To note up front: This is for Windows Live Movie Maker and not the older Windows Movie Maker.

WLMM is something which is a separate download in the Windows Live suite of applications. It does not come bundled with Windows 7 but can be added in easily.

The last time I tried this software it was in beta form. Admittedly, I hated it. But now the software is finished so I gave it a go. It is far better than it was in beta and a truly completed product.

There is a video below this showing a basic tutorial of how to get simple thing done in WLMM, here’s a few questions answered up front.

Is it the same as the older Windows Movie Maker?

No. The way in which is operates is completely different. It has the ribbon interface seen in the updated versions of the Office suite, Paint and Windows Live Mail. This is an attempt by Microsoft to make everything look similar no matter what you’re using.

Is it better than the older Windows Movie Maker?

Yes. It supports the native import of more formats (like MOV, MP4 and M4A for example), has effects that are much more streamlined and useful and also has other useful bits, such as direct-to-DVD, direct-to-YouTube and so on.

Is there a learning curve with WLMM?

Yes. You will not take to it like a fish to water. But as stated in the video, once you start using it you’ll realize the way in which it works does make sense, and over time you will be able to edit videos faster and more efficiently. The only people who would purposely stay with the old Windows Movie Maker are robbing themselves of a truly good and useful video editor.

See video below for more details.

Last weekend I upgraded from Windows 7 Release Candidate to Windows 7 Home Premium. I have used many flavors of Windows over the years, and this is certainly the best to date.

I personally find it quite enjoyable to be running a brand new fresh-and-modern operating system. Everything looks better, runs better and so on. And there are many features that make 7 totally worth the upgrade.

So why am I writing an article about not upgrading to 7?

It’s because there are growing numbers of people that simply do not care about the OS anymore, citing the reason to the tune of, "All I want to do is turn my computer on and have it do what I want. As long as it can do that, I don’t care what runs it."

This is heresy to a fervent computer geek, because how dare anybody run something that isn’t modern, and why on Earth would you consciously choose to use something old?

There are several good reasons for this.

Cost

The upgrade price of $119 US for Home Premium Upgrade (which is what most people would use) simply does not resonate well with people in the current economic climate.

There have been arguments aplenty that even though this is a price drop compared to Vista, it’s still too expensive and that it should have been priced between $50 to $75. And it doesn’t help that the $119 price tag comes dangerously close to half the cost of a new nettop or netbook computer.

It doesn’t bring anything new that’s usable

The emphasis here is on the word usable.

If somebody asked me, "What can Windows 7 do that my XP can’t do that would convince me to switch/upgrade?", it’s doubtful I’d come up with anything compelling enough to convince anybody to take the plunge.

The only instance where I could truly convince anybody that 7 is better is for Vista users, because 7 is notably slimmer and faster than the Vista OS even with applied SP2 and all other available updates installed. That makes 7 much more usable and is a compelling reason to upgrade.

But for XP users, I haven’t any compelling reasons such as the above. Everything I’d mention would most likely be dismissed as, "Nice. But that’s not really anything I could use."

The migration process for XP users going to 7 is painful

When upgrading Vista to 7, everything is carried over. But from XP to 7 this is not how it happens. Everything you have is kept, but shoved into a folder called Windows.old. So you’ll have to reinstall all your apps all over again. Many consider this no different than formatting the hard drive and starting from scratch.

This is a situation absolutely nobody wants to deal with.

Now I want to make clear that there is no operating system on the planet that has ever been able to make migrating from one major version a newer one easy – not even Mac OS X. And certainly not Linux or UNIX. Migrating always and without fail just plain sucks. In fact it could be argued that Microsoft operating systems qualify as the "least worst" when it comes to migrating up from old to new. Even so, it still sucks because you will spend a good amount of time reinstalling apps, tweaking settings and so on. It will occur, and there’s no escape from it.

This is a huge, and I mean huge, reason people don’t like upgrading.

If it’s all about the browser, what reason is there to care about the OS?

The primary reason anybody owns a computer today is to do things on the internet. And this means the most important app that you use is your web browser.

Windows XP will run Internet Explorer 8 or any other popular browser offering such as the latest version of Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

Every browser that 7 can run, XP can run. The only real difference is that 7 has more security to it because of the internal underpinnings of the OS. But XP’s internet security deficiencies can be patched up with a good security suite. Maybe it won’t be as streamlined as 7 is, but you can protect your PC reasonably well with third-party offerings.

