Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and Windows 7 Compatibility Center Now Available

Microsoft announces via the Windows Blog that the final versions of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor utility and Compatibility Center web site are now available for one and all. When it comes to compatibility, Microsoft has a great story to tell this time around, in sharp contrast to what happened with Vista. (To be fair, that wasn't entirely Microsoft's fault. I'm looking at you NVIDIA. And Creative. And...)

We are announcing the availability of two great tools today – the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.

Both these tools are available at www.windows.com/compatibility- your place to go for any Windows 7 compatibility questions you might have.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor scans your PC to see if it’s ready for Windows 7. It checks to see if your PC meets the system requirements, lets you know if your processor is capable of running 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and gives guidance on your upgrade options. It also tells you about any known compatibility issues with the most commonly installed software programs and devices connected to your PC. If an issue can be resolved, it suggests next steps for you to take before installing Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Compatibility Center helps you easily check the compatibility of thousands of devices and software programs for 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Usually, you won’t need to do anything to ensure compatibility. If you do, the site goes beyond just telling you what will or will not work. It also provides links to drivers and software updates to help get your PC running with the latest software.

The Windows 7 Compatibility Center and Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will be regularly updated with more products.

Good stuff. Enjoy.

Discuss this Article 3

NoNameAtAll
on Oct 21, 2009
Neat stuff. Should definitely come in handy for those who want to upgrade and want to really make sure everything works. Good to see stuff like this.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Oct 21, 2009
As an FYI, the new version gives a much nicer and more thorough report than the version that was in beta.
Waethorn
on Oct 21, 2009
I'd like to see a report of programs that are running in Compatibility Mode presently, and what, if any, changes would be required to run them in Windows 7. Do the Compatibility Mode shims change from Windows version to Windows version? What's the deal with the 32-bit OS shims on 64-bit Windows?

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