Direct2Dell readers like and George have reported that their Vista upgrade disks will be shipping soon. The Vista express upgrade kits started shipping this week and will ship in a first-in-first-out order. You will receive two DVDs: one for the Vista operating system itself, and The Dell Vista Upgrade Assistant DVD. The Upgrade Assistant DVD includes Vista drivers and applications. Most customers should receive their kits in the coming weeks. To check the status of your order, please visit http://www.dellvistaupgrade.com and click on Order Status at the top of the page.
All customers who have registered for the upgrade will receive an e-mail notification when your upgrade kit ships. Your order will stay in Pending status until your order ships. I understand this continues to be a source of frustration for many customers, and want to apologize the delays.
Know that some of you are still running into problems getting registered, including your service tag not being recognized, issues with your Certificate of Authenticity (COA) or updating shipping or credit card details on the site. If that is the case for you, please submit a comment explaining the issue and be sure to complete the e-mail field so that I can have Customer Care contact you directly.
Again, sorry for frustration—we’ll work through these registration issues as quickly as we can.
Sound Blaster Audigy MP MB Software Update
Since last week, I have received some comments and e-mail complaints from readers asking about our Sound Blaster Audigy MB software that we sell as an option on Inspiron notebooks and some Dimension desktops. To clarify some issues raised, SoundBlaster Audigy Advanced MB is a software application from Creative Labs. It provides additional functionality to the integrated Sigmatel hardware and drivers that comes standard on our Inspiron and XPS notebooks and some Dimension desktops.
Many of you have said that the SoundBlaster Audigy Advanced MB software will not work in Vista. That is correct—it’s true that the Sound Blaster Audigy HD software sold with systems originally loaded with XP is not compatible with Vista. Vista has a totally different driver architecture than XP, therefore the XP version of the Sound Blaster Audigy software is not compatible with Vista. Vista compatibility can only be achieved with a new version of the software and drivers. Two updates here:
- Customers who are eligible for the Dell Windows Vista Upgrade will receive a copy of the Vista version of the SoundBlaster Audigy Advanced MB software. The software will be part of the Dell Vista Upgrade Assistant DVD.
- We expect to begin shipping the Vista version of the SoundBlaster Audigy Advanced MB software to Inspiron and XPS notebook customers who opt for it beginning next week. We also expect to ship the Vista version of the software on Dimension desktops for customers who opt for it later in March.
Know that the two points don’t address customers who aren’t eligible for the Windows Vista Upgrade or customers who purchased the Vista upgrade from retail. We’re looking into what options we can provide, and hope to have an update next week.
Update, 4/30: Doug just posted this update on his blog entry. The Vista software for the Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced HD audio is now available for download. Click here to download.