How does windows 7 cost

Last week, Microsoft unveiled retail pricing for Windows 7, the successor to Vista and Microsoft's hope for a revival in operating system buzz. But as soon as the sheet was yanked off the price board, people started asking questions. How much for this? What will I pay for that? The questions were endless, it seemed, even though Microsoft culled Home Basic from the line-up, exiling it to the "emerging markets" category and banning it from retail.

You'd think that with just three retail editions -- Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate -- navigating price waters would be a snap.

Not so. What's the cheapest price for Windows 7? Unless you're buying a new PC -- more on that later -- the best bet now is to reserve your copy at Microsoft's online store or one of the retailers participating in the discount offer. In January , Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7, and the five-year extended support phase began. In January , the Windows 7 support lifecycle will officially end. But four years is a long, long time, and if you prefer the familiar environment of Windows 7 over its successors, you still have lots of options available.

If you navigate your way through the confusing maze of Windows licensing rules, you'll find that the best deals go to PC manufacturers, which means you'll find the best new and refurbished PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled and ready to run. If you just need the software, you can still buy Windows 7 software in shrink-wrapped retail and OEM packages, sometimes at prices that are literally too good to be true.

If you're an IT pro or developer who needs Windows 7 for testing, you also have subscription options, although they're less of a deal than they were six years ago. For students, the best options come with newer versions of Windows. Most of the details I include in this post apply to Windows customers in the United States, but you should be able to find similar offers in other countries. My goal in this post is to point you to deals that customers legitimately qualify for.

I am not trying to encourage attempts by anyone to get away with something you're not entitled to. If there are restrictions for a specific offer, I've noted them here. By far the best way to buy Windows 7 today, six years into its lifecycle, is to purchase it preinstalled on a new PC.

You get a warranty and, more importantly, you get the OEM's assurance that the hardware and software were designed to work together. This option also spares you from the pain of Windows setup, especially the hassles of hunting down essential drivers and system-specific updates when you upgrade or downgrade a PC. There's a catch, though: As of October 31, , any new PCs they offer must include the more expensive Windows 7 Professional.

Machines that were manufactured before that date with Windows 7 Home Premium can still be sold. Normally, the sales lifecycle for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled would have ended long ago, but Microsoft extended that deadline in February PC manufacturers will no longer be able to sell new PCs with Windows 7 Pro as of October 31, , For details, see "What the Windows 7 Pro sales lifecycle changes mean to consumers and business buyers.

The trick in shopping for these machines is to skip the front door and go straight for the business section. Among online merchants, for example, Dell offers filters to show all available desktops and all-in-ones and laptops running Windows 7. HP has separate pages for business desktops and laptops , but you have to look at each model to find the models with Windows 7 available.

Big online retailers that serve business markets should have similar selections covering a wide range of brands and the full spectrum of prices. There are plenty of sites where you can find "factory reconditioned" PCs for sale at legitimately low prices.

Amazon-owned Woot, for example, always has lots of choices in its Computers section , although you'll have to dig into the specs to confirm that the operating system you're looking for is included. I don't recommend taking a chance with random sellers on eBay or Craigslist--not when there are so many well-established merchants that offer proper warranties and return policies, as well as an assurance that the underlying Windows license is legitimate.

Under Microsoft's arcane licensing rules, you can legitimately purchase OEM copies of Windows 7 any edition. However, the license agreement with those copies explicitly prohibits you from using that software on a PC you build or refurbish for your own personal use. Crazy, huh? ZDNet takes a look back at very best tech stories and features of From the year's tech turkeys to products and services that get business done, we round up top gadgets, cloud highs, security lows -- and much more.

The deal includes select retail partners, such as Best Buy and Amazon, as well as the online Microsoft Store. Microsoft was not willing to discuss the limits of the supplies, but a spokesperson did confirm to Ars that the reduced prices for the European countries will simply apply to the full version as noted above , as upgrade versions will not exist in Europe.

In short, these preorders will allow those in the UK, Germany, and France to purchase full versions of Home Premium or Professional, except without IE8, for a very low price.

Waiting to buy a PC until Windows 7 is released can be frustrating especially given the upcoming back-to-school season , so Microsoft is making an upgrade offer similar to what it did for consumers buying XP but who wanted to secure a copy Vista: buy a Windows Vista PC as of June 26 and receive the equivalent edition of Windows 7 when it comes out.

If the June 26 date sounds familiar, that's because it was rumored earlier this month via a leaked Best Buy memo contra the rumor pointing to July 1 being the date. Microsoft will be offering the program globally until January 31, but OEMs can cut it off early if they choose to. For example, if you purchase a computer with Windows Vista Home Premium on it, once it is available, you will get a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium to upgrade to.

Further details will be available soon at windows. Ybarra told Ars that Microsoft would not charge consumers for Windows 7 if they purchased a Vista PC between tomorrow and the day of general availability.

He did admit, however, that OEMs can choose the price of the upgrade, possibly charging for shipping and handling fees. Furthermore, it will be up to OEMs to decide which computers the upgrade offer will be available on, so it's unlikely that low-end computers like netbooks or PCs on sale will have this offer.

Microsoft is promising that all major OEMs will have PCs with Windows 7 shipping in all language versions beginning on the day of general availability, October 22, However, the same cannot be said for the Windows 7 retail versions. But don't worry -- you can still use this trick to download Windows 10 for free if you want to. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the end of Windows 7 support, and how to make the switch to Windows 10 for free.

Read more: How to download Windows 10 for free. Microsoft has a long-established Fixed Lifestyle Policy for many of its products. For each version of its OS, the company offers a minimum of 10 years of support at least five years of Mainstream support, followed by five years of Extended support.

Both types include security and program updates, self-help online topics and extra help you can pay for. Windows 7 was released in October , so its year life cycle has come to a close. Windows 10 was released in , and extended support for the latest version of the OS is slated to end in Read more: New to Windows 10? Here's how long Microsoft will support it. Your Windows 7 computer will keep working, but Microsoft won't provide security updates or fixes , or technical support for any issues -- leaving your computer at greater risk from viruses and malware that may circulate to take advantage of any flaws that are later discovered.