starkers...if you are into those stores that currently ONLY stock Win8 junk....you are in the wrong stores for computers.

You're thinking Hardly Normal, JB, or the Good Guys...or some such.  They are not computer stores.  Try and find someone in any of those who actually gets past help such as "have you tried turning it off and on again?" ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Windows 7 isn't that hard to find. Just have to know where to look. Hey look at that even Jafo called Windows 8 junk.

Maybe in the US, but here in Oz it's as scare as chooks [hens] teeth... a few smaller stores still have it, but all the larger chain/department stores are all selling Win 8 and that's it.  As I stated earlier, a couple of places told me that MS in Sydney has been recalling Win 7 discs.  Apparently the same has begun in the US, UK and Europe, parts of Asia.

As I said a couple of months ago, Microsoft will not want to be supporting multiple OSes, and this is the beginning of the end for Win 7 as well.  And though XP would supposedly be supported into 2014, the same little dicky birds who told me Win 7 would be culled from December 2012 also hinted strongly that XP support will be nixed mid-2013... "to make way for new and updated technologies".

So there you have it... maybe not from the horse's mouth, but I'm told it's reliable.

Don't include me.....in that.

The only value I can see in Win8 over and above the PERFECTLY GOOD 7 is the opportunity to make use of Stardock's new trickery.

The OS leaves me cold.

Awww...you're a real pal. Wiz.  [e digicons]:')[/e]

Not too many Australians would even know about Newegg, much less that they could purchase Win 7 from it.... and even if they did, I doubt many would consider purchasing a rig from the US with Win 7 pre-installed [which is how most purchase their PC's]... warranty and product servicing/return issues.

Yeah, same with most other US online PC/electronics stores.  When we were paying double or more for our PC components than people in the US, I checked out quite a few of them to see if I could pick up a few of the more expensive items more cheaply than here, and they only shipped within the US... probably because of the issues with warranties and returns.

kona, it doesn't matter how you butter it, the majority of Australians are not going to purchase a computer and/or accessories from the US and have it/them shipped over, whether they have a friend there or not.  For the most part, people are not going to have a friend over there, and even if they did, the cost of shipping privately [companies get it cheaper] is quite steep.  For example, that HDD and cable I sent you, cost nearly 40 bucks to post, so imagine how much a PC with Win 7 pre-installed would cost to post.  Okay, so a Win 7 disc wouldn't cost that much, but it's sill a case of the somebody here knowing a somebody there.... and most wouldn't.

The fact remains, then, that once the few remaining discs in the wild have either been sold or rounded up by MS, Win 7 will soon be an OS of the past here in Australia.

Nah, I'm too old and set in my ways here to be uprooting all over again.  I've had 3 major shifts in my lifetime, one from the UK to Australia, then from Queensland to Tasmania. and Tasmania back to Queensland, and that's enough for me, at almost 60. Besides, I have 2 copies of Win 7 Home Premium on rigs here, so it's not like I have a problem.  As for pricing, well we're more on a par with US pricing these days, in fact cheaper in some cases, so that's not an issue any more, either.  Mind you, I'd like to visit the US, though not so much for the big cities, more for the natural wonders and scenic sights America has to offer.

And what's wrong with our gun laws?

people might like American prices of computer parts. i am not sure they like American wages or welfare cheques.

also, if Australians couldn't afford their computer parts they might just order them from China. much cheaper, much better and ruining the local economy.