity to pay $50 more for the Professional Edition when I ordered the computer on the assumption I could buy the upgrade from TechSoup.  An expensive mistake!

autumnt:

So if you pay $150 for an OEM Vista Business license ....

For new a personal home computer, I bought 7 pre-release Home OEM, and when I got box it says I have to use an MS suite of OEM installation software to install it. Is it really true that you cannot simply put the DVD in the drive and install it?

I can imagine that the OEM suite might provide something of value to the installer/user, but MS's descriptions of it suggest that it is all about OEM branding and locking in the buyer, features I do not need on my home computer.

Along the same line, the XP Pro package I got from TechSoup years ago was perfectly happy to install on a clean HDD, and did not inquire about the prior license. Is the same true of W7?

Hi Jesse,

  I am not an It professional, of course, but I hope I can help to clarify this issue.  First, often what we have been discussing in these conversations are the legal requirements for an upgrade. However, these are not OEM versions of the product, they are Volume Licensing products. These have their own legal and technical requirements which are quite different from OEM and retail versions. The research done by many TechSoup staff members over the past few weeks indicated that technically, upgrading from any Windows XP product requires a clean installation. I hope that information, as well as the links below, are helpful.

Windows 7 page: http://home.techsoup.org/pages/windows7.aspx

Upgrade Steps & Checklist: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page12223.cfm

Autumn

autumnt:

these are not OEM versions of the product, they are Volume Licensing products.

I understand, but you recommended buying OEM Vista in order to qualify for upgrade. And, even tho' my question did not relate to using a TechSoup donation directly, it is still on topic (BTW, why buy new Vista OEM &  then pay $8 to upgrade -- how about W7 OEM?) and a valid question: is the OEM installation suit required for all W7 (or Vista) OEM installations?

HI Jesse,

I think what Autumn was alluding to was that we can't really speak to OEM rules and legal requirements, especially those of Windows 7, as our donations are Volume Licensing. When we mention Vista OEM, it was in the context of making the jump from a Home line to a Professional line, in a cost-effective manner. Users can certainly pursue other means depending on their expertise and budget. In addition, OEM products are tied to the computer (or motherboard specifically), which is akin to our Volume Licensing upgrades, which are meant to upgrade the license on the computer over which the upgrade licenses. It sounds as if the Windows 7 OEM licensing has more stringent rules now, which is unsurprising given the buzz around Windows 7. The benefit of doing a Vista OEM > Windows 7 donation is that you get Software Assurance upgrades, which means that if Windows 8 comes out in 2 years, you can upgrade to that for free, among other benefits.

-Kevin

tsg_kevin:

unsurprising given the buzz around Windows 7

In case you were not around a couple of years ago, the buzz was even better (at least louder and more ubiquitous) for Vista's launch. Let's see in 9 months how well users actually like W7.

Just wanted to quickly thank Autumn for the clarification she provided in her 10-22-2009 10:02 PM post.  We are starting our new 2-year Microsoft ordering cycle.  I was just about to "pull the trigger" on the Win7 special donation when I thought "Hmmm...I'm going to need to order a Microsoft server title in a few months.  If I place this Windows 7 order today, will I have to wait until a year from today before I can order the server title that I need?!?"  Good to learn that that's not the case.

Thanks to all at TechSoup and Microsoft for this donation.  It's going to help us out a lot!

Craig

Hi Craig,

  Thank you for the thank you! :) It's been really interesting getting all of the information together for this product launch. I have only an inkling of how much work went into the research and writing done by our content team. They deserve some serious cookies. I am we've been able to help!

Autumn

I'm a little disturbed that the Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade won't upgrade just any Microsoft operating system...

If I get a great deal on some workstations, but they don't have the correct version of Vista, the upgrade won't install...

Over the last few years it seems Microsoft is trying to force people to linux. Why can't the Windows 7 upgrade,  just upgrade any licensed Microsoft operating system? Does Bill need the cash or is life just too easy for IT people??

I think you are inaccurate in saying "the upgrade won't install." As Autumn advised on 10/26, "upgrading from any Windows XP product requires a clean installation." So, my understanding is that the upgrade should install, regardless of what OS was ever on any HDD on the workstation.

I think that some of these licensing provisions are intentional, and some may be accidental. I compare it to statutes; in the original Act of the legislature, every provision has some logic to it, and maybe there is some integrity to the whole Act, and also, when the statute gets amended, repeatedly, years later, every amendment has some logic to it, but the amendments to not quite take account of what's already written, and gradually the whole thing becomes practically impossible to understand. MS is so up tight about intellectual property intellectual property battles that maybe we nonprofits are just victims of collateral damage. Or maybe these licensing provisions are all expertly calculated on a vast spreadsheet, trying to balance the value of good will versus income, to maximize market control and profit.

Have you had any situations yet as to Activation. Microsoft has seemingly made it difficult for nonprofits to easily install (Activate) the new Windows 7. Can anyone help in this area before I use one of my Technet call Microsoft coupons.

Dennis

Dennis,

  Microsoft is providing their donations through their Volume Licensing Center which is used by nonprofits and many businesses. It is true that the products, licensing, installation and activation can be quite a bit different that with the non-volume licensed products. Our article on Upgrading to Windows 7: Steps and Checklist may be helpful. Please let us know if you have other questions.

Autumn