Is it worth up grading to windows 7

A client recently emailed to ask: Is it worth up grading to from Vista to Windows 7?

We installed windows Vista for this client about 18 months ago (despite my better judgement and recommendations). After installing the new PC with Vista we had a really tough time getting their computer working with their older software and hardware (Eventually they purchased a new printer/scanner and the most recent version of Quickbooks to get everything working).

They later agreed with me that we should have stuck with windows XP, but we were well past regrets at that point. I realize in retrospect I should have perhaps been more forceful with my insistence that they stick with XP, but sometimes clients overrule my better judgement and do what they think is best. And sometimes I have to let them.

The short answer to the clients question now was again No, Despite my dislike of Windows Vista it's working, lets not mess with success. However should we need to add any new computers to the office in the future, Windows 7 will be the way we go.

Overall I'm pretty happy with Windows 7, and based on the rate of questions and problems I'm hearing from clients where I am installing it, it's doing fairly well.

I'm a strong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" if your computer is working, working well, and you're doing what you need to get done with it, why take any additional risks at all? I don't care if you're running Windows XP or Vista - if it's working for you (and of course that includes being safe and secure), then I would not upgrade to Windows7.

That being said, Microsoft announced this week it was retracting software support and updates for Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 applied) this summer, so if the upgrade is to avoid missing out on crucial security updates, then I am a fan of "Fix it if you know it's GOING to break."

If you want to upgrade just because you dislike the Vista user interface changes, Windows 7 is not likely to help; it's much more like Vista than XP. If that's a serious issue for you, then you might consider actually downgrading to XP, for as long as that's available. (Though, of course, my real recommendation is to learn to accept the new interface, since presumably at some point Windows XP will no longer be an option for any number of reasons.) There are also some tweaks you can adjust in Vista and 7 that let it look more like XP.

If you have "older peripherals" - things like printers that have been around for a few years, you'll want to ensure that they're actually supported by Windows 7 before deciding if it's right for you. Vista was notorious for not supporting older software OR hardware, Windows 7 is better, but still don't expect your 1984 HP BubbleJet to work.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you're getting a new machine, then by all means get Windows 7 preinstalled. That's a particularly easy recommendation since pre-installed OS's bypass a number of the issues people might run into with an upgrade.

But if perhaps for some other specific reason, you just want the latest and greatest (You know who you are). The important point here is that as long as your machine meets the requirements I'm not going to wave you off and say you shouldn't.

As I've alluded to above, I feel strongly that the safest approach is a reformat/reinstall - or rather:

• Backup your computer
• Reformat your hard disk (as part of the Windows 7 setup process)
• Install Windows 7 from scratch
• Reinstall your other applications
• Restore your data

As you can see that's a bit of work. But in my experience, it's the safest approach, and has the highest probability of resulting in a working machine with all the unnecessary stuff that accumulated prior removed.

The one option I don't recommend is to run an upgrade installation, if it's even available. If you are running Windows XP, this isn't an option, but if you're running appropriate versions of Windows Vista you can have the Windows 7 installed upgrade in place, preserving all the installed applications, data and settings. In my experience, if there's going to be a problem with an upgrade, this is where it occurs.

The bottom line is that Windows 7 is a fine operating system, and I'm quite happy with it. I have no hesitations recommending it, with the caveats above.

Did you know Microsoft has sold 90 Million copies of Windows 7 in the last 4 months?