Microsoft on Monday stepped up plans to push Windows 7 upgrades to European users. The company said its decision to keep Internet Explorer 8 in the OS in Europe has enabled it to make a family-pack option available to customers there in October.

In a post on the Windows 7 blog, Windows Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc said that the Windows 7 Family Pack, a version of the OS for households with multiple PCs, will be available in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden on Oct. 22 when Windows 7 is made generally available worldwide. Microsoft previously said the software would only be available in the U.S. and Canada.

The Family Pack allows users to install Windows 7 Home Premium for a reduced price on up to three PCs in a household that already has a version of Windows installed. Like the U.S. offer, the European offer is for a limited time. The company did not assign the offer a deadline but said it is only while supplies last.

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