It Consultation for Mr. Green
IT Consultation for Mr. Green
Mr. Green,
From the information you gave me, it appears that your stand-alone machines are capable of running Windows 7 Ultimate. It requires 1GHz processor, 2GB RAM (for 64 bit) and 20GB available disk space. My concern for the future would be to look into getting more RAM as you install different programs and have many applications running at the same time.
Attached are graphs that will take you step by step in preparing to upgrade as well as the steps for using Windows Anytime Upgrade. Running the upgrade advisor will ensure that your systems are capable and compatible of running Windows 7 Ultimate. It will check your hardware, search for updates, check your applications, disk space, ensures computer functionality, also performs a full system backup and allows you to purchase Windows 7. The next graph walks you through Windows Anytime Upgrade which I believe will work for you since your systems already have windows 7 on them. The graph has you click start, control panel, system and security tab, and Windows Anytime Upgrade. When you get to that window, just click on go online to choose the windows 7 edition you would like and then click the buy button. It will then walk you through the install process.
You may have realized that Home Premium does not support joining domains. This feature will benefit your company by being able to access shared libraries and files on all of your stand-alone machines. Upgrading will also give you Remote Desktop. You will be able to connect to your work computer if you are on the road or at home. This feature comes in handy if you need files or documents from your business when you are not near your work computer. One main feature that you do not have right now is the Advanced Backup and Restore. This feature allows you to store everything on your computers to a Network Backup in case you ever lose anything important. Also, being network based allows outside users to hack into your files, but with Bitlocker you won’t have to worry. Bitlocker encrypts the entire drive that windows and your data reside on.
My main concern with just testing Ultimate would be the cost. Microsoft does offer a 90 day trial for enterprise but not ultimate. Next concern would be to ensure you have all of your systems backed up onto an external drive or the cloud with internet access. In my opinion, I would not recommend installing Windows 7