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New Windows 7 Doing the Business

As seen in "Your Business", Press & Journal - 22nd March 2010

When it comes to IT, everything from software to hardware seems to be constantly changing. Latest versions can have short shelf-lives with updated and new versions being launched sometimes just a few months after the previous one. This can leave consumers confused, frustrated, and sometimes regretting the decision to upgrade.

Gordon Christie, Managing Director of IT Hotdesk, a leading provider of IT and communication solutions in Aberdeen, offers his thoughts on whether Windows 7 has lived up to the pre-launch hype. He also discusses the impact that North East businesses will see on their businesses if they choose to upgrade.

"When companies launch a new version of a product, they can be tempted to make it all singing and all dancing to wow and lure potential buyers. However, this doesn't necessarily make the product improved. This was the case for Windows Vista which many people believe delivers poor performance, compatibility issues, and a lack of compelling features. This saw most people refuse to leave XP, and those who were brave enough to switch, regret the decision.

"Thankfully, I am happy to say that Microsoft changed its tact when developing the much improved Windows 7. In contrast to Vista, with its flashy effects and annoying in your face pop-ups, Windows 7 has a minimalist feel providing users with low-key, highly useful new features.

"With previously occurring annoying bugs removed for this system, and numerous options allowing you to personalise settings, Windows 7 has various useful features for business users.

"Surprisingly, it only requires a 1 gigahertz processor to run and only 1 gigabyte of RAM, however we would recommend having a least 2 gigabyte's of RAM to make the experience a little smoother. It also beats its predecessor XP in terms of security featuring an improved firewall offering improved protection to businesses against viruses. However users should be aware that by changing settings, such as allowing pop ups and prompts, can increase the security threat. However these settings can be locked down so that users can't change the settings unless they are an administrator of the machine.

"Any PC currently running Vista, will run better with Windows 7. This latest system is the 'green' alternative to Windows' previous systems. It sleeps and wakes up faster and laptop users will benefit from a longer battery life due to the way the operating system interacts with power hungry hardware components.

"Its not all perfect though, there is a downside to the actual installation of Windows 7. Upgrading a PC to Windows 7 requires a clean installation, unfortunately an in-place upgrade is not possible. This means all applications such as word, excel & powerpoint need to be re-installed and all data needs to be backed up prior to starting the installation. In most cases this can take 2 hours. Although this can be a pain it offers a few advantages as the installation is completely clean and therefore very stable.

"Although Windows 7 is not perfect, I wouldn't think twice about recommending it to anyone looking to upgrade their operating system. Overall, Windows 7 is a great, smooth running, easy to use product, and in fact some PC fans even claim its easier to use than the Mac OS X. With Microsoft XP now in extended support phase, now may be the time to start planning the move to Windows 7".

Based at 7 Queen's Gardens, Aberdeen, IT Hotdesk provide IT management and support to companies based in the UK and Internationally.

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