"Microsoft will not close a loophole that offers consumers a cheaper way to upgrade to Windows Vista. Users can install the upgrade version of the new operating system as a fresh installation, even if they do not currently own a licensed copy of Windows XP. The procedure is time consuming, but allows users to save about 35 per cent of the purchase price for the regular Windows Vista.

"People without a licensed copy of XP that use this workaround are violating the terms of use agreed to when they purchased the upgrade version of Windows Vista. As such, we believe only a very small percentage of people will take the time to implement this workaround, and we encourage all customers to follow our official guidelines for upgrading to Windows Vista."

Microsoft added that it does not have any plans to disable the workaround at this time."

Obviously the price savings will have some scrambling for the lesser priced variant of Microsoft's newest OS. Currently on Newegg.com, you can find Windows Vista Ultimate Upgrade Retail for $250.00 USD while the full version sits at $378.99, a cost savings of $128.99. Without a doubt many of our very own readers would gladly take extra time installing this if they knew they'd save that much dough. Considering you can ghost your install and revert to it anytime you wish to reformat, this makes for a very attractive and tempting bypass. Will Microsoft one day invalidate your install or serial number if you do this? It's possible, but for the time being until Vista's penetration into the marketplace is solidified, it's probably unlikely.

VNUnet