Archive for August 21st, 2009

Upgrade Or Update: Fixing A Slow Computer

Posted by paul on August 21st, 2009

Upgrade Or Update: Fixing A Slow Computer

If you’ve put off updating your slow computer because you’ve heard horror stories about Windows Vista, from my personal experience, I’d say that the tales of woe are overdone. I’ve used Windows Vista quite happily at home for about a year and during that time, have had very few problems. I will say that Windows Vista doesn’t necessarily behave as well in a networked environment.

Will Windows 7 Speed Up Computer Performance

I happen to be one of those people who think that Windows 7 will tend to perform more or less as advertised. I also think that users who expect to hang tight with an operating system that has been in office longer than any sitting president since FDR will be in for a rough ride.

Microsoft has improved many things in Windows 7, from its speed and stability, to its look and ease of use. Certain elements are still around – like the registry, for example. I expect the registry to behave much like the registries we’ve seen in other versions of the Windows operating system. I also suspect that there will still be a need for registry management tools like RegCure.

I think users can expect better driver performance and better driver policing on the part of Microsoft. Users will have drivers for the most common peripherals available right out of the gate. (Microsoft won’t want to break its corporate leg on the same step twice, especially since the company’s initial response to Windows Vista driver issues amounted to a permanent turn-off by most consumers.)

I believe you’ll see better performance from Windows 7 than you did from Vista. In most cases, Windows 7 outperforms both Windows Vista and Windows XP. That’s good for users who are looking for some guidance on whether to upgrade to Windows 7 or to update their computers.

My personal take on the upgrade v. update debate is this: if you’re working on a computer that’s three years older or more, you may get more efficiency out of updating your computer to a compact desktop model, like Dell’s Studio Hybrid computer that comes pre-loaded with Windows 7, rather than struggling with upgrading your hardware and then installing the new OS. The Dell Studio Hybrid (and others just like it) take up very little desktop space and can be had complete with OS for about $500. Given the cost of an upgrade, a low-cost update option would still allow you to use your old XP/2000/ME/NT/98/95 (or dare I even say Windows 3.x?) computer and allow you to get to know Windows 7 for about the same amount of money.

Photo Credit: Tripu, via Flickr