Windows 7 is much better than Vista but, in much the same way Microsoft tinkered with 98 and NT to give us ME and 2000, this new version 7 is more like Vista Lite than the real upgrade XP turned out to be for the earlier versions. Windows 7 is not the new XP and any major improvements to the operating system will have to wait for later versions of Windows.
However, I like it much better than Vista and some things - particularly media sharing - it does really well. It is good to be able to finally access my iTunes library on my WiFi, and all media on my Bravia TV. The interface looks good too; especially the toolbar with quick launch and notifications on, and the computer runs much faster too.
I upgraded from Vista on a two and a half year old Toshiba Satellite P200 laptop and the procedure was very straightforward. I had previously upgraded an old Dell PC from 98 to XP so I knew roughly what to expect, but this Vista to 7 upgrade was much smoother and most of the potential problems identified by Windows 7 Advisor did not materialise, or were corrected by a subsequent Windows Update. The main problem I, and others, had was with Bluetooth drivers which Windows 7 seems to kill. My laptop uses Toshiba Bluetooth Stack which does not work under 7, and I have yet to find a fix for. I found out after the upgrade that I should have updated the driver in Vista BEFORE proceeding - there doesn't seem to be a retro fix as yet. Also finding a Bluetooth dongle guaranteed to run under 7 is proving more difficult than I imagined. Having said that I am not a huge fan of Bluetooth and ran the laptop with it disabled most of the time - but if it is a feature you use then check this area carefully before upgrading, if you have a Toshiba the info is on their website.............if you have the patience to find it!
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Upgrade Edition for XP or Vista users (PC DVD) is a relatively straightforward package for Vista users, but needs a clean install if upgrading from XP - and unless you have a really good reason to upgrade your XP I really would not bother. The pack contains two discs, one for 32 bit one for 64 and you can only use one of them once; if you want to change to a different system from your Vista version you will also need to do a clean install - it is much easier to upgrade like for like.
Windows 7 is good - not as good as I had expected at the price - but should really have been a service pack for Vista until Microsoft develops a genuinely different operating system. You won't regret upgrading but you won't be over excited either - I'll just about give it four stars but it was very nearly only three!
21/02/10 - Toshiba Owners - I found downloading the latest Bluetooth Stack for Toshiba Notebooks from the Toshiba website worked for my Satellite P200, and the Value Added Package download restarted Flash Cards and other Toshiba utilities.
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I bought this in 2012 to upgrade my XP and all seemed OK. However my recent windows 10 upgrade failed which prompted me to dig this out again to do a clean install back to Windows 7. The install failed (wouldn't install any windows updates) so I thought I'd just download the Windows 7 Home Premium ISO from Microsoft in case there was an issue with the upgrade disk and guess what? When I typed the product key into the Microsoft download website it turned out that I've been sold a bl00dy Korean version. Absolutely disgraceful and this was not mentioned in the product info. And because I bought it 4 years ago it can't be returned.
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