Chapter 1 - Introducing Windows

This blog is based on information found in Windows 7 Configuration by Craig Zacker

Chapter 1 - Introducing Windows 7

A comparison of the different versions of Windows 7 and system requirements required in order to install Windows on a computer is listed on pages 14 and 15.  Windows 7 is a true superset …higher versions include all features of previous versions, allowing a user to upgrade from any version to a higher version

Running Windows 7 upgrade advisor allows a tech to see if a computer has all requirements necessary to run Windows 7.

·         Plug in and turn on all devices used - in order to have true usage results

·         Go to www.microsoft.com and download Windows 7 upgrade advisor

o   Run upgrade advisor  - a list of system requirements that would prevent Windows 7 from running properly on the PC will result or a list of improvements that should be made to improve performance

Based on the information found in the charts and a business's requirements can help determine which version of Windows 7 would best fit the needs of the organization. The following components need to be carefully considered, as users want an improvement with the upgrade at the lowest cost:

·         Processor - most computers have processors capable of running Windows 7 - depending on what the computer is being used for would determine if a faster processor is required

·         System memory - check system documents to see what memory upgrades are possible - adding memory is the most immediately noticed improvement of system performance.

·         Hard disk space - Windows 7 uses more disk space than previous versions - most users hard disk space is used by music and photos

·         Graphics adapter - older PCs may need to have the graphics adapter upgraded due to Windows Aero feature requires specific graphing capabilities