Microsoft offers a
bewildering number of options when it comes to purchasing Windows 7
versions and upgrades, but one of the nicest additions to this panoply
of choices is Windows Anytime Upgrade,
which is built into Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, and Professional
editions. Windows Anytime Upgrade enables you to upgrade from one of
those versions to a higher-end Windows 7 version at a drastically
reduced price. Which versions you can upgrade to and the cost of that
upgrade depend on the version from which you're starting.
NOTE
Microsoft first
offered this service in Windows Vista, but Windows Anytime Upgrade had a
tortured history in that OS. For the first year or so that Windows
Vista was on the market, Microsoft allowed users to electronically
upgrade from one version of Windows Vista to another using Windows
Anytime Upgrade. The company would send a product key to you via e-mail
and you could use your existing Vista Setup DVD to perform the upgrade.
This process, while convenient, proved too confusing for far too many
users, so Microsoft discontinued electronic upgrades of Windows Vista in
early 2008. Good news, however: the electronic upgrade capabilities of
Windows Anytime Upgrade made a comeback in Windows 7!
Table 1 explains which Windows Anytime Upgrade options are available, along with current pricing (in U.S. dollars).
Table 1. Windows Anytime Upgrade Choices and Pricing
| Upgrade from ... | ... to Windows 7 Home Premium | ... to Windows 7 Professional | ... to Windows 7 Home Ultimate |
|---|
| Windows 7 Starter | Yes ($79.99) | Yes ($114.99) | Yes ($164.99) |
| Windows 7 Home Premium | — | Yes ($89.99) | Yes ($139.99) |
| Windows 7 Professional | — | — | Yes ($129.99) |
Pricing, as you can
see, is heavily discounted over the traditional retail Upgrade cost. If
you're running Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, or Professional,
upgrading in this fashion is probably the way to go.
Here's how it works. You can access the Windows Anytime Upgrade application, shown in Figure 1, from the Control Panel (it's hidden in System and Security) or by typing anytime
in Windows Start Menu Search. (It's also available from within the
Start menu and the System window. Yes, Microsoft is very keen to get
more of your money.)
There are two options in the main Windows Anytime Upgrade display: Go online to choose the edition of Windows 7 that's best for you and Enter an upgrade key.
The first option launches IE and provides a Web site that enables you
to compare the features and prices of different Windows 7 upgrades, as
shown in Figure 2.
This Web site presents the various Anytime Upgrade prices, as noted in Table 2-1, and a rundown of the various features in each Windows 7 product edition.
Purchasing is
straightforward: click the Buy button next to the Windows Anytime
Upgrade option that's relevant to your situation (say, Business to
Ultimate). IE will then navigate to a secure e-commerce site so you can
make the purchase.
The second option, Enter an upgrade key,
is used after you've already purchased an electronic upgrade. When you
click this link, you're prompted to enter your new product key (see Figure 3).
After verifying the key and
prompting you to accept the license terms, Windows Anytime Upgrade then
performs the upgrade using code that's already installed on your PC (see
Figure 4).
NOTE
Amazingly, the Windows Anytime Upgrade process takes just 15 minutes to complete, though it does require a couple of reboots.
When the upgrade is
complete, Windows Anytime Upgrade will display information about the new
version of Windows 7 you've installed. Click Close to complete the
upgrade (see Figure 5).
