Smoothing the move to Windows 7
Businesses need to prepare carefully if they want a hassle-free migration.

"Migrating to Windows 7 is easier," says Zane Jackson, an IT consultant at Three Point Enterprises. "But if you are coming from a mostly XP environment you will have a hard time coming into Windows 7 if you don't have a controlled desktop, and users have installed [their own] software.
"You might give them a Windows 7 PC with six applications on it, but there are 10 more that you don't know about. It is a question of application discovery and inventory management. You need to know what software you have, and rationalise it."
For larger businesses, Jackson advocates using application management tools from vendors such as Flexera.
But part of the challenge is that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 provide such a wide range of migration and compatibility options, it is hard for businesses to know which to choose.
Businesses will have different requirements if they are moving to Windows 7 64-bit, for example, and also if they are using virtualised desktop environments either under Windows Server 2008, or alternative systems such as Citrix's XenDesktop.
Some businesses will also be able to use Microsoft's Application Virtualisation (APP-V) system, which is included for companies with a Software Assurance contract.
Others, according to Three Point Enterprises' Jackson, will need to look at Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (MED-V) for running legacy apps in a Windows 7 environment, as it allows the old application to run in a virtual environment on the desktop.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Others still will need to go back to their software vendors for patches or new versions of critical software, and might need to bring forward upgrades of major programmes, such as CRM or financials, to ensure everything runs as it should under Windows 7.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovation
ITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job losses
News With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Tiny11 review: Windows 11 with only 2GB of RAM
Review A version of Windows 11 for older machines that don't meet the full requirements
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux becomes foundational operating system for Cohesity Data Cloud
News New strategic partnership between Red Hat and Cohesity aims to drive innovation in the data security and management space
-
Ubuntu shifts to four-week update cycle
News Critical fixes will also come every two weeks, mitigating the issues involved with releasing prompt patches on the old three-week cadence
-
AlmaLinux follows Oracle in ditching RHEL compatibility
News Application binary compatibility is now the aim with 1:1 now dropped
-
How big is the Windows 10 cliff-edge?
ITPro Network With some comparing the upcoming Windows 10 end of life to Windows XP, we ask members of the ITPro Network for their insight
-
Everything you need to know about the latest Windows 11 updates - from bug fixes to brand-new features
News Two new cumulative updates are on the way and will be installed automatically on Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines
-
How to download a Windows 11 ISO file and perform a clean install
Tutorial Use a Windows 11 ISO to install the operating system afresh
-
We could all benefit from better Windows and macOS accessibility features
Opinion Today’s accessibility features can help you work through a nasty injury, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement