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Windows Vista Home Basic vs. Home Premium vs. Business vs. Ultimate

Microsoft applauded shipping in excess of 60 million Windows Vista licenses in the operating system's first six months of general availability. However, the Redmond company is right on track to correct this little slip up.
windows - comments - 20.8.2007

Do you need more than Windows 7 Home Premium?

One of the most frequent questions I get these days comes from people who’ve been running the Windows 7 beta and RC and are planning to upgrade to the final version when it’s available on October 22. “Which edition of Windows 7 do I need?”
windows - comments - 1.7.2009

Windows 7 Home Premium beta released to testers

A trusted source has indicated that Microsoft has released Windows 7 Home Premium beta to a select group of 1000 users to get a firsthand look at the next major release of Windows.
windows - comments - 8.1.2009

Windows 7 Home Premium full edition for £45 [UK]

If you're a brit and in need of a cheap copy of Windows 7 then its bargain day for the UK today.
windows - comments - 14.9.2009

Windows Home Server - Now available on MSDN

A key benefit of Windows Home Server is the versatility and power it offers as a development platform. Even when Windows Home Server software was still in the beta stage, we published a software development kit (SDK) so that 3rd party developers could develop interesting add-ins for the product. See the original post, "Developers, Developers, Developers".
windows - comments - 25.3.2009

Windows 7 Professional $99.99 and Home Premium $49.99 Discounts Now Live

On the same day that it announced officially the pricing of Windows 7, Microsoft also revealed that customers would have the opportunity to buy the two main editions of the next iteration of Windows at discounted prices.
windows - comments - 26.6.2009

Buy Windows 7 Ultimate for Just $99.99, Home Premium for Just $49.99

While the Windows 7 SKU official pricing is nothing short of being on par with that of Windows Vista's editions, with the exception of Home Premium, Microsoft does have something special in stores for consumers.
windows - comments - 25.6.2009

Windows 7 RTM and MSDN Academic Alliance MSDN AA Availability Update

At the start of this week, I posted an article informing users of the fact that Windows 7 RTM was available for download via MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDN AA). Looking at the comments that have been piling up I think that an update is necessary to clarify some aspects.
windows - comments - 14.8.2009

Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs….Really???

Thanks to thepodest who wrote this article for his blog. These are the specs requirements for Premium Vista PCs according to Microsoft.
windows - comments - 16.6.2007

Premium Vista PCs fare well in first week

Microsoft's wish that consumers purchase the premium versions of Windows Vista rather than the most basic version of the OS may be coming true, according to the findings of a research report released Thursday.
windows - comments - 10.2.2007

Hybrid Drives to Become Vista Premium Logo Requirement

At a discussion of flash memory technologies to be included in Windows Vista and "Longhorn" here at TechEd 2006 this morning, Microsoft's program manager for Windows Client Performance Matt Ayres confirmed that inclusion of hybrid hard drives will be a requirement for mobile systems that carry the Vista Premium logo, beginning in June 2007.
windows - comments - 14.6.2006

MS pushes premium versions of Vista, download options

Microsoft wants to make sure consumers and small businesses know there are myriad ways they can acquire Windows Vista -- particularly in premium versions -- when it becomes generally available on Jan. 30.
microsoft - comments - 18.1.2007

Vista SP1 RTM Slipstream (Integrated ) DVD ISO Image - Leaked to Torrent Websites

hile Microsoft continues at a slow pace toward the general availability of Windows Vista SP1 RTM, the service pack has already slipped through the company's fingers, so to speak.
windows - comments - 4.3.2008

Home Computer - Home Network - Home Server

In the 1960s & 70s the idea of a home computer was unheard of outside of science fiction circles. Before the late 1980s home networks were unheard of.
microsoft - comments - 2.12.2007

Windows Vista RTM appears on MSDN

Microsoft Date/Time Posted: 2006-11-16 21:56:18 (UTC). File: en_windows_vista_x86_dvd_X12-34293.iso ISO-9660 DVD Image
windows - comments - 16.11.2006

Windows Vista Iso BillGates to MSDN patch 2

Second Little path for BillGates ISO of Windows Vista RTM to transform this release into legit MSDN release.
download - comments - 18.11.2006

Windows 7 Milestone 2 M2 available on Torrent Websites

Windows 7 Milestone 2 is the next stage in the evolution of Windows Vista's successor.
download - comments - 14.7.2008

Windows 7 Build 7201 Available on Torrent Rapidshare

Hype of the RC2 leak is increasing rapidly the time i m writing 503 peoples were active on a single thread over sevenforums.
download - comments - 3.6.2009

Windows Vista Iso BillGates To Legit MSDN PATCH

Little path for BillGates ISO of Windows Vista RTM to transform this release into legit MSDN release.
download - comments - 13.11.2006

Windows 7 M1 build shows up on various torrent sites

It was only a matter of time..

