Microsoft Shipping 64-bit Windows - Win64 Upgrade Link

Infoworld: "As expected, Microsoft this week will ship three versions of the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 including a Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Data Center Edition. The 64-bit desktop version is called Windows XP Professional x64."

CNet News: "The new Windows won’t be showing up on retail shelves, though. Customers who buy a desktop or server with a 64-bit chip will have the option of getting the new operating system, while people who own an existing 64-bit machine will have the option of trading in their old 32-bit Windows for the 64-bit upgrade.

"Microsoft’s announcement is welcome news, particularly for chipmaker AMD, which has had 64-bit server chips on the market for two years and 64-bit desktop processors for 18 months. The software maker issued a test version of 64-bit Windows in the fall of 2003, when AMD released its first Athlon 64 processors. A final version was planned for early last year, but encountered a number of delays."

USAToday: "Still, software makers so far haven’t been willing to take on the costly task of converting popular applications to 64-bit until there is demand. While 64-bit chips have been available from AMD and Intel, computer makers haven’t moved to develop many 64-bit PCs because there was no desktop operating system to run them."

The Inquirer - Get your free Win64 upgrade here, Sort of : "It is finally here, or more to the point, [ here ]. For those who don’t want to read it all, there are a lot of asterisks for this almost free upgrade You need to have Pro based version, not a Home one, and it had to have come pre-installed on your computer. You lose the original license, and have to format your drive, but they still call it in EULA terms an ‘upgrade’. There appears to be no real upgrade."