Microsoft's new operating system, Windows7, is finally here. And, boy, does it look slick. I think I want it, don't I?
(OK, the following is my opinion. If something I say offends someone or some company, sorry. You have a right to your own opinion, even if it is wrong. All trademarks should be recognized and regarded as belonging to whomever they belong to. I'm not trying to steal anything. All typos and grammatical errors are intentional - to see if you are paying attention.)
Here's my first question. Do I need it? Frankly, probably not. If there isn't anything that you "need" to accomplish your daily activities that wasn't available to you in Windows XP or Windows Vista, you probably don't NEED it. There is a lot of marketing behind Windows 7 that may try to convince you otherwise. Fact: Windows 7 is built on Vista, Vista was built from XP. Windows 7 It's like Vista with MANY MANY of the problems fixed, a new coat of paint, and some new furniture. Most of the same things are there, but they might be put away in a different place.
That said, I do recommend choosing Windows 7 for most people when buying a new computer.
It's new, so it has to be better, right? All-in-all it IS better, but, as a general rule, I would not UPGRADE to Windows 7. I would start with fresh, new up-to-date equipment. One of the problems with Windows Vista was that it was marketed to be able to run on "older" equipment, say 2-3 years old at the time Vista hit the market. Well, In my experience, the act of running (turning on and doing computing) is much different that an enjoyable computing experience. Many of the existing computers were significantly underpowered to run Vista. Especially after the security updates were released, and released, and released. It was a dog! Many people wound up spending more money in upgrades just to make it tolerable. Well Microsoft, fool me once!
But, I'll be more productive, right? They moved a lot of stuff around, again! Some for the better, from an organizational point of view, some for convenience, but most just to aggravate me (again)! They did get a lot of things right (finally) while there are still some things which can be improved.
But, it's much more secure, right? Yes. Period. End of statement. The 64-bit version of Windows 7 is very secure compared to its predecessors.
But, it really looks cool, doesn't it? Yes! It looks Way cool! It is way cool.
Here's what you need (the techie stuff) Memory. 4 Gigabytes.
Processor. At least a moderate-level Intel Core2Duo or AMD x2 64 processor. Quad (x4) is better.
Hard disk. Think 320 & up if you like video, music, pictures. Think multiple hard drives if you like video editing. Video card. Consider at least a 256 MB or 512MB separate card. On-board graphics are getting better, but anything less than the newest motherboards will not do a good job for gaming. A basic Video card costs about $75. A decent card might run $150. A cutting-edge video card costs $600! All of these components work together. If you want to enjoy the experience, don't cut corners. Sure, Microsoft claims that Windows 7 will run on a PC much less than this, and it will. But, I promise, you won't be happy. Fortunately, a decent Windows 7 PC will not cost an arm and a leg beyond what was needed to run Vista well. (Note, when Vista arrived, a decent Vista PC cost nearly twice what a capable XP machine cost).
Good News! - Component prices are stagnant. You get more tfor the same dollar than you did last year. CPUs are faster than ever, storage space is cheaper than ever and memory prices are still low. Not so good news - There is very little cost incentive to buy lower performing components. All of the new PCs come with Windows 7 on them, don't they? If you are shopping for a new PC through a retail outlet, yes, that is very likely. If you are ordering one on-line, you may still have a choice. You may have to look at "business" PCs rather than home PCs. If you are a home user, and Windows 7 comes pre-installed on the PC you are interested in, go for it. If you are a business user and will use this PC in a mid-size to large corporate environment, there may be good reasons to stick with XP for now. You can upgrade later if it turns out that you need to. Pay attention to the versions of Windows 7 offered: Common Versions Basic - Yuck! No Aero graphics, no media extras. A step down from XP Home. Home Premium - Good place for a home user to be. Comparable to Vista Home Premium or XP Media Cener. Lacks more complex (corporate) networking tools. Business - Includes tools for corporate networks, lacks media options. Not good for a home/work PC. Ultimate - Expensive. It's a combo of Home Premium & Business with a few extras.
Finally, my advice to you regarding Windows 7. Home users, If you are in the market for a new computer, go for it. Choose Home Premium or Ultimate. Business users, if you don't have special software requirements, Windows 7 will be a welcome improvement. If you are in a corporate environment, you'll need Business or Ultimate if you have a server on your network. Again, if your equipment is not relatively new, don't consider upgrading. Buy new. If your equipment is new enough, do a "clean install" rather than an OS upgrade.
New Info - Most businesses took a pass on Vista for the following reasons, most which have been resolved in Windows 7.
Difficult to implement into work existing work environments and networks - FIXED
The lack of stable device drivers- MOSTLY FIXED
The high rate of software programs that don't work under Vista, if at all. MOSTLY FIXED
Major PC vendors (Dell, HP, etc.) are offering customers "downgrade" options to Windows XP. - Still available but not so much as before
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