If you have not heard the buzz surrounding the latest incarnation of the Microsoft Windows operating system, known as Windows 7, then you may not be too interested in it. So what exactly is Windows 7? This new upgrade to Windows is one of the most important and worthwhile updates to come from Microsoft in years. The power and flexibility of Windows 7 is so good that even people that hated Windows Vista have said they love the new system. But convincing existing Windows XP users to bite the bullet and upgrade to a Windows 7 system is more of a challenge. Once a person is comfortable with a product they don't want to upgrade due to the cost and inconvenience when programs no longer work correctly. The good news is that Windows 7 has taken these things into account, and upgrading to Windows 7 provides users with tons of new features as well as greatly improved system security. These and other things should make upgrading to Windows 7 much more important to home users.
Windows 7 Upgrade Boasts Greatly Improved Security For Your Personal Files
There is a chance that right now your computer is infected with any of thousands of computer viruses or malware applications. Windows XP and to a lesser extent Windows Vista both have more holes than swiss cheese in them that allow hackers to sneak malicious code onto your computer without your knowledge or approval. The vast majority of Internet attacks are carried out by comprimised Windows XP systems being used in groups called "botnets," that work together to attack government and private computer networks all over the globe. While Windows 7 does not completely eliminate the threat of getting a computer virus like this it does make it much more difficult for the bad guys to get in. A greatly improved version of Vista's User Access Control (UAC) queries the user any time a piece of software tries to install itself and improvements to the overall operating system make it far less vulnerable to Internet based attacks. Users still must install their own antivirus software, but the system is much less likely to be comprimised than then older, less secure XP operating system.
Windows 7 Upgrade = Faster, More Reliable, and Less Bloated
Windows Vista was a horrible upgrade at first. Installing Vista meant also installing several gigabytes of software that the majority of users would never use. The software that was installed also was rather bloated, meaning that in some cases the code was not very well optimized. In Windows 7 both of these problems have been solved by making Windows 7 a more componentized operating system. Depending on the version of the software being installed a very limited set of software is put on the machine. The initial install goes very quickly compared to the old Vista and XP installs. After this, any other features that a person wishes to use (such as the Virtual XP environment or the Windows Live software) are downloaded over the Internet.
Perhaps on of the best things about the windows 7 upgrade is that the entire system boots (starts up) much faster than Vista or XP ever did. When the desktop comes up the system is ready to use with very little waiting for programs to finish loading. For almost any Windows XP or Vista user the Windows 7 upgrade should be given serious consideration. The Windows 7 upgrade pricing is fairly competitive and in line with operating system upgrade pricing for other computer operating systems. The benefits provided by Windows 7 far outweigh the cost of the upgrade and should be considered by anyone running an older version of the Microsoft Windows software.
