If you have a computer that is pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate, you may be eligible to upgrade to a corresponding edition of Windows 7.
This upgrade option allows end users to get the appropriate Windows 7 edition at a minimum cost or no additional cost if the end user meets program qualifications. Consumers can contact their computer manufacturers directly in order to get complete details on this program.
Note: The Upgrade is not available for the following editions:
* Windows Vista Starter Edition
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
* Windows XP (all editions)
Different upgrade media will be required by different platforms (32-bit or 64-bit). The Windows Vista product can only be upgraded to the associated edition of Windows 7. Example: Windows Vista Business edition can only be upgraded to Windows 7 Business edition.
A language version of the qualifying Windows Vista product can only be upgraded to the same language version of the Windows 7 upgrade software.
Upgrading:
To perform an upgrade, you need to insert the Windows 7 installation disc in DVD-ROM while running Windows Vista and choose upgrade option. The setup will then upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7 without losing personal data. It will also move over all your user accounts and personal settings that can be transferred to Windows 7. There are many risks in doing this, such as application incompatibilities, issues with moving files and registry entries. It is still important to backup crucial files that you cannot replace if something should happen.
Here are the Microsoft minimum hardware recommendations for running Windows 7:
* 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
* 1 GB of system memory
* 16 GB of available disk space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory
* DVD-R/W Drive
* Internet access
Note: Other features of Windows 7 may require advanced or additional hardware.
