But with Windows 7's origins in Vista, some feel that the operating system should be good to go immediately. Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry told NewsFactor last week that "Windows 7 is Vista with the rough edges removed," and "there's no benefit to waiting."

Not so fast, advised security firm Rescuecom. "From the calls we're getting, as well as our own experience in the past with all Microsoft's operating systems, we're recommending that people stick with their time-tested OS and wait for the dust to settle," Josh Kaplan, president of Rescuecom, told Computerworld.

Endless Reboot

Problems with upgrading from older operating systems have been a consistent issue when Microsoft releases new versions of Windows -- and there's some evidence that pattern is continuing with Windows 7.

Some users have been reporting that upgrading to Windows 7 throws their machines into an endless reboot cycle. With scant technical information coming from Microsoft on that or other upgrade issues, the Windows message boards have been rife with workarounds.

Microsoft's reaction to that has caused a minor firefight between the company and the more outspoken bloggers. Microsoft's Eric Ligman wrote a scolding blog post saying, "When these posts and write-ups state that you can install clean from an Upgrade piece of software and they fail to mention that you need to own a qualifying software license to be legal to use the Upgrade software for the installation, they give the impression that because it is technically possible, it is legal to do."

Workaround or Piracy?

Paul Thurrott, author of the Supersite for Windows blog, responded angrily: "I'm just trying to support the millions of people that Microsoft fooled into pre-ordering Windows 7 by offering steep discounts, only to discover later that the Upgrade version they purchased unknowingly might not actually install properly.... And for the nth time, you could (and should) have clearly documented how this works months ago. Or allowed myself and others to do so. You chose to ignore this need. So this is a problem of your own making. It's that simple."

Probably none of this surprises businesses that have been down the upgrade rabbit hole before. "There have always been two truths to live by when upgrading your operating system no matter if it's Microsoft or Apple," said Andrews Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Security. "Version 1.0 is generally going to be a bit more buggy than say version 1.1, and doing a clean install from a blank system is going to yield greater performance gains than doing an upgrade in place."

"It should be no surprise to anyone that there are reports of people having difficulties with Windows 7," Storms said. As a result, "Most enterprises are going to delay a full-blown Windows 7 rollout for probably six to 12 months. Some enterprises simply won't make the move until Windows 7 SP1 is released."

Consumers buying a new machine should wait until the latest crop of PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled come out, "as the features and performance gains over Vista are noticeable," Storms added.