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Microsoft Windows Operating Systems Upgrades IT

OEM Windows 7 License Sales End This Friday 242

colinneagle writes This Friday is Halloween, but if you try to buy a PC with Windows 7 pre-loaded after that, you're going to get a rock instead of a treat. Microsoft will stop selling Windows 7 licenses to OEMs after this Friday and you will only be able to buy a machine with Windows 8.1. The good news is that business/enterprise customers will still be able to order PCs 'downgraded' to Windows 7 Professional. Microsoft has not set an end date for when it will cut off Windows 7 Professional to OEMs, but it will likely be a while. This all fits in with typical Microsoft timing. Microsoft usually pulls OEM supply of an OS a year after it removes it from retail. Microsoft cut off the retail supply of Windows 7 in October of last year, although some retailers still have some remaining stock left. If the analytics from Steam are any indicator, Windows 8 is slowly working its way into the American public, but mostly as a Windows XP replacement. Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit, account for 59% of their user base. Windows 8 and 8.1 account for 28%, while XP has dwindled to 4%.
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OEM Windows 7 License Sales End This Friday

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  • by UnknownSoldier ( 67820 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @11:23AM (#48251683)

    Windows 7 64 bit [newegg.com]

    I think Windows 7 is going to be the last Microsoft OS I'm going to buy. Linux is free. Hell, even OSX is free. Yet MS wants to keep gouging customers $100+. Uhm, no thanks.

    Especially since you can use the Safe Boot > Repair Computer > and this batch file to have "unlimited" time to "register"

    D:
    reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
    reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
    reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
    exit

    • I said that about Windows 2000.

      Then the starving artists got their hooks into the open source desktops and fucked them all up.

      Windows 7 it is.

    • by Kenja ( 541830 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @11:30AM (#48251757)
      So you're going to buy a bunch of copies at 140$ each? Yea... that'll show em.
    • There's a lot simpler ways to unlock it than that.

    • Platinum Micro is a huuuuuuge seller of licenses. They're 100% legit and I've personally bought properly sealed, english, OEM system builder editions from them. They're currently $89.98 in their ebay store. I hope they're stocking up because they're my new vendor if Systemax (aka Tiger Direct) and Newegg drop them. I think they might be one of MS's 5 US vendors for licenses though so they probably won't be allowed to sell past the deadline. Here's a link:

      http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micros... [ebay.com]
    • by cyn1c77 ( 928549 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @01:00PM (#48252979)

      Windows 7 64 bit [newegg.com]

      I think Windows 7 is going to be the last Microsoft OS I'm going to buy. Linux is free. Hell, even OSX is free. Yet MS wants to keep gouging customers $100+. Uhm, no thanks.

      Especially since you can use the Safe Boot > Repair Computer > and this batch file to have "unlimited" time to "register"

      D:
      reg load HKLM\MY_SYSTEM "D:\Windows\System32\config\system"
      reg delete HKLM\MY_SYSTEM\WPA /f
      reg unload HKLM\MY_SYSTEM
      exit

      Oh, you pay for the Linux and OS X, just not directly.

      OS X is free on Apple hardware only, so you pay the Apple hardware tax.

      Linux is free because it is open source, but that can have its own associated restrictions (associated with the time input required to it to a certain level of functionality, depending on your Linux expertise.)

      So Windows is the only OS that directly charges you.

      • by mcrbids ( 148650 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @02:10PM (#48253965) Journal

        Linux is free because it is open source, but that can have its own associated restrictions (associated with the time input required to it to a certain level of functionality, depending on your Linux expertise.)

        I guess you haven't set up recent Linux distros? Using Fedora, I can have a workstation up and running, fully updated in 30 minutes. Compare with Windows with the update/reboot/install for a day. At the very least, let's talk about the current state of Linux, and not its state as of 2001, OK?

        • by dwywit ( 1109409 )

          I've recently set up the following linux distros as guests under Win 7 in VirtualBox (all are 64-bit versions):

          Mint 17
          Ubuntu 14.04
          OpenSuse*
          Mageia*

          * whatever the latest version was on Distrowatch or Livecdlist

          NONE of them were able to successfully restart themselves after initial installation. They shut down to a black window, and stayed that way until I forced VirtualBox to power them off. After a manual start, they would all start up and ask for updates. Mint, Ubuntu and Magiea were OK (after installing hu

      • Linux is free because it is open source, but that can have its own associated restrictions (associated with the time input required to it to a certain level of functionality, depending on your Linux expertise.)

        Reductio ad absurdum.

      • And Windows doesn't require you to jump through hoops to get it to "a certain level of functionality, depending on your Windows experience"? It takes me ages to make a Windows machine act like a civilized Unix box. It seems it takes you as long to make Linux act like Windows. I don't think that's a fair criticism of either OS.

      • Alas windows is harder to keep running smoothly than either Linux or OS X. The windows 8 users on our network account for 90% of all support requests. Our linux and OS X users the rest. Now consider that around 50% of our users have windows, 40% linux and 10% OS X. These numbers only inlcude personal computers, not servers.

        The windows users always seem to be reporting issues with performance, networking, printing, ms office being random etc etc, maybe they are lower calibre users but if that were true why d

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Linux is free. Hell, even OSX is free. Yet MS wants to keep gouging customers $100

      We have been down this road countless times before.

      In the general consumer market what people buy is the OEM Windows system install. Which tends to be a one time purchase for the life of their PC - with maybe one $15 to $20 upgrade to the next-generation OS.

      When shopping for a new or refurbished PC or laptop, hardware with more or less the same specs will sell for more or less the same price, no matter what mass market OS comes installed.

  • by __aaclcg7560 ( 824291 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @11:23AM (#48251689)
    Microsoft doens't want Windows 7 to become the next Windows XP and denying them years of upgrade revenues.
    • But that's just it. The OnlyFree alternatives. The usability sacrifices they made to make it work on tablets and with remotes made Windows, both 8 and 9, into monstrosities that are horrible for a work environment because Windows doesn't separate their UI From the OS. I personally still use 7 at home because anything newer is horrible to do real work in.

      On top of that, businesses have already experienced the problems associated with application dependance with IE6 and WinXP. They all felt the pain and learn

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Because I will NEVER use your windows 8 junk on a desktop. I gave it a fair chance, 2 weeks of uses and it was 2 week of utter shit.

  • Man, I'm sad to see this go. Even the Extended Support will end in January 2020 which comes sooner than we know. Yes, Windows 10 is bringing the classic desktop back, but it seems that it is becoming a unelegant mishmash of Modern UI widgets and classic Windows widgets. I guess it's back to Linux-land, the place where I camped during the whole Windows XP era.
    • Yes, Windows 10 is bringing the classic desktop back, but it seems that it is becoming a unelegant mishmash of Modern UI widgets and classic Windows widgets.

      Anyone can try Windows 10 for themselves [microsoft.com] if they have a spare box or can run Virtual Box [virtualbox.org]. So far, "unelegant mishmash" is about right. Modern Apps seem like an emulation mode that intrudes on the desktop from time to time, even after taking steps to avoid them.
      There's a lot of user feedback about improving the desktop over Modern-izing everything. All I want out of a new Windows is a better Windows 7, like performance improvements, bug fixes, a programming API that doesn't drive people insane, and more

  • Has no one here ever heard of Classic Shell? That should the absolute first software you put on a fresh Windows 8 install.... www.classicshell.net
  • by fustakrakich ( 1673220 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @11:54AM (#48252055) Journal

    They must forfeit all privileges granted by copyright and patent law to allow others to pick up.

  • Quick!! Let's buy some extra licenses now before it's too late!

    Oh wait...
    Never mind, we switched to Linux a long time ago already :-/

  • To OEMs

    But won't the OEMs stock up on Win7 (especially if they sell to the business market.)

    • To OEMs

      But won't the OEMs stock up on Win7 (especially if they sell to the business market.)

      Windows 7 Pro OEM licenses will continue to be available for a minimum of one more year. As well Windows 8/8.1 Pro include downgrade rights to Windows 7 Pro.

      Only benefit for a business customer with Windows 7 would be if they want Windows XP downgrade rights as that is not included with Windows 8. Downgrade rights is why for years corporations could buy PCs with Windows Vista or Windows 7 licenses, and image them to Windows XP for no cost. With actual Volume licensing agreements / Software assurance, you ca

  • Microsoft charges for upgrades which Apple does not. Over long run, this adds up to the cost of machine for customers. For MS, this is costly too as it has to maintain multiple versions of Windows. I think, microsoft should have option of unlimited upgrade either as a single charge or a reasonable subscription service. That will keep most customers (at least premium customers) up to date all the time.

  • by xtal ( 49134 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @12:42PM (#48252699)

    Windows 7 will be a around for a very long time.. but I suspect it will be the last OS they have a monopoly on.

    Anyone remember the background on boot for Windows 95, and all the controversy over "hidden shapes"?

    Oh, the irony it was the cloud that killed Windows by rendering, largely, OS agnostic computing.

  • MS clearly wants to force Windows 8 onto its users, even if it means pissing them off, we knew that from day one. This is clearly their last ditched method of getting it done.

    Cant get someone to buy your "upgraded" product? Force them.

    The sheer backlog of OEM keys will remain in circulation for at least 2-6months afterwards.
    If you cant get a 7 Key after that, might as well buy a tablet. Then you can read on wikipedia about what computers were like before the "Useless Big Empty Square Monster" took over you

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday October 28, 2014 @04:02PM (#48255315)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • the next good version of Windows coming out?

    I hear they're skippimg Win 9 and going straight to Win 10 which will presumably suck, so when is eleven coming out?

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