I finally bit the bullet and installed Windows 7 on my laptop. I have had a little experience with Win 7 in the beta version, having it installed on two computers. One, my HTPC box developed hardware problems that are still unresolved, and the other is an old Pentium III motherboard that is marginally able to run it.
But despite that, I feel good enough about Win 7 to want to risk an upgrade of my main daily use computer, my Toshiba Satellite A250. It had – and came with – Vista Home Premium, which has always run well on it. I’ve always felt that much of Vista’s bad rap came from installs over an existing operating system. It’s expecting a lot for Vista to run well when it inherits all the clutter and crud from an old XP – or worse – install. A clean install, especially when done by an OEM, gives it a fighting chance to shine.
Microsoft avoids a lot of that with Windows 7. They tell you right up front that many combinations need a clean install. Putting it on my laptop was one of the ones that could have been upgraded in place, keeping my programs installed, but I chose a clean install anyway. It’s safer to start with a clean slate. Continue Reading…