Thread: Don't buy windows 7 yet.

I didn't want to hyjack the Windows 7 pre-sale thread, but I really wanted to comment on the subject. So, here it goes.

I have a short list of reasons NOT to buy Windows 7. (or at least not yet) None of these are political or MS bashing, but good honest tips that people should consider. Feel free to comment, complain or add to my list.

1. New releases of Windows always have problems. (True for any OS) Waiting 6 months after release will help most users avoid most probblems.
2. If you have ever considered Ubuntu or some other flavor of linux, why not try it first? I know that linux isn't for everyone, but if you're going to be formatting your hard drive and installing a new OS anyway, why not give it a shot? It's completely free, so if you don't like it, you're only out the time you spent setting it up. Get it at Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu and get help at ubuntuforums.org
3. Your PC probably can't run it. A great many of problems people had with Vista were the result of running it older hardware. In the PC world, 1 year is outdated, and 2 years is ancient. Review the minimum AND recommended system requirements first, and don't upgrade if you don't meet at LEAST the minimum. The closer you are to the recommended, the better.
4. If it aint broke, don't fix it. Regardless of what you're using, whether it's Vista, or Windows95, if it works for you, why spend the money on an upgrade? Before upgrading systems, think seriously about what you expect to gain from the upgrade, and whether or not it's realistic.

I also have a short list of tips for those who will upgrade anyway. If you're highly tech savy, you can pretty easily skip the rest of this post, but for those doing their first OS upgrade, these tips may be helpful

1. Back-up everything that matters to you, even if you do an "upgrade" install rather than a full format. Upgrades have a nasty habit of failing, and you don't want to find yourself with a computer that won't boot, and no way to access your data to back it up.
2. All of your hardware works now, but it may not after you upgrade. Take time to research each piece of hardware on your system BEFORE you upgrade, and download drivers for anything that won't work out of the box with W7 BEFORE you upgrade, then back those drivers up on a disk. W7 may have a compatability wizard built into the disk. If it does, USE IT and make sure you have a plan to resolve all issue before you begin the upgrade.
3. If there is software that is really important to you or your business, make sure it will work with W7 first.
4. Head into the project assuming that things will go terribly wrong, and you'll be without your desktop for a few days. Most OS installs take only a few hours including setting up basic software, but they CAN go very badly, and you should be prepared for that, especially if you use your computer for working.