In my last post, I discussed a problem that IT professionals are all-too-familiar with: migrating the OS and later finding Windows 7 driver compatibility problems after you’ve already pulled the trigger. This happens all the time and isn’t always a product of improper research. Nonetheless, it happens but you have options other than rolling back to the old OS.

Minimize The Surprise!

Back up the old system; there is no direct migration path from Windows XP to Windows 7. This bears repeating. There is no direct migration path from Windows XP to Windows 7, which means you have to do a clean installation. Clean installations clean everything so back up user files before you start. The migration process isn’t quite as clean for systems migrating from Windows Vista to Windows 7, but that really depends upon the version of Vista you’re starting out with and the version of Windows 7 you expect to end up with. Regardless, backing up your data is never inappropriate.

Before you migrate to a new OS, check the Microsoft site to see if your critical devices have been deemed Windows 7-compatible. If you’re working in a corporate IT setting, you may find it helpful to create a checklist that accounts for each device attached to each computer. Also note special software and functions that the user must perform using the migration target.

If no Windows 7 driver is available, that’s not necessarily a show-stopper but it does mean that you’ll need to do more careful research to make sure all of your user environments survive the migration process. Knowing what’s compatible ahead of time may also help you determine whether a peripheral upgrade is in order.

Always check with the manufacturer to see if the appropriate device driver has been published. If a Windows 7 driver isn’t on the A-list, check for a Windows Vista driver for the same device. If you come up empty-handed, check for a Windows 7 or Windows Vista driver for another device made by the same manufacturer. Sometimes drivers for related products work with great results. In other cases, the results may be less than stellar but the device still works to a large extent.

As a fallback, look for a generic driver or a third-party driver that can make your device live to die another day. Also, contact the device manufacturer to see if they have a device driver release in the works. If you have no working drivers, no hope of getting one and the device is critical to your operations, you may need to bite the bullet and buy a newer supported model, but good research and field work may both lessen the surprise of device failure and help make your case for replacement.

Photo Credit: Sticky Pixels, via Flickr