Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »

CIO Executive Council

A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Webcast: In the Google Apps Cloud: How to Achieve Your Business Objectives

Dec 3rd, '09, 1 - 2 pm US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Council member Brent Hoag, Director, Global IT, at JohnsonDiversey, as he discusses the adoption of Google Apps which has helped meet four corporate goals; sustainability, simplification, increased employee productivity and global collaboration.

Webcast: Collaboration Initiatives: Benchmarks & Best Practices

Dec 15th, '09, 4 - 5 pm US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Council members Ruth Thorpe, VP & CIO at the U.S. Pharmaceutical Operations of Sanofi-Aventis, and Gary Kuyper, CIO at Bethany Christian Services, as they speak about their collaboration initiatives and experiences in how and why they chose the social networking and collaboration tools they are using and their business goals for collaboration, and facing culture change challenges.

Data Overview: Collaboration Initiatives Field Guide: Benchmarks & Best Practices

This appendix to the Council Field Guide provides an analysis which discusses benchmarks for collaboration IT implementation costs, adoption rates and payoffs. The overview identifies top IT and business goals and satisfaction rates for collaboration initiatives as well as best practices and lessons learned for implementing collaboration IT.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »

RESOURCE CENTER

buy a link »

News

Windows 7 Upgrade: Everything You Need to Know

Here are the details on what, when, where and how much for Microsoft's next version of the Windows operating system.

Leave a comment

By Daniel Ionescu

June 26, 2009 — PC World —

Microsoft is readying its next major release of the Windows operating system. After months of demos, early testing, beta releases, and finally announced launch plans, here's what you can expect in an upgrade.

When is Windows 7 coming out?

Windows 7, the next major operating system (OS) release from Microsoft after Vista, will be officially available on October 22. The first beta of the OS was released in February and a Release Candidate (RC) followed in May. The beta version will expire next week, while the RC will remain a free download until August 15.

How many versions of Windows 7 will there be?

Six different editions of Windows 7 will be available: OEM, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. You won't however see in the shops all the above edition. Marketing efforts will be concentrated only on the Home Premium and Professional editions.

The other editions, including a non-Internet Explorer version for users in Europe, will be available for various markets around the world.

What's in each edition of Windows 7?

Microsoft said that features of all edition of Windows 7 would be stored on machines, regardless of which edition the user has purchased. Using the Windows Anytime Upgrade tool, users can unlock more features within the OS.

The chart below (from Wikipedia; click to enlarge it) is a fair guide on the features available in each version of Windows 7.

How much will it cost me to upgrade to Windows 7?

Residents in the U.S., Canada, and Japan can now pre-order an upgrade version of Windows 7 for a temporarily reduced price. The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade is available for $49.99 and the Professional Upgrade version is $99.99.

The deal will last until July 11 in the U.S. and Canada, and only until July 5 in Japan. The number of copies available is not unlimited and Microsoft did not say how many will be available.

Where can I get this special pre-order deal?

The Windows 7 pre-order deal is available only online. In the U.S. it can be purchased from Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Fry's Electronics, Office Depot, Office Max, Sam's Club, Staples, Tiger Direct, Wal-Mart, NewEgg. In Canada, Staples, Future Shop, Best Buy, London Drugs, Amazon, and the Source are supplying the updates; in Japan, Yodobashi Camera, Amazon, Yamada Denki, and Bic Camera carry the deal.

Both special prices upgrades are available for Windows XP and Vista users. Windows XP users will have to do a clean install. Moving from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit one will require a clean install as well.

1 | 2 |next page »

Comments

Share [+]

TOOLS

Comments

CONNECTIONS

Microsoft

WHITE PAPERS

Exchange 2007 Risks and Mitigation Strategies

This whitepaper will review the strengths of Exchange 2007 and areas where CIOs should consider third party solutions.

Solving On-premise Email Challenges

This white paper presents ten on-premise challenges and their on-demand services solutions.

A Comparative Cost Analysis of Email Environments

This Forrester report will help you evaluate the full cost of your email environment and it will explore the benefits of cloud-based technologies.

An Infrastructure and Operations Analysis

This Forrester Report review three basic architectures to consider as you evaluate taking your email into the cloud.

Upgrading to VMware vSphere with vWire

Learn how vWire can help ensure the success of your upgrade from ESX 3.x to vSphere.

Practical Approaches for Securing Web Applications

Enterprises understand the importance of securing web applications to protect critical corporate and customer data. What many don't understand, is how to implement a robust process for integrating security and risk management throughout the web application software development lifecycle.

WEBCASTS