Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?

 On October 22, Windows 7, the latest operating system from Microsoft, will be available in retail outlets and on TechSoup. In this first article in a two-part guide to Windows 7, we’ll help you decide whether Windows 7 is right for your organization. For tips for acquiring and upgrading Windows 7, see Part 2, Upgrading to Windows 7: Steps and Checklist .

Advanced and novice users alike have given Windows 7 overwhelming positive reviews. Microsoft’s latest operating system offers wide-ranging benefits, including improved program compatibility, better search functionality, and more flexible security options. Moreover, if your users are already using Vista, they will be comfortable with Windows 7’s interface.

Yet upgrading your operating system is a complex undertaking, one that requires planning, deliberation, and user buy-in. Whether you are a systems administrator or a technology decision-maker, it’s important to invest some time in asking not only whether upgrading to Windows 7 makes sense for your organization, but how — and over what sort of time frame — you might go about implementing it.

To this end, we’ve come up with four questions you can use to help you decide whether Windows 7 is a good fit for your organization, and how you might begin installing it.

1. Does Your Hardware Support Windows 7?

First of all, you should confirm that your computers can support Windows 7. Windows 7’s systems requirements are the same as those of Vista, meaning that a new computer (three years old or less) that came with Vista or was downgraded to Windows XP will be able to run Windows 7. Requirements are different for the 64-bit version of Windows 7, which offers more memory capacity and is more “future-proof” (in other words, is designed to accommodate more complex applications in the future). Specifically, these requirements are:

• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1 GB (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit) RAM
• 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit) minimum free hard disk space

You can confirm your computer’s specifications by going to My Computer on your desktop or on the Start menu and right-clicking Properties. (A quick way to access this is also via the Window-icon key on your keyboard if it is there, and “Pause/Break” on the upper right hand side of your keyboard.)

Microsoft’s downloadable Windows Upgrade Advisor tool can also run some diagnostics on your computer to determine whether your computer’s components meet minimum specifications:

Here, for example, the Upgrade Advisor notes that the computer is running XP and would require a data backup and program reinstallation, also called a custom install (more on this under Question 4). It meets the basic requirement of 1 GB for the 32-bit version, but lacks sufficient free disk space.

If your hardware does not meet basic requirements for Windows 7, but you are planning to upgrade components to meet them, you are better off upgrading components like video card and memory on your existing operating system before upgrading to Windows 7. With the possible exception of a hard-disk replacement (on which you would have to install a new OS anyway) you would want to verify that the new hardware works on your existing operating system first, then run the upgrade advisor to determine that the new hardware will work with Windows 7.  This way, you’ll be sure that your new hardware works with your previous operating system, and you can proceed to find the appropriate drivers for them for Windows 7.

2. Will Your Programs Run on Windows 7?

Regardless of whether you are planning an in-place upgrade (where you install Windows 7 over your Vista installation), or a clean install (where you install a fresh new copy of the operating system), you should find out if your programs are compatible with Windows 7. The Windows Upgrade Advisor can also identify any potential issues with programs installed on your computer. Major vendors like Symantec, Adobe, and Intuit have had access to Windows 7 and have been testing it on the new operating system. TechSoup has gathered additional information from our donating partners, and more information can be found on the third-party software compatibility page.

If your organization’s computers aren’t standardized (in other words, if not every computer in your office runs the same programs), you may need to survey your users or use a free program like Spiceworks IT Desktop to determine what programs are running on your machines. Note that for programs that affect basic system functionality, like remote login managers or software that restores system states, you should take extra precautions in testing and verifying compatibility in order to determine how an upgrade might affect basic operations at your organization.

If you have programs that run on XP only, Microsoft is including a specialized “XP Mode” for Windows 7 Professional version and higher. This XP-guest virtual machine runs within Windows 7, but is tightly integrated with the host machine. You will be able to launch your Virtual XP applications directly from Windows 7, and print from it as if it were a Windows 7 program. If your favorite donor-management program isn’t yet compatible with Windows 7, for example, you can use this XP Mode to use it on your upgraded machine.

3. Would Your Organization Benefit from Windows 7’s New Features?

In addition to Windows 7’s widely praised user interface enhancements (including better function groupings and more intuitive navigation), the new operating system includes many “under the hood” improvements.

For organizations currently without a server, for instance, Windows 7 includes more simplified networking options such as HomeGroup, which allows users to share files and peripherals over a network. The Backup and Restore feature is improved from Vista’s, with a better interface and granularity, and vastly improved from XP’s basic Backup utility. For notebook computers, Windows 7 offers better power-management features for extended life, and easier wireless connectivity. Solid-state drives (SSD) will enjoy longer lifespan and faster performances thanks to new instructions sets in Windows 7. Notebook and desktops alike will also benefit from the energy-saving features of Windows 7. IT support such as consultants will benefit immensely from the new Problem Steps Recorder, which records the actions a user takes when encountering a problem (like, for example, during installation of a program) so they can troubleshoot it easier.

If you decide that these features aren’t relevant to your organization at the moment, if your users aren’t ready for Windows 7’s new user interface, or if you haven’t budgeted for the new hardware or software, Extended Support for Windows XP does not retire until 2014, and Vista’s three years after that.

4. Would an In-Place Upgrade or a Custom Install Make More Sense for Your Organization?

Once your nonprofit has decided to make the leap to Windows 7, you have two options for implementing it on your machines: an in-place upgrade or a custom install.

In an in-place upgrade, your existing system settings, as well as your installed applications and user settings, are preserved. To begin upgrading, you would simply run the Windows 7 install DVD from within Vista. This method requires minimal reconfiguration, and you won’t need to reinstall your programs on upgraded machines. The in-place upgrade process from Vista to Windows 7 is very similar to that of XP to Vista. Note that in-place upgrade is only available for current Vista users; XP users will need to perform a custom install.

A custom install, in contrast, involves booting up the computer using the Windows 7 install DVD, and selecting a specific partition or hard disk on which to install. A custom install will install a brand new OS on your computer. If you do not delete or reformat your partitions, some of your data and settings will remain intact in a newly created C:\Windows.old folder.

 

(If you upgrade from Windows XP to Vista first, then from Vista to Windows 7, there will also be a C:\Windows.old.000 folder.)

If you are upgrading from XP, or if you are moving from a 32-bit to 64-bit system, or vice versa, you will need to do a custom install. If you are deciding between 32-bit and 64-bit, and have to do a custom install anyway, it is strongly advised that you choose the 64-bit version. At the most basic level, a 32-bit operating system is limited to about 3 GB of RAM. By not migrating to the 64-bit version, you would be denying yourself one of the most affordable upgrades you can perform on your computer. For more information, read this Microsoft FAQ on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

The following chart compares the pros and cons of custom install versus in-place upgrade:

	Pros	Cons
In-Place Upgrade	- Programs don’t need to be reinstalled. - Potentially less time consuming.	If original system was not clean or maintained, these problems may carry over to the upgraded system.
Custom Install	New operating system is likely to be faster and more responsive.	- Time-consuming to reinstall. - Must reinstall all applications. (And therefore you will need to have the original, working startup disks for these.)

Ready to upgrade? In the second part of this series on Windows 7, Upgrading to Windows 7: Steps and Checklist, we will offer tips for acquiring and upgrading to the new operating system.