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Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional] by Microsoft Software
Software SummaryManufacturer: Microsoft Software Brand: Microsoft Audio: English (Original Language) Release Date: 2009-10-22 Platform: Windows 7 Model: 7KC-00040 Product features: - Move up to Windows 7 Professional from Windows 7 Home Premium with Windows Anytime Upgrade
- Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV on your PC
- Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup
- Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode
- Connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join
Software Reviews of Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional]Customer Review: Excellent, if slightly confusing product upgrade Summary: 5 Stars
I bought a new desktop from Dell in June with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, moving up from a desktop which had Windows XP Professional. I had done a few comparisons with the price and thought it would probably be better to first go with the lower priced Home Premium version and see if it met my needs.
It sort of did, but two months in I was finding myself wanting of features I took for granted in XP Pro. Although Home Premium is powerful enough it's still quite neutered and you can't do things like use the Group Policy editor or use the included backup program, along with other power user tweaks that don't involve any Registry tinkering. Also, a few programs, being a 64-bit system, did not run, though I will admit that some of those programs include games from the Microsoft Best of Entertainment Pack from 1996 that I always played, but could not here.
After lots of debate I decided to bump up to Professional. I went to a store and purchased this, and this is one of the bottlenecks you run into buying an Anytime Upgrade; nobody selling it knows exactly what it is unless it's explained exactly by the customer ahead of time. You need to be careful buying this product and any Anytime Upgrade. I got the Upgrade disc from Vista to 7 at first, when I needed the Anytime Upgrade, which comes in a much smaller package solely consisting of a code card and basic instructions. I feel Microsoft needs to change the name perhaps to better describe the product.
Anyways, I got it home, punched in the key into the Anytime Upgrade dialogue, and about 14 minutes later I was now running my computer in Windows 7 Professional. I ran into a couple of issues, mainly that my Start menu's most recently used programs were gone along with all of my System Restores, so run a System Restore immediately if all is well.
Then came installing XP Mode. I have an AMD Phenom II with six cores so I was more than ready to run it. Another fifteen minutes, that was installed. However, I must recommend almost immediately that you are running an unprotected system the moment you launch the XP mode desktop. At minimum like I did, install the free Windows Security Essentials onto the XP virtual machine, and then Internet Explorer 8, because there is no need in 2010 to run IE6 unless you find reinstalling your entire system after a spyware invasion to be a fun weekend activity. That XP Mode doesn't have these programs right at the start is kind of appalling and Windows 7 SP2 (or an included exclusive Windows XP Service Pack 3.5 for XP Mode installs) should hopefully address this.
Ten minutes later I was testing XP Mode programs within the Windows 7 desktop. It is slightly slower than usual (remember, it's a virtual machine so you're only devoting a little bit of RAM to it rather than it all), but still quite serviceable. Mind you this was just testing Chip's Challenge and then SkiFree until the Yeti chased down my skiier, but I am quite happy that I have more control over my system than I did under 7 Home Professional.
Description of Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade [Home Premium to Professional]Windows 7 Professional includes all the Home Premium features you love and the business features your work demands. Connect to company networks easily and more securely and share files across the various PCs in your home. In addition, you can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover your data easily with automatic back-ups to your home or business network. If you want more features than you currently have in your existing edition of Windows 7, you can upgrade to another edition using Windows Anytime Upgrade. Upgrades from Windows 7 Home Premium edition to Windows 7 Professional edition. With Windows Anytime Upgrade, you can upgrade to a more advanced edition of Windows 7 in as little as 10 minutes. Click to enlarge. | Windows Anytime Upgrade No disks, no delays. And no leaving the house: With Windows Anytime Upgrade, you can upgrade to a more advanced edition of Windows 7 in as little as 10 minutes. That way, you get to take advantage of extra features while keeping your current programs, files, and settings intact. In the past, upgrading Windows could be a bit of a hassle. In Windows 7, the software you need comes preinstalled. All you have to do is purchase an upgrade key from Microsoft or another authorized retailer to unlock those shiny new features. Get more now. Move up to Windows 7 Professional. Windows 7 Professional has everything you need for work and home. Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode2 and keep important information safer with file encryption and automatic back-ups. Connect to business networks and move more easily between business and home networks. And with all the great entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, like Windows Media Center, it?s great for home as well as for business. Simplifies everyday tasks - Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows.
- Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network.
- Find virtually anything on your PC--from documents to songs to email--just by typing a word or two with Windows Search.
Works the way you want - Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker.
- Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs.
- Windows XP Mode gives you the business flexibility you need.
Makes new things possible - Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center.
- Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs.
* Requires either OEM pre-installation or post-purchase download of Windows XP Mode (which runs on Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate) and a virtualization technology such as Windows Virtual PC. Customers can download Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC free-of-charge from http://www.windows.com/business/downloads/ when available. Windows 7 Professional. Everything you need for work and home. With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network. You can also connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely with Domain Join. With all the exciting entertainment features of Windows Home Premium, it's a great choice for home and for business. Need to use multiple languages on your PC or help protect your data with enhanced BitLocker security? Get Windows 7 Ultimate. More work, more play, and more of everything in between. Click to enlarge. | Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Click to enlarge. | With Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Click to enlarge. | Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. | Simplifies everyday tasks - Improved desktop navigation features like Snap, Peek and Shake, make it easier to manage all of your open windows.
- Creating a home network has never been easier. You can even share files and printers with all the PCs with Windows 7 on the network.
- Find virtually anything on your PC ? from documents to songs to email ? just by typing a word or two with Windows Search.
Works the way you want - Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker.
- Takes full advantage of the power and multi-tasking capabilities of the latest 64-bit PCs.
Makes new things possible - Watch, pause, rewind and record TV with Windows Media Center.
- Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs.
Simplifies Everyday Tasks Simple to use Preview Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows. Pin Open files and get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar. You can easily pin programs you use often to the taskbar and launch them in just one click. Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Click to enlarge. | Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC right from the Start menu with Windows Search. Click to enlarge. | Jump Lists Open files you use regularly in just two clicks with Jump Lists on the improved taskbar. Snap Windows 7 has simple new ways to manage open windows. For example, with Snap you can arrange two windows side-by-side just by dragging them to opposite sides of your screen. Peek and Shake Windows 7 lets you peek behind open windows to get a quick look at your desktop. Windows Search Instantly locate and open virtually any file on your PC, from documents to emails to songs, right from the Start menu, with Windows Search. Easy to connect Setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks. Click to enlarge. | Enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Click to enlarge. | Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Click to enlarge. | Wireless setup With Windows 7, setting up wireless connections is easier with consistent, one-click connections to available networks, whether those networks are based on Wi-Fi, mobile broadband, dial-up, or corporate VPN. HomeGroup Connect Windows 7 PCs on a home network in just four clicks and easily get to the photos, music, and files on each one--even share printers--with HomeGroup. Easy to browse the web Internet Explorer 8 Visual search helps you quickly find the information you want by adding visual cues and previews to search results from top search providers including Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, and others. Internet Explorer 8 Use Web slices to conveniently keep up with changes on frequently updated websites, like eBay auctions or traffic sites, directly from the IE8 toolbar. Easy to communicate and share Windows Live Photo Gallery Windows Live Photo Gallery makes share your photos to your favorite photo site easy. Windows Live Mail Windows Live Mail makes managing multiple email accounts easy. Windows Live Family Safety Keep your child safe by managing what sites they can visit and who they can send/receive emails and im communications from. Note: Windows Live components need to be downloaded separately. Works The Way You Want Faster and More Reliable Resume from sleep We designed Windows 7 to help PCs sleep and resume from sleep more quickly by improving the way Windows 7 manages drivers, programs, and power. Faster and more reliable We reduced the amount of memory your PC needs for open windows and to execute commands to help it be more responsive to commands. Fewer clicks and less interruptions Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center, and enjoy your favorite videos and music with Windows Media Player. Click to enlarge. | Makes New Things Possible Media on your terms Windows Media Center Turn your PC into a TV with Windows Media Center. Windows Media Center Watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV. Manage Backup and Restore and other features through Action Center. Click to enlarge. | Search, organize, and edit files across a network in the same way you would a single folder.Click to enlarge. | DirectX 11 DirectX 11 technology delivers breathtaking game graphics so real, it's unreal. New ways to engage Windows Touch Windows Touch makes PCs with touch screens easier and more intuitive to use. Media on your terms Windows Media Player More and more consumer electronics, from TVs to digital photo frames, can be connected to home networks. With Play To in Windows 7, you'll be able to easily send music, photos, videos from your PC to a networked device throughout your home. You can enjoy the photos, music, and videos on your home PC when you're away from home with remote media streaming. Work anywhere Location Aware Printing Windows 7 will automatically pick the right printer for you when you move from home to work networks. Work anywhere with less effort. - Get connected in three clicks wherever there's a wireless network connection.
- Keep documents on your PC and on network servers in sync automatically.
- Your PC will automatically use the printer you prefer for whatever network you're on.
- Simplify making presentations special settings that keep your PC from sleeping and turn off messages, notifications, and screen savers.
- Instantly locate virtually any file, email, or document on your PC just by typing a word or two.
- Get around your PC faster with the improved taskbar.
- Open programs you use regularly in one click and files you use regularly in just two.
- Manage lots of open programs, documents, and browser windows easily with thumbnail and full-screen previews of open windows.
- Manage multiple email accounts, including Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo! Mail Plus, all in one place with one simple program.
- Get to the files, photos, and music on any PC with Windows 7 in the house from any other.
- Print to any printer in the house from any PC with Windows 7 in the house.
Safeguard your hard work. - Advanced Backup and Restore makes it easier to keep your work safely backed up to external or network drives and accessible if you need it.
- File encryption helps keep proprietary and confidential information on a PC secure if it is lost or stolen.
- Preserve your investment in programs designed for Windows XP with Windows XP Mode.
- Windows Internet Explorer 8 helps keep your PC safer from malware and you safer from fraudulent websites designed to fool you into divulging private information.
- Easily add your PC to a secured, managed, network with domain join capabilities.
- Group policy controls help administrators more easily and effectively manage the security and configuration of multiple PCs.
Microsoft Windows Software
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