[quote name='J7.']This has been confirmed, you can get the full retail package with all that stuff and through MS for $35 shipped. It looks like they took the info about this off their site today though. Maybe they're just doing that to avoid having people on hold for 45 minutes and are still offering it or maybe they're no longer offering it but I thought the offer was good until Oct 22.
[/QUOTE]
Just called in today, the deal is still live. You're probably right about the whole on hold thing because I was on hold for 37 minutes this morning.
[quote name='mokmoof']Simply because I had already ordered through Digital River, and I saw no reason to mess with the order if the difference between "Upgrade" and "Full" is negligible or nonexistent.
The Full version does not seem to be different in any substantial way.
So yes, you might need a Vista or XP key to install an upgrade version. But, for the record: If you
have a Vista or XP key, then there is effectively no difference between a Full version and an Upgrade version. I say this because on
this page, if one clicks "View Windows 7 Full Versions," the only things that change are the prices. The table of included features remains exactly the same.[/QUOTE]
Actually it is still safer to get the full version. I also had a preorder with Digital River and canceled this morning. The problem with the upgrade version is that if you ever plan on installing windows 7 again, you will need to find your Vista disc. It's an extra unnecessary step everytime you want to reformat your computer and perform a clean install. Plus, you should do a clean install anyways whenever you install a new OS. You don't want a lot of useless outdated drivers filling up your hdd.
And when it is actually
cheaper to get the Full version with the retail box from Microsoft... the choice is obvious.