For businesses hoping to get by on Windows XP, the latest Gartner report doesn’t bring much good news. Then again, upgrading directly to Windows 7 has its downsides, too. The report, entitled “Prepare for Your Windows 7 Migration Crunch” examines the cost drivers for Windows 7 migration.

Report Examines Migration Scenarios

Microsoft has already declared that it will pull the plug on Windows XP in 2014, at which the OS will be considered dead. For companies that have a five-year desktop life cycle, that means the clock is ticking now. Microsoft has already dropped support for XP SP2 and Windows 2000, so those users are already on a precarious limb.
For XP users who are considering an upgrade path, Gartner says that the cost of migrating software only can be upwards of $2,000 per machine. This includes the cost of any new components and the staff time it will take to upgrade the computer. The balance here is that while upgrading will get a computer to Windows 7, the hardware itself may need to be replaced in 2-3 years, increasing the overall cost of migrating.

For those hoping that the “forklift replacement” approach – where user machines are simply retired and replaced with one that’s already running Windows 7 – will be better, Gartner estimates that the cost of this route could be as much as $2,000 per machine, which mostly represents the cost of new hardware and the staff time needed to prep the new computers.

For those hoping to take the virtualization route, Gartner says “not so fast!” The organization cautions that while virtualization does save money on hardware, virtualization savings may be fully consumed by improvements needed for virtualization support at the desktop, and by the network and data center.

Regardless of how an upgrade will take place, the migration to Microsoft Windows 7 is likely to put an expensive bite on corporate IT budgets in the coming years. Conservatively, Gartner recommends increasing IT budgets by 20% to offset the increased migration costs until the move to Windows 7 is complete. In the worst case, the organization says a 60% bump in the IT budget may be more in line with what it will take to meet the 2014 drop-dead date for XP. Corporations that have migrated at least in part to Windows Vista may experience lower costs because they’re less likely to encounter hardware expenses associated with the move to Windows 7.

Photo Credit: Andrew Magill, via Flickr

Last week, I upgraded one of my home computers to Windows 7. The upgrade went quite smoothly. The computer was running Windows Vista Home Premium, so I didn’t have to do any major work. (I’m not sure who at Microsoft chooses the desktop backgrounds, but some of them are somewhat disturbing. There’s nothing bad about them; they’re just highly unusual.)

For users who are running an older version of the operating system, such as XP, a clean installation is required. Clean installations require you to do a complete backup of your data before you perform any upgrades. Once the upgrade is complete, you can transfer your files back to the upgraded computer.

Drivers Aplenty

Not every hardware manufacturer released drivers for Windows 7 ahead of the product launch, and a few manufacturers have released lists of products that will (or will not) be supported under Windows 7. HP hasn’t yet released any printer drivers and says that its older printer products will have “limited” support. Generally, HP printers that don’t already have a Vista driver aren’t likely to get a driver that’s Windows 7-compatible, leaving even popular older models out in the rain.

For some users, that will mean upgrading the printer. There are several low-cost printers on the market today, including some nice multi-function and mono laser printers. Driver availability aside, often the cost of refurbishing older printers (with a new photo drum and toner cartridge) will exceed the cost of buying a new printer.

Manufacturers are much more likely to provide driver support for newer printers, too. There’s at least an even chance that you’ll find something that works just as well as what you’ve got for less money than you think, so if your old printer isn’t supported, do the research on replacing it with a newer model. Before you buy, however, verify with the manufacturer that a Windows 7-compatible driver will be available for the printer you select.

For the most part, the feedback on the migration to Windows 7 has been pretty good. No migration is without problems, but the volume of complaints from users is noticeably lower than it was when Vista first appeared on the market. In general, consumers are happy with the product and are finding that the most common drivers they need are readily available. That’s a big leap forward for most Windows users. If you’re still planning to stick with XP, you’ll be able to order new computers with a downgrade license for the next few months. After that, you’re likely to be on your own.

Photo Credit: Barron Fujimoto, via Flickr