Home / Windows 7 launches - Time to upgrade?

Windows 7 launches - Time to upgrade?

From the RealWorld archive · Published 2009-10-22.

Microsoft's long awaited replacement for Windows Vista has hit the shelves today. As long as your machine meets at least the following specifications you will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 :
  • 1GHz or faster processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16 GB available HD space
  • DirectX 9 graphics
Initial signs are that Windows 7 will not get the reaction that Vista received, with Amazon stating that Windows 7 has been their biggest ever single back-order item surpassing the previous record set by the Harry Potter book. There are however a few considerations when deciding whether to upgrade:
  • Current Windows XP users can not upgrade without performing a 'clean' install, which involves backing up your data and erasing the drive.
  • Current Vista users can perform an 'in-place' upgrade which will retain their programs, files and settings.
  • Consider the cost of the upgrade, currently £79.99 for the Home Premium edition and £169.99 for the Professional version, agains the cost of a new PC.
  • Most PC manufacturers will revise their lines over the next few days and all new machines will come pre-installed with Windows 7.
  • If you are considering an operating system upgrade, such as the Windows 7 upgrade, you should also consider other systems available such as Apple's OS X Snow Leopard and the free Linux platform.
In our experience of Windows 7 over the course of the past 6 months of beta testing, we are confident that Windows 7 will be more popular with users than Vista and offers the highest level of built-in security by default seen in any Microsoft desktop operating system. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like any advice on upgrading to Windows 7.