But for IT pros, enthusiasts, and large enterprises knowing these rules can save a lot of money and prevent legal hassles. The good news is that for most circumstances you are likely to encounter as a consumer or small business buyer, the licensing rules are fairly simple and controversy never arises. If you're not a lawyer, the subject of Windows licensing can be overwhelmingly confusing. That ignores the reality of multiple sales channels, and the fact that some people want the option to pay a lower price if they don't plan to use some features and are willing to pay a higher price for features like BitLocker file encryption. Indeed, a common complaint I hear is that Microsoft should simply sell one version of its OS at one price to every customer. Those license agreements are contracts that give you specific rights and also include specific limitations.

There are different license agreements associated with each such combination. In each of these cases, you can also take your pick of multiple Windows editions The price you pay will vary, depending on the edition and the sales channel.

You can buy the operating system preinstalled on a new PC, upgrade an existing PC using a shrink-wrapped retail package, purchase an upgrade online, or build a PC from scratch and install Windows yourself. Microsoft offers many ways to buy Windows 7.

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