Tools to tell whether Windows 7 will work with your stuff

end user ^ | October 20, 2009 | Todd Bishop

[george76]

Here's some important information for anyone thinking about upgrading to Microsoft's new Windows 7 on an existing machine, or using an existing device or peripheral (such as a printer or camera) with a new Windows 7 PC.

Microsoft today released a new version of its Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which scans a computer to see if it can run the new operating system; along with a Windows 7 Compatibility Center, letting you see if your devices will work with Windows 7.

Although many people will get Windows 7 when they buy new PCs, the automated Windows 7 Upgrade Adviser will help those who want to install it on machines currently running Windows Vista or the older Windows XP.

[rabscuttle385]

The upgrade policies have changed. All you need to upgrade to any version of Windows 7 is an activated copy of any version of XP or Vista. Once you have your Home version of Win7 installed you can choose to upgrade to Professional or Ultimate directly from Windows. You get another key and the new features are turned on. You don't need to re-install anything.

Tempting, but five XP boxes still requires two Family Packs ($300) and that's before I have to purchase keys to then upgrade to Professional. Oh, and not to mention the clean installs.

I'll pass. All our XP boxes are quite stable, patched, and sitting behind a hardware firewall. If I wanted to spend money, I'd get some APC uninterruptible power supplies and licenses for DeepFreeze before upgrading to Windows 7.