The free upgrade to Windows 7 begins June 26, 2009 and will reportedly last until January 31, 2010.
The free upgrade will apply even if you get the (recommended) XP downgrade since you are actually buying a Vista license. Microsoft has not yet announced when Windows 7 will be released, but the free upgrade dates do give us some clue.
So if you are considering a purchase including a copy of Vista and optionally the XP downgrade, maybe you can delay until after June 26th and actually acquire a Windows license that might be worth having!
Windows XP users will need to do a clean install to migrate to Windows 7, but that’s best in my mind anyway. Vista users will be able to do an in place upgrade. XP users will, however, be able to use the Windows Easy Transfer from the Windows 7 installation disc. This utility will help users save files and some Windows settings to an external drive or flash drive.
