Windows 7 upgrade worth it?

Allan · 10-28-2009 at 02:53 PM

I'm currently using Windows Vista and I have a free upgrade to Windows 7.

Is Windows 7 worth the upgrade? Is it that much better?

sew12 · 10-28-2009 at 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan

I'm currently using Windows Vista and I have a free upgrade to Windows 7.

Is Windows 7 worth the upgrade? Is it that much better?

Isn't free anything worth it?

Its free.

Seriously though I don't use Windows anymore but I had my Vista laptop for 2 years and Vista was pretty annoying. From what I've heard Windows 7 is a major upgrade from that crap.

huzaifa47 · 10-28-2009 at 03:26 PM

How do you have a free update?

sew12 · 10-28-2009 at 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

How do you have a free update?

If you bought a computer with Vista between a certain period (I think it was June up until the release of Windows 7) than you were eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7. A few computer manufactures are charging a small fee for the s&h of the OS but other than that its free.

I have to remember to fill out the form for my sister. She bought a laptop with Vista around July. She bought a Toshiba so she has to pay $19.99 for s&h but that is it. She gets the actual Windows 7 edition that lines up with which version of Vista she originally paid for with her computer for free. So in this case she got Vista Home Premium so she gets Windows 7 Home Premium as a free upgrade.

reeves · 10-28-2009 at 03:35 PM

Im more of a Mac guy, but from what I've heard from people more "in the know", Windows 7 is the shit. Definitely better than Vista.

Again, this is what I hear, not my experience. I still run XP, cuz I fear change.

bblizzard · 10-28-2009 at 03:36 PM

I also got Windows 7 free, so I tried it, not realizing that my computer apparently wasn't compatible with it (I couldn't get the internet to work), so I soon had to go back to Vista.

However, I did get to try it, minus the internet, and I definitely loved it. It was really fast and organized and from my experience it seemed more stable.
I'd say it's worth it, just make sure there wont be compatibility issues.

reeves · 10-28-2009 at 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblizzard

I also got Windows 7 free, so I tried it, not realizing that my computer apparently wasn't compatible with it (I couldn't get the internet to work), so I soon had to go back to Vista.

However, I did get to try it, minus the internet, and I definitely loved it. It was really fast and organized and from my experience it seemed more stable.
I'd say it's worth it, just make sure there wont be compatibility issues.

What was the problem with the internet? I have issues with the internet every time I reinstall Windows, and have to reinstall the ethernet/wireless drivers from the manufacturer. May be all you have to do too.

sew12 · 10-28-2009 at 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblizzard

I also got Windows 7 free, so I tried it, not realizing that my computer apparently wasn't compatible with it (I couldn't get the internet to work), so I soon had to go back to Vista.

However, I did get to try it, minus the internet, and I definitely loved it. It was really fast and organized and from my experience it seemed more stable.
I'd say it's worth it, just make sure there wont be compatibility issues.

If the internet didn't work it probably isn't your whole computer that isn't compatible with it, just the card that allows you to connect to the internet (either wirelessly or otherwise) may not be compatible with Windows 7. It could be you need a different one, or just an updated driver to make it work. Its probably the drivers.

bblizzard · 10-28-2009 at 03:42 PM

The drivers were working fine, though I'm wondering if I needed a different one for Windows 7. I'm not the most familiar with how drivers work.

The problem was that the services WLAN autoconfig wouldn't turn on. I tried a lot of potential solutions for a couple days, but nothing worked, so I gave up since I needed a computer and went back to Vista.
I also checked the Dell site and my computer was not on the list of compatible computers, which I probably should have checked before installing 7.

bblizzard · 10-28-2009 at 03:43 PM

I also couldn't find a new driver to download to make it compatible.

ice8 · 10-28-2009 at 04:24 PM

I upgraded to winodws 7 ultimate last weekend and all drivers seem to be working fine.

my wlan driver is being a bit of a problem. It works fine for all the internet (mac, friend's house) but at my off campus house it just says limited access (idk why). But i had vista and downgraded to xp then went to 7 (maybe thats why), so i will reset it this weekend (recov. disc) then go to 7 and hopefully it will be fine.

Windows 7>>>>>>>>>>> vista by a mile tho!

lmasud · 10-28-2009 at 04:30 PM

got windows 7 ultimate the day it came out...
its not too much of an improvement from vista although it is better.

make sure all your major programs work with 7.
i had to get a new virus software, and Maple (which we use for Calculus Labs) doesnt seem to work anymore

Allan · 10-28-2009 at 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ice8

I upgraded to winodws 7 ultimate last weekend and all drivers seem to be working fine.

my wlan driver is being a bit of a problem. It works fine for all the internet (mac, friend's house) but at my off campus house it just says limited access (idk why). But i had vista and downgraded to xp then went to 7 (maybe thats why), so i will reset it this weekend (recov. disc) then go to 7 and hopefully it will be fine.

Windows 7>>>>>>>>>>> vista by a mile tho!

What's better about it?

stevennn · 10-28-2009 at 04:55 PM

I've been using it for a few weeks now on my laptop and so far I'm liking it. I haven't encountered any of the problems I had in Vista with programs randomly stopped working and the new taskbar is pretty useful. A lot of things seem "cleaner" compared to previous versions. The installation was painless for me and it handled all the drivers on its own so everything pretty much worked right away. There's still some small things that bug me but those are just me being picky. If it works on your computer, I don't think there's a reason to avoid it.

lmasud · 10-28-2009 at 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan

What's better about it?

its a bit faster than vista, but not by a whole lot
it takes up less memory than vista

i like the redesigned taskbar. it shows only the icons, so u see more running program at once. u also have new, more useful functions available to u, when u right click on an icon.

windows media player is waaay better than previous versions. i used to have to use VLC to play movies and whatnot, but WMP can do that now.

nicer MS paint, calculator for those who care

and i like the new themes they have available