Why do people believe the advertising?

[LoadWB]

Windows 7 has a lower internal version due to, per Microsoft, a lot of bad installers out there which do simple, stupid version checks which would break if the internal version was set to 7.  Same reason they put the memory limit on Windows XP as of SP1: shitty programmers.

Windows 7 is leaps over Vista in just about every aspect, and I would not call it a Vista service pack anymore than 98 was a service pack for 95, or 2000 for NT 4.  I used the betas and RCs of both Vista and 7 and, even in beta, 7 was much, much better.  The only two things that keep me from moving to 7:

1) No in-place upgrade from XP.  IMNSHO this is a big FU to everyone who refused to upgrade to Vista and there is no legitimate technical reason for the limitation.

2) I absolutely despise the Vista interface and that I must work my way through the equivalent of a phone tree to get to functionality I want, especially knowing it WILL change with the next Windows release.

XP x64 works very well for me, so I will stick with it until I am in a position to reload my machines or I absolutely have to move up.  Renewing my MAPS subscription may help a little, too, since I have let it lapse and do not have any of the newer software

[LoadWB]

Upgrade from XP to 7 LoadWB??  Why??  As a network infrastructure and server specialist I would never reccomend upgrading an OS.  What u get is sludge from the old OS sitting there which can cause instability, slowness ect.

Your credentials are impeccable, none-the-less my experience proves that this is not always the case.  Now, in terms of upgrading a crappy installation to a new OS you will get, well, an upgraded crappy installation. Garbage in, garbage out, as the saying goes.

[LoadWB]

I think you meant to say "shitty third-party driver programmers."

I most certainly did indeed, thank you.  Now, one of many things Microsoft did get right with 7 was the requirement for 64-bit drivers.  If you wanted WHQL certification, your device must provide 32- and 64-bit drivers.  Very nice.

[LoadWB]

I could be wrong but when you get an upgrade version of windows 7 i dont think it really upgrades your previous os, i believe it clean installs and is only called an upgrade version because you need to have vista already to be eligible to purchase it.

It depends upon what you consider an upgrade.  It retains all of your settings, files, and programs, but replaces the entire system installation with 7.  I consider that an upgrade.

If it just upgraded files with the same name and the registry schema, I suppose we would call that a Service Pack, eh?

I have upgraded several systems now from Vista to 7 and the change in performance and behavior is astonishing.

I have been partial to Laplink's PC Mover now for quite a while when moving from system-to-system as it also moves programs and not just data (very handy when you just cannot lose a thing.)  PC Mover is now offering essentially an in-place upgrade from XP to 7.  Going to have a customer try it out here shortly, but I suspect from my previous adventures with PC Mover that it will be brilliant.