Not too long after Microsoft had released a developer build of the Windows 7 Milestone 1 release to a select few, review and opinion pieces started to leak onto Windows enthusiast sites by OEM employees or their beneficiaries.
microsoft - comments - 26.1.2008

Microsoft: Don't Download Windows 7 Interim Builds from Torrent Trackers

Leaked builds of Windows 7 available for download via torrent trackers have been accompanying the development of the next iteration of Windows since the operating system was in Milestone 1 stage.
microsoft - comments - 16.4.2009

Windows XP SP3 RC2 Leaked and Available for Download on Torrent Websites

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 has been leaked and is available for download on torrent websites. Three days after releasing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing, Microsoft launched another development milestone of XP SP3.
windows - comments - 13.2.2008

Download Windows 7 Build 6956 VHD Image via BT Torrent

Windows 7 beta (or beta 1) is possibly been released in January or February 2009 which Keith Comb has even mentioned in a comment on his TechNet blog (has since been removed) that “we (Microsoft) are targeting to have the DVD’s in the materials from 1/13/2009 on”.
download - comments - 5.12.2008

New Windows XP SP3 Beta Build 3205 Leaked to Torrent Trackers

The latest build of Windows XP SP3 Beta has been leaked to Peer-to-Peer file sharing networks. Following the availability of Release Candidate 0 for Windows Server 2008, formerly codenamed Longhorn as well as the first fully-fledged beta for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft also dropped another beta version of the third and final Service Pack for Windows XP.
windows - comments - 11.10.2007

Windows 7 Beta 1 Build 7000 DVD ISO Image Torrent and NamiPan Download

f indeed the Windows 7 initial first beta release will have the build version number of 7000, the DVD ISO image of the 32-bit (x86) Windows 7 6.1.7000.0, 7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULFRE_EN_DVD.iso, has been leaked to Internet.
windows - comments - 26.12.2008

Collection of published Vista SP1 API changes from MSDN

Microsoft might choose not to tell its enthusiasts anything about Windows Vista Service Pack 1, but they can’t afford to keep it a secret to the development community. Thanks to pacpis for this article.
windows - comments - 22.7.2007

A short chat with a MSDN Concierge about Vista SP1

Not long ago, Microsoft has hinted towards the availability of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 on MSDN if not before the public beta. I wanted to find out if this was the case and who better to ask than the MSDN Concierge - open 24 hours, talk about great service. Thanks to pacpis for this news.
windows - comments - 18.8.2007

MSN Premium releases 9.5 version, not dead yet

Much to our surprise, MSN released version 9.5 of MSN Explorer/MSN Internet Access to subscribers as an update on Friday. The release appears to fix a number of issues surrounding upgrades to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Live Messenger.
microsoft - comments - 21.11.2006

Microsoft Releases Vista SP1 RC Preview on MSDN

Microsoft has posted download links to Windows Vista SP1 RC Preview on the MSDN homepage for MSDN subcribers.
windows - comments - 4.11.2007

MSDN subscribers: Vista SP1 to hit by the end of this week

Microsoft is continuing to accelerate its timetable for Windows Vista Service Pack (SP) 1 availability.
windows - comments - 13.2.2008

Windows 7 Home Premium beta released to testers

A trusted source has indicated that Microsoft has released Windows 7 Home Premium beta to a select group of 1000 users to get a firsthand look at the next major release of Windows. The Home Premium beta comes listed with an assortment of features, few less than the public release of Windows 7 due on Friday to everybody, mentioned in tonight's annual CES keynote. The Home Premium is a perfect suit for home users, with a cheaper price tag, compared with Vista Home Premium, to Vista Ultimate, and a few less built in programs, that are only available to the full version.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 08.01.2009

Discover Windows Vista Home Premium

Columnist S.E. Slack shares her favorite features of Windows Vista Home Premium...
microsoft.com/windowsvista - 23.11.2006

Microsoft Windows Vista is now on MSDN & Connect

Thanks Andareed who posted this news in our forums, yes thats right MSDN users need no longer to wait.

