Better Late Than Never

Rather than say, “Why couldn’t those buffoons have done this three years ago?” it is best to simply be thankful and stop by the Compatibility Center for Windows 7, launched by Microsoft.

This, along with the official Upgrade Advisor, will make things much, much easier for the person trying desperately to find out if they should make the effort to upgrade to Windows 7.

It could have been released a bit earlier, but the fact that it exists is a testament to the fact that Microsoft is serious about winning over the gun-shy, and solidifying the relationship with Average Joe again.

A story on PC Magazine tells how searches can be done by category, and is flexible enough to take requests for expansion.

In anticipation of the Thursday release of Windows 7, Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its Compatibility Center, an online database that provides information on which products from which manufacturers will be compatible with Windows 7.

Microsoft also took the beta tags off its Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

The software giant announced plans for the Compatibility Center earlier this month, and it is now available at www.windows.com/compatibility. The site features a drop-down menu from which you select hardware or software. Enter the name of a product, and search the company’s database.

The site also allows consumers to search by categories, such as “music and MP3″ and “communication and Internet” under the software heading, or “media players and TV devices” in hardware. Users can also drill-down results by brand and compatibility, and the site provides links to drivers and software updates.

At this point, items that are listed as incompatible appear mainly to be older versions of software or hardware, including the first-generation Apple iPod classic, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2005 Standard, Microsoft Home Publishing from 2000, and Microsoft Money 2007.

This is perhaps a good thing, as many older software programs are not truly secure, and updating is the best choice – as long as you don’t lose features. For things like iTunes, that certainly is not happening. Just another case where having something like Secunia PSI running all along would save some trouble during the upgrade.

“We have thousands of products listed and will continue to add thousands more over the coming months,” Mark Relph, vice president of Microsoft’s Developer & Platform Evangelism (DPE) Group, wrote in a blog post. “If you don’t see a product listed on the site, please suggest an addition.”

This is outstanding. Not to make too much of past performance, but it will become fantastic if the suggestions find movement quickly – that will make it indispensible.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, meanwhile, scans your computer to determine if your system will be able to run Windows 7 without displaying the ever-popular blue screen of death. Microsoft released a beta version of the product in May and the final version is now available.

“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,” Relph wrote.

The version has been released as revision 2.0, a small bit of strangeness, but it seems to work well.

By using this site, a great deal of grief can be saved, because if you have a large amount of money tied to software that won’t correctly work with Windows 7, you are probably better off sticking with Windows XP, and grabbing a copy of Window Blinds.

Removing stress from our lives is, like the old commercial states, priceless!

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