MIcrosoft Offer: Windows 7 Free Upgrade – How It Works and What You Need to Do to Get It

Microsoft is offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 OS for Windows Vista users. There are some conditions you need to be aware of to make sure your can take advantage of this offer.

Microsoft Windows Vista® operating system editions are able to obtain an upgrade license to the appropriate Windows 7 edition if the end user meets program qualifications.

• The Program Eligibility Period is from June 26, 2009 to January 31, 2010
• Microsoft's offer only supplies upgrades for three Vista products, which match the simplified Windows 7 versions. (Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Business, and Windows 7 Ultimate) Windows Vista Ultimate will get you an upgrade for Windows 7 Ultimate.
• It is not available for Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Starter edition, and any Windows XP versions
• Each upgrade path will support all available versions of that product: language, territory, 32 bit or 64 bit versions. Upgrades are only available for the exact specifications of the Vista version you have installed. You will not be able to change language versions or to go from Windows Vista® Home Premium K edition to anything but the Windows® 7 Home Premium K edition.
• If you have an eligible Vista bonus version that was downgradeable to Windows XP, you can still participate in the program if the other conditions are met. You will need to do a clean installation or use your recovery media to restore the Vista version that came with your computer. In that case, you will be able to update directly to Windows 7.
• Initial Upgrade Media Fulfillment Date Windows® 7 General Availability Date is 22 October 2009
• The Upgrade Offer Form Expiration Date is February 28, 2010, and the Final Software Fulfillment Date / Program End Date is April 30, 2010.

Additional details on the program can be found on Microsoft's site Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program

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Your computer manufacturer may include an update certificate with your qualifying purchase. Windows 7 Upgrade form

If your computer was preinstalled with Vista Home premium, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate and distributed on or after 6/26/09, and had no forms included, check with your computer manufacturer to see if your PC is part of the Upgrade Option Program. If so, you should follow the manufacturer’s directions for getting your Upgrade.

If your computer manufacturer has not included a form for the upgrade, and you purchased your computer in the qualifying time period, you need to find out the details for getting the upgrade directly from the manufacturer. On Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program site, you can find links to manufacturers who are participating in the program, to learn what they require. An additional article will cover details for obtaining the upgrade directly from PC manufactures if you cannot get it directly from Microsoft.

Microsoft does say: Not all PC manufacturers are participating in this program. Some are participating but may have an unusual or unique way to get and fulfill the Windows 7 Upgrade requests.

To submit the form for claiming your upgrade, go to the Windows 7 Upgrade Option site. On your offer form, there will be a 17-character code. You can use the option on Microsoft's site to have them read your computer and determine which Windows 7 Upgrade your computer needs. Microsoft says check that the edition displayed is your actual operating system before submitting your order.

If you want to find the information manually, check your operating system: Start -> Computer -> Properties -> Windows editions ->. Your operating system will display the information on your operating system on your computer. Also check on that page in System type and verify 32-bit or 64-bit on your computer is what is on the offer form.

Microsoft does advise you back up your system before upgrading. They warn: If you attempt to upgrade to a non-matching version of Windows 7, the upgrade will fail. You can also lose applications, files and settings from your original version of Windows software. In extreme cases, you may have to formatting of the hard drive again.

You will also want to make sure that your current system has everything it needs to run Windows 7 correctly. These are the minimum hardware requirements you need:

• 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 (to enable the Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive
• Internet access
• Some Windows 7 features such as their touch screen navigation and the ability to watch and record live TV may require additional hardware (Duh!)

Once you confirm this, you will provide a shipping address, email, and daytime phone number. You will be contacted if there are difficulties fulfilling your order.