Microsoft Hopes for a Fresh Start With Windows 7

Microsoft Corp. finally got its chance to reboot its reputation Thursday, launching a new edition of Windows that it hopes will encourage more PC buyers to get back into stores.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer celebrated the arrival of Windows 7 in New York with a few hundred people who had helped test early versions of the software that runs PCs. One of them, technology consultant, Jonathan Kay, flew from Toronto to attend.

"Windows 7 will redeem Windows," said Kay, 27.

Some retailers had opened at midnight to give customers an early shot at buying a new PC or a disc that they could use to put Windows 7 on their existing computers. Such upgrade discs start at $120.

Among the stores was a Fry's Electronics in Renton, Wash., several miles south of Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond. Mike Naramor, 55, who runs a consulting business called My Computer Guy, was one of about 50 people who were waiting outside when Fry's opened.

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"We're geeks, that's what geeks do," he said. "This is our excitement."

Naramor, who also had bought copies of the last two operating systems, XP and Vista, the nights they were released, planned to go home and install Windows 7 right away.

"Vista took me about 72 hours," he said. "I expect this to take me 20 minutes."

Microsoft is also going to try running its own retail stores, which has been enormously successful for Apple Inc. Hundreds of people lined up Thursday to attend the opening of the first store, in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Microsoft was giving away gift certificates and other goodies.

People cheered as a giant white curtain dropped from the front of the store, revealing an airy space lined with large screens showing scenes from video games. Dozens of employees jumped and high-fived customers as they ran in the store.

Kaelin Jacobson, a 20-year-old Web programmer, said he came to give Microsoft "one last shot," adding that he's had a lot of problems with Vista. Jacobson, who was carrying an Apple laptop, said he has to use Windows for his job and that Microsoft could find it hard to match Apple's sleek and popular stores.