Best prices on windows 7

Note: If you use this method, also keep an eye out for other software deals through your school. But this approach comes with a salt mine of caution. Platforms like eBay and Kinguin allow buyers to purchase product keys from third-party sellers. So they come with risk. And that has happened to some people. Customer service is often poor for these kinds of sites too, leaving you high and dry. Fans of this method say many people never run into issues, and in fact urge you to find the keys as cheap as possible usually through eBay to minimize problems.

You can also buy with a credit card for some added protection. If you go this route, you should only get Windows 10 Pro keys. The cost difference is often negligible from Home and you get better features like Bitlocker encryption and other Pro features. But what we actually recommend is to buy through reputable sources of cheaper keys instead. For example, some professional organizations are able to negotiate deals for their members—we suggest starting there.

You can also check to see if your favorite media sites have special pricing for readers. If using a Windows 7 or 8 key works for activation, a digital license will be issued to you. The site your college uses to administer Windows licenses will vary.

A word of warning: peddlers of illegal versions of Windows 7 licenses have successfully managed to position themselves high on Google's search engine result page for a vast number of keywords. Buying from them doesn't mean that you've got yourself a bargain, it means that you have landed the equivalent of a virtual paperweight.

If you are in the UK and the prices are displayed in US dollars or if you notice that they offer download-only option or if the site is poorly designed, has pictures of Microsoft logos without any links and contains a fair amount of grammatical errors, then proceed at your own risk; you've been warned. The majority of counterfeited copies being sold are likely to come from Microsoft's MSDN network which usually provides developers and IT professionals with a healthy amount of free Microsoft software.

The keys will activate the target Windows OS but will more than likely end up with the end-user getting a limited copy of Windows. While they will definitely work on the target computers, they usually violate the terms and conditions of the original OEM; the OS is usually tied to the product it came on i.

Not a refurbished, second hand one or a PC from a different brand. When you switch to a higher version, you're adding on the existing functionality, but when you're going to a lesser version, you're taking away functionality, thus the need for a clean install.

Clean installs will also have to be performed when upgrading from a bit version to a bit version, regardless of edition. As with Vista, each DVD includes the various editions. Unlike Vista, every edition of Windows 7 is a superset of the previous edition, so you will not lose any features when upgrading.

Once you have some edition of Windows 7 on your system, whether you purchased it via an OEM or just upgraded from Windows XP or Windows Vista, you will be able to upgrade to a "more premium" version of Windows 7 by purchasing an upgrade key to unlock additional features, just as with Vista.

Mike Ybarra, general manager of product management of Windows, told Ars that Microsoft had three choices for the release of Windows 7 E: delay the whole release of Windows 7 to make sure everyone gets the release of Windows 7 at the same time and without any upgrade problems, delay the release of Windows 7 just in Europe and have this market wait till Windows 7 E passes all upgrade tests, or don't offer upgrade versions at all.

Microsoft chose the last solution, and it's actually a pretty good one, for both Microsoft and consumers. Windows 7 E editions will be sold only in full versions: there will be no upgrade versions available in the European Union. The good news is that the full versions will be available at the upgrade price, though if history is any indication, they'll likely still be higher than the US upgrade prices shown above.

Microsoft announced two weeks ago that it was shipping Windows 7 in Europe without Internet Explorer 8 installed in response to the EU's antitrust investigation of its browser with Windows.

In select markets, Microsoft is offering its customers the ability to preorder Windows 7 upgrade versions at a significantly reduced price. This is easily the most aggressive pricing Microsoft has ever offered for Windows. The low preorder price will vary per country:.

The deal includes select retail partners, such as Best Buy and Amazon, as well as the online Microsoft Store. Microsoft was not willing to discuss the limits of the supplies, but a spokesperson did confirm to Ars that the reduced prices for the European countries will simply apply to the full version as noted above , as upgrade versions will not exist in Europe.

In short, these preorders will allow those in the UK, Germany, and France to purchase full versions of Home Premium or Professional, except without IE8, for a very low price. Waiting to buy a PC until Windows 7 is released can be frustrating especially given the upcoming back-to-school season , so Microsoft is making an upgrade offer similar to what it did for consumers buying XP but who wanted to secure a copy Vista: buy a Windows Vista PC as of June 26 and receive the equivalent edition of Windows 7 when it comes out.