Vista to Win7?

[DaveSims]

My PC is about 2-3 years old and came with Vista for the OS.  I have often contemplated whether it would be worth the money and effort to have the computer upgraded to Windows 7.  Talking to various IT people, they suggest the best way to do the switch is a complete wipe of the computer and start over, but really hesitate to do that and have to reinstall all of my applications and everything.  Any ideas?

[Chris Cosgrove]

Hi Davysims,

Vista to Win 7 is supposed to be treated as an upgrade operation, so you SHOULD not have to re-install everything afterwards, but back up EVERYTHING of value ( including your bookmarks / favourites and your e-mail contact list ) first - just in case. I regret I cannot speak from personal experience because I missed out on Vista flavoured Windows. I went straight from XP to Win 7, and that is a complete re-install.

Have you looked at the MS service site for info on your particular version of Vista ? You should be able to get a definite answer there.

For what it's worth, it is almost certainly worth the effort to upgrade. Win 7 is a very stable operating system, and is the quickest booting version of Windows ever. If you haven't already acquired an installation disc, do try and get one that includes SP 1. Any current one should include it, and it cuts down the number of post-install updates !

Best of luck,

Chris Cosgrove   ;)

[ozzy72]

If in doubt could I recommend a trip to the MS website, it amazingly covers all you need to know
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/wind ... -windows-7

[DaveSims]

Looking at MS website, it will cost $119 for the download version to upgrade.  Next question, is it worth it?

[ftldave]

Is it worth it? Actually, only you can answer that question. Is Vista working okay on your present system? Win7 is going to be quicker, faster, a little smoother, just a better designed operating system. But if Vista isn't giving you any real problems that need to be fixed, I'd spend that money on something else, maybe some new planes or scenery. Microsoft's history is interesting in that it's usually the second generation of their operating systems that are truly successful. Like Windows 95 followed by the popular Windows 98, and later Windows 2000 which was okay, but its follow-on Windows XP became the real standard. Same thing happened with Vista, then Windows 7.

[Groundbound1]

I'll say this... I just started using a Win7 machine, and even as reluctant as I am to embrace change, I have to say it doesn't suck. It might be worth it when you consider that Vista is basically Win7 that was released WAY too early. If you do decide to go with 7, I would also recommend a full wipe and reinstall. I know it's a pain in the butt, but it's the option with the fewest chances for messing things up. (Besides, a 7 full install disk can be purchased for about $100 from Newegg.)