the real world

Upgrading to Windows 7 - Your questions answered!

nkrake@therightit.com.au — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:58:45 GMT

#1: What are the system requirements for Windows 7?

The Windows 7 system requirements are very similar to those of Windows Vista, and users running Vista shouldn’t have much problems upgrading to Windows 7.

Here are the base system requirements for Windows 7:

1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) CPU
1GB RAM for 32-bit OS, 2GB RAM for 64-bit OS
16GB hard disk free space for 32-bit OS, 20 GB for 64-bit OS
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Users may want to add one of more of the following:

Internet access
Depending on screen resolution, video playback may need more RAM and more powerful graphics processing unit (GPU)
To use Windows Media Center functionality you will benefit from a TV tuner
To use HomeGroup you will need a network and PCs running Windows 7
DVD/CD burning requires a compatible optical drive
Music and sound will require audio output
Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive

#2: How easy/difficult is upgrading to Windows 7?

How easy or difficult it is to upgrade to Windows 7 depends on what operating system you are starting from.

If you are planning of buying a new PC with Windows 7 pre-loaded then all of your of your hardware issues are sorted right from the start as far as your PC goes. When it comes to hooking up your existing hardware then you might run into issues where something is incompatible (if it worked with Vista, chances are good that it’ll work with Windows 7), or you’ll have to go searching for a driver. As far as software goes, again you might be OK or you might find yourself needing to seek out updates or even buy new software.
If you are upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista then when it comes to hardware you should, on the whole be OK (again, you might need new drivers). Software compatibility should also be very good (be wary of installing programs such as antivirus unless they have been updated … security software is usually the most problematic when changing operating systems).
If you are upgrading to Windows 7 from XP, then beware. Here be tigers! If your PC passes the basic system requirements then you should be OK to run Windows 7, but as far as compatibility of other hardware and software goes, you could find the process to be a smooth one, or you could find it impossible. Also, you’ll want to read #3.

If you are planning on upgrading any Windows-based machine to Windows 7 I suggest that you download and install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft. This handy bit of software will scan your PC and generate a report for you of any compatibility issues that you are likely to encounter.

#3: Is it true that you can’t upgrade directly to Windows 7 from XP?

Unfortunately, yes, it is. If you are a Windows XP user and you want to move to Windows 7 you can’t carry out what Microsoft calls an “in-place upgrade” where you install Windows 7 over the top of your existing OS and get to keep your applications, setting and data. Instead, you have to do what is known as a “clean install” which basically means you are starting from scratch and installing a totally fresh, clean OS.

As annoying as it might be to have to carry out a clean install, it’s always the route I recommend. It’s always best to back up your data, do a clean install, reinstall all your applications and then copy your data back over onto any system when upgrading your operating system. This method offers the best possible start for your new OS experience.

#4: Which edition of Windows 7 do I need?

My blanket advice to people asking me this question is this - If you have to ask the question, then go with the Home Premium edition of Windows 7. This OS is the cheapest consumer edition of Windows 7 and includes everything that the average user will need.

To find out what the different editions have to offer, check out the editions chart over on the Microsoft website.

#5: Should I go for 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7?

If your hardware can handle it, there’s almost no reason preventing you from going 64-bit. If in any doubt about your hardware consult the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft.

The single biggest reason why Windows 7 won't be another Vista

nkrake@therightit.com.au — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:38:34 GMT

You want to know why Windows 7 isn’t going to be another Vista? Here’s one big reason: drivers. This time, hardware makers seem to be keeping pace with the operating system and the hardware.

Case in point: I’ve spent the past three months collecting detailed reports about 10 systems I’ve been using to test-drive the final version of Windows 7. One is a Dell Studio XPS 13 notebook. It’s sleek, fast, and good looking, with some little touches that I’ve really come to like: an illuminated keyboard and automatic logon via facial recognition. But it has also suffered from one nagging issue that other owners of this machine have complained about as well. After resuming from sleep, the wired network connection refuses to work and stays on strike until a restart. The touchpad also occasionally works in erratic fashion, with some pointer movements jittering across the screen.

So I was very pleasantly surprised today when I logged onto Dell’s support site, selected this model from my systems list, and saw a new Windows 7 x64 category. Even better, the available downloads include a new BIOS, date-stamped September 16, and new drivers for the Nvidia chipset, dated today. There are also new drivers (just released yesterday) for the IDT audio subsystem and for the Synaptics touchpad. The QuickSet software that enables hardware buttons has an August date stamp. (There’s no update yet for the Nvidia Nforce network adapter, so I used the Vista x64 model instead.)

How much trouble was it to get all those changes slipstreamed into the system?

It took about 20 minutes (including three reboots) to download all the updates, flash the BIOS, uninstall the old QuickSet and touchpad driver packages, and install the various updated driver packs.

When I was done, I let the system go to sleep and then resumed it; the network was active immediately. And the touchpad now responds smoothly to input.

That sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But it will involve no work for anyone buying this notebook model with Windows 7 already loaded, a configuration that Dell will no doubt offer on this system as soon as they are contractually able to do so. Avoiding the hassle of OS and driver upgrades is a good reason to take Dell up on their Windows 7 Free and Easy Upgrade program. You place the order now, they’ll install Windows 7 and deliver it around October 22. (You don’t pay until it ships.)

I thought it was also interesting to note that for this model Dell includes only x64 drivers. Current models are only available with the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. Judging by this driver update, 32-bit versions of Windows 7 will be at least partially supported.

Back in early 2007, when Windows Vista shipped, hardware makers were struggling to keep up. Early releases of some drivers were unbearably bad, and it took about six to eight months after Vista’s launch for a full selection of decent drivers to appear for many common devices.

Today, two weeks before the launch of Windows 7, the video drivers are ready and waiting. The three biggest names, Nvidia, ATI, and Intel, have recent releases of universal drivers that work shockingly well. That was not the case with Vista. Definitely not. I’ve seen a steady stream of drivers delivered via Windows Update as well, for things like audio adapters and network controllers and fingerprint readers. The system makes an occasional mistake, but those have been extremely rare, in my experience.

At one point this summer, a well-informed source told me that Microsoft expected 8 million people to be actively participating in the Windows 7 beta program at its peak. I imagine that several times that many computers are running it now. If there were significant driver issues, we would have heard the screams by now. But I’m hearing surprisingly few complaints.

Driver hiccups are a natural part of any upgrade cycle. This time, though, most of those hiccups happened quietly offstage, during the three months since mid-July, when hardware makers and system builders got their hands on the final bits. As my experience proved to me today, most hardware makers are ready this time around.

Written by: Ed Bott

Ed is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

View the original article here at ZDNet: