Microsoft announces Windows 7 upgrade program and pricing

Microsoft has unveiled some details on the upgrade and retail pricing of Windows 7, the new version of Windows that’s due for release this October.

If you’re planning to buy a computer with Vista soon, there’s a good chance the upgrade program will cover you: it’s in effect from June 26, 2009 through January 31, 2010. But pricing and options depend on when you order a new PC (or a retail copy of Windows 7) and, in the case of a new computer, the brand and model.

Bottom line: If you’re buying a new computer with Vista, check directly with the manufacturer to find out if they support the upgrade program and what the upgrade to Windows 7 will cost you.

Microsoft has posted Windows 7 retail pricing on their Windows Blog.

The site estimates these retail prices:

CES 2009: The future of Microsoft is…cloudy

To hear Steve Ballmer—Microsoft's wunderkind and now CEO—tell it, computing is drifting off into the clouds…referring to the "cloud" of interconnected computers, that is, which makes up the Internet. Ballmer played the starring role in Wednesday night's opening keynote presentation for the 2009 CES, taking over from Bill Gates, who, as expected, was nowhere to be seen except in flashes among the quick-cut scenes in the Microsoft ads played on a huge screen.

Ballmer (seen at right) spoke glowingly of "Windows Live," Microsoft's major push into Internet-based computing, leading the way—or following in the footsteps of Google, some believe—towards software as a service (SaaS). For Microsoft, the ultimate success of this model depends on users' willingness to "pay as you go" for the use of Microsoft applications that are not running on their PC, but on virtual machines in a distant data center, accessed through a web browser that could even be running on (gasp!) Mac OS.

For now, Microsoft is offering Windows Live Essentials, comprising "Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker beta, Family Safety, and Toolbar", as a free download; it will be preinstalled on all Dell consumer and small-business computers. Not that you couldn't get most of these functions from existing applications bundled in Windows Vista, but Microsoft's new push leverages the "connectedness" of PCs and other Internet-connected devices, and preps users to think of the Internet as an extension of Windows that provides limitless capabilities, and an opportunity for Microsoft and its partners tosell you up to some of them.

Champing at the (64) bit

For years, mainstream PC processors have been capable of calculating 64 bits (binary digits) at a time, an advancement over 32 bits that can potentially speed up some applications—like gaming and photo editing—and allow the PC to use virtually unlimited memory space. Apple PCs running Mac OS 10.5 already have full support for 64-bit operation. But, so far, Windows PCs marketed to consumers have overwhelmingly been equipped with only a 32-bit version of Windows Vista. Well, no more.

New PCs from Gateway and HP that we recently tested for our Latest Ratings of desktop computers (available to subscribers) are only sold with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. Why? The main reason, we think, is that they are equipped with more than the 3 GB of memory (RAM) that the 32-bit version of Vista can use. Moving to 64-bit memory addressing allows PC makers to equip desktops and laptops with (ultimately) many times more RAM than before—potentially 8,192 GB. This will usher in a new generation of applications with enormous memory-usage capabilities, improving performance in such areas as home-video editing.

But there are downsides to 64-bit computing.

Is June 18 the end of the line for Windows XP? Not quite.

After a 5-month stay of execution, the end is nigh for Windows XP.

Tomorrow, June 18, will be the last day you can purchase a Dell computer with XP pre-installed. Dell has announced this in order to meet Microsoft's June 30 deadline for ceasing sales of XP.

I spot-checked other manufacturers' sites and found limited availability of computers, mainly business-oriented models, available with XP. Compaq and HP together offered at least 11 laptops and 7 desktops, Lenovo a couple of laptops, and Sony one model. I couldn't find any Gateway models with XP.

Microsoft had originally intended to kill XP this past January in order to give its heir, Vista, total reign over the PC market.  But an outcry from consumers and businesses  (and manufacturers looking to appease them) stayed Microsoft’s hand for five months to give XP users time to warm to the beleaguered Vista.

Says Microsoft to Vista detractors:

"We love that you love Windows XP…But our commitment to innovation sometimes means making tough choices. This is one of them."

Despite the tone of finality, Microsoft has left open several loopholes so that XP lovers can hang onto it for some years to come.

PC tech support: Apple shines, say our readers

Which computer company is tops in terms of free tech support? Don't expect it to be anyone on the Windows side of the computer world.

Our latest survey on computer tech support, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center and drawn from our readers' personal experiences with 10,000 desktop and laptop computers, finds that Apple owners have much to smile about. Apple's tech support was able to solve Mac problems more than 80 percent of the time, according to those surveyed who used Apple's support.

