Ready for Windows 7? Try the Upgrade Advisor

When it comes to upgrading Windows lately, it is not uncommon to encounter skeptics.  The previous version of Windows, Vista, caused many headaches when it came time to upgrade from Windows XP.

Computer hardware and software incompatibilities and inconsistent hardware recommendations plagued users and system administrators alike.  Microsoft turned out a software utility that scanned a computer’s hardware and software list, and advised if a machine was capable of upgrading to Vista.

However, there were times that this tool gave positive feedback, only to the have the person upgrading, experience frustration after the fact.

The basic premise of Microsoft’s Upgrade Advisor utility is to give the user the best data available to assist in their decision with an upgrade to the next operating system.

It lists the hardware and software on a person’s computer as compatible, or incompatible, based upon the data that Microsoft has at the time the tool is released for public use.  Though it is not iron clad, it does serve as an excellent primer to help you make an upgrade decision.

The installation file for the Upgrade Advisor can be located on Microsoft’s site (found here).  A small eight and a half megabyte download, and a quick installation routine later, and you are ready to scan your computer.  The upgrade scan can take a little while, depending on how many programs are installed on your computer and how many hardware devices you have.

When you start the Upgrade Advisor utility, and prior to the actual computer scan, take note of the notification on the first screen.  In order for the scan to be as efficient as possible, all hardware should be connected to your computer during the scan.

Of course everything inside of your Windows computer is covered, but check to ensure that any USB devices (hard drives, printers, or other USB device), or other externally connected hardware is plugged in and turned on.

While the scan is running, you might read the bottom of the scanning screen.  In the lower right-hand corner, there is a hyperlink to Microsoft’s Windows 7 Compatibility website.  This may help if you have further questions regarding whether or not your software and hardware is useable with Windows 7.

When the scan is complete, you will be presented with a results screen.  Looking down the left-hand side of this window, you may notice some blue information circles, yellow triangles, red X’s, and green checkmarks.  The right-hand side of this window gives details about each marked item.

In order to understand the colored icons translate, a quick breakdown is needed.  The blue circle icons are for informational purposes.  The details of these, shown in the right-hand column, let you know what type of changes are necessary, but are not show stoppers.

The yellow triangles are warnings to show that you may lose certain functionality if the matter is not addressed.  The example above shows the limitations of the graphics card affecting the Windows Aero interface.

The green checkmarks mean that these selections have been labeled compatible.  Of course it never hurts to check with Windows Update (shown above).  Now the red X’s means that the hardware or software flagged red will not work with Windows 7 and should be upgraded or replaced.  These items will most likely cause problems during or after the upgrade.

Moving further down the list, we proceed from hardware into the software side of the Advisor.  Here we encounter a mix of problems with our currently installed software.  As with the hardware area, the right-hand side of this section will show further detail as to why a particular program is incompatible or needs updating.

In the above image is something that can become problematic.  When the upgrade advisor makes statements which say, “You may experience issues running this program…”, be cautious.

While it might be a simple matter of upgrading to the latest version of the software in question, it is entirely possible that the software producer does not have a Windows 7 compatible version released, yet.

Though the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor does not create an entirely black and white checklist for an upgrade, it does serve as a guide to get one from XP, or Vista, to the latest operating system release from Microsoft.

Ultimately, you will have to make the decision as to if it makes sense to correct all the problems the Advisor found, or to purchase a new computer outright, with Windows 7 pre-loaded.