‘Windows 7′ is the latest release in Microsoft’s long running Windows Operating System family. It replaces the (disappointing) Windows Vista, and not a moment too soon. Released back in 2007, Windows Vista was set to supercede the reliable Windows XP as the standard desktop operating system on Windows computers the world over. Unfortunately Vista was a disapointing release to say the least, causing performance and stability issues for most users, and headaches for tech support staff everywhere. In Microsoft’s defence, Vista was the first release to properly address wide  ranging security issues that had been causing the company no end of bad press for some time. Unfortunately this was overshadowed by the new issues Vista introduced.

The new Windows 7 is what Vista should have been from the start. Both visually and under the hood, Windows 7 shares strong similarities with Vista, to the point where some have nicknamed it Vista Version 2. The good news is that Windows 7..well…actually works. We’ve been running early beta versions of the software at the Garden Shed for some months now, and even with early pre-release versions, a day in front of the computer was a much nicer place to be than with Vista.

WIndows 7 does offer a raft of new features for all levels of user. To our thinking though, an operating system is something that you should hardly even notice. It should just sit there behind the scenes quietly providing you access to your software applications and your data. To that end, Windows 7 is an absolute winner. It’s fast, reliable, and a pleasure to use.

Would we recommend upgrading? To that, an unequivocal “maybe”. If you’re currently running Vista, call us now. The sooner we can stamp out any remaining traces of that problem child, the better! If you’re running Windows XP, which is still quite reliable, there’s no hurry to upgrade. All new computers are now shipping with Windows 7, so as your current systems gradually get retired, Windows 7 will find its way into your organisation, so perhaps just wait for that to happen. Either way, Windows 7 is a strong release from Microsoft, and definitely a change for the better.