Initial reports are that this is different from the leaked version that has been available for about a week on all sorts of torrent sites, the hash is different:

en_windows_vista_x86_dvd_X12 -34293.iso = b71e04564ca22e4d9928e59298eff8 7cf62b382b
LRMCFRE_EN_DVD.iso (BillGates) = b82590481755ba3420e7314bf82b89 16a90963b5

This single download includes the following Windows Vista editions:The product key used to install Windows Vista will determine which edition will be installed. The product keys used to install Windows Vista Business N, Windows Vista Home Basic N, and Windows Vista Starter are not currently available.

Also US testers may find an invitation to download any version of Vista final they choose (a product key is then supplied for the version specified) my source tells me that international users will start to see this appearing on their connect page within the next day or so. It's unclear if every tester will get a full version of their choice. We'll update this when Microsoft gets back to us.


neowin.net - 17.11.2006

Vista Home Premium: $86 Shipped

Good deal at Micro Center: The OEM version of Windows Vista Home Premium for a mere $80, 1/2 or 1/3 of the retail price and $22 less than Neweggs normal price. With $6 shipping you can be enjoying Vista on the cheap. Just remember that, as an OEM version, it can only be installed on one computer and cannot be moved to another PC later on.




winbeta.org - 02.10.2007

Windows 7 sales exceed Vista sales by 234%

Consumer Market Research firm NPD has confirmed that initial sales of Windows 7 have surpassed those of the Windows Vista launch. According to NPD's weekly tracking service, Windows 7 software unit sales in the U.S. were 234 percent higher than Vista's first few days of sales. The most popular choice for consumers was the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade followed by the Pro upgrade and Home Premium Family Pack. According to NPD, software sales of Windows 7 were strong compared to Vista's sales partly due to early discounts on pre-sales and a wide range of promotions.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 06.11.2009

Amazon Begins Selling Windows Vista

Online retailer Amazon.com has begun to accept pre-orders for Windows Vista, which it says "will be released on January 30, 2007." The company is charging $399 USD for the Ultimate Edition of Vista, $239 USD for Home Premium and $199 USD for Home Basic. Vista Business is priced at $299 USD...
betanews.com - 29.08.2006

Bargain: Windows 7 Home Premium full edition for £45 [UK]

If you're a brit and in need of a cheap copy of Windows 7 then its bargain day for the UK today. Tesco is currently offering Windows 7 Home Premium for £49.97, coupled with a discount code from the folks at HotUKdeals, you can get the full edition of Windows 7 Home Premium for £44.97 delivered. Here's how:Visit the Tesco listingadd to basketcheckoutuse voucher code TDX-SFFT If you're not sure whether Home Premium is good enough for you then checkout our feature comparison chart to see the difference between the editions. Obviously the copy won't arrive until October 22 when Microsoft's latest OS is released. Enjoy.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 13.09.2009

Windows 7 Home Premium and Server betas available to public

Microsoft released the Windows 7 betas to the public last week. The software company also sent out a hardware newsletter to its ecosystem partners on Friday January 9th detailing the Windows 7 beta. In the newsletter the spokesperson mentions "If you are a hardware partner but do not have a Winqual account, you can access the Windows 7 Beta by entering invitation ID Win7-3HQW-RF74 on the Microsoft Connect homepage." By using this ID on the Connect site you can gain access to Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Server betas. Last week We revealed that Microsoft is currently only offering the Home Premium bits only to 1000 testers for Windows Any Time Upgrade testing.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 15.01.2009

Microsoft cuts Windows Vista price to $66 in China

As was noted a couple days ago, Microsoft has now officially dramatically cut the price of Windows Vista in China in a bid to boost sales of its new operating system.



Microsoft cut the retail price of Windows Vista Home Basic in China to 499 renminbi ($65.80), from 1,521 renminbi -- a 67 percent reduction. The Home Premium version of Vista also got a significant price reduction, down 50 percent from 1,802 renminbi to 899 renminbi.



