Seven Windows 7 Migration Tips

Do you have a Windows 7 question?  ANALYSYS is offering FREE SUPPORT via e-mail, now through January 31, 2010.  Send your questions to windows7@analysys.net.  Visit http://www.analysys.net/Windows7 for full details.

With New Year planning in full swing and an added glimmer of hope that the worst of the recession may be behind us, many companies are looking at smart investments in technology that offer a big, positive impact.  According to Gartner Research, Windows 7 deployments are poised to be one of these focal points for early 2010.

Why Windows 7?  It’s the perfect storm.  While Vista has been widely regarded as a failure in the marketplace and continues to lag in market share against XP, Microsoft has placed the aging Windows XP in a category of discontinued software which is no longer for sale, and no longer fully supported.  Windows 7 on the other hand has been accepted with enthusiasm by early adopters, with some IT departments even upgrading production machines to Win 7 Release Candidate prior to the October 22, 2009 full release of Windows 7.

Decision makers should take a serious look at a Windows 7 roll out now, rather than later.  Mike George, a team lead at ANALYSYS‘ call center in Baltimore, MD offers the following four reasons why an across the company standardization to Windows 7 is important:

Windows 7 is a cleaner, easier, faster, and better operating system.  It’s a long awaited, real improvement over its predecessors that often improves user efficiency in a meaningful way.

Windows 7 security improves on Vista’s approach.  More, and more effective tools empower IT admins to better secure their network and company data from intrusions of all forms – human and software driven.

Have you tried to load Windows XP on a new laptop recently, and realized you couldn’t?  Already, some new hardware is not designed to work with Windows XP, and as these replacements create a more complicated mix of Windows operating systems in the network, reliability suffers and support increases.

As mainstream software vendors take advantage of expanded features available only in Vista and 7, laggards sill on XP may find themselves stuck on older, out of support, versions of their business software.

Do you have a question?  ANALYSYS is offering free support via email to the public, now through January 31, 2010.  Just send an email to windows7@analysys.net.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 1 – Timing The Rollout… Don’t Rush The Prep Work!

Hearing that Windows 7 Mainstream Support ended in April, 2009 sounds like doom and gloom doesn’t it?  Let’s take a moment to briefly analyze what this actually means.  First, realize that Microsoft has historically taken a very generous approach to its product support life cycle.  For example, in 2007, Microsoft coordinated an Extended Support phase on all versions of Windows XP for an additional three years.

Support provided	Mainstream Support phase	Extended Support phase
Paid support (per-incident, per hour, and others)	X	X
Security update support	X	X
Non-security hotfix support	X	Requires extended hotfix agreement, purchased within 90 days of mainstream support ending.
No-charge incident support	X
Warranty claims	X
Design changes and feature requests	X
Product-specific information that is available by using the online Microsoft Knowledge Base	X	X
Product-specific information that is available by using the Support site at Microsoft Help and Support to find answers to technical questions	X	X

Reproduced from http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

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Arguably the most important part of Microsoft’s support policy is security updates.  This means that fixes will continue through to 2014 for any flaws discovered in Windows XP that would make the operating system vulnerable to a hack, virus, or other similar undesirable.  So, a Windows 7 upgrade generally remains a proactive endeavor.

Invest the time to plan your migration effectively!  It will pay dividends, many-fold.  Know about the targets of your upgrade, the hardware, software, peripherals, support, warranty status, and other technical details you feel are relevant.  Understand the impacts to the user base.  Design a process that makes sense and answers your specific objectives – perhaps consisting of inventory, design, test, and implement phases.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 2 – In-Place vs. Replace Upgrade Planning

An important question to ask when planning a migration to Windows 7 is whether to upgrade the computer in-place or replace it.  Here are some thoughts regarding costs…

Hard Costs – Replacing the computer with a new one will absolve you from an upgrade, but not from moving user data and installing the software.  Expect the cost of a replacement tower to start somewhere around $600.  Upgrading the computer in-place may require a Windows 7 Upgrade purchase.  Check first to see whether you qualify for a free upgrade.  If not, retail upgrade costs range from about $120 for Windows 7 Home Premium, $200 for Windows 7 Professional, and $220 for Windows 7 Ultimate.  An important consideration is whether you want to take each station down, usually after hours, as you upgrade the computers.

Indirect Costs – We are mainly looking at the time required to complete an upgrade versus replacing the entire computer.  A replacement is often the fastest way to go, as it enables IT staff to prepare the replacement computer in a lab environment, and frequently minimizes down time for the end user.  This is also a great opportunity to target aging technology for retirement.

