It has been one month since Windows 7 was released. Although Windows 7 has been proven to be reliable operating system in some cases it is not easy or cheap to upgrade. If your computer is running Windows XP you will have to do a clean install. Which means you have to backup your data, format the hard drive and then install Windows 7. I recommend Acronis for backup software or Mozy for online backup. After Windows 7 is installed you have to restore the data and then reinstall any applications you had previously installed. This could be a problem if you do not have all the installation disks and product numbers (which you should have them...) If this is the case you don't want to upgrade to Windows 7. Just wait till it's time to buy a new computer or laptop with Windows 7 installed. Your existing hardware may not be good enough to run Windows 7 at full potential. If your primary use of the computer is for business make sure you buy a computer with Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate. That's very important because if your company has a server on the network you will not be able to join that network to use all the services with Windows 7 Home. Even if you don't have a server on the network, business users should always get Windows 7 Professional version as this gives you more networking options in the future.

If your PC is running Windows Vista and you are having problems, go ahead and upgrade. I have encouraged my clients to stay away from Vista because of all the problems that Vista has. Windows Vista will upgrade to Windows 7 and you will retain all of the programs and data. It's always good to have a full backup before any major changes to your computer, so make sure you backup your system before you start with the upgrade. Upgrade prices vary on which Windows Vista you have installed, for Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium it will cost you $119 (BestBuy price) and for Windows 7 Professional $199. Windows Vista Business edition can only upgrade to Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate, and Windows Vista Ultimate will upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate only.

To conclude, if your computer has Windows XP installed, don't upgrade unless you have a really good reason, for Windows Vista users, upgrade if you are having big problems with Vista, which I wouldn't be surprised if you did.