I realize that you need to have specific dates that this qualifies for this, but I just purchased the XPS 410 on the 20th and was delivered on the 27th, but it appears that I will not qualify for this upgrade.  I think I could send it back and re-order and get the free upgrade, but I really don't want to go through the hassle that would entail.  I realize that there were rumors circulating about possible upgrade options when I made the purchase, but I did not want to wait any longer as I had waited for core 2 dual processor and at the time, it was only a rumor.

Maybe, what you could do, is that anyone who purchased a system that says Vista ready can get a reduced upgrade to Vista, instead of paying the full upgrade price.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Russ

How different is the OEM version of Vista going to be from the retail version? you know, XP retial and XP OEM had a few differences, not cosmetic but mainly technology related.

Will Vista OEM also follow on the same lines?

Joe,

For the systems without an OS ask for the N-Series desktops, those run Free Dos.

I don't understand why Dell would charge $45 to upgrade from Windows XP home to Vista, unlike other manufacturers who are offering it for free.

I received my new Dell computer the day before the announcement. Needless to say I wasn't happy. When I called Dell (and talked to 4 different people), not a whole lot of folks new about it, and then passed the buck over to Microsoft. Microsoft (who also needed some prodding to learn about what was going on) passed the buck right back.

It's ridiculous that one would have to physically send back their machine (which I'd think would cost DELL money), and re-order to get the upgrade.

Is the Express Upgrade a full Windows Vista program?  Or is it only an upgrade version.  Is it OEM version or a full MS version (as in retail)?  For instance, on an XP Pro for a small business, it is a Vista Business version express upgrade.  Is this the full program?  Or just an "upgrade" version from Pro to business version Vista.

Yankee: Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Talked to members of the Vista team. Here are the details:

I am considering purchasing a machine from DELL.

When is VISTA going to be shipped on machines so I do not have to upgrade? The timeline says January - but there have been rumors about OEM versions available before that date (Nov 30th).

How invasive is the express upgrade (time and work)?

If I decide to use XP for now and then express upgrade to VISTA...

Jim Wick

Hi,

can you let us know when do you expect the new computers to come with Windows Vista already installed on them?

im planning to buy a desktop computer from Dell, but i am happy to wait around for a couple of weeks if that means my machine will get to me with Vista already installed on it.

thanks

Will there be any upgrade path available to Vista Ultimate edition?

I would be happy to pay the difference between the Pro or Business version to Ultimate as I want to have the functionality of both and not have to upgrade AGAIN later. It is good that Dell and MS are offering these upgrades but it would be better if they offered the full range of products as part of it.

Hi all,

I am from India, purchased a DELL Latitude D820 with Core 2 Duo processor and 1 GB Ram + NVS110 graphics card, on October 17. I would like to upgrade to Vista, can i get an upgradation plan/ otherwise can i get any reduction on Vista's cost.

i have a dimension 9150 (xps model) purchased aug 2006. i know im not entitled to free upgrade. how much will it cost me to upgrade, $45 (+shipping and handling)?

dell is a good brand of pc but the people running it especially the sales team need to improve immediately and drastically! you give the worst customer service imaginable...

I purchased my E-521 on 11/26 with the preinstalled OEM MCE2005 then, upon opening the box I installed a fresh x64 Professional onto it since it was not an option during the built online process.  Will the upgrade work for me and will the Vista DVD offer the premium upgrades as will the retail DVD in case I want to go Ultimate?

Thanks,

Same thing ordered my XPS 700 Oct 10 2006 arrived Oct 19 2006.

Oct 26 free upgrade offered.  Sort of sucks but what can we do.

Will Dell offer OEM for us.  Free would be nice.

As with the other 50 people above, I also bought my Inspiron on Oct. 9th and found out about the upgrade a few days after receiving my unit.  I tried calling Dell 3-4x and NOTHING worked, i got the stereotypical response, I'm sorry sir, we can't do anything about it.

Seriously, the only thing Dell's losing is the support of their customers.  Being this inflexible is a turn-off, I certainly will think twice before purchasing or recommending their computers.

I just bought a XPS M1210 with Windows XP OS. I would love to upgrade it to Vista but unfortunately Dell Middle East is not giving Vista Upgrade. I tried upgrading it with Dell US but my service tag was not accepted. Can Dell be fair enough to let anyone who purchased their system to avail of the same program? I hope to have an answer to this.

Today is December 6th 2006. I want to buy a new computer with the Core2 and Vista from Dell. When will I be able to purchase that product with Vista installed ?

