Windows 7 – It’s finally here!

Today is the day. Whether you pre-ordered Windows 7, received a free upgrade voucher, or are purchasing it from your local retailer, one thing is for sure. It’s been a long wait. If you haven’t had the chance to play with the beta, RC, or RTM versions of Windows 7, then you’ve truly been missing out (assuming you’re a Windows user to begin with). It truly is a great step up, regardless of all the negative hype Vista had, Win7 holds its own on quality.

But as you begin the process of migrating from Vista or XP to Win7, let’s not forget some of the important things that come with any major upgrade in OS. I’ve mentioned before some of the new security enhancements Win7 is bringing to the table. These are great features that are already given to you out of the box.

Things to do when you migrate:

• If you’re doing a fresh install (required if coming from XP) – or you just want a nice clean start (which is always recommended anyways) – make sure to select the “grab updates during the install process.” This will ensure that even on first startup you already have a decent amount of security updates already applied.
• But that doesn’t take care of all of it. The first thing you should do upon first startup is go to Windows Update and grab all the critical windows and software updates.
• Make sure you re-install / update your anti-virus software. Make sure it is also compatible with Win7 before you begin the upgrade process so that you can ensure you have something to install.
• Check that any 3rd party software you plan on re-installing is also compatible with Win7. This is also a great time to update these 3rd party applications to ensure they are all properly up-to-date.
• If you had any non-standard permissions or security settings – don’t forget you’re going to have to re-apply these settings as everything will be returned to default.

Windows 7 is a great upgrade, but let’s not get a false sense of security and think it fixes everything. There’s no OS that will completely protect uneducated users. So, be sure to practice safe computing and follow all the standard advice that we often preach.