Windows 7 Upgrades: The Official Chart

There was a time when “Start Me Up” from the Rolling Stones would hip up Bill Gates and the boys and herald the new Windows release. Since then with weekly nagging updates to protect you from viruses, Windows have become more murky. For the average user, the constant bombardment of new threats of malware is daunting. The promise of Windows 7 is better productivity and safer internet surfing. Well you can start chucking that out the window, Microsoft released their upgrade chart and it will cause confusion for the average Joe. The general public want simplicity, Microsoft thinks that everybody is techno-savvy and will know which version to pick from. Novice computer geeks will be hard pressed when looking at the chart supplied by Microsoft. They have until October 22 to ease the transformation from Windows Vista. This chart looks like a bingo sheet where nobody wins.

All of the others, denoted by blue boxes, will require what Microsoft calls a “Custom Install,” also known as a “clean install” — a procedure Microsoft doesn’t even refer to as an “upgrade.” For most average, non-techie consumers whose PCs have a single hard disk, that will require a tedious, painful process with the following steps: temporarily relocating your personal files to an external drive or other computer, wiping your hard drive clean, then installing Windows 7, then moving your personal files back, then re-installing all of your programs from their original disks or download files, then reinstalling all of their updates and patches that may have been issued since the original installation files were released. Read more>>

See also:

Silly season for Windows 7 upgrade charts

Microsoft blunders with a confusing Windows 7 upgrade chart

Windows 7 Upgrades: Are they going to be too much trouble or just about right?