When considering an in-place upgrade, you have two additional alternatives.  First, you can upgrade the existing (outgoing) Operating System to Windows 7, or second, you can erase the existing operating system and reload from scratch.  The general consensus in the community is that computers with Vista will upgrade well in-place with minimal preparation.  Windows XP requires additional consideration and time, and is under most circumstances, a good candidate for a complete wipe and reload.

For smaller businesses, consider this simple approach.

1. Purchase new computers, preloaded with Windows 7, to replace all computers that are out of warranty or no longer perform at desired levels of functionality.
2. Identify recipients of the new computers.  These folks should also be comfortable with being first adopters within your organization.
3. Install software, applications, and transfer user data in a lab environment for recipients of these new computers.
4. Make the swap with these initial adopters and verify functionality.  Wait a week or two before continuing further.
5. Iron out any bugs that arise.
6. Use replaced computers from first adopters as replacement computers for others within the organization, leaving old (to be retired) computers as the last to be replaced.  Repeat the process until complete.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 3 – Verify That Your Software Is Compatible

Not all software will work automatically on Windows 7.  This is especially true for older applications.  Follow this three step process.

Collect – Inventory the software you use.  Indirectly, this is a great opportunity to standardize and clean house on software you no longer use.

Analyze - Research whether each application will run on Windows 7 and define a plan to accomplish your migration.

Test and Mitigate – Deploy a Windows 7 machine as a test.  Load all the software you need, and identify whether it works as expected.  Identify issues that arise and develop solutions.  Document these so that the tech staff that engages in deployment can proactively address.

Sounds a bit time consuming, doesn’t it?  Fortunately, Microsoft has made a utility that helps automate this process.  It’s called the Microsoft Application Compatibiltiy Toolkit (ACT).  With ACT you can identify software that will survive an upgrade, test and track the compatibility status, and centralize answers to common problems you find.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 4 – Verify That Your Hardware Is Compatible

Not all hardware works with Windows 7.  Check your systems against Microsoft’s minimum system requirements:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Full details on Microsoft’s System Requirements for Windows 7 can be found at http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements

Tom Nieto, Director of Strategic Consulting Services at ANALYSYS advises, “the minimum system requirements for Windows 7 are essentially the same as Vista.  Considering the two-year gap in release between Vista and 7, that’s great news for businesses with newer computers.”  Be prepared, however, for systems that don’t meet the requirements.  These simply won’t work.

Nieto also advises that sometimes, even though the system meets the core performance requirements, other surprises can await.  ”We frequently find, for example, that a video card seems to support the 128MB memory requirement for the Aero interface, however the manufacturer has retired their support for drivers and software for that device.  Typically it means a new video card is in order.”  Aero is a 3D interface included with Windows 7, and is the default theme if resources are available.

Larger organizations should consider using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit to determine which systems in the installed base are compliant for Windows 7.  This tool assists by automatically inventorying hardware assets, analyzing compatibility, and providing a consolidated report.

Smaller businesses can simply run Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.  This is single use utility that helps users determine whether their PC is ready for Windows 7.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 5 – Automate The Installation Process

Do you have a large amount of systems to upgrade?  The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is an application, loaded on a server in your network, that can help to automate the migration process to Windows 7.  MDT permits network administrators to deploy upgrades of Microsoft Windows through the network.

There is no commonly accepted best practice on the size threshold or nature of the environment where MDT makes sense over IT staff manually upgrading system-by-system.  Automated tools such as MDT work best when the network is standardized and system-by-system upgrades are not practical because of the numbers.

If you choose to use MDT, consider these two approaches:

1. Zero-touch – Requires Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager and can be completely automated through the use of scheduling tools.  Zero-touch does not support in-place upgrades, only operating system refreshes, or system replacements.
2. Lite-touch - Allows you to deploy Windows 7 without System Center Configuration Manager.  Windows 7 deployments can be centrally administered but must be initiated manually.  Upgrades are allowed using lite-touch, as well as refreshes, or operating system replacements.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 6 – Back Up Your Data

Especially with in-place upgrades on highly configured systems, or for users with a low tolerance for downtime, backing up the data on the workstation is a sensible move.  This extra step adds time but gives deployment technicians an eject button in the event that the upgrade fails.  When backing data up, Gabe McCourt, an ANALYSYS team member since 2005 suggests, “any backup for this purpose needs to be fast and simple”.  He offers two methods network admins can employ – either image the entire disk or simply copy data that’s identified as important.

