By Darius Chang
01/07/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62055615,00.htm

With the recent announcement of upgrade programs from various vendors for machines bought after June 26, it's safe to buy a Vista machine now since it can be upgraded to Windows 7 later. Or is it? Turns out that not every PC is eligible, while some vendors require a fee for the upgrade. Moreover, if your laptop runs on Vista Home Basic or Windows XP, you are out of luck as they are not eligible for the upgrade programs. The exception is if your Windows XP Professional machine was officially downgraded from Windows Vista Business or Ultimate Edition, as you can still use your Vista licence to participate in the program.

To help you decide if it's prudent to grab the machine of your dreams now or wait till the October 22 launch of Windows 7, we have compiled a list of vendors offering upgrade programs and eligible machines. As the release of Windows 7 is still some time away, more laptops may be added, so click on the provided links to the specific manufacturers' for the latest updates.

Vendor	Eligible machines	Fees	Upgrade program Web site
Acer	Selected models from the TravelMate, Aspire, Extensa, Veriton, Prestige and Gaming range.	Free for selected countries, handling and delivery charges otherwise.	Link
Asus	B, F, G, K, M, N, P series and more.	Free for selected countries, handling and delivery charges otherwise.	Link
BenQ	To be announced	To be announced	To be announced
Dell	Inspiron, Studio, XPS, Adamo, Optiplex, Latitude Precision.	Handling and delivery charges apply for consumer models. Free for business machines.	Inspiron, Studio, Adamo Inspiron XPS, XPS Vostro, Latitude, Latitude Precision Dell Windows 7 upgrade FAQ
Fujitsu	LifeBook A1120, A6220, A6230, P1630, P8020, S6520, S6420, S6421, T2020, T1010, T5010, U2010, U2020 and Fujitsu L1010.	To be announced	Link Order for upgrade kits will be available from July 17.
HP/Compaq	Pavilion dv2, dv3, dv4, dv6; Pavilion tx series; TouchSmart PC IQ800, IQ5XX; Pavilion Elite Edition E9000, p6000. Compaq CQ35, CQ40/45, CQ60/61, CQ70/71.	Surcharge for material, shipping and handling.	Link
Lenovo	All Idea and Think systems.	Surcharge for material, shipping and handling.	Order for upgrade kits will be available from July 15.
LG	To be announced	To be announced	To be announced
MSI	GT series: GT627, GT628, GT725, GT729, GT735, GX620, GX630 X series: X320, X340, X400, X600 Others: EX623, EX625, EX630, PX600, CR600, CR700, CX600, CX700, VR220	Handling and delivery charges apply.	Link
Sony	AW, CS, FW, G, JS, LN, LV, NS, NW, P, SR, TT, Z series. BZ and TP range are not eligible.	The upgrade kit comes in two discs: Windows 7 upgrade and Windows 7 drivers and utilities. Charges apply.	Link
Toshiba	Satellite: L510, M300, M500 Qosmio: F50, G50, X300 Portege: M800, M900, R600, A600, M750 Tecra: A10, M10	Handling and delivery charges apply.	Link