Windows 7 student upgrade hell

CNN Money, Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, October 24, 2009 8:03 AM

image: Digital River

College students who took advantage of a "deal too sweet to pass up" have run into a bit of trouble.

The $29 electronic version of Windows 7 Home Edition sold for Microsoft (MSFT) through Digital River (DRIV) doesn't seem to install properly on 32-bit Vista machines.

Apparently the download files weren't properly packaged, or something, and when users tried to "unload the box" they got an error that read:

"We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in
which this application was downloaded"

A discussion thread with that title was begun on Microsoft Answers' Windows 7 install forum less than 3 hours after the new operating system launched. By Saturday morning it had generated more than 500 replies and been read nearly 44,000 times.

Microsoft acknowledged the problem Thursday evening and by Friday was reportedly offering refunds. Meanwhile, however, Microsoft technicians are pointing users to a five-step Download Squad workaround that might be enough to send students screaming to the nearest Apple Store.

Any bets on how long it will be before the incident turns up in an Apple (AAPL) Get a Mac ad?

More info on Squad workaround

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