Remember all of the manufacturers and retailers saying that if you buy a computer with Windows Vista loaded on the machine after June 26th, that you can upgrade to Windows 7 after its release for free? Remember the stir it caused? Well, as it turns out, those upgrades may not be free after all. Some manufacturers and retailers/e-tailers may have you pay the shipping and handling charge for your "free" upgrade. Lenovo, HP, and Dell all have listed in their terms and conditions that they may charge for shipping and handling. MousePrint.org contacted the manufacturers and put together a nice little chart to figure out if you have to pay or not:
| Manufacturer | Fees |
| Acer/eMachines/Gateway | $0 |
| Compaq | $0 for most buyers; others pay $12.99 for first kit |
| Dell | $0 for US online and retail purchasers |
| HP | $0 for most buyers; others pay $12.99 for first kit |
| Lenovo | $17.03 all buyers |
| Sony | $0 for some buyers; $14.99 for others |
| Toshiba | $0 for most buyers; $11.25/$12.99 for others |
Other notes of interest are that Vista Home Basic doesn't qualify, and neither does XP (sorry netbook users). Also, if you bought the boxed version of Vista, you have to pay Microsoft $9.99 for shipping and handling.