The new prices, which were introduced Wednesday and outlined in a statement from the company on Friday, represent a steep discount compared to what users in the U.S. and elsewhere are charged for the software. Microsoft's Web site lists the recommend U.S. retail price of Vista Home Basic at $199, with Home Premium priced at $239.



Microsoft sold 60 million Vista licenses by the end of June, but many in the industry remain unimpressed by the new operating system. ..
winbeta.org - 03.08.2007

Windows 7 now available on Technet and MSDN

Microsoft has officially released Windows 7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) available for download via Technet and MSDN, however, users must have a valid subscription to either web site. Today's release is only available in English, and other languages will be released on October 1st. Users can now download an ISO image of Windows 7 directly from Microsoft with a unique serial key. The ISO images of Windows comes bundled with Home, Premium, Professional, and Ultimate edition in either 32bit or 64bit.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 07.08.2009

Consumer Versions of Vista Available Early

mwave.com lists several editions of Windows Vista as in stock and ready to ship



Although the official launch of Windows Vista won't take place until January 30, that hasn't stopped some online retailers from making the operating system available early. mwave.com is listing three Vista SKUs on its website that are in stock and ready to ship.



The OEM versions of Vista listed on mwave.com's website are significantly cheaper than the retail pricing for Vista listed below:



* Windows Vista Home Basic, $199/$99.95

* Windows Vista Home Premium, $239/$159

* Windows Vista Business, $299/$199

* Windows Vista Ultimate, $399/$259



The editions available include Vista 32-bit Home Basic OEM (Microsoft Part Number: 66G-00576) for $89.90, Vista 32-bit Home Basic OEM 3-pack (Microsoft Part Number: 66G-00613) for $268.90 and Vista 32-bit Business OEM (Microsoft Part Number: 66J-02289) for $139.90. As of today, there were no listings for Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate on the site.




jcxp.net - 22.01.2007

Microsoft to Offer Vista ‘Family Pack' Discount for Ultimate

Please keep in mind that the source of this news posting is a blog. Microsoft has not officially announced or commented on the discount. Mary Jo Foley blogged: "sources said that Microsoft will announce some time over the next few days that the company will allow Vista Ultimate customers to purchase two additional copies of Vista Home Premium for somewhere between $50 to $99 a piece."

Only if you purchase a retail a copy of Vista Ultimate ($399 USD) do you qualify for the "Family Pack" promotion. Let me emphasize that again: retail does not mean OEM. As a part of the Windows Anytime Upgrade marketing plan, a user would be able to use the Vista Ultimate DVD to install the Home Premium licenses on the additional computers. These "sources", however, cannot agree on the price of an additional copy: either $49.95 or $99.95. Even if it is the latter, that's still over twice as cheap (Home Premium retails at $240).

Let's do some basic math, shall we? If you purchase Ultimate and two additional Home Premium copies, you will be paying $600. That is much cheaper than buying 3 x Home Premium which would leave you dishing out $720. And you get Ultimate. However, you'll need at least 3 computers in the household that are Vista-ready or you won't really be saving much.


neowin.net - 16.01.2007

Deployed: Windows Vista SP1 RC on ALL of my PCs

Brandon LeBlanc: Today Nick announced the availability of the release candidate for Windows Vista SP1. I had a chance to get the RC build of Windows Vista SP1 installed a few days ago. I decided to roll the RC out on all of my PCs which showcase a variety of device types and scenarios:



In installing the RC on my PCs, I did a combination of using the standalone installer and Windows Update. Before proceeding to install the SP1 RC bits, I first needed to uninstall the SP1 beta bits first. Users looking to install the Windows Vista SP1 RC will need to uninstall any previous version of SP1 prior to the installation of the RC from either Windows Update or the standalone installer.




winbeta.org - 06.12.2007

Making sense of Windows' irrational pricing and licensing

Ed Bott: A few weeks ago, Microsoft announced it was cutting the price of retail, shrink-wrapped copies of Windows Vista. The new suggested price for an upgrade edition of Windows Vista Ultimate is $219, down from $299. The cost of an upgrade edition of Vista Home Premium drops to $129 from $159. Those price cuts were effective with the release of Vista Service Pack 1 in mid-March, and the actual prices that people pay (the so-called street price) will invariably be lower: Amazon, for example, is offering discounts on the upgrade editions of Vista Ultimate and Home Premium for $195 and $95, respectively. The full versions are $300 and $216.




