Window 7 isn’t yet out of the gate for most consumers, and for as much trouble as Microsoft has gone through to ensure a smooth release, Windows 7 is likely to encounter a few bumps and bruises along the way. What’s most likely to take the fun out of your new OS upgrade? The usual suspects – driver problems, hardware incompatibilities, and memory problems.

Older Hardware May Not Work So Well With Windows 7

Microsoft has been working hard to help ensure that the latest drivers are available and compatible with Windows 7, but users who have older hardware may be in for a surprise. Often, manufacturers don’t support older hardware and may not provide an updated driver. And don’t be confused by the term “older.” “Older” could mean hardware that was made in 2007 or 2008.

Generally, if you’re running Windows Vista and you’ve got all of your driver ducks in a row, you’re not likely to experience much in the way of problems. What runs on Vista should for the most part, run on Windows 7. After all, Windows 7 was built on the Vista platform. If you’re running an older version of the OS – like Windows XP or older – all bets are seriously, completely and thoroughly off. You may be able to find a driver from the manufacturer or you may be able to find a third-party driver that interfaces your hardware with Windows 7. If you’re supremely talented, you might be able to write your own driver, but that’s not something for the uninitiated, so that’s not a realistic solution for most people.

Don’t forget that Windows 7 has a built-in Windows XP virtual machine. You can run Windows XP virtually within Windows 7, and in the virtual environment, your old XP drivers will still work. This is probably the most likely workaround for XP fans who adopt Window 7 earlier rather than later.

The issue of signed and unsigned drivers will also continue to cause problems for people who migrate to Windows 7. Basically, a “signed” driver includes information about the author, who swears on a stack of DOS disks that the driver is authentic, hasn’t been altered since it was released and, in theory, works the way it should An “unsigned” driver isn’t as trustworthy – after all, who knows where it came from, right? The idea behind a signed driver is security. If the driver is “signed” it should be unaltered from the original and should be safer. Windows Vista and Windows 7 want signed drivers. You can turn this desire off in the configuration for the computer, but that disables a “security” feature and will open your computer up to the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. (Or might, anyway.)
Driver availability will be less of a problem. Microsoft has been working hard since July to ensure that many drivers are available on Zero Day. I believe Windows adopters will be pleasantly surprised by Windows 7, at least in this aspect.

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Microsoft announced earlier this week that it will make a time-limited version of Windows 7 Enterprise edition available to IT professionals who don’t otherwise have access to the RTM version of the software. The 90-day trial is available for download and requires registration to get the full value of the 90-day trial.

Windows Drivers Will Need To Be Reinstalled

Once the 90-day trial window has expired, the software will shut down and reboot every hour. For downloaders who don’t register, the shutdown routine will begin 10 days after the version is initially downloaded. In addition, once the OS is locked out, users will have to perform a clean install, including all Windows 7 drivers and applications to restore the full function of the OS.

Aside from being time-limited, the free download offer is also time-limited. Microsoft will make the Windows 7 Enterprise trial version available only until March 31, 2010, or until its designated number of licenses have been distributed. The Windows 7 Enterprise software is the fully functional version of the release package that was distributed to Volume Licensing users and those with Software Assurance agreements.

In all, the Windows 7 Enterprise trial is a good deal for IT professionals who need to evaluate and test Windows 7, or who need to ensure that the new OS version will work with specific drivers or applications. The 90-day test window is generous enough to ensure that any specific problems with your proposed driver and software load will become apparent, and may even provide enough time for hardware vendors to produce compatible drivers to replace older or non-compatible ones.

If Microsoft wanted to go all out on testing for Enterprise customers, it would also provide a test version of the Windows 2008 server. A seat-limited 2008 Server edition would enable Enterprise users to determine how well the combined 2008 Server/Windows 7 combination will work in the enterprise environment. After all, it was the mismatch between Windows Vista and the heavily used Windows Server 2003 that made Windows Vista largely unattractive to the enterprise crowd. Microsoft assures that the new Server 2008 and Windows 7 combination resolve the most unpleasant issues, including those involving Active Directory. By providing a complete enterprise test environment, Microsoft would go a long way toward alleviating the fears of Enterprise that prevented Vista from being widely adopted.

