Windows 7: To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade

Launch day for Windows 7 is just a few days away. So you might be wondering whether you need to plop down between $120 and $220 for the new OS, buy a new computer, or maintain your status quo.

Before you make any decisions, you should check your computer’s compatibility, as well as that of your peripherals, with Microsoft’s Upgrade Advisor.

Then, find the description of your situation below and proceed accordingly:

You’re happy with your current system and OS. Save your money, at least for now. Sure, Windows 7 has some new interface tweaks that we think are pretty cool. But any time you upgrade, there’s a potential for unpredictable problems. So why mess with success? Meanwhile, however, always download any critical Windows updates. Make sure you’re using the latest version of your browser. And if you don’t have any security software running, install a free antivirus program. We recommend Avira AntiVir.  Alternatively, Microsoft just released its free antivirus/antispyware software, Microsoft Security Essentials.

You’re a Vista user frustrated with its performance. Get the upgrade if your system is compatible. Windows 7 is more stable than Vista and it’s got a good number of ease-of-use enhancements. And as a bonus, you’ll get a grip on those frustrating User Account Controls, since Windows 7 provides options for different levels of settings. 

You recently bought a new computer and qualify for a free upgrade. Get your upgrade. Most computer manufacturers are offering free Windows 7 upgrades to those who bought Vista-based computers from late June through this coming January. Be sure to register for the upgrade, and keep in mind that you might have to pay shipping and other costs to have the software sent to you. But keep in mind that the Windows 7 upgrade option does not apply to Vista Basic-based computers.

You’re an XP user. If your computer is no more than four years old and running Windows XP, and you want to upgrade to Windows 7, run the upgrade advisor. If you’re cleared for Windows 7, you can upgrade, but you’ll first have to either install Vista or backup and then erase the contents of your hard drive before moving to Windows 7.

Retail versions of Windows 7 cost $120 for Home Premium; $200 for Professional; and $220 for Ultimate. Eligible college students can grab an upgrade for just $30 until early January at www.win741.com. —Donna Tapellini

Comments

[joseph kosuda]

It is literally comparing a 30% improvement, to a 300%* improvement.

-Win7 offers little "performance" increase that couldn't be dwarfed by-

- simply reinstalling 'Win XP' Fresh (like you are supposed to do as regular maintenance once a year) AFTER BACKING UP YOUR FILES!

- or just building a better computer from scratch (such as can be done buy buying a dual core/ triple core/ or quad core processor - bundled with the correct motherboard and ram - at pc parts stores like 'newegg'.

In fact for the cost of this Win7 ultimate you can buy the AMD parts mentioned above for the same $220 dollars. Turning your system into possibly a 9Ghz* speed processor.

[joseph kosuda]

Win7 benifits are skin deep - that's about it. It looks nice.

That said so does Ubuntu/Mint7/or any modern Apple OS.

There is a massive archive of FREE programs now available for XP. From sites like filehippo etc.

Not for Win7.

This is an old repetitious attempt to nickle and dime consumers into having to purchase new program software and upgrades for Win7 systems.

Ubuntu would be a FREE Operating System Upgrade ( I prefer Mint7) it can be burnt onto a disk with a free download, and tried without installing to see if you like it.

You can even have BOTH OS's (Win/Ubuntu) on your system and at start up choose which you want to use.

Ubuntu offers performance boosts slightly better than Win7, and doesn't require 3GB or preferably 4GB of RAM to work as fast as it can.

-Win7 like Vista sacrifice security (to Microsoft and Govt/Corporate spying).

Most importantly, you don't attempt minor performance improvements with software fixes - when existing hardware improvements for the same cost offer vastly more speed and performance.

It is literally comparing a 30% improvement, to a 300%* improvement.

-Win7 offers little "performance" increase that couldn't be dwarfed by-

- simply reinstalling 'Win XP' Fresh (like you are supposed to do as regular maintenance once a year) AFTER BACKING UP YOUR FILES!