winbeta.org - 15.04.2008

MS pushes premium versions of Vista, download options

Microsoft wants to make sure consumers and small businesses know there are myriad ways they can acquire Windows Vista -- particularly in premium versions -- when it becomes generally available on Jan. 30. On Thursday, Microsoft said that for the first time, users will be able to purchase its Windows OS by downloading it over the Internet. On Jan. 30, various consumer versions of Windows Vista, such as Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows Vista Ultimate, will be available on Microsoft's Windows Marketplace e-commerce site, said Bill Mannion, director of marketing for Windows. Microsoft Office 2007 also will be available on Windows Marketplace, marking the first time customers can purchase the productivity suite by downloading it.

Microsoft has sold games, some of its less popular applications, and partner software on Windows Marketplace, but it previously has not sold its core Windows and Office products there, Mannion said. The company revamped the site in August, adding a new feature called Digital Locker, which keeps track of a customer's license key online so that software can be downloaded and securely purchased over the Internet. This feature is one of the reasons Microsoft now feels it is safe enough to distribute Windows Vista and Office over the Internet, he said. Microsoft also will make clear on Thursday it's pushing hard for consumers to buy the premium versions of Vista -- Home Premium and Ultimate.


neowin.net - 18.01.2007

Windows Home Server will not be made available for MSDN Subscribers

MSDN Subscriptions WebLog: Several of you have been asking about if and when Windows Home Server would be available on MSDN Subscriber Downloads. My last post on this indicated that discussions were still underway, but that it looked promising that it wold be added.



Unfortuntely it is not going to be made available for MSDN Subscribers at this time, based on additional discussions between the Product Group and the Subscriptions Teams.



I don't have any first hand knowledge of what went into this decision, but understand several of you will be disappointed by the decision. As you are aware, it might be added in the future, but it is not being included at this time.




winbeta.org - 15.01.2008

Windows 7 pre-order sales remain strong

After Microsoft started selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional upgrades at a discount, consumers were flocking to take advantage of these discounts resulting in strong sales, and according to Information Week, those pre-order sales continue to remain strong. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade continues to remain number one in Amazon's software category, while the Professional version remains at number two. This is good news for Microsoft, which saw Windows sales fall 16% in the most recent quarter. Currently, Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade is being sold for $49, while Windows 7 Professional upgrade is being sold for $99 until July 11th or "while supplies last".

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 08.07.2009

Vista SP1 x86 appears on Torrent Sites

In the last few days, certain Neowin forum members have reported that an image of Vista SP1 x86 Final has leaked to torrent sites. This file is supposedly a slipstreamed image of the final Service Pack 1 for Vista x86. It is allegedly available in various languages, including English. Since many believe that this is indeed the download that Microsoft will provide in the upcoming weeks, I would like to emphasize that this is not the case. This release is not official, nor is it genuine. I repeat: Vista SP1 has not gone final.

Neowin members are reporting that the file in question may be SP1 Refresh 2 slipstreamed or simply a malware-filled release. I would like to remind our members not to post links to any Vista SP1 build, unless it comes directly from Microsoft’s servers.

Read full story.....
neowin.net - 28.01.2008

IBM Recommends Windows XP

If you shop online for a new Windows computer, every manufacturer recommends Vista on their web site. For home use they all suggest Vista Home Premium, for business use, Vista Business gets the nod. All the manufacturers sell other versions of Vista of course, most if not all sell Windows XP too, yet their websites universally recommend Vista Home Premium or Business.



Except IBM.



Yes, IBM no longer plays in this game. Back in 2005, IBM sold their personal computer division to Lenovo.



However, IBM still sells their old notebook and desktop computers, albeit as "IBM Certified Used Equipment".




winbeta.org - 15.12.2007

Microsoft to offer Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium

Ed Bott: Thanks to a tip from Kristan Kenney, I took a close look at the agreements embedded in the License folder of the latest leaked builds of Windows 7. This is no longer a beta license agreement and is presumably very close to the final agreement that customers will accept. The agreements for retail copies of Windows 7 Home Premium contain this eye-opening clause...




winbeta.org - 02.07.2009