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Microsoft Offering $39.99 Windows 8 Pro Upgrades

Chloe Albanesius
 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Users with PCs running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99, Microsoft announced today.

Users in 131 markets will be able to purchase the upgrade package at windows.com when Redmond releases Windows 8, which is expected this fall. A packaged, DVD version of Windows 8 Pro will be available for $69.99. The online and in-store offer will run until Jan. 31. 2013.

Users who bought a Windows 7 PC after June 2 will be eligible for a $14.99 Windows 8 upgrade, also through January.

"We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8," Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc wrote in a blog post.

Back in November, Microsoft promised faster, 11-click Windows 8 upgrades. Microsoft said today it will walk users through the upgrade process, which will first check to make sure your computer can handle Windows 8. That check will also alert you to any device or app incompatibility.

For those who want a little something extra, users on the consumer edition of Windows 7 can upgrade to Pro and bring along all files, settings, and apps. Those upgrading from Vista can bring along settings and personal files, but those on XP can only bring files.

"Of course, if you want to start fresh, you can choose to bring nothing along," LeBlanc wrote. "Or if you prefer to format your hard drive as part of your upgrade experience, you can do so as long as you boot from media and then format your hard drive from within the setup experience for installing Windows 8, not prior to it."

The download can be paused, and users can decide when to install. A backup DVD will be available for $15 plus shipping and handling.

There will also be the option to add Windows Media Center for free via the "add features" option within Windows 8 Pro after the upgrade. Microsoft said in May that it's stripping Windows Media Center - and DVD functionality - from Windows 8, but Pro users can get Windows Media Center via the Windows 8 Media Center Pack.

Microsoft didn't reveal details on upgrade plans for other versions of its OS.

For more, check out PCMag's Hands On With Windows 8 Release Preview and the slideshow below.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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