Oct. 13, 2009 ---

Written by Russ Levanway, SLO Chamber TAC Committee

Windows 7 is on the way

The release date for Windows 7 is October 22nd. This is exciting news for many of us who have been eagerly awaiting a replacement for Windows Vista, which was officially released on January 30th, 2007. 

As you may have heard or experienced yourself, Windows Vista has not performed up to expectations, especially in business environments. For a typical home user, Vista has performed reasonably well.  However, in a business environment, numerous compatibility and stability issues caused Vista to fall short of meeting key operational requirements. 

Indeed, due to Vista’s numerous problems, only about 10% of business computers were using Windows Vista by the middle of this year.  Many businesses tried deploying Vista then rolled back to Windows XP.

With all of these problems and the bad publicity surrounding Vista, Microsoft worked quickly on its replacement - Windows 7.  Amazingly, Microsoft is now launching Windows 7 less than 3 years after Vista was released.  This is a rapid turnaround time for developing a major new Operating System.

Should my business upgrade?

The early reports about Windows 7 have been very positive.  Early reviews show Windows 7 is everything Vista was supposed to be, with numerous usability features and performance improvements.  Our own testing of Windows 7 thus far has revealed that many of the issues we encountered in Vista have been addressed.  However, we won’t know for sure how well Windows 7 works until a number of businesses have installed it on their computers.

In business environments, there is a general rule of thumb with major software upgrades such as Windows 7.  We normally wait until the first major service pack is released before considering an upgrade.  The first service pack is a collection of bug fixes, security patches, and usability enhancements.  Once the first wave of computers with Windows 7 goes out in the next few months, Microsoft will have a good idea of what they need to include in the first service pack to enhance everyone’s experience with the software.

Unless there is a specific feature in Windows 7 your business must have, it is most prudent to follow this best practice.  This will prevent you from having to spend a lot of time troubleshooting issues with a brand new operating system if it is not fully ready for prime time.

Should I upgrade my home computer?

If you are already using Windows Vista, are not happy with it, and are eligible for a free upgrade, why not?   If you are currently running Windows XP and all is well, you may want to wait a little while to do the upgrade.  You cannot upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7 as easily as you can go from Windows Vista to Windows 7.  Instead, you will have to install Windows 7 on your computer and re-install all of your software on top of it.

Microsoft is offering free upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows 7 with participating computer manufacturers.  If you purchased your computer on or after June 26, 2009, you may be eligible for this free upgrade after October 22nd when Windows 7 is released.   Also, you may be able to get Windows 7 for free if you bought a copy of Windows Vista recently to upgrade your existing computer.  Check out Microsoft’s helpful information on how to get your free upgrade.

Russ Levanway is the CEO of TekTegrity, Inc.  TekTegrity is an IT Strategies and Management firm based in San Luis Obispo, California.  TekTegrity provides premium IT services to businesses, government, education, and non-profit organization in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Kern counties.  TekTegrity’s goal is to become your organizations long-term strategic partner by supporting your IT infrastructure with your bottom line in mind.  Some of TekTegrity’s services include Virtual Hosted Servers, Priority Backup, Off-Site data replication,, and Total Systems Management™ (TSM).  TSM is an industry-leading managed services model that emphasizes proactive and preventative IT support with a focus on your organization’s long term goals.  For more information about TekTegrity, you can reach them by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , on the Web at www.tektegrity.com, or by telephone at 805-596-0135.