• Disk Imaging tools like Acronis True Image cost about $50 per desktop and quickly back data up to an external device such as a USB Hard Drive, or through a network to a storage server.  If you need to step back to the previous operating system, simply reverse the imaging process, and you’re done!
• A Simple file copy is a zero-cost, low tech, but slightly more time consuming approach to backing up data.  Instead of capturing the entire operating system, necessary data is captured  in the event of a failure during upgrade or replacement that results in data loss.  This may also be a good opportunity to legitimize the centralization of important data to a server that is backed up regularly.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 7 – Choose The Right Version

Not all versions of Windows are created alike.  There are six editions of Windows 7 available, each with varying degrees of functionality.  Additionally, Windows 7 can be acquired in three ways:

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) License – These licenses are generally the least expensive way of acquiring Microsoft Windows Licenses.  OEM licenses are sold only with a new computer, and the license is generally not transferable from the computer it was sold with.  In most cases, OEM licenses do not grant downgrade rights, so if you receive a computer pre-installed with Windows 7, you most likely are not able to wipe and reload with an older version of Windows without a corresponding purchase.

Volume Licensing – Businesses that require at least five licenses can acquire the rights to use Windows 7 from an authorized Microsoft reseller.  Volume Licenses do not include a box, paper certificates, or disks.  You download your software and license keys online.  This is generally the least expensive way to acquire licenses outside of the OEM license program.  Downgrade rights are usually granted with Volume licensing.

Retail License – These licenses, also sometimes known as Full Package Product (FPP) are the easiest to acquire.  You receive a box with your disk, a license certificate, and a copy of your license agreement.  Retail licenses, are usually the most expensive manner of acquiring licenses and do not include downgrade rights.

The following chart is excerpted from Wikipedia, and is a very comprehensive analysis of the versions available in the marketplace.  You may also want to check out Microsoft’s take on their editions of Windows 7.

Features / Availability	Starter	Home Basic	Home Premium	Professional	Enterprise	Ultimate
	OEM licensing	Retail and OEM licensing in Emerging markets	Retail and OEM licensing	Retail, OEM and Volume licensing	Volume licensing	Retail and OEM licensing
Full Package Retail Pricing	Not available in retail	Not available in Developed markets	US$199.99	US$299.99	Not available in retail	US$319.99
Maximum physical memory (64-bit mode)	N/A	8 GB	16 GB	192 GB	192 GB	192 GB
32-bit and 64-bit versions	32-bit only	Both (64-bit disc not included)	Both	Both	Both	Both
Maximum physical CPUs supported	1	1	1	2	2	2
Backup and Restore Center	Cannot back up to network	Cannot back up to network	Cannot back up to network	Yes	Yes	Yes
Remote Desktop (Client and Host)	Client only	Client only	Client only	Yes	Yes	Yes
Home Group (create and join)	Join only	Join only	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multiple monitors	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fast user switching	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Wallpaper Changeable	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Window Manager	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Mobility Center	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Aero	No	Partial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-Touch	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Premium Games Included	No	No	Yes	Disabled by default	Disabled by default	Yes
Windows Media Center	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player Remote Media Experience	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dynamic Disks	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encrypting File System	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Location Aware Printing	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Presentation Mode	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Group Policy	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Offline Files and Folder redirection	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Server domain joining	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows XP Mode	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Software Restriction Policies	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aero glass remoting	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player multimedia redirection	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Audio recording over Terminal Services	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Multi-display Terminal Services	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Enterprise Search Scopes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Federated Search	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
AppLocker	No	No	No	Create Policies, But Cannot Enforce	Create and Enforce Polices	Create and Enforce Polices
BitLocker Drive Encryption	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
BranchCache Distributed Cache	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
DirectAccess	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Subsystem for Unix-based Applications	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Multilingual User Interface Pack	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Enhancements	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Virtual Hard Disk Booting	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

at Gartner Research

In closing…

Hopefully we have demystified the process of completing a Windows 7 Upgrade.  Do you need help?  We’d be delighted to assist!  Now, through January 31, 2010, we are offering free support via email to the general public.  Email your questions to windows7@analysys.net.  Good luck, and enjoy your Windows 7 computing experience!

Ten Low-Cost Tech Improvements for 2010

With the advent and wide-adoption of technologies ranging from Windows 7 to Facebook to Cloud Computing, 2010 promises to be one of the most transformational years for technology and how technology is used.  This means that now, more than ever, is the time for you to re-evaluate the way you use your technology.  Here are ten low-cost things to do in 2010 that will make your computers, your network, and technology overall work better than ever, increasing reliability, reducing downtime, and possibly even saving you some green in the process…

1. Perform A Technology Audit

Leverage the expertise and guidance of a qualified consultant to evaluate the present state of your information system.  These IT professionals are current on new technologies, trends, and industry best practices in ways that the broader business community simply cannot be, and they use this expertise to assist you with translating your specific objectives into a strategic plan.  With so many innovations in 2009, expect them also to offer a number of recommendations you may not have expected.  Ultimately, the cost of professional guidance in developing a solid strategy will likely prove to be one of the best tech investments you make all year.

