Small Business

Score Discounts on Windows 7 Upgrades

By Dave Johnson

Updated on: April 13, 2010 / 7:40 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

Buying a netbook with Windows 7 Starter pre-installed? That's not a bad option, but here's something you might not realize: Starter Edition isn't really any "lighter" or faster than Home Premium. So upgrading to Home Premium is smart. And what if you already have Home Premium but need to join a corporate network domain? You need to upgrade to Professional.

Well, good news: Until July 3, Microsoft is offering a discount on upgrades to either edition of Windows 7.

Last week, the Windows 7 blog announced a discount program that lets you step up from Windows 7 Starter to Home Premium or from Home Premium to Professional for less. Specidically, you can save $30 on the upgrade to Home Premium, or $10 to go to Professional.

Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium ERP $49.99 (versus everyday price of $79.99)
Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional ERP $79.99 (versus everyday price of $89.99)

There are, of course, some caveats. The discount applies to new PCs purchased during the promotional period, and only through participating retailers. Check out the blog for details.