Windows 7 Upgrade Paths Test Matrix
link: original article - section: windows
Microsoft ripped through the last translucency veil covering Windows 7 and made the pricing details for the operating system public.
Furthermore, the company also started selling the platform, albeit it is only accepting pre-orders at this point in time, since Windows 7 will only be released to manufacturing next month, and will be launched on October 22, 2009. And to top it all off, the software giant also published a document detailing the upgrade paths from older versions of Windows to Windows 7.
The Windows 7 Upgrade Test Matrix went live earlier this week, and was live for a few days, before being pulled down. At the time of this article, the resource is no longer available for download from Microsoft. The information was offered not only through the Microsoft Download Center, but also via TechNet. Although on the Download Center the info was released this week, on TechNet it had been available since earlier this month, and last updated on June 17th. This is the download link offered by Microsoft, but the matrix is no longer available.
And, thanks to the Bing cache, Windows 7 Upgrade Test Matrix continues to be accessible. At the same time, Google cache offers a view of the Windows 7 Upgrade Test Matrix as it appeared on June 24th, 2009. As the label infers, Microsoft used the documentation in order to outline the upgrade paths for the next iteration of the Windows client. Microsoft aimed to deliver an insight into both the supported and unsupported upgrade paths for the successor of Windows Vista, covering all the editions of the operating system, as well as the SKUs of its precursors.
One aspect that is worth mentioning is related to the preliminary nature of the document. The Windows 7 Upgrade Test Matrix, now no longer offered to the public, indicates that Microsoft was, indeed, running a test. This suggests that the information included in the documentation was not finalized and that it is subject to change. I have included a screenshot from TechNet in the article illustrating the matrix of Windows 7 upgrade paths, but the info is available through Bing cache.
