7 Potential Obstacles To Windows 7 Bliss

In Windows 7, Microsoft has meticulously ironed out most of the wrinkles that annoyed Vista users. Microsoft deserves credit for making Windows 7 leaner and better performing than Vista, but there are still plenty of reasons to believe that the industry's migration to the operating system could be something less than an enthusiastic stampede.

The economy will play a role in how fast companies move to Windows 7, of course, but Microsoft has also made some puzzling decisions on Windows 7 that could prove vexing for customers. The following are seven potential obstacles that those who are thinking about migrating to Windows 7 would do well to consider.

1. Clean Install For XP-To-Windows 7 Upgrade

Microsoft isn't offering an in-place upgrade from XP to Windows 7 and will instead require users that want to upgrade existing hardware to perform a clean install. This requires users to back up their personal files to external storage, erase all data from the hard drive, install Windows 7, and then transfer their personal files back and reinstall their applications, including all updates.

Microsoft is taking a surprising amount of heat for this issue, which has become a sort of "mini Vista" in the way it's sparking strong opinions in the channel that are sometimes fueled by hearsay. It's a moot point for many customers that will move to Windows 7 on new hardware, and any solution provider worth its salt could do a clean install of Windows in their sleep. Still, for the technologically uninitiated, there's no doubt that clean installs will be time-consuming and complex.

XP is still the predominant OS in businesses, and even if a small fraction of users run into problems stemming from this decision, Microsoft could find itself back in a Windows damage-control mode with which it's all too familiar. The time and expense involved with Windows 7 upgrades couldn't come at a worse time for companies that are struggling to keep the lights on.

"Everyone is excited about Windows 7, but businesses in this recession want to keep what they have," said Mark Crall, president of Charlotte Tech Care Team, a Charlotte, N.C.-based solution provider. "No one wants to go through a clean install process right now and have to deal with the disruption associated with an upgrade."