High Tech Household

The next major version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system is being released into the wild soon, October 22nd to be precise. This will be a very important release for Microsoft, who have experienced increasing pressure recently from Apple on the high-end and Linux netbooks and nettops on the low-end.

So, whether you’re upgrading from Vista, you’ve been holding out since XP, or you’re thinking about jumping (back?) to Windows from Mac or elsewhere, there’s a lot to take in about this latest OS from Microsoft.

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If you’ve bought a new Windows PC in the last few years, you’ve probably become familiar with Microsoft’s latest OS. Windows Vista definitely had some teething pains, like any major new OS release has, but due to a variety of factors, Vista gained a very bad reputation out of the gate that it really hasn’t been able to shake completely. So how does Microsoft fix it? They release another OS.

That might sound like a bad thing, but really, it’s very good. In reality, Windows Vista is a very good performer on recent hardware. Releasing a new OS gives Microsoft the opportunity to really polish its next OS. The new OS: Windows 7. Read all about it:

• Microsoft’s official website
• Wired: 7 Good Reasons to Switch to Windows 7
• You can still download the release candidate and try it out, until August 20th. After that date, you’ll still be able to get an install key from Microsoft, but it might be harder to find the download.
• If you’ve bought a new PC with Vista recently, you will probably be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for free or very cheap.

Before the final version comes out in October, we’ll do a full review, especially in setting up Windows 7 to use in your household. Stay tuned.