Overall, however, the news isn't stellar when it comes to using tech support to fix annoying computer problems. According to those surveyed, problems were solved for only about 60 percent of those who actually had to contact a manufacturer for help. What's more, many computer makers' free technical support policies end in a year or less. (One notable exception is, again, Apple. Free phone support runs out after 90 days, but you can get unlimited support at Apple stores—if you live near one.)

As such, salesmen will try to pitch an optional, extra-cost "extended" service plan. Our general advice is to skip such pricey extended service warranties. But if you absolutely need the hand-holding or know you'll travel everywhere with your laptop, you might want to consider one—especially since our latest report on extended service plans for computers (available to subscribers) finds that a few companies' extended plans do offer significantly better tech support compared to their limited free services.

ConsumerReports.org subscribers also have online access to more information, including which laptop tech support and desktop tech support scored among the lowest in our readers' satisfaction (Hint: It's a top-selling computer maker) and how to get free computer help.

Microsoft cuts prices on Vista

Price alert: Microsoft is dropping prices on certain versions of its Vista operating system, starting with the release of Service Pack 1 in mid-March.

The upgrade version of Vista Home Premium will drop from $159 to $129, although pricing for the full version will remain the same. The full version of Vista Ultimate will drop from $399 to $319, and the upgrade version goes from $259 to $219.

You can already get a better deal on Vista from Amazon.com, where the Home Premium upgrade is selling for $95 and the Ultimate upgrade for $195.

But that's only a good deal if you want Vista. There are plenty of XP users sticking to that older, tried-and-true operating system, and plenty of Vista users "downgrading" back to XP themselves.

—Donna Tapellini

Vista to XP: The world's most popular downgrade

One year after Microsoft Windows Vista hit the market, public response to it has been underwhelming. True, most buyers of new Windows-based home computers get Vista pre-installed by default; but that's not exactly the same as beating down the door for Vista's glitz.

Meanwhile, many techies, IT departments, and just plain home users are either holding off upgrading or actually converting back from Vista to XP, thereby introducing a backward-looking term into the forward-looking world of technology: downgrading. At the tech forums on Microsoft's Web site, for example, you'll find a hefty number of posts dedicated to doing just that.

With retail sales of XP now scheduled to end by June 30, a movement to save Windows XP has formed. At SaveXP.com, created by the IT publication Infoworld, more than 75,000 people (as of early February) have signed a petition to Microsoft demanding that Windows XP be kept available indefinitely.

Here are kinds of Vista gripes cited by people arguing to save XP:

XP’s Encore

XP loyalists take heart -- if you’ve been hesitant about buying a new system because you don’t want Vista, take a look at Dell’s Web site. The company is offering four Inspiron and two Dimension models with XP as an optional operating system. Gamers or others looking for high-end systems will find XP on a few XPS systems.

Since the launch of Vista, several manufacturers did keep a few XP PCs on hand, but they were oriented toward business users. Dell is the first we’ve seen with consumer systems. The XP-based Inspirons are the 1405, 1501, 1505, and 1705; the Dimensions are the E520 and E521; the XPS systems are the 710s. You can choose from XP Home and XP Pro for the Dimensions and Inspirons; the XPS 710s also let you purchase XP Media Center Edition.

You have to dig around to actually find the systems. From the Home & Home Office Notebook/Desktop shopping page, look for the logo on the right side of the page that asks, “Still looking for XP?”; or go to Dell’s Ideas in Action page, which is where Dell announced the program. It has links to the Inspiron and Dimension models.

The company says it made the decision based on extensive customer feedback. The lesson: If you want something, speak up. You just might be heard.

-- Donna Tapellini

How reliable is Vista?

Did you ever have the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with your PC? Vista’s Reliability Monitor can validate your intuition and help you diagnose your computer’s ills. Or, if your PC is in the pink, it will tell you that as well.

The Reliability Monitor tracks failures that occur over time, then ranks your system on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 is best). A graph depicts the status of your system day-by-day. But you get more than numbers and a pretty picture: Daily listings of events like hardware and software failures paint a more detailed picture of problems that may have affected your system’s operation at a particular time. The events tracked by Reliability Monitor are:

• Software (Un)Installs: Software installations and removals including operating system components, Windows updates, drivers, and applications.

• Application Failures: Application failures, including the termination of a non-responding application or an application that has stopped working.

• Hardware Failures: Disk and memory failures.

• Windows Failures: Operating system and boot failures.

