Date released: January 30 2009

   If you're running Windows 7 beta, you probably know that when you first load operating system it asks if you want to upgrade an existing Windows installation or do a fresh install. But as Business Week's Stephen Wildstrom points out, that upgrade feature only works for Windows Vista users. If you want to upgrade from Windows XP you're out of luck.

    Now, that doesn't mean that Microsoft won't offer a lower priced version of Windows 7 for Windows XP users who want to upgrade. What it does mean is that you probably won't be able to load Windows 7 on a computer running XP without losing your personal data, programs, and settings. But Windows 7 is enough like Windows Vista that Vista users will be able to install the newer operating system while leaving many files intact.