In all, it’s clear that Microsoft expects a win from Windows 7 and is pulling out all the stops – at least for 90 days – to ensure that the right people have access to its latest Windows release.

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If you’re planning to upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as it is released, you may encounter some issues with locating Windows drivers that are compatible with your new OS. Many hardware manufacturers have already released or are finishing work on their latest drivers.

Driver Availability May Not Be Windows 7′s Major Issue

In addition, Microsoft is working hard to ensure that a large complement of hardware drivers are available on Day 1 (October 22) to avoid a repeat of driver issues that plagued (and to some extent, still plague) Windows Vista. Microsoft made it known earlier this spring that any manufacturer that wanted to keep its Vista-compatible designation had better be prepared to pony up with working drivers for its hardware by Release Day.

Last week, Dell announced that it was ready to go with drivers for its commercial products. In the weeks leading up to Release Day, expect to hear from other hardware manufacturers who have their driver ducks in a row. Windows 7 also comes with a good slug of generic drivers and drivers that are known to be compatible with Windows 7.

That’s not to say you won’t see driver problems when the new OS is released. To the contrary, you’ll probably see a number of hasty driver releases in the days leading up to (and following) the release of Windows 7. It’s safe to say that the availability of drivers for the new OS is a touchy subject with Microsoft. The non-stop stream of complaints regarding driver availability and driver performance dulled Vista’s initial entrée to the market and eventually guaranteed its ignominy among operating systems.

Microsoft can’t afford to have a second major dud in the OS department. While some users are sticking close to Windows XP, the reality is that XP is tired. Microsoft would like it to be “retired” but users want guarantees that their systems will be stable and that drivers will be available for basic hardware.

While the driver issues were indeed disruptive for Vista, the bigger issue for the enterprise user was Vista’s in ability to work with Active Directory on Server 2003. Server 2008 has rectified that. Microsoft expects Windows 7 and Server 2008 to hit the ground like Starsky and Hutch on October 22, and preliminary reports indicate that might just happen. Windows 7 is much more stable than Windows Vista is and works well in Windows 2008′s compatible server environment. For the home users, the server environment is neither here nor there, but they’ll benefit from improved performance and stability. And the availability of hardware drivers on Release Day.

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Dell Computer announced last week that it is ready for Windows 7′s impending release by making available Windows 7 drivers for its commercial desktop and laptop product lines. The company also says that it will release additional drivers in the next several weeks in anticipation of the commercial release of Windows 7.

Microsoft Gets Its Windows 7 Ducks In A Row

Microsoft announced that it had finished development on the release last month and shipped the final version of the OS to OEMs earlier this month. Volume licensing customers with Software Assurance already have access to Windows 7, and volume licensers without software assurance will get access to the new OS on September 1.

Dell’s driver releases are seen as critical to the success of the Windows 7 launch. OEMs, including Dell, were slow to produce drivers for Windows Vista, which was initially released in January 2007. Dell also helped spearhead the drive to keep Windows XP alive, at least for its commercial customers. Windows diehards will be able to purchase downgrade rights to XP for a short period after Windows 7 is released. Volume Licensing customers can load any version of the operating system, including Windows XP.

Making a good showing in the commercial computing market is one of Microsoft’s goals with the release of Windows 7. Accompanying Windows 7 to the marketplace will be Windows Server 2008. The most compelling feature in the Windows Server 2008 release is its ability to make Windows 7 play nice in the enterprise environment. Windows Vista never quite got along with Windows Server 2003′s Active Directory implementation and many enterprise customers skipped the Vista release because of it.

With Windows XP approaching its eighth birthday, ancient history in computer time, Microsoft is hoping that the Windows Server 2008 revamp will incent enterprise users enough to make the simultaneous switch from its vintage Windows products to something a little fresher.

With Dell loaded into the starting gate, Microsoft is expecting other hardware manufacturers to fall in line when it comes to producing Windows 7-compatible drivers in a timely way. The company is already threatening to pull its Vista-compatible imprimatur from hardware manufacturers that don’t come across with Vista-compatible drivers by October 22.
In all, the Windows 7 beta release has proven itself to be more stable than its predecessors and appears to deliver better performance in most circumstances. Nonetheless, Microsoft isn’t going to risk a dud release and is eliminating as many gotchas as possible prior to October 22.

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