7 Reasons to Avoid Windows 7

Windows 7, which hits stores in October, is shaping up to be the best version of Microsoft’s widely used operating system yet.

But nothing’s perfect. Windows 7, like any product, has flaws — some of them big ones. Wired.com on Tuesday laid out a list of good reasons to upgrade to Windows 7, including an enhanced user interface, improved compatibility with newer hardware and a seamless entertainment experience. (For even more background, see our first look at Windows 7.)

Now let’s look at the other side of the story: The reasons you might consider skipping this upgrade altogether.

Upgrading From Windows XP Requires a Clean Install

If you’re a Windows XP user, upgrading isn’t as easy as inserting a disc and running the installation. Instead, you must back up your applications and files, wipe your hard drive and perform a clean install of Windows 7. After getting Windows 7 up and running, you must either manually reinstall your software and repurpose your file library or trust Microsoft’s Easy File Transfer to migrate your files for you.

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Microsoft reveals 36 changes to Windows 7

But blogger who criticized company for ignoring testers calls the list 'silly'

icrosoft Corp. today revealed some of the changes it has made to Windows 7 since it issued a public beta more than a month ago.

In a long post to the company's "Engineering Windows 7" blog, senior program manager Chaitanya Sareen touted three dozen improvements and modifications to the new operating system that developers have slipped into the under-construction "release candidate," which Microsoft executives have said will be the next milestone on the road to final code.

Sareen did not disclose any new information about a timetable for wrapping up the release candidate (RC), however.

Among the changes Sareen highlighted were 10 affecting the Window 7 desktop, four to the operating system's new touch-sensitive features, another four to the Control Panel and eight to Windows Media Player.

Many of the changes are so minor that they may be difficult to spot. One tweak, for example, increases the number of times that notification windows -- such as those of an incoming instant message -- flash to get the user's attention. Microsoft upped the number of flashes from three in the beta to seven in the release candidate.

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