February 21, 2010 -- For most of us the path to Windows 7 will come in one of two ways -- buying a new computer with Windows 7 pre-installed, or upgrading an existing computer running either Windows XP or Vista. While the Windows 7 upgrade choices seem numerous, the first step should be to determine if your present computer hardware and installed software are ready for Windows 7.
To assist in this decision, Microsoft has created a tool called the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor which you need to download, install, and run. The process is the same whether run within XP or Vista.
The report preparation will take several minutes while your hardware and software are reviewed.
The final report will vary slightly depending on your configuration and whether you are now running XP or Vista. For purposes of sample illustrations here, the first results are from a 5-year old Dell Dimension 8400, P4 3.4Ghz, 2 GB RAM, running Windows XP Pro, and the second from an 18-month old HP Compaq Presario F700, AMD TL-58, 1.9Ghz, 2 GB RAM, running Windows Vista Home Premium.
If you are planning on upgrading from XP, since there is no automated in-place upgrade from XP, you will always need to perform a custom installation of Windows 7 and then reinstall all your programs. You will need to backup your data files before you begin the upgrade. Naturally this has been a contentious issue and has likely slowed down the migration to Windows 7.
If your computer is capable of running 64-bit Windows 7, you will be able to view items relating to this. Upgrading from 32-bit Windows to 64-bit Windows 7 will always require a custom installation. In general, if you have a recent Vista computer you should be reasonably successful with eligible Windows 7 upgrades.
Similar reports are produced for installed programs. Cautions, suggestions, and compatibility issues are indicated. This gives you the chance to track down drivers or plan for software upgrades, or possibly hardware upgrades, before you install Windows 7.
Interestingly, if your computer is using an Intel processor, the Upgrade Advisor will also give you the choice to check if your computer hardware supports virtualization technology, a feature used with the optional Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate. Most computers shipped in the last three years will likely have hardware virtualization, but you may have to enable it in the BIOS.
While Microsoft has a Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool, I have found a small utility called SecurAble to work very well with both Intel and AMD processors and provides three useful bits of information, of which Maximum Bit Length and Hardware Virtualization are helpful in your choice when upgrading to Windows 7.
Also be sure to check out the Windows 7 Compatibility Center where you can search for specific software and hardware component compatibility by brand or product name.
--MLJ
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