I have a desktop and a laptop - strictly for home use. Do I need to purchase two licenses or do I only need one license for the Windows 7 upgrade?

Bill - Well... That largely depends on a couple of things... Like which edition of Windows 7 you plan on getting. According to the news, it seems Microsoft is considering a "Family Pack" for Home Premium. Of course, this is still preliminary and the final version isn't in just yet. If it does come to pass, you can install it on up to 3 different computers. Other versions - Professional, Ultimate, and the others don't seem to be blessed with the same deal..Read more about it here.

It still might be better to order 1 or 2 of the special $49.99 upgrades now than pay $189 for a hypothetical family pack in the fall. That is if you really need Windows 7 on both computers. If the laptop is running vista, you can download the Win RC for free now and use until March 2010 or just stick with vista on the laptop--a better idea IMO.Mary

Many thanks to both of youfor the advice. I have XP professional running on both of my machines and didn't have that problem before since I ordered the machines from Dell with XP professional. Since Win 7 RC is 'Ultimate' I don't really know if I need Professional or if the Home Premium addition will do. If I could be sure that the Home Premium addition would suffice I would get separate licenses and pre-order now.Do either of you have any idea what I would give up if I went from XP Professional to the Win 7 Home Premium version in reality? I read the side-by-side comparison chart but sometimes that can be misleading.Thanks again,Bill

Bill - Windows 7's edition structure is fairly self evident. The primary difference between Pro and Home Premium would be the networking features. Professional has the ability to log into a domain and back up files to a networked drive. There's also the additional bonus of being able to run (hardware willing and able) XP Mode. You can also set up the Professional version to be the host for a remote desktop session. All other (lesser) versions allow you to connect to a remote desktop with the terminal services client, but you can't have someone connect TO your computer unless you've got at least the Pro version. So.. If you don't need to connect to a domain controller, don't plan on having people logging into your system and can do a backup to an external hard drive and don't have any ancient mission critical apps that need to be run in XP Mode, then Home Premium is just the ticket.A note about XP Mode... Some people have this misconception that it'd be just the ticket for running those older games that won't run otherwise on Windows 7. XP Mode is NOT designed for that. Trying to run games in a virtual environment will be a major letdown. Graphics and sound support in XP Mode aren't exactly the most robust. It's not designed to do all that. It's designed for business apps.Edit: The chart in this articlemight make things a bit easier to figure things out. It lists the features only unique to Ultimate andProfessional and compares them with Home Premium and OSX.

Although from the chart, it appears that Windows 7 Home Premium would probably suffice, what happens if I get it and it doesn't meet all ofmy needs? Will Microsoft allow me to do a relatively inexpensive upgrade to Professional if I find I really need that or must I purchase the entire package? I don't want to buy more than I need but I don't want to get stuck with something that doesn't really meet all of my needs and end up paying a premium for my ignorance. Know what I mean?Thanks very much.

Bill - It's called the Windows Anytime Upgrade Program. And no, you won't have to go out and buy a brand new copy. ALL Windows 7 installation DVDs from Starter to Ultimate will be pretty much identical except, perhaps for the label. Don't have the final release DVD - so I can't say for sure yet. The AnyTime Upgrade program works like this. You go to the web site, you tell it what you've got (Home Premium) and what you want (Professional). You give it your credit card info. You get a product key. You write that key down and save it. You then insert the DVD into your drive, run the installer routine and when it asks you for your product key, you give it the one you got online - as opposed to the one that came with the DVD. The installer installs Windows 7 Professional right on top of what you've got in an In Place upgrade. You reboot, and remove the DVD. Activate and do a Windows Update and you're good to go. Ed Bott has the scoop here.

Thanks for the info. It sounds easy and is a clever way for Microsoft to have one release with different features allowed with different product keys. I'm a little worried about the price. Any clue what that upgrade price will be from Home Premium to Professional if I end up needing it. My problem is that by the time I get the Home Premium version to actually use, all pre-release incentives will be gone. Right?Thanks

Although from the chart, it appears that Windows 7 Home Premium would probably suffice, what happens if I get it and it doesn't meet all ofmy needs? Will Microsoft allow me to do a relatively inexpensive upgrade to Professional if I find I really need that or must I purchase the entire package? I don't want to buy more than I need but I don't want to get stuck with something that doesn't really meet all of my needs and end up paying a premium for my ignorance. Know what I mean?Thanks very much. Hi BillGo ahead and place your order while the incentives are still available. All of the normal consumersafety-nets are in place. If you find information later on that the product does not meet your needs, you can cancel the order at any time prior to shipping, which will occur after October 22, 2009. Your credit card is not charged until the product ships.Even if the product ships and is delivered to you, you still have a full 30 days to return the product and get a full refund.You could even order one of each version, take your time between now and the end of October to investigate and decide and then cancel the one you don't want. :)See these pages for all the details. Microsoft Store: Orders + Shipping Help Microsoft Store: Returns + Refunds HelpHope this helps.Thank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP

Offer good from June 26, 2009, until July 11, 2009, or while supplies last.Notice it omits the customary whichever ends sooner. Amazing! Ronnie Vernon MVP

Ronnie,Based on your advice, I went ahead and ordered the Home Premium Windows 7 for my two computers. I hope I did the right thing. As you pointed out, if I don't like it I can upgrade to Professional later - maybe I'll just need Professional on my primary computer and not on both.I really like the Windows 7 RC but I realize that it is the Ultimate version so I hope I'm not disappointed with the Home Premium version. I guess only time will tell.Thanks very much,Bill

Ronnie,Based on your advice, I went ahead and ordered the Home Premium Windows 7 for my two computers. I hope I did the right thing. As you pointed out, if I don't like it I can upgrade to Professional later - maybe I'll just need Professional on my primary computer and not on both.I really like the Windows 7 RC but I realize that it is the Ultimate version so I hope I'm not disappointed with the Home Premium version. I guess only time will tell.Thanks very much,Bill Hi BillYour welcome.If you are using tools such as the Group Policy Editor or other advanced management tools, you may want one copy of the Professional Edition, but you have plenty of time to make a decision.In addition to the link for comparing editions that Wolfie2k6 posted, here is another that has all of the differences between the editions.Windows 7 Product Editions: A ComparisonHope this helps.Thank You for testing Windows 7 Ronnie Vernon MVP

Thanks for the info. It sounds easy and is a clever way for Microsoft to have one release with different features allowed with different product keys. I'm a little worried about the price. Any clue what that upgrade price will be from Home Premium to Professional if I end up needing it. My problem is that by the time I get the Home Premium version to actually use, all pre-release incentives will be gone. Right?Thanks Bill - Yes and no... Yes, the incentives only last until July 11th - or while suppies last. BUT... You DO have access to the RC. The RC, while not perfect by any stretch, should give you a fairly good idea as to what all the OS is about. You know the features you use right now. Right? Make a list of stuff you think you'll use regularly and compare it to the features on that ZDNet article. If you see something on the list that you need - then that pretty much answers the question.. No?