Type "Windows 7 is awesome through piracy" is your going to pirate it cause your poor like me :]

Can't wait for windows 7

ME too, the sooner it comes out the better, I am alreadu using the RC

I'm poor too, but....I will more than likely pick up an OEM copy.

I hope OEM prices are good. Cant wait to see those figures.

So, does that mean an average Joe will be able to pick up OEM copies also from his nearest tech retailer or will he have to wait until Oct 22, for either the OEM or the retail copy?

OEM! YUSH!

I think it won't be made available in any way before Oct 22

I wonder if people will still try and get copies of Millennium II, I mean Vista after 7 comes out, LOL
I am planning on getting a OEM copy of 64 bit home edition for my gaming rig later down the road. Will still keep my XP (dual boot) for legacy games for sure.

Don't forget that you can get Windows 7 at 50% off at several places, included Microsoft and Bestbuy until July 11th (I believe that's the date not sure.) On Windows 7 home premium it's $49 and for Business, it's $99.

I don't want an "Upgrade" version, I'll pay OEM price and do a single clean install.

^+1

I love me some clean install.

Any idea when it'll hit MSDN?

You can do a clean install from the Windows 7 upgrade disk, same as you could in Vista.

How is it an upgrade disk if you can do a clean install? Whatever.. I already paid the $49.00 I will find out either way. I hope a lot of people pay the $49.00. I think if they sell enough of them at $49 that they will realize it is more profitable at that price.

sicundercover
"You can do a clean install from the Windows 7 upgrade disk, same as you could in Vista."

The problem is that in order to install 7 you have to have a version of windows already installed on the hard drive in first place or they may let you install a new version of 7 without vista or xp on the hard drive already if you have your old vista cd or xp cd handy while you are doing the 7 install to verify that you own it before you can instal 7 off of its own cd.

Pain the ass upgrade, no thanks ill wait for my OEM copy too. I just want 1 cd to that I can instal from no B.S. unessasary restrictions

"You can perform a clean install of Windows 7 with the Upgrade media, as you could with Windows Vista."

Quoted from Paul Thurrott's website. His guess is as good as anyone else's until someone actually does the official upgrade media to test it.

I wonder if my super fine working VLK counts as a base for an upgrade, or in other words if i am a pirate and would like to go legit(ish) by buying the upgrade would it just be a media check (borrow any ones disk) or will it use my windows XP key in any way to check if the upgrade was legit ?

In a way allowing people who run a pirated version without problems for years to upgrade and thus going semi legit could be a good thing for microsoft however i dont think they will let those users get away with it that easy.

What I've heard is that there is no technical WGA-type check necessarily when doing a clean install. Pretty much what I've heard is that Microsoft trusts that you are an honest, law-abiding, non-pirate person that already owns a legit version of Windows.

In simple terms that means even pirates can upgrade and be running completely legit and genuine Windows.

Please correct me if I am wrong though.

You can Pre-Order Win7 Home Premium at Newegg for $50: http://promotions.newegg.com/Micro [...] 62x130.jpg

The only thing I'm not sure is that it says "Upgrade" meaning if it needs Vista or if I am able to actually do a fresh install with it. The Vista "Upgrade" versions required Win XP to function.

I hope they clear up a few bugs - for some reason my MS bluetooth mouse occasionally gets lost in W7 RC - have to delete it and then rediscover it which is a bit annoying. And yes I put fresh batteries in it .

upgrade is pretty misleading unless you have the equivalent version of vista or lower you do a clean install. microsoft confirmed that you can clean install off rc1 already

I always get RTM's the day they release via my eOpen account, hope it's the same with this one!

You do not need to have any other OS installed to do an upgrade install.
You only have to have the media and key for the previous version. So if you have Vista you can use the upgrade on a clean hard drive. There will come a point in the installation where it will ask to verify that you have the previous version, you pop in the CD and/or enter the license key and then continue with your fresh W7 install.
This is not new technology, they had the same option in XP years ago.

Bring back XP.

I'm kind of amazed to see so many Tom's readers who do not know that you CAN do a clean install with an Upgrade. It's been this way since at least Win 98 -> XP. I won't repeat cimtaurus, so look at his post if your confused on how it works.

Does anyone know if the RTM will be available on MSDN? My subscription ends at the end of July and I am debating whether or not to just get the 50 dollar pre-order by July 11th.

Seriously, add +1 to apmyhr. You could do clean installs with upgrades since I can remember. A fresh OEM is nice if you are planning to continue using your other OS license on another machine, but otherwise, you are throwing money away. Upgrade version = same as full version. Only difference is that upgrade will make you prove, one way or another, that you own an earlier version, prior to formating a partition and installing on it. That's it.

Don't be baited into paying more then you need to people!

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

You can do a clean install from an upgrade kit, just have your previous OS install disc handy.