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Upgrade to Windows 7?

Windows 7 has an official release date of October 22.  Now is the time to be thinking about whether or not to upgrade your organization’s desktop and laptop corps to Windows 7.

Do We Need to Upgrade?

Does my organization really need Windows 7 to begin with?  Whether or not you upgrade depends on your organizations needs, budget and time constraints.  Here are a few pluses that might help you in your decision-making process:

Pluses to Upgrading

• Limited support for Windows XP - If you’re still using XP, know that Microsoft ended mainstream support on April 14.  However, critical security updates will still be provided until 2014.

• Better security and a less annoying User Account Control - Both Vista and Windows 7 provide much better security than XP and the implementation of UAC is more user-configurable than in Vista.

• New Administrative Tools - Windows 7 offers new tools like Powershell v2, improved group policy, and virtual hard disk image management and deployment.

• User-centric enhancements - Windows 7 offers improved search, built-in support for touch screen monitors, new keyboard shortcuts, a streamlined GUI, more sophisticated versions of Paint, WordPad, and Calculator, easier Windows management through snap-to docking, and new built-in troubleshooting tools.

Once you’ve decided that Windows 7 has enough enhancements to warrant the upgrade, there are still more issues to consider.

Three Issues to Consider before Migrating to Windows 7

1.  Hardware Requirements

Traditionally, each new version of Windows has needed more disk space and more memory than it’s predecessor.  The official Windows 7 hardware requirements haven’t been released yet.  However, we can get a good idea of the hardware requirements from the Windows 7 release candidate requirements which state the following:

• 1 GHz or faster CPU
• 1 GB or more of RAM
• DirectX 9.0 or better
• 16 GB of free disc space
• 128 MB of graphics memory (if you plan to use Aero)

These are nearly identical to Vista’s requirements, so there’s not much change.  Beta testers are reporting faster performance than Vista.

2.  Upgrade Paths

Since so many people resisted the Vista upgrade, the common question is….can I upgrade directly to Windows 7 without losing my preferences, etc?  The answer is…sort of.  There will be no Microsoft-provided direct upgrade path from XP to 7.  If you’re running XP, you’ll need to perform a clean 7 install - which isn’t a bad idea for any major OS update anyway.

A helpful option is to use the Windows 7 User State Migration Tool.  This is part of the Microsoft Deployment Tool 2010 tool 2010.  This tool lets you transfer your user settings for the desktop and applications to the new Windows 7 installation.

If you’re running Vista SP1 or SP2, you can perform an in-place upgrade.  If you’re not running at least SP1, you’ll need to upgrade to SP1 first or go the clean Windows 7 install route.

3.  Driver Compatibility

Vista was the cause of so many driver nightmares for many reasons, not all of which were Microsoft’s fault.  One major reason was the fact that many hardware vendors just weren’t ready for Vista.  They are ready now and Windows 7 uses most of the same drivers.  As always, the best course of action is to check the website for your specific hardware devices and download any necessary drivers before upgrading.

Summary

We’ve presented a decent amount of specific information in advance of the Windows 7 release.  Hopefully it will help you make the upgrade decision easier. Should you choose to upgrade, we’ve also provided you with some things to think about to help you perform a smoother upgrade.

This article brought to you by Real Deal Technologies, an  SEO Company.