Microsoft to Offer Vista Express Upgrade to PC Buyers Starting this Thursday

Many people have been holding off on buying a laptop because they want to wait and get the new Windows Vista OS instead of having to pay for the upgrade later. Great news, starting this Thursday (10/26) most major PC sellers will work with Microsoft to offer free Vista upgrades with the purchase of a Vista certified system running the current Windows XP.

The amount of the Express Upgrade offer will depend on each individual PC maker, according to a company press release. Microsoft says that most major manufacturers worldwide have confirmed plans to participate in the Express Upgrade.

Gateway

Lisa Emard, a spokeswoman at Gateway Inc., has said starting this Thursday all Gateway and eMachines computers sold direct will be eligible for a free upgrade to Vista when it becomes available next year. However, some Gateway customers that buy PCs at retail locations or internationally could be charged a shipping and handling fee or duplication fee.

HP

HP spokeswoman Ann Finnie said the company will also offer free upgrades starting Thursday. She said customers in the U.S. won't have to pay a shipping and handling fee on the Vista upgrade disk when it becomes available. Upgrades will be offered for free on both XP Home and XP Professional

Dell

Bob Kaufman of Dell said they will charge customers a $45 fee to upgrade to Vista Home from Windows XP Home edition when it comes out. However, if they upgrade from Windows XP Pro or Media Center there will be no upgrade charge fee, but shipping and handling will be charged. Given the fact HP is not charging for upgrades, it is likely Dell will cave in to that and end up offering both upgrades free.

Lenovo

The Lenovo Express Upgrade site for Windows Vista is now live and can be found here: http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/microsoft/vista/upgrade.html

According to the Lenovo site to be eligible for a Windows Vista Express Upgrade you will need to meet the following requirements:

• System must be purchased between October 26, 2006 through March 15, 2007
• Customers must have a valid proof of purchase
• A valid Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity for Windows XP must be affixed to the system
• The Vista Capable logo must be affixed to the system

Users with qualifying Lenovo systems can order their Express Upgrade by visiting the Express Upgrade Web site. The Web site will provide clear directions for obtaining your Express Upgrade. If you buy a Windows XP Pro machine the Vista disk will be shipped to you, and you only have to pay for shipping. If you buy a Windows XP Home machine, you'll have to buy Windows Vista at a store but a mail-in rebate will be sent to you to cover the full price of the Vista upgrade disk.

Bottom Line

Windows Vista is scheduled to be released to consumers next January 2007 and businesses this December. The upgrade program is good from October 26, 2006 - March 15, 2007. At least now you can buy a notebook and know that you won't have to pay $200 to upgrade the OS later. In some ways this is the best of both worlds, you'll have a copy of Windows XP and Windows Vista and if you don't want to adopt Windows Vista right away due to fear of bugginess, you can at least get the free disk and upgrade on your own clock. To see more information from Microsoft.com go here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/expressupgrade.mspx