Questions To Be Consider When Going for Windows 7 upgrade

Whether you’re keen to upgrade to Windows 7 or you just wish to know what to expect if and when you do, there are lots of things to keep in mind.
Can I upgrade directly from XP?
Many users who are still running Windows XP want to know whether they can upgrade to Windows 7 without losing all their data and settings. The answer is, well, sort of. Microsoft doesn’t provide a direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. An in-place upgrade is available only if you’re running Vista SP1 or later. If you have Windows XP, even if your hardware is compatible, you’ll have to perform a clean installation of Windows 7. However, you can use the Microsoft Deployment Tool, which includes the User State Migration Tool, to transfer your user settings for the desktop and applications to the new Windows 7 installation.

Can I do a Vista in-place upgrade?
If you have Windows Vista, remember that you must install SP1 or SP2 before you can perform an in-place upgrade to Windows 7. If you try to upgrade a Vista computer that doesn’t have a service pack installed, you will get a message informing you that to upgrade to Windows 7, the computer needs to be running Vista with Service Pack 1.

Will there be driver compatibility issues?
A big problem in Windows Vista was driver incompatibility. Too many users upgraded their Windows from XP to Vista only to find that a favorite peripheral, such as a printer or scanner, would no longer work. Vista also introduced a new display driver model, WDDM, which required video card vendors to write completely different display and video miniport drivers. And security enhancements in Vista affected how the OS handles drivers. Even though Vista was in development for few years, many hardware vendors did not have Vista drivers ready for all of their products when the OS was released.

Now that Vista has been out for more than two years, most hardware vendors have updated their drivers to work with it. Because Windows 7 uses the same driver models as Vista, the vast majority of hardware devices that work with Vista will work with Windows 7. For Vista drivers that won’t install on Windows 7, you can usually solve the problem by installing in Compatibility Mode. To do this, right-click the driver’s setup file, select Properties, click the Compatibility tab, enable compatibility mode, and select the appropriate operating system from the drop-down box.

Which Windows 7 version shall I choose?
Windows 7 is also comes both Home Basic and Home Premium editions. There is also a Starter edition, which comes with low-powered netbooks.

What if I have applications that won’t run on Windows 7, even in Compatibility Mode?
There may be some XP programs that you can’t get to run on Windows 7, even using Compatibility Mode. However, you may still be able to enjoy all the benefits of Windows 7 without giving up your favorite applications, thanks to a new compatibility tool called XP Mode. XPM is a host-based virtualization solution that will reportedly be made available at no cost to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.

Windows 7 Guide- Changes To Security in Windows 7

Microsoft launched Windows 7 with few enhancements such as HomeGroup, Aero, etc. However, there are several of new and enhanced security features as well. Here’s a rundown of key changes you must know about.

Everyone’s talking about the interface changes, the new taskbar, omission of the sidebar, a new look for Windows Explorer. Under the hood, there are few more changes, including latest and enhanced security features. Let’s look at some security features that have been changed or added in Windows 7.
Action Center- In Vista, security configurations can be access from the Security Center in Control Panel. In Windows 7, you won’t find a Security Center. That’s because it’s been replaced by a new Action Center. The Action Center offers security configurations as well as options for other administrative tasks, such as Backup, Troubleshooting And Diagnostics, and Windows Update.

Windows 7 UAC- User Account Control (UAC) was introduced with Vista, made to provide better protection from malware. It makes all user accounts run as standard users, even administrator accounts. If you need to perform something that requires administrative rights, it asks for permission. And asks. And asks. This in-your-face aspect of UAC has caused numerous complaints and has led some users to turn it off completely, thus exposing themselves to threats.
In Windows 7, UAC is still there, but now you can set up how vocal it will be. There are four settings you configure from the UAC settings in the Action Center. You can set UAC to:
• Always notify you when you install software or make any changes to Windows settings (as Vista does now).

• Notify you when programs make changes but not if you make changes to Windows settings (default Setting).

• Notify you only when programs make changes but turn off Secure Desktop, which dims the desktop while the UAC prompt is displayed. ( Preferred setting.)

• Never notify you. ( Not recommended.)
BitLocker- Windows 7 comes through and allows you to encrypt removable storage drives. And it’s easy to do. Just open the BitLocker applet in Control Panel, choose the drive you want to encrypt, and click Turn On BitLocker.

Windows Filtering Platform- Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) is a set of APIs introduced in Vista. In Windows 7, developers can use it to iinclude some parts of the Windows Firewall into their own programs. This will allow a third-party program to turn off certain parts of the Windows Firewall selectively if need be.

DNSSec- Windows 7 supports for DNSSec (Domain Name System Security), which is a group of extensions to the DNS platform that improved security. With DNSSec, a DNS zone can take advantage of digital signature technology so that you can validate the authenticity of data that’s received.

