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Is Your PC Ready To Run Microsoft's Windows 7? By Jay Dougherty October 23, 2009 7:14AM     If you have a mission-critical PC, and you think you want Windows 7 but don't want to completely redo your existing computer to find out, consider buying a new hard drive to replace the one in your current computer. Leave your current hard drive intact, with all of your applications and files installed, and simply replace the existing drive.   Related Topics Microsoft Windows 7 Windows Vista Operating Systems Enterprise Software Hard Drives Enterprise Hardware Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social PC retailers have spent the last few weeks gearing up in a big way for the launch of Windows 7. They're cleared out old inventory and stocked the latest PCs and notebooks in anticipation of increased demand for Windows 7-ready hardware. But you may not need new a new PC to run Windows 7. One of the aspects of Windows 7 that has been most lauded by pre-release testers, in fact, is the new operating system's respectable performance on older hardware. And in tough economic times, that's good news. To find out for sure how your PC might fare with Windows 7, read on. If you're currently using a computer to run Windows Vista, and you have no complaints about performance, then that same machine will run Windows 7 like a champ. Windows 7 improves upon both the performance and the resource requirements of Vista, and the result is an operating system that feels both more zippy and more stable on identical equipment. If you buy a new computer now, whether a desktop or a notebook, it will run Windows 7 just fine. That goes, too, for most netbooks on the market, which typically come either with Windows XP Home Edition or some version of Linux, such as Ubuntu. A typical netbook using the latest Atom processor from Intel and possessing at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM typically can handle even Windows 7 Ultimate, the top-of-the-line edition of Windows 7, without issue. But if you're still running Windows XP with aging equipment, the question of hardware requirements for Windows 7 gets a little trickier. First, let's look at Microsoft 's official system requirements for Windows 7. At a minimum, your computer will need a 1 GHz or faster processor, at least 1 GB of RAM for the 32-bit edition of Windows 7, or 2 GB for the 64-bit edition, 16 GB of available hard drive space, and a graphics card that's compatible with DirectX 9. Some newer games will require a graphics card that's compatible with DirectX 10. In simpler terms, hardware that is fairly old -- say, older than four years -- but running XP well will probably still work with Windows 7. To be sure, though, you should visit Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx). From there, you can download the free Upgrade Advisor application, which will run thorough tests on your existing hardware and then tell you exactly which components may be lacking. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  3  |  Next Page >   © 2009 Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) under contract with MarketWatch. All rights reserved.   Advertisement  Microsoft/Windows 1.   Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good 2.   Office 2010 Integrates with the Web 3.   MS Told To Stop Some Windows Sales 4.   Microsoft Releases Multiple Betas 5.   IE9 Likely To Access PC Hardware Just How Secure Is Windows 7? Sophos, Microsoft have different views. Average Rating: Vista More Secure Than Windows XP Windows 7 security could be expensive. Average Rating: Patch Tuesday Fixes Serious Threats Three of six patches rated critical. Average Rating:

Product Information and Resources for Technology You Can Use To Boost Your Business CRM Systems   Experience CRM—and Business—Success today with Salesforce.com. Contact Centers   Run Your Entire Contact Center in the Cloud with LiveOps Enterprise Hardware   Go Green with IBM Blade Center    Enterprise I.T.    Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support.   Go Green with IBM Blade Center   APC introduces server room in a box solutions!   Tell us what you think. Take a survey.   Find out how much you can save with the SQL Server value tool.   See how AT&T can help protect your network. Enterprise Software   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft/Windows   Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Network Security   See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

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