Got the urge to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 but are still afraid to jump in?
Those who got Windows 7 pre-installed on a new PC are likely to have little or no trouble with the new system. However, smooth sailing is not a given for every upgrade attempt.
Tech support firm iYogi has put out a list of the top ten problems its customers have encountered making the move from an earlier release of Windows to Windows 7 so far — along with instructions and tips on how to fix them.
At the top of iYogi’s list is failure of an upgrade from Vista with a “62% completed” message accompanied by a system hang. In that case, the user can reboot and the system will roll back to Vista, or the user can follow detailed instructions on iYogi’s site in order to successfully complete the upgrade.
Users’ second most common problem occurs when the PC’s DVD drive is no longer visible, even following a successful installation of Windows 7, according to the list of problems and the fixes posted on iYogi’s site.
Again, iYogi provides detailed instructions — two different solutions in this case, although the first cure is to edit the Windows registry, which can be a daunting task for non-technical users. The second fix is to use a Windows utility called the Computer Management console to change the drive letter to another and then change it back.
Problems three and four, meanwhile, relate to Windows 7’s Aero user interface. For instance, Aero’s transparency feature may not display correctly, or the ability to move a window while at the same time resizing it may not work.
Interestingly, the fifth hottest topic regards a failure of iTunes to synch with Windows 7 after the upgrade is complete.
In among the other issues that have vexed upgrading users, though, are issues that are not bugs but are still annoying.
Other Windows 7 gripes
For instance, one of the top ten user gripes is that applets that came with Vista — such as Mail, Movie Maker, and Photo Gallery — are not distributed with Windows 7. So on completion of the upgrade, those applets are no longer available on the upgraded computer.
Instead, users need to download them from Microsoft’s Live Essentials site.
Another problem that is not a bug per se is that Windows 7 defaults to not displaying file name extensions.
Among the other user issues are custom icons that change when the visual themes are changed, as well as questions whether, when looking at the task bar, an icon is a running application or a “pinned shortcut,” iYogi’s discussion stated.
Microsoft provides technical support for users upgrading to Windows 7.
Consumers receive 90 days of free phone, online chat and e-mail support that begins on the day they activate their software license, a Microsoft spokesperson told InternetNews.com in an e-mail.