Microsoft Pulls Windows 7 for Netbooks Tool

In a significant development, software giant, Microsoft, has made a decision to pull its Windows 7 for Netbooks downloading tool. This will be enabled from an online store. This step is touted by some analysts in response to accusations that code for the tool was ripped off from a CodePlex-hosted open-source project. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT), which was the original program, came into being with an intention to help Microsoft make the most out of netbooks' perennial popularity among consumers. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT) was pulled off from the online Microsoft Store since the program had a code from the GPLv2-licensed ImageMaster project. The USB/DVD Download Tool was earlier brought into being as a method for netbook users, without DVD drives on some of them on their devices, in order to install their machines with Windows 7.

The ImageMaster project is has been intensely described as a .Net C# application for reading and writing disc images. Microsoft decided to pull the WUDT from the offerings on the Microsoft Store, even though the "Windows 7 for Netbooks" page still tends to be active without an "Add to Cart" link. It can be recalled that WUDT was initially targeted to make porting Windows 7 onto netbooks a simple process. Netbook users sans DVD drivers can be in a tricky situation. For them the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool will click an ISO image and then make a bootable UDB device which can be used to install Windows. Also, users have to configure their netbook’s BIOS before it can be booted off that USB device or external DVD player. Even though netbooks are popular Redmond said in public that "ultra-thins" have the potential to do a lot more better and can run higher-margin versions of Windows. It has decided to start introducing ultra-thin PCs although a little expensive than netbooks around the time when the year comes to an end.

Microsoft Windows Users and iYogi Predict a Surge in Tech Support for Windows 7 Upgrades

Survey Shows That Nearly Half of Consumers Think Upgrading to a New Operating System Will Require Technical Assistance

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 16, 2009 -- iYogi, the on-demand tech services company with a unique global delivery model, announced today the results of a consumer poll regarding support concerns and predictions for the upcoming launch of the new Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Based on responses from more than 1,000 Windows XP and Windows Vista users, 52 percent think that moving to a new operating system and moving their data is a hassle, suggesting some real frustrations on the near horizon. Nearly half (47 percent) think upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7 may require a call to technical support - potentially causing a huge backlog of support needs

, as up to 40 million copies of Windows 7 are expected to be sold in 2009, according to IDC.

"We predict that more than 40 percent of XP users will generate support calls and inquiries globally this year and even more in 2010 as mass adoption kicks in and people face the prospect of dealing with an entirely new interface," said Vishal Dhar, President Marketing & Co-founder of iYogi. "We estimate twice as many support calls for current windows Xp users than Windows Vista users, since Microsoft Windows XP users will require a 'clean' install including migrating applications, settings and drivers--a potentially arduous, time-intensive task."

Additional survey findings reveal:

58 percent of users think they will or may upgrade to Windows 7, an encouraging number considering some of the backlash surrounding Vista

Only 39 percent of users are aware that Windows 7 is launching soon, suggesting an increased flurry of help questions in the coming months as more people become aware of the upgrade options

iYogi has more has more than 90,000 annual subscribers and provides thousands of single incident sessions every day on a 24/7 basis. Its Global Delivery Platform delivers on the highest customer satisfaction benchmarks in the industry and gets smarter with every customer interaction, building a powerful knowledge base that provides unique customer insights on predictive needs to tech support.

ABOUT IYOGI
iYogi is a global on-demand services company that provides personalized computer support consumers and small businesses in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. iYogi's unique model, including proprietary technology iMantra and highly qualified technicians, is designed to eliminate computer-related stress and keep millions of digitally dependent consumers and small businesses always protected and productive. Only iYogi -- with its proven global expertise delivery model, intelligent customer insight systems, easy-to-use self-help tools and automated PC optimization and computer support services - offers users a simple yet comprehensive path to digital serenity. iYogi has perfected the remote technical support model to overcome the current limitations of in-store, on-site, or call center services to become the fastest growing provider of support in the industry. Major resellers and technology companies are increasingly turning to iYogi to improve customer satisfaction, reduce return rates, and deliver a compelling new-value added offering to customers. For more information on iYogi and a detailed list of technologies supported, visit: www.iyogi.net.

Windows 7 Operating System: Working with devices

Since the first beta of Windows 7 has been a lot of feedback and progress that shows many new functions and features that Windows 7 features, not really an issue that has been covered in detail is the way Windows handles 7 devices.

A new paper recently published in Windows 7 news seen in the many adjustments and improvements offered by Windows 7 for co nnected devices, this article can be viewed here.

First, the installation and configuration of devices has become much easier to perform, instead of having to go through a lot of menus and options for many of the configuration options are now right in front of you.

The entire front end of the connected devices has also been redesigned, this allows all connected devices to be easily visible, all connected devices are now displayed in the Devices section and Printers, this allows easy configuration of devices too.

For a more detailed look of how Microsoft has improved the way Windows handles devices connected to 7 checks out Windows7News.