Windows 7 is here amidst rave reviews, creating a dilemma for many laptop and netbook users. To upgrade or not to upgrade, that is the question of the day!
If you have a Windows Vista system and you simply hate how long it takes to load everything and are annoyed with the constant popups that ask your permission for trivial things, you will be happy to know that Windows 7 has addressed both of these issues. Although it is not fundamentally different from Vista, some of the "bloating" has been removed to make it operate more cleanly, and faster.
It also has been designed to allow easier control of printers and peripherals,to allow the use of Internet TV, and to make file sharing amongst other computers in your home network easier.
An upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 can also be easily done without wiping out your hard drive and starting over.
If you have an XP system and are happy with it, your decision is a tougher one. If you choose to stick with XP, you will start running into compatibility issues with newer programs, as it is now a "dinosaur" in the computer world. Yet upgrading to Windows 7 will mean doing a complete clean install - uninstalling the old XP OS and starting fresh. XP and Windows 7 are also very different OS's in many ways, so you will have a learning curve to overcome when getting used to Windows 7.
If you don't plan on moving to newer versions of programs and don't mind a little bit of history sitting around, you may just want to stick with your XP system until it is time to buy a new laptop. But if you like to be on the cutting edge and don't mind training your fingers and brain to do new things, then Windows 7 is the way to go.
Don't forget to check the Microsoft site to make sure your hardware is up to the challenge. If you have a Vista system already, then Windows 7 will most certainly be supported as the two are very similar in terms of requirements. However, some older XP systems will require some hardware upgrades.
