Sony Vaio Windows 7 upgrade program

Hi guys,

As mentioned by C3ntauri, the new Vaio FW series has the comment "Do not sell until 26 June 2009" printed on the outside of the package.

This coincides with Microsoft's Windows 7 upgrade program and most likely the reason for the above comment.

Apparently www.sony.com/windows7 is the place to check for the latest information on a subsidised / free upgrade from Vista. At the moment it is under construction. I would imagine it should become available within the next 24 hours.

Anyway, for those lucky new owners of the latest refresh of Vaios, please keep us posted on the latest on the upgrade to Windows 7!

 

Sooo what happens to the people that got their new FWs before tomorrow, even though they weren't supposed to?

 

Well I have not registered mine yet I'm not going to do that till tomorrow, with any luck it sony will use model and S/N to check if your avail for upgrade. Thats what I hope anyways.

 

Im thinking about purchasing the FW-400 model. Do I have to wait til AFTER the 26th? or is the 26 okay?

 

On a slightly related topic, We are about to purchase a dozen or so Vaio's tomorrow due to the Win7 upgrade offer.

Today we bought new Dell desktops as our Dell Rep confirmed the Offer has started today (internally), so we have Win7 upgrades free of charge on our desktops.

This is exactly what I need to get away from our XP infrastructure... We have almost no Vista machines on our LAN!

Anyway, If you bought you machine in the last few days, give Sony a call and see what they say, since Dell as happy to give out the upgrade (at least, if you are a regular customer)

Rico

 

But if we purchase it tmrw, we'll be guaranteed the offer of a free upgrade yes?

 

Let's wait for the 26th (US time) and check that website link I posted above

This offer of an upgrade (free or not) definitely means the latest batch of new Vaios will be supported in terms of drivers etc for Win 7.

 

Does anyone know if this upgrade program will still apply to Sony Vaios purchased from newegg?

 

News on buying a new pc:

'Microsoft also confirmed, as expected, that a program offering Vista PC buyers a free copy of Windows 7 will kick off on Friday'

Best way to know when buying from a reseller is to ask them how the news affect new PCs with vista they are selling

 

My prediction is that Sony Windows 7 Program is not bootable. So, you must have Windows Vista installed before you can upgrade to Windows 7. My Windows Vista Upgrade DVD is like that. You must have Windows XP installed first before you can install from Windows Vista Upgrade DVD.

So, those of you who are hoping that you can do clean install will not be able to do so.

 

Bootable or not, as long as Sony offers a free upgrade I will be happy!

 

http://www.sony-asia.com/section/win7rel

Information for those buying in New Zealand is up!

Purchases made from the 26th of June and onwards can order an upgrade pack in August for a "special price". So it won't be free. Still a great thing to offer though

 

Im assuming its safe to buy laptops now? I'll still wait for the US notice though.

 

In europe there will be no way to upgrade vista to 7, microsoft will not give us that feature.

 

What makes you say that? Sorry it doesn't seem possible unless you have evidence to back up your comment.

 

Yep, definitely. In fact, it is on Microsoft's website too, all starting today, the 26th of June.

http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windows/buy/offers/upgrade.aspx

In fact, the cost could amound to only the shipping and handling fees. Anyway, watch this space

It's safe to buy your notebook PCs now guys!

 

Because of antitrust regulations in Europe, microsoft cannot sell windows with IE in it. As a result, all windows 7 edition sold in europe will not have IE8 and thus there is no upgrade edition. the europeans screwed themselves on this one.

 

Here's your proof:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/26/windows-7-pre-orders-begin-now/

 

Do all laptops qualify, and is Canada included?

 

The web site to register said that one needs proof of purchase. C3ntauri, you may want to bring your receipt & box back to the store to do a "return & repurchase" (purchase date adjustment) to qualify for the free Windows 7 upgrade since you bought your Vaio notebook before Jun 26.

 

Will buying a laptop from a Sony dealership work as well as buying it from sonystyle? Thanks.

 

Yes, it will work (you'll qualify for the Windows 7 free upgrade) when you buy your Vaio notebook from a Sony authorized dealer/reseller.

 

You guys do realize this isn't for the windows 7 software? It's just the drivers....

 

It depends on the model you're buying. If you're buying the latest models like, for example, the Vaio VGN-Z790, you'll get a free copy of Windows 7 upgrade software:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/os...tage3=VGN-Z790&month=&day=&year=&mdl=VGN-Z790

Quoted from the above link:

 

Perhaps thats why i'm eligable for drivers only.. kinda pointless IMHO. lol.

 

What Vaio notebook did you purchase?

 

I have the FW350J/B haha. For now.. I'm selling it to get the FW490. hhehe I've had it two weeks, LOL.

