Windows 7
Windows 7 Upgrade is expected to become available for sale through the ITS Software Store beginning September 1, 2009:
• Windows 7 Enterprise: Requires Software Assurance for Windows Client OS
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Ultimate: Only available through Microsoft’s Student Select Program (i.e. for purchase by students and employees for personal use)
Vista Upgrade Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate (with or without software assurance) will no longer be available for sale to departments through the Software Store after August 27, 2009. Departments may purchase Windows 7 and use the backward use rights of the Windows 7 license to install an earlier version of the Windows Client OS (e.g. Vista, XP).
If a department has purchased Vista with Software Assurance since 7/31/08 through the Software Store, Windows 7 will be a free upgrade. Software Assurance customers can download Windows 7 through the Software Store beginning next week. Customers may access the download by logging into the Software Store and clicking on “My Software”.
Windows 7 became available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers on August 6.
Upgrading to Windows 7:
• Windows 7 can upgrade from Vista SP1 or later, but not from XP
• The full (i.e. non-upgrade) license is not available for sale through volume licensing. The full license is available for sale through OEM and retail. Even though the full license is not available for sale through volume licensing, the full version download will be bundled with the Upgrade license for departmental purchases. This will provide customers with a bootable copy of Windows 7 for installing the OS on a formatted disk. Even though the full download will be bundled with the Upgrade license, the Upgrade license can only be purchased for a device that is licensed for a prior version of the OS.
• The full version download enables customers to “upgrade” from XP to 7 by performing a custom (advanced) install. A custom install does not preserve settings, files and applications. This information should be backed up prior to installing Windows 7 so that it can be reloaded after Windows 7 has been installed.
• Windows 7 Upgrade includes an Upgrade Advisor that inspects a computer and provides a compatibility report for installed hardware and software.
• The full version of Windows 7 must be used to upgrade from:
o XP
o Vista (if it has not been updated to Service Pack 1 or 2)
o A 32-bit version of Windows Vista to a 64-bit version of Windows 7
o A 64-bit version of Windows Vista to a 32-bit version of Window 7
o A higher edition of Vista to a lower edition of 7 (e.g. an upgrade from Vista Enterprise to 7 Professional)
Volume Activation:
• Activation is required for Windows 7
• Departments may activate locally against an ITS hosted KMS server
• Activation supports physical and virtual devices
• Activation will also be required for Windows Server 2008 R2 and the upcoming Microsoft Office 2010
Please email software.store@vanderbilt.edu or call 3-3919 for additional information.