I am considering buying a laptop from the Dell Outlet.  Are systems bought from the Dell Outlet that meet Vista requirements eligible for the Vista upgrade?

Thanks. 

I ordered a new Dell with Media Center 2005 with plans of using the express upgrade to Vista Ultimate edition.  I need to join the machine to a domain and I also want the Media Center (or else why did I bother to get two tv tuners.  I logged in to the upgrade site and was anticipating being given the question 'Which version do you need?' and I would check off Vista Ultimate, gladly pay any difference in price, and wait in anticipation for February.  However, Dell has very rigid upgrade paths and there is no upgrade path option event though there are 4 or 5 versions of Vista.  This is unacceptable.  Am I mistaken, can I get a Dell response? 

I ordered my Dell Inspiron 640M Notebook with MCE2005 on October 25, it arrived on Oct 30.  The upgrade program to Vista started on October 26.  This is 1 Day!.  Dell refuses to offer me a grace period of 1 day! After having spent thousands of $$ over the last 5 years on Dell products this is pretty shabby treatment.  Their cavalier customer service approach ("I'm sorry sir, but you dont qualify") really ticks me off.  If they want to gain back market share from HP that is NOT the way to do it.

Has anyone heard of them offerring a 1 day Grace period at all?

Thanks

Purchased my XPS700 on the 17th of October -  i knew of the upgrade through Microsoft.  They originaly where to offer beginning of September.  I was un aware they pushed it back till the end of October?  I have spent HOURS on the phone to get some resolve.  In the end i was offered an 79.00 upgrade in which should be free.  None of the people i spoke with understood the term FREE + shipping. Dells customer service model is following Gateway, which is not a complement.  spend 4k and get nothing but a run around form the rest of the Dell group.

Thanks for wasting my time and hard earned cash 

Has anyone else had a problem accesssing www.dellvistaupgrade.com .

I keep gettting an Internet Explorer Cannot display the webpage.

I am working with a Dell tech, but thought I would put it out here to see if anyone else has had this problem.

"Direct-2-Dell"?

"One-2-one communication with Dell"??

Could someone from Dell please communicate by answering the above queries? I agree with Larry C that a lot of us are waiting for answers from Dell before purchasing.

Just got off the phone with Dell Outlet, (after being hung up on and the normal Dell Junk).

Anyway, there are none (zero) dell outlet products that Microsoft will honor the Express (free) upgrade to Vista.  You can buy an upgrade at the normal XP to Vista price.

Dell say's it's Microsoft’s call, not theirs.

I have no idea why Dell doesn't tell people this on any of their websites.

I don't understand... I have been asking dell sales chat for past 2 weeks for a timeframe of when I can order a vista preloaded machine, specifically with vista ultimate, and I keep getting the answer of "I don't know, possibly sometime in march". This is totally unacceptable. I am a small business owner and professional developer and I have been in need of a new workstation since early december, but decided to squeak by with old hardware until vista is released on Jan 30th.... March is way too long to wait. As this will be a development machine, it is against good practice to "upgrade" to vista... better having it preloaded to avoid component/build problems. I woul be fine with ordering and it not shipping until after jan 30th, but at least give me that option.

I went over to HP's website and asked same quesiton and they told me: "First week in february"... that is much more acceptable and I hate to say this but loyalty to dell is about to be thrown out the window. I will not let dell's late response to the industry deter my needs and will switch to HP for all of my business needs if dell doesn't change their stance in the next 8 days.

I just don't understand if vista is available on Jan 30 to retailers everywhere, why Dell won't be ready? Did I miss something about how big of a player dell is with microsoft? I have spoken to others about this and they too are waiting to make their new purchases because of the hardware requirements of vista. None of them want an upgrade with the chance of degraded performance since the machine wasn't specifically made for vista.

Dell customer service is the worst I've ever been through. Constant numbers to call and transfers just to get my service tag to be accepted for the Express Upgrade. I got an XPS 410 with the upgrade in December and when I try to enter the service tag on the Dell Express Upgrade site, it denies it.  Took me about 4 calls, and several transfers just to get someone moving on the problem. If I don't hear anything by the end of this week, I'll apparently have to start the process all over AGAIN.

I'm not sure why Dell is being recognized for service and support when they suck at it. I hope they figure out that putting their technical support back in America would make more sense.

PH: Sorry for the delay. Apologize for the frustration, and thanks to bringing this to our attention. We've fixed an issue with the www.dellvistaupgrade.com site that was causing it not to recognize some systems that are eligible for the upgrade.

