Purchasing Windows 7; any cheaper places than Amazon?

Cerulean

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I received a new laptop that I will be giving to my mom. At the present time it has Linux Mint installed. I need to switch it over to Windows, which would cost me $165.71 for Windows 7 Home Premium. For an additional $89.99 I could get a Windows 8 Upgrade. Before I pull the trigger on this, are there other ways of attaining Windows 7/8 at a discount or lesser price? I do not have Technet or Dreamspark access.
 
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Do yourself a favor and forget the Windows 8 upgrade, tried it once, pissed me off after 5 minutes. Had to try it again for a dual boot Win7/Win8 ultrabook requirement, still not worth the money.

Unless you like program compatibility problems and finding drivers of course. If so upgrade away!
 
Do yourself a favor and forget the Windows 8 upgrade, tried it once, pissed me off after 5 minutes. Had to try it again for a dual boot Win7/Win8 ultrabook requirement, still not worth the money.

Unless you like program compatibility problems and finding drivers of course. If so upgrade away!

I'm not one to atall defend Win 8... but I do not like people being misleading.

Win8 uses Win7 drivers for 99% of the hardware. Only issues have been with third party sound cards that I have read.

And for $15 Win 8 isn't bad. I have been running it for months. I would buy Win 7 if I were paying full trail though and had to choose between the two.
 
Buy a Windows 8 laptop with downgrade rights & install Windows 7 with the OEM certificate. Technically I think you violate the EULA if you have both installed, but you would never use them both at the same time and since you have the OEM versions you skip online activations as long as you keep the stock motherboard & BIOS.
 
My experience: You need to know when to 'bend the knee.' This is one of those times.

My Advice: Pay what they ask. The best you can hope for is free shipping. Recently I bought Windows 8. Like you, I also tried to save a few bucks. I got nothing but headaches for my trouble.

Your options
It's Microsoft at asking price, or risk some shady stuff or headaches with the wrong software.

Unbuntu- Free.

Edit: Free shipping, deals a particular website may offer for purchasing $XXX amount, etc are the best in terms of savings in this situation.
 
Unless you can get it for $15 I would skip Windows 8. I have 7 computers that are running windows 8 and I love it.... to me it's more efficient than Win 7... I have all my favorite shortcuts memorized (win + C, Win + X, Win, etc) and feel I can get to applications/programs much faster.
I know a lot of people, including ones in IT that hates Win8 and some that love it. So it’s about preference… All I know is my main computer ran a lot faster on Windows 8 (I tend to reformat my computer every 6 months).

I have been using Microsoft OS since DOS 3.0 and Win 3.0. I have a background in programming old school languages like Cobol, Basic, Pascal, etc…… So I consider myself a poweruser… While I do not program anymore.. I still use things like Powershell, etc.

Back to the OP question. You can normally find sales. If you are in school, I would go the educational price route. Also I would look at Technet… that way you can use all versions of windows, office suites, servers, etc. Very economical price for what you get.
 
So then I have a question: what is the "System Builder" Windows that I see on Amazon? Could someone explain to me what that is?

EDIT: In other news, our company is using Windows 8 for VDIs and we are slowly migrating the entire company over to Windows 8. It's going great. :)
 
System builder is oem with the caveat that you are the tech support for the person you build/sell the system to.

If you are morally bothered that you are neither selling it to her or "building" the rig, then install it and ask her for a penny........or ask for payment in the form of a turkey and cheese with mayo.

Straight oem is about $10 more, and has no support requirement on your part..........but like I said, you are the support tech ANYWAYS. :)
 
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System builder is oem with the caveat that you are the tech support for the person you build/sell the system to.

If you are morally bothered that you are neither selling it to her or "building" the rig, then install it and ask her for a penny........or ask for payment in the form of a turkey and cheese with mayo.

Straight oem is about $10 more, and has no support requirement on your part..........but like I said, you are the support tech ANYWAYS. :)
So what do you mean by "support requirement" then? :? Is this a license meant for only one concurrent use, or multiple simultaneous uses? And is this a license that, God forbid warm milk spill all over it and fry the motherboard, I could re-use on a new used machine meant to replace the milked laptop (pun intended)?
 
I thought it was clear.

Lets say you have a rig you build, and you used system builder for the install......normally oem is tied to the motherboard and comes with no support from MS or ANYONE for that matter. System builder is oem, but YOU are the support for that install.....so that means nothing if you keep it for yourself, but if it goes to your mother (or anyone else), technically by the eula YOU are responsible for the support. Retail can be moved from system to system (is not tied to any hardware) and you contact MS for any support issues.

It comes with one licence just like any other os disk (except volume licencing), and is supposed to be tied to the motherboard, replacing it if it dies in no problem if it's replaced with the same model board...sometimes you can put a different board and activate by phone if you are careful how you word the reasons, but ymmv. Plain OEM is the same thing.

If you are worried about uninstalling it to use in another computer at some later date, or if you upgrade a lot then get retail.......but you will pay more.

But this is for your mother right? How likely is she going to need upgrades much? Personally, I'd save the $75 and get (oem)system builder, but it's really up to you.
 
Thanks, but what I did was get Windows 8 Professional from Microsoft with Student discount for $70. Installed Windows 7 without license key or activation, then installed Windows 8 upgrade with success in using the key Microsoft provided me. :)
 
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