Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor lets you know if your PC is Win7 ready
by Brad Linder May 7th 2009 at 7:30PM
But if you want a second opinion, Microsoft has released a beta version of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. This is a utility that you can run on your Windows XP or Vista machine to determine whether your system is ready for Windows 7. Basically, it checks your computer's memory, processor, storage, and graphics hardware. It will also check for known software compatibility problems.
If your PC passes the test, the Advisor will tell you. If not, it will attempt to provide steps you can take to get your computer ready for Windows 7.
You'll want to make sure any USB devices you regularly use such as a mouse, printer, external hard drive, or scanner are plugged in when you run the utility.
[via Windows Experience Blog]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DeoWulf said 8:02PM on 5-07-2009
This validates my hatred toward my crappy PC.
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mu said 12:02AM on 5-08-2009
I passed the test. Yet when i reach the step where it asks: "Where do you want to insert windows?", it can't locate my drives.
It seems that they didn't cover that part yet.
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sitruc said 2:29AM on 5-08-2009
I feel dumb for running that program on my Windows Vista PC.
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Richard said 7:46AM on 5-08-2009
I cannot download it here at work, but does it tell you what the likely Windows 7 "experience index" value would be for each of the sections?
Telling me that my PC will run Windows 7 is great and all - but it would be more useful to know, for example, that my graphics card is going to have a low value.
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Schwinn said 8:40AM on 5-08-2009
From the image, "you need at least 16GB of space"... are you kidding me? 16GB for an upgrade install of Win7?!
Sure, disk space is cheap, but what the hell do they need 16GB for?!
Reply
Gobelet said 9:47AM on 5-08-2009
For the tens of thousands drivers included with the OS, mostly.
RUGRLN said 1:45PM on 5-08-2009
I want to upgrade to 64bit, and it told me I need 20GB of free HDD Space!?!? I gto 13GB free frm my 500GB :D !
Peter said 6:12PM on 5-08-2009
Remember that during an upgrade both copies of the OS are on the drive for a period of time. That is why you need so much space. It copies the new files to the drive, makes configuration changes, verifies it all went well enough to boot the new OS, and then saves some of the old OS files before removing the bulk of the old files.
When it's all done, the new OS doesn't take up 16 Gigs, but you might need that much space at some point in the process.
It's a generous estimate also. The last thing you want to have happen is to run out of drive space during an upgrade. That virtually guarantees you'll hose both operating systems.
Schwinn said 10:36AM on 5-11-2009
I know that both OSes are on the drive during the upgrade, but if the existing one is already on the drive, you still shouldn't need 16GB "more" for the new version to come in. Sure, there is some work to be done during the install, but 16GB "more" for the install seems a bit ridiculous.
I also understand wanting some extra headroom... but if the OS takes 4-5GB, for example (I don't know - just throwing some numbers out there) where doe the extra 10GB come from!? It's not like they are recompiling code along the way!
Anyway, I realize this is more of a rant... it's kinda rhetorical... still, the bar seems to be set a bit too high... maybe they'll readjust for the RTM.