ITBusinessEdge
- Paul Mah
Sep 17, 2009
Link to article
With the October 22 general availability of Windows 7 inching inexorably closer every week, there
is no doubt that some IT departments will be scrambling to prepare their SMBs for the big move to
Windows 7.
Rob Schaper, who is the Product Marketing Manager of PCmover, wrote in with these simple
steps that small and medium-sized businesses will do well to follow. As usual, I have added
my own comments and thoughts.
Plan ahead
Schaper: All non-traditional applications on XP must be Windows 7-compatible, or they may not
install properly. Identifying compatibility issues early provides time to come up with alternative
options and ensure that all critical business applications remain operational after a migration
takes place.
Mah: I suppose that's what the release of Windows 7 RC and, more recently, the availability
of the free 90-day Windows 7 Enterprise trial are about - to give companies the ability to
adequately test existing applications ahead of actual deployment. In some ways, the jump from
32-bit to 64-bit is bigger than switching to Windows 7, so be sure to test thoroughly if you are
considering going to Windows 7 64-bit directly.
Get users involved
Schaper: Ask users receiving a new PC to perform pre-migration clean-up ahead of the
migration, including:
- Updating any applications with new versions available, clean registry, and other tasks.
- Sync critical data to a server or storage device. Saving an "image" of the old PC before
migrating is also highly recommended.
Mah: While I would hesitate to ask end users to touch their registry for any reason at
all, I love the part about getting users to be responsible about backing up their own data.
Assuming only a moderate amount of data per user, one suggestion I have is to make use of the free
version of SugarSync to ensure proper backup of user files.
Use a migration utility
Schaper: Use a migration utility like Laplink PCmover to fully automate the upgrade process,
including the transfer of installed applications, data and settings.
Mah: Obviously, the company recommends the use of its own PCmover product in order to
automate the upgrade process. I confess I haven't yet been able to try out my (beta) evaluation
copy of PCmover on a test system. I did go through the upgrade instructions, however, and it looks
incredible to me: Other than migrating to a new machine via a USB connection, it is also possible
to perform an "in-place" upgrade from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7.
Remember to do a proper data wipe
Schaper: After the migration is complete and the "old" PC is ready to be recycled and
re-used, safely erase the data using a certified disk wipe solution that is DoD certified. This
process ensures all private information on the PC will no longer be accessible.
Mah: Of course, another way to ensure the confidentiality of your data would be to encrypt it
using a disk encryption utility such as Microsoft's BitLocker. Even with that, though, it
makes sense to adhere to proper data-wipe procedures.
Over the last few months, I have covered a fair amount on Windows 7. You can find a round-up
at the SMB Windows 7 cheat sheet. In the meantime, do feel free to post any questions you
have here.
Copyright © 2009 NarrowCast Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to our news feed