What Is WAU?
With Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU), Microsoft has built a simple and convenient way for customers to upgrade from a lower edition of Windows7 to a higher edition of Windows 7, when they discover they want or need more out of their current operating system. Users can go online “anytime” to upgrade from:
Upgrade Windows 7 anytime you're ready
When you purchase Windows 7 Ultimate via Windows Anytime Upgrade, you get the single most powerful solution for home, work, and everything in between.
Use BitLocker and BitLocker To Go to better protect your valuable files against theft or loss of data - even on removable drives such as USB devices
Work in the language of your choice and switch among any of 35 languages as easily as logging off and back on again
Use XP Mode to run many existing productivity and business programs designed for Windows XP - additional necessary software is available for download, free of charge, from Microsoft*
Protect your data from user error, hardware failure, and other problems by automatically backing up your files to an external hard drive, secondary hard drive, writable CD or DVD, or to a network location
Share files across the various PCs in your home by using HomeGroup to connect your PCs running Windows 7 to a single printer - specify exactly what you want to share from each PC with all the PCs in the HomeGroup
Find virtually anything on your PC, from documents to photos to e-mail - just click on the Start button, enter a word or few letters in the name or file you want into the search box, and you'll get an organised list of results
Use Domain Join to connect multiple PCs quickly and more securely, with or without a server, to your wired or wireless domain network
Take advantage of the powerful diagnostics and troubleshooters built into Action Center to save time and money resolving many computer problems on your own
Before you buy
This product includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions for you to upgrade a single computer.
Make sure your computer is ready for Windows Anytime Upgrade. Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This small software tool will scan your computer and create an easy-to-understand report of all known system, device, and program compatibility issues, and suggest ways to resolve them.
Note: You can use Windows Anytime Upgrade to upgrade from one 32-bit version of Windows 7 to another OR from one 64-bit version of Windows 7 to another, but you can’t upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows 7 to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or vice versa.
Running Windows Vista? Windows Anytime Upgrade: Windows 7 Home Premium to Ultimate is designed as an upgrade from one edition of Windows 7 to another edition with more features. To upgrade your PC from Windows Vista to Windows 7, you will need to purchase a Windows 7 Upgrade, available from Microsoft Store.
System Requirements
- Processor 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- Video Card DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or later driver
- Hard Disk 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
- Memory 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization, with Intel-VT or AMD-V turned on.
Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware.
Some features in earlier Windows versions are not included in Windows 7. Get similar programs, including Windows Live Mail, Photo Gallery, Messenger, and Movie Maker for free through Windows Live Essentials.