2. Upgrade Your Software

Microsoft’s introduction of their latest generation of operating systems and applications, like Windows 7, Office 2010, and Exchange Server 2010 greatly improves on prior versions, but they also change the way applications function in a manner that will soon render previous versions obsolete.  Are you still running Windows 2000?  Beware, Microsoft presently plans to eliminate support, including security patches on July 13, 2010.

3. Replace Out of Warranty & Older 32-Bit Hardware

With low financing rates presently available and the cost of new technology becoming even more affordable, replace outdated hardware with the latest energy efficient, most reliable, and faster solutions on the market today.  Replacing 32-bit systems with 64-bit systems allow you to break the 4 gigabyte memory barrier and allow users to get more done in less time.  For example, let’s say that a $500 computer that saves a team member fifteen minutes each day.  Comparing the cost of staff time and payroll, that’s a Return On Investment (ROI) that pays back in just a few months.

4. Switch To Low Power, Green Information Technology

Implement Green Information Technology solutions such as power saving surge protectors, server virtualization, proximity technology and network policies that save energy and money.  Why continue to waste precious resources both internally and externally when it is easy to implement instant savings through responsible, reliable and cost effective Green IT solutions?  ANALYSYS is saving $13,000 in power costs, and $75,000 every year in reduced technology and support costs through our Green IT initiatives… truly an opportunity to do more, with less!

5. Eliminate The Servers & Start Computing In The Cloud

Going to the cloud involves eliminating technology in your office, network room, or in-house data center, and moving your data to systems managed by an off-site colocation or data center facility.  The providers who offer these cloud computing services make a business of delivering a reliable and predictable networking experience that scales to your present level of need, whatever that may be.  One great ANALYSYS client, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, is saving up to $7,000 up-front and $16,000 per year in costs by making this transition, and that’s before you account for the costs of maintaining these systems.

6. Replace Tape Backup with Disk-Based Continuous Data Protection (CDP)

Tape backups, the gold standard for many, many years necessarily require a tremendous amount of human intervention.  Swapping tapes, checking and managing backup logs, and long waits are a thing of the past now.  Replace these relics with a disk-based solution.  The difference?  Instead of a snapshot from last night, these back up continuously, streaming data from servers as changes are made.  Restore a file from 15-minutes ago?  No problem!  In  the event there is a physical loss of the systems that hold your data you can extend off-site replication simply and easily by adding a backup appliance at a second site, or by renting space from a qualified data center hosting facility.

7. Monitor Your Network Using Software Tools for Low-Cost 24x7x365 Coverage

Take advantage of Remote Monitoring that provides 24/7/365 coverage for your network.  These systems are always watching the metrics that you define as important, automating checks for vulnerabilities and future problems that human network administrators would normally perform on a manual basis.  Monitor for important things like… Is my internet access working?  Is my server’s Hard Drive out of space?  Is my website online right now?  If and when a problem occurs, you can receive a text message and quickly work to resolve the problem.

8. Go Wireless & Work From Anywhere, Inside & Out

Wireless technology is empowering the workforce to move about the office freely and to work outside the office from anywhere.   New advancements reduce “dead spots” making these technologies more reliable and increase security helping to ensure that networks are impervious to attempts at unauthorized access.  Look for wireless 802.11g technology for your network internally.  While out of the office use SSL-VPN technology with wireless 3G or 4G service from your local mobile phone provider.

9. Understand & Harness The Power of Social Media

The growing and ever-evolving social media culture is changing the way we communicate, creating unique opportunities and risks for stakeholders at various levels of management.  Be prepared and stay current.  This means you need to create internal policies that monitor and control acceptable use of company time, technology and proprietary information.  You will also want to decide how or if your marketing efforts will take advantage of the community building and business models being created in social media.

10. Organize Your Electronic Data & Paper Files

2009 saw the introduction of the sub-$100 terabyte disk drive.  This is a direct response to the tremendous growth and demand for storage capacity.  Take this opportunity to expand the storage capacity of your network, and use this new free space to organize and catalog all your data on and off-line.  Digitize older paper records and make them searchable through OCR technology that incorporates your paper trail into your digital vault of crucial information.  Make this content available online through the use of portal technology like Microsoft SharePoint Services which comes free with Microsoft Small Business Servers.