Microsoft: Buy 32 bits, Get 32 Bits Free

30 Jul, 2004 at 7:58pm ET Article published in Tech

Although server customers may have to wait a little longer for a version of Windows that supports their 64-bit systems, they won’t have to pay for an upgrade when the software does ship.

Microsoft said Friday that customers that buy a 64-bit Opteron or Xeon server and pay for a license to Windows Server 2003 will be able to exchange that license for one that covers the 64-bit edition when it ships next year. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced it was pushing out the launch of that product until next year, the latest in a series of delays for the 64-bit edition.

Source: C|Net

Comments

30 Jul 2004 ~ 8:07pm Thrax Hey, that's pretty cool of them.
30 Jul 2004 ~ 10:52pm Sputnik what about consumers buying XP? are they doing the same?
31 Jul 2004 ~ 7:15am lemonlime Yeah, I was wondering the same.. How much more does XP 64bit cost?
31 Jul 2004 ~ 7:16am Shorty It's just server from what my local OEM just told me
31 Jul 2004 ~ 9:47am Tex

lemonlime wrote:

Yeah, I was wondering the same.. How much more does XP 64bit cost?

There is no price announced as its not close to release but they also announced previously that there would be no retail version of 64bit XP. It would be OEM only. They view it as a "workstatiojn" not desktop solution and don't seem very interested in certifying all the 64bit drivers needed to make it viable on the desktop. So "Compaq/HP" for example would be responsible for their drivers etc...

Tex
31 Jul 2004 ~ 11:13am shwaip

lemonlime wrote:

Yeah, I was wondering the same.. How much more does XP 64bit cost?

Twice as much as the 32bit version. Gotta pay for those extra bits somehow. Do you think they grow on trees?
1 Aug 2004 ~ 7:19am EyesOnly

shwaip wrote:

Twice as much as the 32bit version.

Darn i was gonna write that. Oh well.