Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path

Iria · Feb 25, 2009, 10:08 PM

Fasten your seat belts. There could be some bumpy nights ahead in the IT department.

When the information technology guys discover how painful it can be to upgrade their current PC hardware to Microsoft’s Windows 7 — the successor to the much-maligned Windows Vista — they may be tempted to switch to Linux or Apple’s Mac OS X.
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Source: Fortune

procupine14 · Feb 25, 2009, 10:39 PM

Looks to me like there are some bugs that still need to be worked out.....MY QUESTION WTH are they doing installing 7 on a four+ years old system!?!?! I mean sure a system that old that was "top of the line" at the time of manufacture can do it but it just seems like that would be common knowledge that nothing else would be able to.

ET3D · Feb 25, 2009, 10:42 PM

I wanted to say it's a long time since I've read such a stupid assertion, but unfortunately that level of logic is all too common.

(Just so there's no mistake, I mean that a difficult upgrade would make people consider doing a clean install of an even less compatible OS.)

WaltC · Feb 25, 2009, 10:53 PM

I think a far more logical assumption is that if the hardware is so old and cheap that the OEMs didn't bother with writing any Vista drivers for it, then perhaps sticking with XP would be a far more logical move, since it is doubtful that OSX or Linux will support that hardware any better at all...

And if these companies upgrade their hardware, then sticking with Win7 is going to be a lot cheaper since they won't have to trash most of their application software, as they would surely have to do with OS X.

Customgamer1 · Feb 25, 2009, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

I wanted to say it's a long time since I've read such a stupid assertion, but unfortunately that level of logic is all too common.

(Just so there's no mistake, I mean that a difficult upgrade would make people consider doing a clean install of an even less compatible OS.)

Right lol. If they were going to "switch to Apple" then well you more or less have to buy a Apple computer and GUESS WHAT!??!??! it will work great with OSX because it was made for it.

Same as if you were to buy a brand new PC next year it will work great with Windows 7.

See the sad thing that Microsoft no matter how good of a product they make will never keep everyone happy because for starters there are just to many idiots. Second people expect a BRAND NEW OS to work on an OLD computer? If you upgrade one you should at least upgrade the other at least that's how you should consider it.

Rule of thumb most people follow is if it's 3 or more years old it's time for a new one anyways.

ET3D · Feb 26, 2009, 09:34 AM

Having now read the article describing the upgrade problems, I think it really is a problem, and if I were to encounter it, I'd have submitted it to Microsoft. If it remains in the release version, then I think it'd be a real issue, but hey, that's what beta releases are for -- discovering bugs.

IvanV · Feb 26, 2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

We needed to crack open a couple of four-year old desktops … to add memory just to try to get a system image.”

Translation: "We tried to install the OS on computers that didn't meet the minimum hardware requirements and it refused to do so until we upgraded them." Sounds like correct behavior to me.

Judas · Feb 26, 2009, 11:49 PM

4ish year old machines can for a relatively low cost.. can be upgraded to 2gb of ram easily.. which with vista or win7... perform EXCELLENTLY considering. Give it a week for superfetch to get things figured out, and the system will scream in comparison to xp.

I've recently been installing vista on some much older systems, Just finished on an intel P4 1.6ghz with 2gb of ram and a x850 video card

another sempron 3100+ with 2gb and x1650pro

All both systems needed were about 100 bucks worth of memory installed (DDR1 2x1gb kits are bloody expensive still)

Feb 25, 2009, 10:08 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path Fasten your seat belts. There could be some bumpy nights ahead in the IT department. When the information technology guys discover how painful it can be to upgrade their current PC hardware to Microsoft’s Windows 7 — the successor to the much-maligned Windows Vista — they may be tempted to switch to Linux or Apple’s Mac OS X. _________ Source: Fortune

Feb 25, 2009, 10:39 PM	#2
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 58 System Specs	Re: Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path Looks to me like there are some bugs that still need to be worked out.....MY QUESTION WTH are they doing installing 7 on a four+ years old system!?!?! I mean sure a system that old that was "top of the line" at the time of manufacture can do it but it just seems like that would be common knowledge that nothing else would be able to. __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Feb 25, 2009, 10:42 PM	#3
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path I wanted to say it's a long time since I've read such a stupid assertion, but unfortunately that level of logic is all too common. (Just so there's no mistake, I mean that a difficult upgrade would make people consider doing a clean install of an even less compatible OS.) Last edited by ET3D; Feb 25, 2009 at 10:48 PM.

Feb 25, 2009, 10:53 PM	#4
WaltC DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: Deep in Martian soil where it's warm and the air is good Posts: 245 Rep Power: 0	Re: Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path I think a far more logical assumption is that if the hardware is so old and cheap that the OEMs didn't bother with writing any Vista drivers for it, then perhaps sticking with XP would be a far more logical move, since it is doubtful that OSX or Linux will support that hardware any better at all... And if these companies upgrade their hardware, then sticking with Win7 is going to be a lot cheaper since they won't have to trash most of their application software, as they would surely have to do with OS X.

Feb 26, 2009, 09:34 AM	#6
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: Windows 7: Trouble on the upgrade path Having now read the article describing the upgrade problems, I think it really is a problem, and if I were to encounter it, I'd have submitted it to Microsoft. If it remains in the release version, then I think it'd be a real issue, but hey, that's what beta releases are for -- discovering bugs.