Please try your entering your service tag number at the www.dellvistaupgrade.com site again. If you still have problems please let me know.

When you say that Dell will offer Vista on systems soon after its release--do you mean as an "option" or as a "requirement?" 

I actually don't want  Vista--would rather order XP pro--but I'm concerned that I'll be forced to buy a Vista system and not have the XP option.

Can you please provide some specific information on whether or not--and for how long--people will have the option of ordering either XP or Vista?

If you purchase a pc from dell that is eligible for the upgrade but don't want to use the upgrade for your computer, could you get the upgrade and then use it on another computer that meets the requirements for vista?

Well I am glad I am not the only one.  Dell Vista Upgrade will not accept my tag either.

Purchased a Dell E1405 on Dec 20, 2006, got it on Dec 29, 2006. 

Dec 30.  First call to Dell Tech Support – I was told to wait 5 days to allow for my service tag to be entered into the system.

Jan 15, No luck.  Second call to Dell Tech Support –After 39 minutes of apologies and holding, the tech tried to connect me to the DellVista Upgrade Center, but could not get hold of anyone there so he gave me the direct number.

Called the number and spoke to Noah Johnson, he apologized for the situation and said he would send my request to the next level so that it would be taken care of.  He promised I would hear from someone in about 3-5 days.

Jan 20. Third Call to Dell Vista Upgrade center.  Tech informed me that it should be working in 24 hours. 

Jan 22, No Calls, Emails or contact of any kind.  Called again and talked to Rachel (No Last Name, even when asked) She resent the request and promised someone would get back to me to let me know the problem was fixed. 

Still nothing, upgrade does not work and Dell has been in contact.

Same problem as many others. Dell Vista Upgrade will not accept my tag either. Have contacted Dell customer service and vista upgrade number many times. Every time I have been told different stories and also been told that will get fixed and my service tag number will get added to the list of eligible systems.

Some history: I am in NC, USA. Ordered Core2Duo E1505 Windows MCE system with option for Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium, Free plus S and H payable at redemption on 12/6/2006 and received on 12/11/2006. System had problems with graphics card and software etc. had was on reporting to technical support was asked to return the system for a replacement. When I asked if I should register for Vista upgrade kit, I was told that I should register with replacement system as this one is going back to Dell. So I returned the system without registering on Dell Vista Upgrade website.

Dell shiped replacement system on 23rd December and I received the same on 26th December . (this was a new system and so new service tag). Exact same configuration and also as per system description eligible for Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Premium. Since that day one month back I have been trying to register on website but I get the message that my system is not eligible for an upgrade.

I have been given many reasons by Dell customer service like system is not eligible, you may have purchased with coupons, this is a replacement system and so upgrade is not applicable, you can register only after 30th January when Vista will be officially released etc. etc. and also like we will get it added in list of eligible systems, give us 2-3 days, 5-6 days. etc, etc. I have 2 case numbers on this now (first few times when I called or had a chat, CSRs did not even bother to issue a case number). (All in all this showed that Dell's customer service atleast for Vista upgrade s*cks big time). I have more than 50 orders from Dell in last 2 years and this has been my worst experience.

Still nothing, upgrade registration does not work. Big companies take long time to solve small issues.

 My status shows PENDING...pending what. It's been over a week.

Hi

 I ordered my PC in December and since then i have tried so many times to do the upgrade but each time i get told that my Service Tag is not recognised as valid for an upgrade. My machine is deffinately one of the ones on teh list and my invoice states it in black and white. I have called them and they just keep saying keep trying but to be fair their is only two months to claim it so i am bit wprried. Has anyone else had this problem? Can anyone suggest what i can do?

 Thanks

Sam

My PC was purchased in December and falls under the Vista Express upgrade program.   One of the upgrade options that Microsoft offered to OEM's was upgrading from XP Home to Vista Premium for around $79 if you had a newer PC.   I tried upgrading to Vista using your web site but only the Home Vista is offered and not the Premium Vista.  Why isn't Dell offering the upgrade from Home XP to Vista Premium when it appears to be part of Microsofts's program and most other OEM"s are offering it?

Thanks

 Alan
 

I purchased a Dimension 9200, 2 GB RAM, upgraded video card, and selected the upgrade to Vista (for $10).  I have called (at least 4 sep. occasions) the folks at dellvistaupgrade.com, dell and got the total runaround each time - transferred calls, clueless support person in India, etc.

