windows_7_upgrade_advisor
Windows Upgrade Adviser (WUA) beta for Windows 7 was released yesterday and is ready for download. Of course to know if you can use Windows 7 you need to be using Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista. Is it just me or should this tool have versions available for virtually all PC based operating systems?
I understand that it is primarily a sales tool to help encourage people to upgrade to the latest and greatest Microsoft Operating System but if they really wanted to get people to upgrade they would make the tool more “general purpose”. I love to critique Microsoft but sometimes they make it too easy.
Aside from needing to be OS independent (or at least have different versions) it should also refrain from being an installer. By making it be an msi installer they have increased the size of it, making it unnessarily bulky (Sorry MS but .msi sucks). Then to really make matters worse the results are lacking a big thing for power users, Windows XP Mode compatibility check. The utility does not mention whether or not a computer is capable of XP mode and I am sure that they will have many dissatisfied customers that purchase Windows 7 assuming they can use this feature.
Check It Out> Microsoft via WinSuperSite
I’ll give you both the MSI and Compatibility mode points, but I don’t see any good reason to put the effort into executing it on a broader range of operating systems. If your system isn’t running Windows XP SP2 at a minimum I doubt you’d want to shell out the cash for Win7. Windows 98, ME, and 2000 users are just going to have to sit this one out.