- or just building a better computer from scratch (such as can be done buy buying a dual core/ triple core/ or quad core processor - bundled with the correct motherboard and ram - at pc parts stores like 'newegg'.

In fact for the cost of this Win7 ultimate you can buy the AMD parts mentioned above for the same $220 dollars. Turning your system into possibly a 9Ghz* speed processor.

Then there is the whole 'defense of capitalism' argument, since Microsoft is a known monopoly, repeat convicted career criminal, and NSA spy partner.

To state the obvious, corporate monopoly is the definition of anti-capitalism. Why encourage 1 cent going to Microsoft anything?

[John]

Windows 7 - no way. Vista runs fine if you have half a brain to go in a adjust the settings yourself. Don't use the default settings.

Windows 7 boots faster - is that worth $200 to save 2-3 minutes a day?

Windows 7 more stable? I have been running Vista for over 2 years with no crashes or problems.

XP OUTDATED!

Apple OS - They don't tell you in those commedrials that the Apple OS is on VERSION 11!

[Andy Prince]

I just completed the upgrade to Windows 7 from XP. I did NOT lose any data kept in My Documents, or the computer settings, and I did NOT format the HD. I did this with a Family-Pack Home Premium upgrade package that has 3 licenses for $120 or $40 per upgrade. Worked out pretty good for me. Results may vary :)

[Rich Wallck]

Whoa, Consumer Reports where is Linux in your discussion of "upgrading" your computer? Why consider Windows 7 at all; it is simply Vista (mostly the same code) with a batch of usability fixes. Before spending any money to "upgrade" to Windows 7, it is fairly easy to try a live Ubuntu Linux distribution. No need to install anything, just download, install on CD or flash drive and boot it; take it for a test ride. I got rid of the Vista that came on my Acer and on my wife's HP and installed Ubuntu on both without a hitch (karmic distribution.) It was actually easier than when I had to re-install Vista -- very, very surprising to me. We have better performance and way better security. (If you do on-line banking you may want to keep a live Linux cd or flash drive to boot off of when doing anything requiring security on the Internet regardless of which Windows O/S you have installed.)

We also saved quite a bit by going to OpenOffice for word processing and spreadsheets.

Now if I could only get my money back for the two copies of Vista that came with my portables -- guess the fact that Vista is defective and unsafe doesn't mean much.

[PulSamsara]

No Thanks-
I'll squeeze the last drops of life out of my XP -
Just waiting for my cloud OS to come along...

[Kevin B]

I installed Windows 7 over Vista this week with no problems. Took about 4 hours - but I have a lot of software. Never had any big problems with Vista. Don't know if deals are still available but I ordered my Windows 7 upgrade back in July from Newegg and it only cost $50 for the Premium version.

[mary lou]

In Vista there is a search box above the start button. If you will type the word, "prefetch," crap will come up in the bigger box. Click on Prefetch now at the top of the page to open. Then go to organize, select all, and delete everything Vista will let you delete. Do the same with the word, "temp," then the word, %temp% to get a lot of crap off your computer, and do it regularly. Amazing...

[Steve]

I have two Vista Home Premium (64-bit) machines. I wasn't having any trouble with them, but I decided to upgrade to Windows 7 because of its reported improved stability. I upgraded both computers today without any problems that I know of. They seem a bit faster booting up now. Otherwise, I don't see much difference in performance.

[Sarah]

I am just now getting a new laptop (I only have a desktop), but I have been a Windows XP user for years now. I will have no trouble with setting everything up, but will it be very hard to adjust to using Windows 7?

[John Wagner]

The most common complaint about Vista is the User Account control window that pops up every time you install software or make a change to your system. What amazes me is this is very easy to turn off. Just go to Control Panel, User Accounts and in the last choice on the main list is Turn User Account Control on or off. If you get annoyed by the message warning you that you have turned of User Account Controls you can turn that off as well.

