$300 is a lot for an OS, too much infact. I need that XP Mode so I'll have to get Professional (Full Install version since I never got Vista). Plus I'm sure MS added some network limits like they did with XP Home and Pro (I think XP Home had like a 5 limit connection on a network).
Did Vista's price ever go down after release or was the OEM version cheaper when it was available?
Not to sure about the price going down but there is a tutorial to show what features each version has. Just so you may find what you need in the version you decide to purchase. Good luck to you.
Compare Windows 7 Editions
[QUOTE=s0me0ne;229263]$300 is a lot for an OS, too much infact/QUOTE]
No, the price never "went down", nor will 7's in all likelyhood.
However, there are a number of different ways to get full versions of what you want for reduced prices. These include:
1) Technet ($349, but includes a lot of other stuff and there are discounts available from several places)
2) OEM Copies. We don't know what OEM pricing on 7 will be, but basing it on Vista then you should be able to get a full OEM copy of 7 Ultimat for about $189 from places like NewEgg.
3) Action Pak ($400, but gives you 10 licenses + other stuff)
4) Student Discounts. If you're a student (or know someone who is), you will be able to get it at a reduced price via your school.
Also keep in mind that you if you need support for XP or another OS..that you can install some other type of virtualization software like VMWare or Sun VirtualBox and could install XP onto that. So, you don't really need Windows 7 Pro to be able to run an XP virtual machine. Now, maybe there is some specific feature about the virtual XP mode that you really need...but I don't think some people realize that the ability to do this is freely available on XP, Vista or Win7.
The problem is that windows' licensing.
If i bought another copy of XP pro for use on my win7 computer in a vm, it would only work on that win7 computer, since whenever you move that vm to another computer it updates the vm's hardware and thus would invalidate the license. I might as well just get the win7 pro version and stick with a free XP vm that only works on that machine.
its the main reason I stick with win2000 for all my vms. I'll probably have to have a XP box via KVM, but VMs are much easier to deal with.
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Just got the student discount!