Optimised IT
Windows 7 is the latest and most exciting version of Microsoft Windows yet and was released in October 2009, just three years after Vista. Windows Vista offered a flashy new interface, but its poor performance, and compatibility problems, made some people regret upgrading. In fact, a lot of PC users stuck with Windows XP. Microsoft recognised this, and it looks as if it has listened to consumers’ major complaints with Vista.
Microsoft’s Best Operating System
For want of a better way of describing it, Microsoft has essentially fixed Vista and the result is arguably Microsoft’s best operating system to date. Windows 7 is a sort of streamlined Vista underneath – it looks like Vista; it has the same hardware requirements, and the same hardware compatibility model. However, it works much better than Vista, and most of Vista’s annoyances have either been removed, or (mostly) can be changed so the system works the way you like. It also comes with new features such as HomeGroup, XP Mode, and Bitlocker.
The different available versions for Windows 7 takes a step back from Vista’s confusion with just three main versions – Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. Starter is available only on netbooks.
Below is a table showing what features each version has:
| Version | Media Centre | HomeGroup | XP Mode | Network Support | Bitlocker | 64 Bit version | Max Memory | Max Physical CPUs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | n/a | 1 |
| Home Premium | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | 16Gb | 1 |
| Professional | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 192Gb | 2 |
| Ultimate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 192Gb | 2 |
Before you decide whether to upgrade to Windows 7, check that your computer meets the minimum requirements, and also run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. To run Windows 7 your computer should have the following hardware as a minimum:
- 1GHz processor or faster (32 or 64-bit)
- 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) or 2GB of RAM (64-bit)
- 16 GB of hard disk space for 32-bit or 20GB for 64-bit versions of Windows 7
- DirectX® 9 compatible graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Please be aware though, these are the minimum requirements to run Windows 7. If you would like advice whether to upgrade, or for installation advice, please feel free to contact us.