• System Clock Changes: Significant changes to the system time are tracked in this category. (This appears only when a time change occurs.)

• Miscellaneous Failures: Failures that impact stability and do not fall under previous categories, including unexpected operating system shutdowns.

To view the Reliability Monitor, click the Start menu, then right-click on “Computer” and select “Manage.” In the Computer Management console, click on the arrow next to Reliability and Performance in the left pane, then on the arrow next to Monitoring Tools, and then on Reliability Monitor.

You’ll see your system’s daily score at the top right of the screen. Recent failures are weighted more heavily than past failures, so you’ll see improvement over time once a reliability issue has been resolved. Icons below the graph point you to instances that were problematic: Yellow triangles with an exclamation point indicate minor problems; an x inside a red circle represents major troubles. Vista updates the Reliability Monitor once a day as long as the system was turned on.

The Reliability Monitor is more than just a tool for confirming how things are going. If you’re porting older applications to a new computer, or running them for the first time on Vista, Reliability Monitor can show you what’s going right and wrong. It’s also useful for tracking down errors and troubleshooting problems. As a first step, check the category the problem occurred in from the list above. Or click on specific dates to see determine when problems began. For example, Reliability Monitor might report that errors in a software program started occurring only after your last update. If the Monitor shows that hardware memory errors began after you installed more memory, you can check to see whether the new memory is faulty.

A low reliability number doesn’t mean system failure is imminent. If you see a 1.29 on your Reliability Monitor—as we did on a home system—don’t panic. In our case, that low number began climbing back up, albeit slowly, as problems resolved. What caused the score to drop in the first place was the gradual installation of old applications onto the new system, as well as attempts to patch problems, use incompatible utilities, and install hardware that lacked Vista patches. In fact, that system’s score has risen back to 7.22.

As with any new operating system, you’ll probably encounter some rough spots with Vista, especially at first. Reliability Monitor can help you get through them and maintain your computer into the future.

--Richard Fisco, Senior Project Leader

Vista check: An OS tool confirms startup pains

As with using any new computer operating system, pioneering Microsoft's new Vista OS is an activity with high potential for failures, troubleshooting, and cussing. And unlike any other OS before it, Vista comes with a tool that allows you to monitor how well (or how poorly) Vista is working on your computer.

We've been running the tool, known as Vista Reliability Monitor, on a new desktop since the beginning of February. It uses a scale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). According to Microsoft, the Monitor's score considers how well the system has handled time changes and software uninstalls. It also scores a full range of failures, including those by applications that stopped working and/or were terminated; the hard-disk or memory; and Vista itself.

The score for our PC, shown in the screen shot (click for a larger view) above, is currently 3.07 and has gone lower than that--as low as a dismal 1.29. The low score reflects the unfortunate reality of new operating systems, as well as the (admirably) tough way the Monitor scores Vista performance.

New OSs never work with every peripheral and piece of software right off the bat. Some components do make the transition from old OS to new seamlessly; we had no trouble with our PC's printer and external USB hard drive, for example. But many more don't work or play well with the new system, at least at first. If you load applications that aren't yet compatible with Vista, the Monitor takes note and responds by lowering the index score. Trying stubbornly to reload those applications just to be certain they don't work further degrades the score. The same applies to trying out supposed updates to the application that also don't work and using (obviously unsuccessfully) hardware that doesn't yet have working Vista drivers.

Utilities like disk defraggers, antivirus software, and firewalls are especially notorious for failure to work with new OSs. With Vista, Microsoft has built the utilities you'll likely need, except for antivirus, into the new OS, but in versions that are less full featured than the third-party versions, and you may want to pay to upgrade the Vista versions (which generally aren't available yet).

Consumers of a new OS, then, are to some degree trapped in a corporate technology tussle. Microsoft may say it's up to the third-party hardware and software makers to have all their applications, drivers and firmware updated for the new OS. The third parties may counter by saying the new OS should be able to run all the existing software and hardware with no updates necessary.

What does our test (and the above reality) mean if you're poised to go Vista? They add to the good reasons not to rush into using the new OS. If past OSs are a guide, the landscape will change for the better. More drivers and application fixes will invariably arrive through Vista's first year, culminating in the first service pack, probably in the second half of 2007. By then, the hardware and software manufacturers should have most if not all of their products Vista-compatible.

Already have Vista, or can't wait to buy a new PC until the bugs are worked out? You may then want to use Monitor to confirm (or challenge) your feeling that all is going well, or badly. I'll cover how to use the tool in another blog entry soon.

-- Richard Fisco, Senior Project Leader