Jul 27, 2010

Microsoft has essentially extended Windows XP’s sales life, and many observers expect that Windows XP’s support life will also last longer than expected. So should your enterprise stick with Windows XP or continue on to Windows 7?

It seemed so clear. Like it or lump it, the top brass realized, your company would move its enterprise desktops to Windows 7 as Windows XP came to the end of its sales and service life. Then, Microsoft changed the rules. At the same time that Microsoft announced the beta program for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 SP1s, the company “decided to extend downgrade rights to Windows XP Professional beyond the previously planned end date at Windows 7 SP1.” This means you’ll still be able to “downgrade” PCs from Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows XP Pro until early 2015. READ MORE

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Jul 27, 2010

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 isn’t possible — at least not in a regular way. Most methods to perform a clean installation or roll out a fresh Windows 7 image are a hassle and involve too much user input. Your company needs something more automated: a way to capture old Windows XP settings, programs, and user data and move them to Windows 7. This guide helps you use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 to do just that.

Supporting Windows XP in your IT infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult. You’re fighting bugs, declining stability, and a successive performance degradation — and struggling to keep energy bills down, thanks to Windows XP’s antiquated power management system. Windows 7 is proving to be way more effective in all of these areas. Now is a good time to jump.

Still, finding a cost-effective way to go from Windows XP to Windows 7 isn’t exactly easy. We looked at five ways to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7 and learned: None of them really cater to an enterprise roll-out, and they require too much time. Also, your IT department will have a tough time getting applications, Windows settings, and user accounts off the old operating system (OS) and onto the new Windows 7 platform. READ MORE

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Jul 15, 2010

The official word from Microsoft is you can’t upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7; you need a clean install. But in fact you can upgrade, including moving your data, applications, and settings. Here are some tips to help.

With Microsoft having abandoned Windows XP SP2, late-adopting companies still using XP are being pushed to make the upgrade to Windows 7. Windows XP is a dying breed.  It’s time to upgrade. Microsoft says only Windows Vista systems are eligible to upgrade, while Windows XP users need to make a clean install of the new operating system:

You can’t directly upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, says Microsoft.

You can’t directly upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, says Microsoft.

Thankfully, you can avoid the need to wipe the disk of each PC and clean-install Windows 7 manually.  Some tricks are more effective than others. Let’s look at some of these upgrade options, the DO’s and DON’Ts, and pick the slickest (and cheapest) and method.
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Feb 8, 2010

CircuitArrowUpXSmallIf you are looking for in-place migration of Windows XP desktops, you could use Laplink’s PC Mover. But if you want to preserve your Windows XP desktop and switch back to it when you need to run an application that doesn’t work on Windows 7, then you should consider Zinstall’s XP7. It creates an XP virtual machine (VM) with all of your old applications and files just a mouse click away. “Consider” is the operative word, however. The product idea is sound; the implementation is lacking. READ MORE

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By Ed Bott -
Feb 3, 2010

shooting starsWindows XP Mode is a simple, single-user virtualization solution that allows users to move to Windows 7 and still access old, incompatible applications. Here are five setup secrets and five gotchas to watch out for. READ MORE

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By Jim Nash -
Dec 14, 2009

ExplodingPCFor CIOs at a lot of mid-sized companies, the business case for adopting Windows 7 might be as simple as this: Time.

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Dec 14, 2009

Video1If you are running Windows XP and want to upgrade to Windows 7 without having to reformat your machine’s hard drive, you currently have one choice: a utility called PC Mover from Laplink software. This video shows you the steps involved in the migration, along with things to look out for in using PC Mover. READ MORE

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By tim -
Nov 18, 2009

Windows 7 represents the most significant desktop transition in 8 years — according to a recent Forrester Research Inc. report, 86% of corporations are still running Microsoft® Windows® XP. With XP support sunsetting, customers are concerned about data migration, hardware limitations, compatibility and integration of existing applications and licensing issues associated with upgrading to Windows 7.

This webcast will discuss:

* Application compatibility, testing, remediation, and packaging for the new OS
* Concerns regarding when and how to effectively transition corporate images to Windows 7
* Conducting overall Windows 7 readiness assessments
* Best practices for deploying new systems and/or upgrading in-place systems, once the commitment to move to Windows 7 has been made READ MORE

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Nov 3, 2009

Video1What has changed in Windows 7 networking from Vista and XP versions? In this screencast, we show you how to do a few common tasks, such as connect to a new network, set up firewall options, find and renew your IP address, and how to start to troubleshoot networking problems. We show where the commands are now located in the new interfaces and highlight a few new features.
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By tim -
Oct 23, 2009

Windows XP has remained the corporate desktop operating system (OS) standard for most enterprises for several years, but its reign will end with the availability of Windows 7 to IT professionals as early as August 6, 2009. Windows 7 is shaping up to be a suitable replacement for organizations that couldn’t justify an upgrade to Windows Vista, and it even has some firms that took the Vista plunge rethinking their upgrade strategy. One of the first steps IT managers should take is to determine their firm’s Windows 7 licensing strategy and how it fits into their broader Microsoft relationship. Why bother, three months before its release? Most firms have extended the lives of their existing desktops and laptops so that they can tie in the OS upgrade with their next major PC refresh cycle. You will now have to consider your existing system’s age, licensing investments, and how Software Assurance impacts initiatives like desktop virtualization to ensure your move to Windows 7 is cost-effective now and throughout its life cycle at your company. READ MORE

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