Thoughts and a warning on Windows 7

The long anticipated wait for Windows 7 (or should we say, the end of Windows Vista) ends in less than 24 hours, and we're expecting this new release from Microsoft to go a lot better than its predecessor.   Our experience with a pre-release version of Windows 7, while overwhelmingly positive, was limited to a test environment while Windows XP continued to be our operating system of choice.

Windows 7 is really good, feels "fast" when compared to Vista, and its hard to find a negative review.  There is, however one big "gotcha" in store for the typical computer user that stuck with Windows XP - upgrading to Windows 7 might not be easy.  And, while Microsoft promises that upgrading WILL be easier for Windows Vista users, doing so requires some thought and consideration, and ideally an understanding of this chart.

The reasons behind the relatively greater difficulty to upgrade Windows XP than Windows Vista lie in the fact that the Windows 7 architecture is a lot more like Windows Vista's than Windows XP's. Software applications and peripheral devices like printers and scanners that work on Vista are likely to work on Windows 7, but the same can't be said for software and peripherals that only work on Windows XP. 

It's logical, then, that the upgrade process from Vista to 7 is likely to interfere little, if at all with software and peripherals that are already installed and working, while the upgrade process from XP to 7 guarantees that most software will need to be completely reinstalled, and that there's a chance a peripheral will be rendered inoperable. 

For these reasons, we're on the side of those that don't recommend attempting to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, particularly when replacing the PC is possible and practical.  For Vista users, provided that an "in-place" upgrade path is available (see chart), we would consider upgrading, particularly if the computer is relatively new.

For those wanting or needing additional "ammo" to make a case for not upgrading, check out this article from Channelweb titled Buy A New Windows 7 System, But Please Don't Upgrade or Who Should Upgrade and Who Should Not from PC Magazine.

PC Magazine has extensive coverage of Windows 7 and has been a trusted source of information on Personal Computing since the industry was in its infancy.