[WinPartners] Microsoft Windows 7 Update - Full Support and Migration Guidelines

[Alexander Kozlov]

Good Afternoon,



Information Services & Technology (IS&T) is pleased to offer full support for systems running 32-bit business-class versions of Windows 7 and has recommended guidelines for safe migration paths.



SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS 7

--------------------



IS&T offers full support for business-class versions of Windows 7 including:



1. Professional Edition (32-bit only)



2. Enterprise Edition (32-bit only) - Available for free download through Microsoft Campus Agreement at MIT (MSCA) at http://ist.mit.edu/services/software/available-software.



3. Ultimate Edition (32-bit only) - Support excludes the Media Center components.



You can compare editions of Windows 7 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx.



For known issues with Windows 7, please review the web page at http://ist.mit.edu/services/software/windows/7/known-issues. If you rely on one of the applications that is not yet fully compatible with Windows 7, including TSM, SAPgui, and Oracle client, you should hold off on upgrading or purchasing a new machine with Windows 7. Until software vendors have released versions of their applications that are compatible with Windows 7, IS&T will be unable to support them. It typically takes vendors four to six months to catch up to a major operating system release.



IS&T continues its support of Windows XP and Vista and does not recommend that you do an in-place upgrade of your existing operating system to Windows 7.



IS&T will provide support for core functionality of Windows 7 Starter and Home Premium editions. However, IS&T does not recommend these editions and will support them on a best-effort basis only.



IS&T does not support 64-bit versions of Windows 7 at this time because some critical applications do not work on these versions. Support for 64-bit Windows 7 versions will be announced later this year once all IS&T core applications and services are fully supported under 64-bit Windows 7.





RECOMMENDED MIGRATION PATHS

---------------------------



After extensive evaluation, IS&T recommends two possible migration paths:



1. Buying a new computer with Windows 7 business-class preinstalled



2. Performing a "clean install" on an existing XP or Vista system



IS&T has posted its Windows 7 migration guidelines at http://ist.mit.edu/services/software/windows/7/migration.





FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE MIGRATION

----------------------------------



IS&T recommends that you consider the following factors before deciding to migrate to Windows 7:



. Find out if your DLC is ready to support Windows 7.



. Make sure your applications - including special local applications that your DLC uses - are compatible with Windows 7.



. Consider training options. The Windows 7 user experience and graphical user interface differ from those of XP and Vista, so members of the MIT community should anticipate facing a learning curve. To find out about Windows 7 training opportunities offered by IS&T, go to https://ist.mit.edu/services/training/schedule#windows7.





GETTING HELP

------------



For help with installing or using Windows 7, contact the IS&T Computing Help Desk at 617.253.1101 or computing-help at mit.edu<mailto:computing-help at mit.edu>. You can also submit a request online at https://ist.mit.edu/support.



IS&T has published Windows 7 product information for MIT at http://ist.mit.edu/services/software/windows/7.


_________________
Important: MIT IT staff will *NEVER* ask you for your password, nor will MIT send you email requesting your password information. Please continue to ignore any email messages that claim to require you to provide such information.

Alexander Kozlov
Windows Platform Coordinator
Software Release Team
Information Services and Technology
W92 - 140B
(617) 253-5103