Windows 7 will be available in almost 7 days

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That’s right, you will be able to get your hands on a legitimate copy of Windows 7 in just over a week. This highly anticipated release from Microsoft  is set to change what the general population think of the software giant and hopefully put them on track for a lot of positive feedback (if what they have received is not a good sign already). So I thought I would give you a little bit more information about the product and how to get it.

From the 22nd of October, Windows 7 will be available at retail stores which you can purchase and upgrade your Vista installation; or you could buy certain machines that will come preloaded with the operating system.

What PC do I need for Windows 7?

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• Internet access (fees may apply)
• Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
• For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
• Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
• HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
• DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
• BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
• Music and sound require audio output

If you want to put Windows 7 onto you current machine, use the Upgrade Advisor to let you know if your machine is cool enough to have it on.

Upgrading your version of Windows

Windows Vista

The transition to Windows 7 should be pretty smooth, although you may need to update your system to the latest service pack first.

Windows XP (or any other operating system)

There is no direct support for upgrading from XP to 7 and nor will there be. Microsoft suggests that you use a local support provider to install a fresh copy of Windows 7 on your machine and transfer all the data.

How to get Windows 7 now?

Sorry for you if you missed the Release Canidate version of the operating system because the only way you will get the full version is by waiting until next week. However you can pre-order it or you could buy a qualifying machine with Vista and get a free upgrade when the operating system is released next week.

Luckily for me I have use of the Release Canidate until March next year and by then I will hopefully be testing out the Chrome OS (yes we will be writing about it soon). If you have any questions don’t be scared to ask; I have been using Windows 7 for 4 months now.