If you’re looking at the full version of Windows 7 Ultimate, chances are it’s for one of these reasons:
1) You are migrating your settings and/or programs from a Vista Ultimate machine to a new machine and don’t want to lose them
2) You want BitLocker hardware-level encryption (and you’ll need to have hardware that supports it)
3) You speak multiple languages and need to easily switch from one to the other
4) You have a new machine and are planning on installing the OS from scratch: this is the most common reason to buy the full version.
If you are planning on upgrading an existing machine, you no longer have to purchase the full version of a Windows OS to have the ability to format and install clean: Windows 7 (and Vista, actually) will allow you to use the Upgrade edition to cleanly install the new OS.
Unlike Vista Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate doesn’t offer DreamScenes or any other eye candy different from its cousins Home and Pro. In fact, if you were a fan of the Windows Vista DreamScenes, you should know that you will be losing them when you step up to Windows 7.
What you gain in Windows 7 Ultimate over Pro is BitLocker drive encryption and support for multiple languages (beyond the previous functionality of the Language Bar in Vista and XP).
Compared to Windows 7 Home, you also gain DomainJoin (which makes connecting to corporate networks easier), an automated system backup tool, and “Windows XP Mode”, which is a step beyond the “XP Compatibility Mode” seen in Vista. These three features are also available in Windows 7 Professional.
You should know before purchasing Windows 7 Ultimate that if you are wanting to use “XP Mode” your hardware will need to support “Virtualization Technology”. Similarly, if you are looking at the Ultimate-exclusive “BitLocker” Drive Encryption feature, this will only work if your hardware contains a Trusted Platform Module (TPM)–a specific piece of hardware that is required for BitLocker to be enabled. The Microsoft website explains this in further detail.
PLANNING
If you really want to be thorough about your install of Windows 7 Ultimate, you should stop by the Microsoft site and look for the “Windows 7 Compatibility Center.” This web site will let you look up programs and hardware and confirm that they are compatible with Windows 7 Ultimate (or if not, whether there is a workaround). I strongly recommend you take the time to do this. The Compatibility Center also indicates whether it is telling you about 32-bit compatibility versus 64-bit compatibility: keep an eye on the page to be sure you’re looking at the right thing. Windows 7 ships with discs for both 32 and 64-bit editions in each package, so choosing which version to install is no longer a difficult buying decision: it’s as simple as pulling out the disc you want.
You may also find that some devices are “kind of” not compatible: for example, my Creative Sound Blaster Audigy sound card is “kind of” not compatible: the software to manage the sound card is not compatible because it is no longer needed…and support for the sound card itself is native to Windows 7. What that means is, I didn’t need to reinstall any Creative software; the sound card came up automatically when I installed Windows 7 because Windows 7 had its own software to support it. When in doubt, stop by the manufacturer’s website to confirm your suspicions.
You may also see devices that are absolutely not compatible with Windows 7. If you need this hardware, make sure (via the manufacturer’s website and/or support forums) if it’s supported natively by 7 (like my sound card) or if there are any workarounds to get it to work.
INSTALLING
If you are taking programs and settings from an old machine and wish to carry them over to a new machine that you are purchasing the full version of Windows 7 for, there are some very useful tools to help you:
Do you just want to carry over your user accounts and settings? Microsoft makes a program called Windows Easy Transfer that’s already in Vista (and XP users can download it from Microsoft) that will export your accounts and settings and let you import them back again on the new machine. It’s very easy to use and does a good job of putting your accounts back together again, even when going from XP to 7.
Do you have programs that you want to bring to the new machine, but don’t want to reinstall? Laplink has an offer both here at Amazon (as a boxed product or digital download) and through their website. The product is called “Laplink PC Mover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant”, and it will let you use a special version of their program “PC Mover” to migrate one machine one time. Read the documentation in detail. I have used it successfully on the 32-bit platform, but I cannot verify that this will work for anyone migrating from 32-bit to 64-bit.
If you are migrating from 32-bit to 64-bit with the full version of Windows 7, I highly recommend you take the time to manually re-install your programs. You can still use Easy Transfer to carry over user accounts and settings, but 64-bit operating systems make decisions about how to run 32-bit applications, and this is easier done when the application is installed directly on the 64-bit OS instead of migrated from a 32-bit installation. I realize this is the harder path, but it will probably save you compatibility headaches down the road.
ABOUT WINDOWS 7
So what are some of the things Microsoft doesn’t tell you in the description above?
Windows 7 isn’t just “fixed Vista”: it’s a full overhaul of Windows based on a ton of feedback collected directly from Beta and RC 1 users (of which I was one–I let them have an earful and I think they actually listened)
Windows 7 does things drastically different from XP in that, like Vista, it does a lot of the eye candy in a smoother way. XP and earlier used to send graphics work through your processor before it would get to your video card…now, it bypasses the processor and goes straight to the video, clearing up what was a pretty substantial bottleneck. This system was imperfect (to say the least!) in Vista, but it’s been improved here, particularly in the area of being compatible with older games.
Windows 7 is trying to slowly “trim the fat” we normally have to put up with by making itself more compatible with other devices. Where you typically have to install a new device by running the manufacturer’s setup disc, installing a bunch of junk and tray icons, and etc., Microsoft is making native support more common. My sound card is a good example of this: where I used to need about 5 or 6 “helper” programs that would drain my performance and occasionally annoy me, now it’s just using the drivers that came with the installation of 7.
New Operating Systems are always a bumpy road: your journey might not be as easy as others. However, compared to previous Windows releases, Windows 7 is a substantial improvement, and I’m pleased to say that I haven’t been burned by 7 like I was with Vista (and Windows Me–agh, the horror, the horror). If you just want to get yourself onto the 7 platform and don’t need a lot of customization, Windows 7 Home will be enough for you. If you need more for your work environment (or you are building a workplace environment), then 7 Pro is the way to go. If you regularly work in multiple languages and/or want to have BitLocker drive encryption (and your hardware supports it!), then Ultimate is for you. Otherwise, it really isn’t 100% necessary to install the full version of Windows Ultimate: you might consider either Professional or Home Premium.
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Tags: Windows 7 Ultimate