If the vast majority of what you do is in the browser, you already know the OS doesn’t matter as long as a modern browser can run in it, and that the network security in place by the OS and optional third-party software is good enough to protect your PC.

XP will continue to hang around for a few years

When Windows XP was introduced in 2001, Windows 98 took roughly about 3 years to wean itself out as what people primarily used. This was a fairly brisk transition. Then again, people and corporations were buying computers left and right back in those days which I’m certain helped that along quite a bit.

Vista was supposed to kill off XP. It didn’t. The market viciously demanded that XP stay right where it is, so Microsoft complied until the launch of 7.

Win 7 will kill off Vista and XP in one fell swoop. Of that I have no doubt.

As for how much longer XP will continue to remain the #1 OS people use, I’m betting that it will be a longer span of time compared to the 98-to-XP transition. Possibly as long as 5 years. This is because the extended support lifecycle for XP will end in 2014.

I’m not saying to stick with XP until 2014 because chances are your computer has little chance of lasting that long, but if you’ve seen what’s new and aren’t too hot on the idea of switching to 7, I can’t blame you.

It’s not that 7 isn’t better than XP, because it is by leaps and bounds. But I do understand why there are so many who refuse to switch.

Windows 7 had its wide release yesterday, and there are a few of you out there who are still nervous about upgrading. In response to that, I decided to put together a list of things I don’t miss about XP.

1. XP’s taskbar

 
Windows XP Taskbar

I have a few gripes about XP’s taskbar.

First is the fact that in single-tier view (which is the default,) you don’t see the date next to the clock. If you want to see that, you must extend it to two-tier view. But then that makes the Start button look messed up with a big space underneath it, and if you have any QuickLaunch icons, those get all shuffled around. If you have many taskbar icons next to the clock, the taskbar by default "shrinks" them with a clickable arrow that expands to the left. But by the time you find the icon you want, that menu shrinks again too quickly.

 
Windows 7 Taskbar

You get the date in default view along with the clock. Running programs can be "pinned" (very cool feature) for easy-access in the future. That maddening "shrinking" of taskbar icons has been replaced with a small up-arrow which is clickable that opens a menu that stays there (important) to find the stuff you want.

And let’s not forget the program previews, the nicely shadowed borders over open programs, and.. well.. it’s simply wonderful to work with.

2. XP’s search options

The quickest way to find a file in XP using a mouse is to open My Computer then click the Search button at top. At that point you are not presented with a search box but rather the question, "What do you want to search for?", accompanied by a stupid animated dog. Yes, a dog. This is the "search companion," as XP calls it.

Windows XP Search Companion

Let’s say you clicked on "All files and folders." At that point you’re simply given too many options:

 
Windows XP Search Companion, "All Files" search

When searching, this is what it looks like, and it just takes way too long to finish.

 
Windows XP Search Companion, actively searching for a file

(The dog by the way is not bowing his head in shame, although he should be.)

As for the results you get, I can guarantee it won’t be what you’re looking for.

Where’s the search in Windows 7? Right on the start logo:

One click and ta-da, search is right there. And the moment you start typing, search results start showing up. And not only will it search for files, but content within files, programs and anything else you have. You don’t have to tell it what you want. Just type it and Windows will find it.

That’s awesome.

3. XP’s Help

The Help and Support area of XP is something I’ve never known anybody to use. When you click Start and then Help and Support, XP has to "think" about it before actually doing it. Then when it finally loads, you’re greeted with a bevy of tiny text.

Windows XP Help and Support Center

To date, there is absolutely nothing in the XP help area that has actually helped me. Sure, it contains oh-so basic information, but for almost anything advanced, it’s simply not there.

Windows 7’s help area on the other hand is something I actually have used.

Before continuing – my screen shots are probably going to differ from the full release as I’m still using the RC at the time I write this.

Windows 7 Help and Support

Right up front the whole experience is friendlier, and it loads faster too.

There was a point where I was trying to load something from a command prompt where 7 stated I needed "elevated" privileges. Confused as to what that meant, I headed to the help section and searched for elevated.

I found exactly what I was looking for in seconds:

 
Windows 7 Help and Support search results

I found the information I needed; that’s what we call legitimately helpful.