 

Did you buy your FW350J/B from SonyStyle? Because they have a 30 day return policy. You may also want to check on the return policy from where you bought your notebook. I mean it's only 2 weeks old. If I am you, I'll return it & repurchase the latest notebook model because selling your current "new" notebook & re-buying the newer model will cost you quite a big amount of money...

 

Nope. I'm selling all my software with it Microsoft Office Ultimate, Adobe Photoshop CS4 Master Collection, and ObjectDock Plus I bought it off eBay. only had a 7 day return..

 

Isn't it better to get the full refund from Sony, then try your luck at recouping the money from the sale of your notebook? I know you're including a lot of very expensive & useful software with your notebook sale but as someone who have sold a number of notebooks this past couple of months, I can tell you that the "2nd hand" notebook market is not as good as it used to be. It is in fact a very "depressing market" IMHO. Good for buyers & bad for sellers.

Anyway, good luck in whatever decision you make.

 

Can't return it, so this will be the only way to go. it only was available to be sent back 7 days I will have had this laptop for 14 days tomorrow.

 

Oops. Sorry I didn't read that your purchase is from ebay. Now I see your reason for wanting to sell & repurchase.

 

Sooo... anyone knows yet if we can do a clean install with windows 7 or will we have to go from vista to windows 7 as just an upgrade and keep all the crap they put on the machine?

 

Ive contacted sony NZ about getting an upgrade for my Vaio sr 26 , purchased late Jan this yet, and they wont help at all, wont even tell me if they would release drivers for the SR2X series. Useless, they should have support their products for longer than 3 months ( which is how long it seem to take before they release a new model ).

 

so how much to pay for it? even shipping cost?

 

www.sony.com/windows7 should give you an answer as to what you can do.

 

It's a great time to buy as you would have Vista pre-installed, XP (downgrade disc) and Windows 7 by October!

 

It's true, the VAIO Windows 7 Upgrade DVD is not bootable.

 

for qualified models free upgrade, ~15.00 to ~20.00 shipping cost(depend on states )

 

You can do clean install from Vista to Win7.
I agree with you, clean install will make system run better (no crapware)
Don't forget to backup your data before doing clean install.

 

I just performed a clean install of W7 RC1 two days ago on the Z790. I have been using it for about two months now and it is stable enough to work in a business environment for me.

The only trouble will be with installed the "Original - Sony® Notebook Utilities: SOAOTH-48100000-64.EXE" file which includes many of the VAIO-features of your notebook, such as the graphics switch, power management, control center and more.

You should only install this after "Sony® Shared Library: SOASSL-00168687-64.EXE." However, it will terminate with an error stating that "this update is not intended for use with your computer model." even though the models match.

I have extracted the utilities from within this file, but I am not sure if I should post them here as I do not want to violate any policies or laws.

Of course it goes without saying that any RC (release candidate) is not a stabe release and should be installed at one's won risk. You should have all of your data backed up and a means of arriving back at wheere you were before W7 RC1, if anything goes wrong.

Even though I have not experienced it, you might have major bugs using W7 RC1, so install at your own risk.

 

anyone is already with the win7 dvd upgrade vers. ?

 

So I just want to make sure. Hopefully someone has the answer. If you buy a CTO from SonyStyle, I'm assuming you still qualify for the W7 Upgrade Kit? Even though the CTO isn't listed when looking at models. (aka VGN-SR J or whatever, there's no VGN-SR CTO)

 

Yes you will for a CTO.

 

This is why it is crucial to always fully read the installation notes first before performing the actual install. It specifically says that the sony shared library, sony programmable IO and sony firmware extension parser must be installed first before attempting to install the sony utilities software.

Every software and functions work for me on the z620d under Win7 RC environment. The only function that doesn't work is the brightness control when the graphics mode is switched to nvidia. However, everyone with Win7 is having this problem currently as well.

 

Just a quick question to the guys at P1. Will you do a Windows 7 DVD for the Sony models? I'm sure there will be plenty of intrest if you do. My TZ has been fantastic since I got the P1 XP disks. (Also got th Vista disks too, but vista aint that good. No reflection on P1. There version is a hell of a lot better that MS / Sony pre-installed)

 

I have the CS110E and i hope that i will be eligible for the upgrade. I love My VAIO.
Vaio CS. Sangria Red. Intel Core 2 Duo 2.00 Ghz. 250GB HDD. 4GB RAM. Intel 4500 Graphics.

 

So its free, how much does it cost to ship to us?

Is this a real retail Window 7 and not the "upgrade from Vista" ?

 

Hmmm, I am wondering if I buy the Vaio overseas, would they send the Windows 7 upgrade DVD to my home country? I suppose they will send it to the address I fill out in the form.

 

When update available how should I upgrade it? from internet or sony store?
Is that available in all country?