On 22 October 2009 Microsoft plans to release Windows 7, almost three years after the general availability of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7 is expected to be the evolutionary upgrade to Windows Vista.
According an IDC research paper, around 50% of all business users will be using Windows 7 before the end of 2010.¹ In addition Gartner predicts that one-half of large organizations will skip Windows Vista and move directly from Windows XP to Windows 7.² For those on Windows XP, the predominant migration question is not "when" but “how". German automobile maker BMW, for example, has been running Windows XP in its broad client environment of 85,000 desktops since 2001. Happy with Windows XP, the automaker passed on Windows Vista, but is now planning for Windows 7.³
The general feeling at the roundtables is that the migration from Vista to Windows 7 should be a walk in the park, but the move from Windows XP may bring headaches to IT administrators for many moons to come.
This white paper discusses migration to Windows 7, specifically steps and elements you need to be aware of about end-user settings. Migrating to Windows 7 might seem straightforward; however, when it comes to end-user settings, there are a few items you need to carefully consider to allow for a successful migration without disrupting end-user productivity.