4. XP’s lack of native software monitor color calibration

XP does not natively have any monitor color management options other than "Color Quality" and "Color Management" that uses what’s called "Color Profiles" that nobody ever uses. In order to get real calibration options, you must use 3rd-party software by nVidia, ATI, Intel or whatever OEM made your video card. And of course when you use one of those, that in itself is a challenge to figure out because it’s not native to Windows (the menu systems in those 3rd-party apps are seriously messed up.)

Windows 7 has a Calibrate color option:

Windows 7 Appearance and Personalization / Display

This to me was a very big deal because I did not have to manually adjust the color via the monitor itself (which you can never seem to get right,) or use some wonky 3rd-party program. Calibrating the color on a native level is built-in to 7, and it’s easy. Very cool.

I don’t want to claim that 7 doesn’t need nVidia or ATI specific drivers, because it does. But the point is that you don’t have to use them just to make simple adjustments.

5. XP’s infamous disappearing status bar

For whatever seriously stupid reason, XP’s status bar for Explorer windows will periodically disappear.

Example:

Windows XP My Computer without status bar

Okay, so I want the status bar active so when I highlight drive C that it will give me information about the drive. So I click View then Status bar so I see it:

Windows XP My Computer with status bar

You see at bottom the status bar right there as it should be. But then it will magically go away for literally no reason at some point in the future. It doesn’t matter how often you reset this feature, because it will happen.

This has irritated me to no end ever since I’ve been using XP. Windows NT and 2000 did not do this. XP does and it’s always been a mystery as to why.

Windows 7 "Computer"

The Windows 7 OS on the other hand never loses the bar unless you specifically, and I mean very specifically, instruct it not to be there. And that’s the way it should be.

Are you are 7 user? What do you like about it over XP?

Today, being October 22 2009, is the day Windows 7 is officially available as a wide release in the U.S. This means it should be available on the shelves at your nearest electronics retailer.

As many have been saying right along, Win 7 is a good product. It runs on even the most minimal of hardware (even a netbook,) has huge support for tons of different peripherals (if your printer didn’t work in Vista, it will probably work in 7,) and a whole host of other features.

The bundled disc comes with both 32 and 64-bit editions. And if you’re wondering which of the versions to buy, the only one needed is Home Premium. The rest do not have any significant features most would need from my perspective. This is why the upgrade edition I bought was Home Premium and not Ultimate.

Also bear in mind Windows 7 is available at popular online retailers such as NewEgg (who is including free shipping by the way.)

For you nervous nellie’s out there who say, "I’ll wait until the first service pack before I buy," that’s a waste of your time. All of us, including myself, who used Windows 7 RC had already been using this OS for several months. It works. It has had an overwhelmingly positive response. I personally use it as my primary operating system on both my custom PC tower and netbook.

You’re in good shape with 7. I say that with utmost confidence.

The definition of a web site that refuses to upgrade is one that does not "understand" anything other than Internet Explorer 6 or 7. For many this is a constant source of frustration for three very good reasons:

1. Internet Explorer 8 has been in existence for almost seven months at the time of this writing. The administrators of these "IE only" web sites couldn’t figure out how to write in support for 8 in this span of time? Apparently not.
2. Many choose not to use IE, but they’re out of luck when certain web sites will only support IE 6/7 and nothing else.
3. Windows 7 comes provided with IE 8 (unless you’re in the UK.) These computers will be on the shelves very soon and in come places already are. What does one do in that situation since they can’t "degrade" to IE 7 or 6 just to get certain web sites to work?

There are two ways to get around problematic web sites like this.

Method 1. Using IE 6 or 7 in WINE for Linux

WINE has had the ability to run a whole bunch of different IEs for some time now. Versions 1 all the way thru 8 are available, but the ones you would be interested in for compatibility’s sake are 6 and 7.

The only problem you may encounter running IE this way is that certain plugins for IE may not work when used in WINE. This is rare, but it can happen if it’s some ActiveX oddball plugin or something like that.

Method 2. Windows 2000 or XP virtual PC

On my Windows 7 desktop I purposely keep a barebones setup of XP running with IE 6 in VirtualBox. When I upgraded to Win 7 I already had an existing fully licensed copy of XP Professional Edition, so that’s what I have used in the virtual PC.

In Windows you have three major choices for computer virtualization, that being the aforementioned VirtualBox, Microsoft’s Virtual PC or VMware. I choose VirtualBox because it operates exactly the same in Windows, Mac or Linux – and I truly like that kind of compatibility because no matter what OS I’m on, VirtualBox is always familiar. However you may like Virtual PC or VMware better as far as your personal preferences are concerned. I will say the easiest of the bunch is Microsoft’s version because it’s very straightforward – but it only works under Windows.

