Windows XP to Windows7. Easy?

Windows 7 finally launched and things looked great. Test drive any lappie with the new OS installed and you’ll just itch to upgrade every existing machine you have. Even netbooks! Yes folks, even these relatively underpowered laughingstocks of the gaming world can run Windows 7. What’s amazing is that a netbook on Seven can feel much faster than a CoreDuo on Vista.

Now your big question is: when you will upgrade your dodgy XP machines.

Microsoft made it very easy for Vista users. All you do is plug in the disc and run UPGRADE. It isn’t so simple for the XP loyalists who abhorred the trainwreck that was Vista . If you look at the fine print on that glossy windows 7 box, you’ll discover quite a few things that can make your head steam.

1. Windows XP users can’t upgrade to Windows 7 directly. Check out the stats on the box. Microsoft explicitly makes it clear that any XP iteration, from Home basic to Professional can’t make the upgrade. The recommended mode is to do a clean install (which is not so bad- you end up with a faster PC!) and overwrite all programs. The downer is that you’ll spend hours of brewing coffee reinstalling every app needed by your office. And settings migration can be a pain! The average office PC has at least 20 apps (including Virtua Girl) and network settings that can be vexing to reinstall. The official excuse is that Seven contains many brand new tweaks that are incompatible with XP. Yeah right.

2. But There’s A Workaround. And it may make Bill Gates richer. And the secret is this: simply buy a copy of Vista. Once you install Vista over XP, you preserve all the apps and settings. From here you can the UPGRADE to Windows 7! Isn’t that marvy? For the economically minded, that may sound a tad foolish because it’s like you’re paying twice the price just to get at Seven. But don’t fret. Put on your blackhat and be a pirate for just 20 minutes of your life. BORROW a copy of Vista from a friend and upgrade from there. Technically, that isn’t stealing because you don’t even have to crack or activate Vista. You’re just using it to upgrade.

Happy upgrading!