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Photos: How do I get my free Windows 7 upgrade?

That's a key question being asked by students, parents, and anyone in the market for a new laptop. We detail every major PC maker's Windows 7 upgrade process.

Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Dan Ackerman
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Acer

Acer lists three steps on its upgrade page.

1. Buy a qualifying PC running Windows Vista from June 26, 2009 through January 31, 2010.

2. Order your Windows 7 upgrade, which sends you to a third-party Web site to register.

3. Your upgrade will be mailed to you after Windows 7 becomes available.

Check out the full details here: http://www.acer.com/windows7upgrade/

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Asus

Asus helpfully offers a huge list of all its eligible PCs. It's worth noting that the only Eee PC Netbook that qualifies for a free Windows 7 upgrade is the 1101HA, which has Vista Home Premium.

The company additionally points out that "Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Starter Edition, and Windows XP (all editions) do not qualify for upgrades to Windows 7 under this program."

Check out the full details, including a handy FAQ, here: http://event.asus.com/2009/windows7/

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Gateway

Gateway has an identical upgrade page to corporate cousin Acer. Both use Mentor Media for actual fulfillment of your Windows 7 order.

Check out the full details here: http://www.gateway.com/windows7upgrade/index.php

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Dell

Dell has you register on its in-house system first. Then, after Window 7's release, you must return to the site to formally log in and request your upgrade. The upgrade site states:

"To notify Dell of your interest in the upgrade, you will need to register by providing details on your system and setting up an account. When Windows 7 is available, you will receive an e-mail requesting that you log into your account and place your order. Dell will use your e-mail address to send status updates to keep you informed of your upgrade registration and order. "

Check out the full details here: https://win7.dell.com

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HP

HP helpfully offers a big list of eligible business systems, and general guidelines for consumer systems, which include, "All new HP Pavilion, HP TouchSmart, HP HDX, HP G Series, and Compaq Presario Notebook PCs sold between June 26, 2009 and January 31, 2010 with an eligible operating system."

There's also a detailed FAQ and buttons for ordering your Windows 7 upgrade disc and checking order status. Unfortunately, when we clicked on the order button, we got the following error message:

"You must use Internet Explorer as your browser to place order. If Internet Explorer is not your default browser, you can find it in your list of installed programs by clicking the Windows Vista START button."

Check out the full details here: http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/mda/windows7/upgrade/index_ww.html

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Lenovo

Unlike many of the other PC makers, Lenovo lays a little salesman shtick on its upgrade order page, saying, "If you've read the solid reviews about Windows 7, you may be tempted to delay your new PC purchase until it launches. But there's no need to wait; Lenovo will mail you a FREE license upgrade to Windows 7."

Clicking the Request Upgrade button takes us to a skinned version of the same Mentor Media fulfillment process as Acer and Gateway.

Here's the upgrade page: http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/windows7

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Sony

For its Vaio PCs, Sony lets you choose your model from a drop-down list, or run a quick autodetection app. If your model is on the list of eligible ones, you'll be directed to a page with more information about the upgrade kit and a button to place your order.

From there, we again end up on a skinned page for the Mentor Media fulfillment process.

The US upgrade page is here: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/os7upgrade.pl

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