This means that all XP programs and settings will have to be re-installed as part of the conversion to Windows 7. That adds time and expense to the process, to say nothing of the increased complexity. The good news is that XP converts still only have to purchase an upgrade license to migrate to Windows 7, which is a considerable savings over the cost of the full application license.
Another plus, Windows 7 will support full "XP Only" application compatibility by installing a virtual copy of XP inside of Windows 7. From the user's perspective these programs will operate as they did in XP but can be handled as if they were Vista / Windows 7 programs. In other words, the start menu, task bar pinning, and other similar updated features are functional. This installation option extends the useful life of many older programs, like accounting and graphics programs, that have may not been upgraded over the years, but are essential to the operation of many smaller businesses. One caveat – there are increased system requirements that you should investigate- particularly the need for at least two gigs of memory.
Another consideration before moving to Windows 7 from XP is that the operating system will not allow a backward path to the older operating system. A fresh install of XP will be needed to accomplish this. There is no such restriction to the path from Windows 7 back to Vista. The good news is that because of the extensive testing of Windows 7 and the fact that Microsoft listened very carefully to their user base, unlike Vista, there should be very little pressure to downgrade.
Several of us at AtNetPlus have been working with the various pre-release versions of it and we all are impressed with its quality. Maybe Microsoft is learning from past mistakes. At any rate October 22, the official release date, should see a very strong move to this latest operating system from Microsoft. In the remaining weeks leading up to the release, we plan to blog about Windows 7 related issues. We feel it's important to make an educated decision regarding when to upgrade and how to upgrade.
To cap off our discussion, on October 6, 2009, AtNetPlus will also host a special edition of ‘Talk it over Tuesday’ on Windows 7. Join us and be ready for the big changes that are coming. You can register for any of our events at www.atnetplus.com/events.
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