Editor’s Note: Lucky No. 7

Windows 7 is more stable, secure and full-featured than its predecessors. So why aren’t you running Windows 7 as your primary OS?

Lafe Low

The only thing constant is change. That proves itself true more often than not. Change is not to be feared, though. Embracing change—and even the effort it takes to affect a significant change—can make the process less cumbersome. You may be chugging along comfortably, running your infrastructure on Windows Vista or even Windows XP. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well “fixing” your backbone Windows OS by upgrading or migrating to Windows 7 can be of greater benefit than any previous upgrade path. Moving to Windows 7 will get you to a platform that is more secure, more stable, more agile and just more capable all around.

Microsoft has a handful of tools to smooth the potentially rocky road of deployment. And there are enough upgrade paths to Windows 7 that you should have an appropriate direction, it just depends on which OS you’re currently running and whether you’re faced with upgrading 10 desktops or hundreds of desktops and laptops spread out across the country.

If you have a small amount of systems you need to upgrade, try Windows Easy Transfer. Larger migrations will call for the User State Migration Tool. Both do the trick, but the former is simpler for smaller deployments while the latter is helpful with larger rollouts—especially when used in concert with Group Policy. Don’t miss William Stanek’s piece this month: “Migrating to 64-Bit.” He covers how to use these tools and which is most effective in particular situations.

Keep an eye on TechNet in the coming months. We’ll be providing continuing coverage of issues related to deploying and configuring Windows 7, as well as the other fundamental technologies, such as Windows Server, SQL Server, Microsoft System Center and the Microsoft Office suite.

Migration Madness

A large-scale OS migration or e-mail migration can be one of the most nerve-wracking tasks you'll ever take on—and it’s practically inevitable.. You need to ensure it’s smooth, with no break in service, and all user settings and preferences preserved.

Tell us some of the toughest upgrade or migration issues you’ve ever faced. How did you mitigate the issues? Tell us your story and perhaps we’ll turn that into a case study from which others can learn. Are there any migration issues you’d like us to address? Sign up for our LinkedIn group, send us an e-mail at <tnmag.microsoft.com> or e-mail me directly at llow@1105media.com.

Lafe Low is the editor in chief of TechNet Magazine*. A veteran technology journalist, he’s also the former executive editor of 1105 Media’s* Redmond magazine. Contact him at llow@1105media.com