 Compared to the last Dell I purchased about 4 years ago, I'd have to say that support has gone way downhill.
 

It looks like Dell tricked us all.  It just keeps telling me it is not available at this time.  Service tage passed but ask all other information.

Please confirm we are going to get the Vista upgrade?

Hello !!

 I've purchased a dell Inspiron 6400 on 20-1-2007 (20th Jan 2007). This is the date of my invoice also. But when I enter my service tag I get a message stating that I'm not eligible for Dell Vista Express Upgrade. I've emailed both the Dell Reseller and Dell Express Vista Upgrade support but no replies until date.

My understanding is that if Dell considers the date it shipped the notebook to the reseller as the date of purchase then the whole concept of express upgrade to vista is a nice way of fooling the customers and make them buy the notebook during the holidays before 30th Jan 2007.

To summarize

I've a Dell Inspiron 6400 Notebook with a Microsoft Vista Capable Sticker.

I've a Microsoft Windows Home Edition Pre-loaded with a valid COA.

My Notebook was purchased on 20th Jan 2007 (I can scan my invoice and email to dell if required).

I don't have a proper reply to the reason for not being eligible for the upgrade. I don't even have an acknowledgment from dell for the emails I've sent and a reply for the same.

The MISTAKE I did was that I went on an assumption that a company with reputation like Dell will always speak the truth and I'm paying the prize for it.

I hope people won't make mistakes like me.

Regards

Faisal
 

Jennie and Faisal: Sorry for the frustration. Take a look at this post. We've fixed an issue with the site that may help you. Please try entering your service tag again at www.dellvistaupgrade.com,

If you still have problems after trying your service tag again, please let me know.  

Dear Dell,

I purchased a Vista Premium Ready PC and was just wondering whether the Dell Vista Upgrade DVD was just a Vista Upgrade DVD (upgrading Windows XP Media Center Edition with Vista components), or a complete Windows Vista DVD that I can perform a clean install with and, in the future, use with Windows Upgrade Anytime to upgrade to a higher version of Windows. Thank You!

Lionel Menchaca, Digital Media Manager said:

We've fixed an issue with the site that may help you

 Hello - I was wondering if you fixed just these two people's issues, or the issue as a whole has been resolved.  My service tag does not work as of this morning, 1/30/07.  I ordered my Dimension 9200 and explicitly selected the Vista upgrade (I can send you a copy of my order details).  The PC was ordered on 12/31/06.  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

 
Steve
 

Hi there,

Just wanted to voice my displeasure with the customer service I've received during the Visat upgrade process.  I purchased a Dimension 9200 in late December (2 gb RAM, Core Duo 2, etc.).  Following the advice of the Dell forum, I gave it two weeks after receiving the PC before I attempted to submit my service tag at dellvistaupgrade.com. 

 Of course, the tag wasn't recognized and so I followed the online instructions and contacted customer service via the (866) 634-7426.  Despite the FAQs indication to the contrary, the CSR I spoke with said the only way I can upgrade is through the website.  He also said he couldn't help me and directed me to the general help line.  A second CSR at the general help line then redirected me to a third region specific help line, which was closed for the day.  I called back the next the day, and the third CSR I spoke with passed on my issue to the tech team. 

 This was several days ago, and all the while I've been attempting to submit my service tag via the Vista upgrade site, with no success.

Lionel, the website does not work properly.  The issue has not been fixed.  I tested it minutes ago, my service tag still doesn't work.  Dell has a record of my recent purchase, they now I want a Vista upgrade, why is this such a complicated matter. 

David: See this post that I issued  earlier today. To answer your question, we'll begin shipping the Vista upgrade discs within the next two weeks.

 

Thompson: Sorry to hear that you're returning a system. I can assure you that I work to help customers like yourself, and do take that work seriously.

I communicated information I had at the time, and have updated the original post. We are working to resolve the issues with the upgrade, and like I said in the update, will communicate more details when we have them. 

Also, if it is required to go to dellvistaupgrade.com a "service unavailable" message appears. I do not know if i need to go to this website. If the sit no longer exists. or, because this is the day of the vista launch, site trafic. Please help!

~scott

I have tried logging on to dellvistaupgrade.com and all i keep getting is no service also page not available

Woody

I'm having the same problem as Scott and it is getting really frustrating.  I have been trying to get on the site all day and still have not been able to access it.  I even called to return my laptop, but was told that I would have to pay for the return of the product plus a 15% restocking fee.  This is posted in their return policy, but I certainly didn't realize it.