At its core, Vista is a stable and secure operating system. In order to get the most out of Vista, it is critical that you peform all recommended updates and that you be on Service Pack 1 at a minimum. Service Pack 2 is available but doesn't always install automatically. Search Microsoft's website for Vista Service Pack 2 download to install this update.

If you want Vista to perform at its peak, do a Google search for the Top Ten Vista Tweaks. If you use the Vista Search function, you won't want to turn of indexing; otherwise turn it off as it makes a big difference.

The other problem with Vista is all the junk software loaded on at the factory by the PC manufacturer that you probably don't need or use. Get rid of it.

Set up properly Vista is now a superiro operating system that will never recover from its original bad press.

[Dennis Connors]

If you cannot afford a Mac and your system is compatible, "upgrade" to Windows 7.

Windows 7 is what Vista should have been from the beginning. All the special deals out there equate to nothing more than Microsoft's obscure acknowledgement that Vista was prematurely released (should never have gone out the door). At least Microsoft fixed it in Windows 7.

When at MS, I (along with many colleagues) was certain that Vista would bring the computing world to its knees with its unreasonable (for the time) system requirements and aggressive marketing. Thankfully, the tech community had the wisdom to wait.

Don't forget Linux for older machines. The Ubuntu flavor works fast & flawlessly on my venerable PC (circa 2001) and there are enough applications available (ALL FREE) that make my machine compatible with Office; and I don't miss the games enough to risk moving back to Windows.

Should we wait for Windows 7 Service Pack 1? Maybe...

[Robert]

I have two desktops and one laptop with Windows XP and no plans to upgrade (only one would be compatible anyway). Windows 7 is interesting, but I think my first experience with it will be on a netbook.

[Frustrated too]

Amen.

Same here. Microsoft owes all Vista users. Sub 30 is generous based on all the program issues I dealt with from upgrading from XP

[Michael_LaBorde]

For those of you getting a new computer or frustrated with the junk so you don't seem to be able to eliminate on your current one, download a free product called "Decrapifier". It is safe and specially designed to effectively and harmlessly delete all those trial programs and other annoying stuff that is pre-loaded on new computers. You get to select what you want to eliminate. I used it when my wife got a new computer a couple of months ago and it worked like a charm.

[Michael_LaBorde]

There is another Windows 7 upgrade option that may make sense for some people. This is to get what is called the OEM version. It is cheaper than either the full or upgrade editions of Windows 7 and comes in all the different Windows 7 versions. For instance Windows 7 Home Premium OEM version sells for 109.99. The downside is that, while you will have a fully licensed copy of Windows 7, you get no support from Microsoft beyond standard updates and service packs. Should you have problems installing or configuring it, you will be on your own in finding solutions.

While not for everyone, the OEM edition makes sense for people who are computer-savvy and capable of doing whatever troubleshooting and research they may need to do to solve computer problems. Places like Newegg are selling these Windows 7 versions.

[Greg Krohne]

Unless you're upgrading from Vista, you'll have to backup everything, format the hard drive, and reinstall *every* application from scratch. That alone makes the upgrade more painful than it's worth.

[Johnathan]

I had Avira AntiVir installed on my PC for about a year and I recently uninstalled it and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. I have seen a dramatic improvement to my PC's Boot time since installing Microsoft Security Essentials, and I would highly recommend it to anyone that owns a PC that runs Windows.

[Mike Wyman]

I fall in the "You’re a Vista user frustrated with its performance" camp, having bought a $2500 Sony Vaio in January, 2007 which came with a "free" Vista Business upgrade. My life has been agony since I upgraded to Vista. Twice I've had to do a fresh install of Vista to get the computer acceptably functioning.

There is no way I'm going to shell out $200 to correct Microsoft's and Sony's shortcomings. I feel I am due a free upgrade (or at least one with a sub-$30 price tag.)

Vista is the primary reason that I pushed my non-technical wife to getting a Mac earlier this year. There is no way would she have put up with all those pop-up warnings (and crap-ware that comes pre-installed on most Windows PCs).