Setting up your virtual PC with IE 6 or 7, and other notes

If you have a fully licensed OEM disc of Microsoft Windows XP, such as I do, this comes with IE 6 as its bundled web browser. What I’ve done in my virtual XP PC is used Microsoft Update to patch up every single thing I possibly could except the browser. This can be done easily. What I have is an XP that does have IE 6 for those web sites that absolutely refuse to work right with anything else.

VirtualBox running XP Professional Edition with the IE 6 browser

A bunch of updates in the virtual PC with XP, including Service Pack 3 – but still on IE 6

It is the fortunate case that web sites that are IE6-only are dwindling slowly but surely off the internet, but instead of embracing multi-browser capability, they’re latching on to IE 7 which is just as bad.

For the time being, I use a virtual XP with IE 6 and if I have to go to 7, this can be downloaded without going to 8 with XP, and I’m sure Microsoft will be keeping this download on their web site for at least a few more years.

Even if you are running XP with IE 8 now and plan to stick with that for a while, you can still use Virtual PC or VirtualBox to install another Windows XP (assuming you have another legal licensed copy) with IE 6 or 7. This will work fine.

The only thing you cannot do is have both IE 7 and 8 in the same Windows OS at the same time. While that would be really great if you could do that, it’s simply not an option. The easiest workaround is to have a virtual PC with a previous-generation browser.

For those of you out there who do not have another legal copy of Windows, my suggestion is to use VirtualBox and install a distribution of Linux, such as Ubuntu, and use IE 6 or 7 via WINE. Most distributions make this very easy to install, and I may even write up another article on how to do just that so it’s even easier for you.

Many unfortunately remember the infamous "Vista Capable" logo disaster. A whole bunch of new computers at the time Windows Vista was launched had a little logo that was supposed to indicate yes, they were capable of running Vista. But as we all found out, many of those new computers were barely "capable." Instead computer owners were treated to a less-than-pleasant computing experience – putting it very nicely.

One of the best things Microsoft ever did was release Windows 7 RC to the general public for testing. A ton of people, including myself, use this OS. I use it as my primary right now. This allowed everybody on both sides (corporate and consumer) to do the best live field testing of Windows since the product came into existence; this has served everybody very well.

Microsoft will be using a logo program again for Windows 7, so you will see those little stickers on new computers if you haven’t already. This time around the requirements to get the sticker are far more stringent compared to the Vista logo debacle.

The logo means the product must work with both 32 and 64-bit editions. This is particularly important for peripheral devices, because it means the driver disc included will have 32 and 64-bit versions included. It also means more rigorous testing has been performed to ensure that yes, it will work.

Part of this program includes "Ready. Set. 7." You can check out right now what developers are building 7-compatible items at www.readyset7.com. The list is extensive, and that’s great because it means that many of the products on store shelves will be compatible right out of the box.

In the end however, what has mattered most concerning 7’s readiness has been end-user testing from Win 7 RC use. I use 7 RC, and this OS proved its worth beyond any doubt by running nearly flawlessly on my Dell Inspiron Mini 10v netbook, which houses only a single core 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, shared video memory and a 160GB 5400rpm HDD.

As far as I’m concerned, if Win 7 can run on this smoothly (which it does,) it can run on just about any computer made in the last 5 years without the need to upgrade.

The logo program is good and is being far better managed, granted, but it’s been the users of this OS that have had the most influence on people. If I thought Win 7 sucked, I would say so without hesitation. If other people thought it sucked, they would say so as well. We’ve all been nothing but honest in our reviews of this OS. And it’s the general consensus that Win 7 doesn’t suck. Not in the slightest. In fact, we all really like it. That’s why we dare to run an RC as our primary operating system. Ordinarily that’s considered computer suicide, but the blunt honest truth is that 7 really is that good.

This is not a review of Windows 7 the operating system, but rather www.windows7sins.org. I suggest reading thru that web site before reading this article. Some will agree with every point made on that site while others will say, "Um.. I don’t think so."

Here’s my two cents on each "sin".

1. Poisoning education

I disagree solely for the reason that Apple computers, which all run OS X, have a large presence in schools, colleges and universities.

