New Vista PCs to get free Win7 upgrade

Microsoft plans to offer a free Windows 7 upgrade to people who buy Vista machines in the run-up to the launch, according to a report from Malaysia.

The TechArp site says it has seen a draft of a Windows 7 Upgrade Program circulated to PC manufacturers for comment, It addresses a problem, common to all major operating system releases, that people tend to hold off PC purchases until the latest software is available.

A similar "Express Upgrade" scheme before the Vista launch caused a furore when upgrade disks took weeks to arrive – due to unexpectedly high demand, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft also got into trouble over a Vista Capable logo placed on new machines said to be capable of running the new operating system. It turned out that many could not support the advanced graphics, with the result that the company became embroiled in a very embarrassing class action.

There was a similar furore when Windows 95 was released, when most PCs required an expensive memory upgrade despite assurances that they would not need one.

The Win7 uses the same kernel as its predecessor so am upgrade may not prove so troublesome as the original Vista upgrade from XP, which hit a lot of driver and other incompatibility problems.

Average broadband speeds have also risen in the past two years, making online upgrades more generally feasible.

The document also says a Release Candidate version, a final stage before release, will come in April and that Microsoft will try to get Win7 out by the Christmas buying season, an aim confirmed by today's announcement. A Vista-style January launch would certainly increase upgrade problems.

TechArp says the name of the Win7 upgrade program has yet to be finalised. It quotes the draft as saying: "This is a consumer-oriented program targeted at individual consumers and small businesses that have purchased eligible PCs during the Program Eligibility Period."

It will apply only to PCs a valid Certificate of Authenticity (COA) and running Vista Home, Business or Ultimate editions; machines loaded with Home Basic, Starter Edition, and XP do not qualify.