THE NEW WINDOWS 7
As of the 22nd of October, 2009, the latest of the Microsoft
operating system versions, Windows 7, has been released. Windows 7 is an
improvement on Windows Vista, however there are several things to consider
before you go rushing out to buy the Redmond company's latest and greatest.
Why
should I get Windows 7?
First of all, an operating system is not something you should
go out and buy just to be on the bleeding edge of technology. It should
fulfill a compelling purpose and be worth the cost (which is not
insignificant) of the operating system, the programs and the time of doing it
(or the time and expense of having it done).
Windows 7 is what
Windows Vista should have been. It's far more secure than Windows
XP, runs faster than Vista, requires somewhat less in computer hardware
than Vista, is a better offering than Vista and you can upgrade Vista directly
without reinstalling all of your programs and data. That said, it runs
slower than Windows XP (on the same machine), costs more than Vista did (there
are different versions of Windows 7, most of which you as a home/small office
user won't need) , and requires a "clean install" for Windows
XP. That means your hard drive has to be erased and you start over.
So
why should you get Windows 7? If you have a relatively new computer
(bought since June of 2009), that came preinstalled with Vista, and have a
free Windows 7 upgrade license, then upgrading to Windows 7 makes sense.
If your computer is slower than dirt on Vista and/or your experience with
Vista sucks, you should upgrade to Windows 7.
Beyond
that, stick with XP or your older Vista installation, back up your data
regularly and wait for your computer to die, then get a new computer with
Windows 7 preinstalled. It makes no financial sense to 'upgrade' the
operating system of your computer if what your computer can do now is
adequate to your current and immediate future needs.
What version of Windows 7 should I get?
There are six versions of Windows 7. Three of which are relevant
to the 'normal user'. The three are Home Premium, Professional and
Ultimate. The MSRP for these versions to upgrade an existing computer
are $119.99, $199.99 and $219.99.
No one NEEDS the Ultimate
version if you are a home or small office user unless you operate with a multitude
of languages and require encryption (Note: Microsoft ensures the Federal
government has your encryption keys, so if you want to keep things from the
government in the event your computer is seized, Windows 7 will not do that
for you). This narrows down the choices to Professional or Home
Premium. While you can upgrade any version of Vista to any version of
Windows 7, the rule of thumb is like for like. If you have Vista Home
Basic or Home Premium, get Windows 7 Home Premium. If you have Vista
Business, get Windows 7 Professional.
Just be aware that though
you CAN put your old programs on the same computer, unless you have Windows 7
Professional or better, older XP programs may not work. For a
compatibility tool to check what programs will or won't work, download and run
the Microsoft
Upgrade Advisor first. If your XP programs are listed as not
compatible, you may be out of luck. If it's questionable, you can try
the upgrade and see if it works. If so, great. If not, you can't
take the program or the operating system back. Check the Internet for
solutions (Google the name of your program, the Windows 7 version you are
considering and the word 'compatibility' and see what comes up.)
If
you pay more than the listed prices for the version you want, you're probably
getting the full edition rather than the upgrade edition. The full
edition is fine if you're starting from scratch on a new computer. It's
not worth it to put a new operating system on a computer that's a year old or
older unless it's vital or corrects a problem with the existing operating
system.
One final note:
For those of you out there who remember Windows 95, the
transition from Windows 95 through Windows XP has been pretty steady.
There were some new things in each new operating system which needed to be
learned, but by and large, the way you got around and looked at things was
roughly the same, depending on your settings. Not so for Windows
7. There are major changes from XP to 7 (with those changes being
somewhat less for the switch from Vista to 7) of which you should be
aware. There is a definite and steep learning curve to overcome before
you will get comfortable again. Some of these changes are cool, some are
not. Overall Windows 7 is a decent operating system but if you already
have a computer that runs and does what it's supposed to do for you, Windows 7
is well worth the wait.