You could argue that Apple equally "poisons" children just as bad as Microsoft does.

2. Invading privacy

I agree. I’ve never been comfortable with the fact you have to "activate" Windows and "validate" software just to use it.

3. Monopoly behavior.

I disagree. Large PC manufacturers, Dell included, have sincerely tried to get people to use alternative operating systems like Ubuntu. When netbooks (the hottest selling computer at the moment) first appeared, most of them came preinstalled with Linux. What happened? Returns aplenty. What happened when they started getting shipped with XP? Sales went thru the roof and continue to do so. That’s not monopolistic behavior on Microsoft’s part, that’s the market demanding what they want. It is painfully obvious just from return figures alone that people wanted Windows.

4. Lock-in

I agree and disagree.

Disagree: Windows 7 requires far less hardware requirements than Vista did. On YouTube there are even videos of people running 7 on Pentium III PCs. I’m not kidding. Doesn’t look like lock-in to me. On my own netbook, which is a 1.6GHz with only 1GB RAM, Windows 7 runs flawlessly. I’m using it right now to type this article on.

Agree: Windows does force updates if you have auto-update turned on, and it is aggravating when you leave the computer on overnight only to find it rebooted itself automatically from certain updates that came down the pike. Not cool.

5. Abusing standards

Agree. Microsoft does try consistently to make Word’s DOC the only format anybody would use. It is well known that the OpenDocument format is better, safer, easier and runs on any OS. Microsoft really needs to get with the times here and understand that proprietary software formats are a dumb idea. That time has long passed yet Microsoft clings to it viciously.

6. Enforcing Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).

Disagree. Microsoft would have happily left the Windows Media Player DRM-free but were essentially forced to do it by Big Media due to preexisting relationships. You will notice Microsoft didn’t lift a finger to enforce DRM until Big Media, such as NBC, specifically asked them to do it. Some would say, "Microsoft should have refused!" Should they have? And shoot themselves in the foot? I think it’s obvious why they agreed with NBC in the first place.

7. Threatening user security.

Agree – but to a point.

Nobody knew in the mid-1990s that the internet was going to take the world by storm. Then came in the tsunami of new computer users and it caught Microsoft completely off guard.

Why did Windows have the security of a wet napkin for so long? Mainly because prior to internet, Windows didn’t need any as a not-connected-to-internet PC.

Even in 2001 when XP was released, the internet was still an unsure bet back then.

Where I agree is that Windows had more holes than Swiss cheese for far too long. The stretch between XP and Vista/7 was far too long. The stretch between IE 6 and 7/8 was far too long. Only now, finally, in 7 do we have a Windows OS that is at least on par with other major offerings.

I know there will be those that vehemently disagree with me on this point, and if that’s the case, so be it. Win 7 is the most secure Windows to date. In some instances it’s even safer than a Mac. But the jury is still out on that one because we’ll see what really happens when Win 7 is officially released in October ‘09 and how it stacks up to Apple’s latest Snow Leopard.

The true threat as far as I’m concerned comes from OS activation and WGA. I see that as an invasion of privacy as noted in point 2 above. I find it absolutely disgusting that Windows requires "activation" just to work after a set number of days. It is absolutely wrong that the OS takes inventory of what you have installed and sends it to other places (Microsoft) thru this validation process.

Windows may even come to a point where it’s required for it to be connected to the internet just to work. At present that’s not necessary. If you have to, you can still mail in a registration card (which is almost just as bad). But if it happens that all future Windows OSes are "internet required just to work".. I don’t even want to think about it.

What do you think?

Is Windows7Sins.org correct with all points? Some? None? Voice your opinion.

Microsoft has recently achieved the milestone of Release To Manufacturing (often abbreviated simply as RTM) for the Windows 7 product. This is the last step before the final shipped product arrives on store shelves.

As most of you know, Windows 7 will be widely available on October 22, so you can be sure to see tons of deals on laptop and desktop computers. It is a given that all the OEMs (ex: Dell, HP) and online retailers (ex: NewEgg, TigerDirect) will be offering some really good deals come later October – so watch for that.

The RC of Windows 7 is still available for download, and will continue to be until August 20. Product keys for that will be available until March 2010.

For those that want to get ahead with announcements concerning technical resources for the OS, it’s suggested you subscribe to Microsoft’s Springboard Series Insider.

If you are using Windows 7 now and wanted a way to provide feedback to Microsoft now, the easiest method is to use input.microsoft.com. Yes, you need a Windows ID (ex: Hotmail account), and once in the system you can weigh in your opinion on a boatload of different stuff:

…so if you wanted a voice, there you go. There’s no better way.

Remember all those complaints that Microsoft never listened to its user base? That’s certainly not the case any longer.

Lastly, if you want to see the blogs authored by Microsoft concerning the Windows 7 product, they are all here: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/

Big name players post blogs there, including but certainly not limited to: AMD, nVidia and Lenovo to name a few.

Did you find any of these resources useful?

Microsoft put a huge effort into not only informing but listening to the audience (that’s you) concerning the Windows 7 product. Do you find any of it useful or was it not what you were looking for? Weigh in with a comment or two.

How are pre-order sales of Windows 7 doing in the UK? Very well. However there are two major differences compared to the US version.

First, it is required to have a clean install. For most people this means the drive must be wiped in order to use it to get rid of the old Windows (Vista or XP).

Second, there is no Internet Explorer in the UK version. This is probably the reason why the clean install is mandatory for 7. UK’s 7 doesn’t have IE because of a European Commission anti-trust ruling.

Can you install IE 8 after you install the OS? Yes. It will most likely be listed as an optional (keyword there) download in Windows Update. There may even be an icon purposely placed on the desktop that says "Download Internet Explorer" or something similar. And to be honest I hope that’s the case because otherwise a whole bunch of people wouldn’t really know how to get it.

You can’t say, "Download Firefox to a USB stick from another PC, plug it in to the new one and install to 7 that way", because if it’s the only PC the user has, what are they going to do? Go to a command prompt, connect via FTP over to ftp.mozilla.org and get a browser that way? Would you want to instruct a newbie how to do that? Probably not.

This marks the first time Windows will be sold without a browser since Windows 95. For those who remember, the very first edition of 95 did not have IE preinstalled.

It is also clear that Microsoft does appear to have a winner on its hands with Windows 7 on both sides of the pond, even though the UK version is IE-less.

Certain commands in Windows Vista and 7 require “elevation” in order to execute. For example, if you run NETSTAT -B, a notice will appear that states:

The requested operation requires elevation.

What does this mean exactly? It’s means you need additional permission(s) to execute the operation. This is done by executing a Command Prompt as Administrator. See video below for instructions on how to do it (it’s easy).

AIM is the primary instant messenger I use. Out of all the IM services I’ve used over the years, it is the most reliable. In addition, it runs flawlessly on any operating system. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac or Linux, you can run AIM.

The latest client offering on the Windows platform is AIM 7 Beta 2.

Short review:

It’s awesome. If you use AIM, get it.

Long review:

This is best given in points.

• If you run multiple computers at home, you can run it on each computer at the same time. Previously I was only able to do this with AIM Lite.
• Following in the footsteps of AIM Express, messages from those not on your contact list will prompt a window asking if you want to chat with them or not. Previously this wasn’t there.
• Linked accounts work great. In addition, you can have them all set to invisible on login instead of having to set each individually.
• The interface is a whole lot cleaner and a lot less "cartoony" (something Yahoo and Windows Live suffer from in abundance).
• "Me" tab makes it super-easy to manage blocked users in just two clicks (you had to really dig for this previously).
• Integrates with Facebook and Twitter easily with new "Lifestream" tab.
• Integrates with Delicious and YouTube.
• Runs light and doesn’t eat up memory.
• I tested on my XP laptop and Win 7 PC. Runs great on both.

AIM 7 is full of awesome stuff. If you use AIM, you will really like this client.

I made mention last week that if you were running XP illegally, you could still get Windows 7 by buying Vista, then buying the Windows 7 Upgrade and the total cost would be around $138.

NewEgg now offers free Windows 7 coupons with certain Vista license purchases.

The cost now? $109.99. With free shipping. This is something that wasn’t available last week, but now it is.

This is $90 less than buying Windows 7 Home Premium which starts at $200.

You wanted a better price? You got it.

(Note: If you are running Windows XP or Vista legally, this article does not apply to you.)

I’m not going to pretend for a moment that there’s more than a few of you out there running Windows XP illegally. You’ve seen the very nice $50 price tag of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade and said, "Okay, I can afford that, but can I upgrade a pirated copy of XP to Win 7?"

Answer: No. When you hit the WGA, the upgrade won’t work.

However.. I can tell you how to get Windows 7 for significantly less than the full-version $200 price tag.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Buy a copy of Windows Vista Home Basic "System Builders" Edition from NewEgg. Cost is $84.99 with free shipping. This is a qualifying product for the Windows 7 Upgrade.
2. Pre-order your Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99. Remember, this price only lasts until July 11, 2009. After that it’s $119 for the upgrade and $200 for the full version.

Your total cost will be $134.98. Shipping will be free on both products. This is significantly cheaper than the full $200 price tag for the full-version Win 7 price. Granted, you’ll never use the license of Windows Vista you purchased, but it does take $65 off what you would have spent for the full-version Win 7 otherwise. This is an easy, and moreover legal, way to save cash on the purchase of the OS.

Why go legal with Windows?

There’s really only one reason. It’s for Windows Update.

Windows Update started with Windows 98 which was over 10 years ago, however the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check didn’t occur until 2006.

If you are running Windows illegally, you basically can’t use WU at all and that’s a problem. Whenever critical updates are sent thru the WU system, you won’t be able to install it. Not easily, anyway.

The common comeback to that is, "Well, I don’t have to use WU. I could install the patches manually." Yes, you could. But you know full well that’s decidedly inconvenient and a pain to get done.

If you don’t feel like paying for Windows, just use Linux. But if you do use Windows, the one-time license cost is worth the price for the updates.

Most people take WU for granted, but it is vital to make sure critical updates are applied without any hassle.

Well, the prices for Windows 7 are here and this is how it fares out.

Is Windows 7 cheaper than Vista? YES (thank God). If Microsoft had priced this the same as the previous OS that would have been a seriously stupid maneuver.

Starting today, if you pre-order Windows 7 as an upgrade, the Home Premium Edition (which is what most people would go for) is just a tick under $50. See below.

The full versions start with Home Premium at $199.99. That’s still steep, but it is cheaper than Vista. See below.

What do you not get with Home Premium?

• XP Mode
• Domain Join feature
• Automatic backup
• BitLocker
• Thirty-five language choices

The only one you’d miss is the auto-backup feature, but there are several auto-backup solutions out there to cover that.

See a detailed comparison chart here.

What versions of Windows qualify you for the upgrade?

Windows Vista or Windows XP. Yes, XP qualifies be it Home or Pro Edition. Is says so right on the Office Depot sale page for this product.

A near-60% discount on the purchase of Home Premium means this is the cheapest Windows upgrade we’ve seen in a very long time.

I use Windows 7 RC on a daily basis. It’s stable and solid. And now, thankfully, cheap (at least for the upgrade).

This upgrade offer lasts from today, June 26 to July 11.

Where to get it?

• Amazon
• Office Depot
• Microsoft Store

The links go directly to the Windows 7 pre-order page for the respective vendor.

[UPDATE]

Several more vendors are now available including TigerDirect, BestBuy, NewEgg and more.

Well, that didn’t take long. Currently it’s being plastered all over the internet that the official Windows 7 launch date is October 22, 2009. For those of you that suck at math, that’s roughly four months from now.

Microsoft says yes (much to the gritting of teeth by many), there will be five editions. Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. Chances are likely most of you will go with Home Premium or Ultimate.

For those of you that would ask, "What’s the difference between editions?", fear not because someone was nice enough to put together a chart showing what’s different between each one.

I can say that other than the absent encrypted file system and XP mode in the Home Premium edition, there really aren’t any reasons to use Professional or Ultimate. You still get all the visual perks, simple HomeGroup option for home networks and so on. So if you were torn about which one would suit you best, use Home Premium. Basic just misses too many features.

Even though a launch date is set, no price has been announced yet. This annoys me because I really want to know how much of hole in the wallet this is going to burn.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium retail version currently sells for around $225 at most retailers. Yes, you can get an OEM for $99, and hopefully this will be made available on wide release of Windows 7 because I absolutely zero interest in spending over $100 more just for a pretty box and manuals. All I want is the license; the rest I can figure out on my own, thank you very much.

Those of you out there using Windows 7 RC like I am may get that option. A notice should come thru Windows Update when the RC ends stating you must update to a licensed version. Hopefully the price won’t be too stiff.

As has been said many times by many bloggers, if Microsoft decides to make this OS more expensive than Vista currently is, that would be a bad, bad maneuver in the current economic climate.