Windows 7 is upon us. New operating system, new Office suite. Let the games begin.

According to a leading industry source, about 50 percent of enterprise-sized IT infrastructures are running mixed Microsoft Office end-user environments. That’s a whole lot of wasted investment.

Then there are companies who waited for that whole Vista debacle to blow over. They kept XP and Office 2003, with the aim of upgrading when Windows 7 was released.

Windows 7 is upon us. New operating system, new Office suite. Let the games begin.

We have compiled a list of the most common Office 2007 user questions and issues, and it was recently published by IT World. You can read it here. Take notes, and happy migrating.

PC Helps also recently published a white paper on the subject, titled “The Myths and Realities of an Office 2007 and Windows 7 Migration.” Download it for free http://www.pchelps.com/html/o2007mythsrealitiesroi.asp

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Eighty-four percent said their switchovers “went off without meaningful hiccups.”

For the survey, which was conducted at the end of last year, more than 550 early adopters were asked about their upgrade processes. Of them, 84 percent said their switchovers “went off without meaningful hiccups.” (Of the users surveyed, 46 percent upgraded from Vista and 32 percent from XP.)

This is significant, writes Technologizer founder Harry McCracken, considering the fact that when XP was rolled out, a PC World study found that more than half of those who upgraded reported installation difficulties.

And then there’s the issue of the actual product and its usability. Windows 7 fares OK there as well. According to the survey, 79 percent of those who upgraded from Vista reported that they are “extremely satisfied” with 7; 61 percent of XP users feel the same.

It’s not all good news, however. Users are having problems with two main issues in Windows 7: missing drivers and application incompatibility – both of which were expected.

Although this is a very early gauge, and, in the words of the survey author, “not a representative, projectable, normalized sampling of all Windows 7 users,” it still gives you some sense of what to expect.

After all, you will face a migration eventually. The more information you have, the better.

Below is an excerpt from an earlier PC Helps Online post, which offers tips from a user’s standpoint, and from IHD’s:

For the Windows 7 User:

What changes will potentially throw off users?

1. With the elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar, users will have to pin items to the Start Menu or the taskbar.
2. The taskbar will include icons only (no text), which may confuse some users.
3. Not being able to turn off taskbar windows previews may confuse or even irritate.
4. Some auxiliary apps such as Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail are removed or replaced.
5. People who used the Vista Sidebar and gadgets in it may miss it.

What new features will increase users’ productivity?

1. With Federated Search, Windows Explorer can be used to simultaneously search different types of resources such as local drives, network drives and SharePoint sites.
2. Easier use of projectors with the Windows Mobility Center.
3. A significantly improved backup utility allows greater flexibility and granularity in a user-friendly interface.
4. Taskbar changes and Aero Peek make working with and switching among multiple windows easier and more efficient.
5. The addition of Windows key combinations to launch frequently used applications and to control the placement of windows.
6. Jump Lists offer quicker access to frequently used program features and content (files, URLs).

For the Help Desk:

What will break when 7 is rolled out (compatibility issues, legacy system issues, security issues, etc)?

1. Mostly what you would expect to break in an OS migration.
2. Some compatibility issues with older hardware and software have been found, but fewer than with migration to Windows Vista. Legacy items that touch on security or network connectivity lead the list as expected.
3. Sleep mode in laptops has been a problem in betas and release candidates.

What capabilities will be helpful to the IHD/system admins?

1. Loads faster! Loads faster! Loads faster!
2. The Problem Steps Recorder can automatically create a history of a problem complete with screen shots.
3. The Action Center combines functions of several interfaces related to security, troubleshooting and recovery.
4. Built-in management of biometric devices.
5. The utility for creating System Repair Disks is simplified and improved.
6. The second generation of PowerShell makes automating administrative tasks easier and more powerful.
7. Easily running applications with Elevated Rights without restarting them.
8. Ability to burn .ISO images to disk.
9. Installation from USB memory devices.

Download a free Windows 7 Migration Kit.

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Two words:
“Loads faster!”

Regardless of which OS you opt for, there is at least one guarantee — that is, that you will face a migration eventually. The more information you have, the better. Here’s our take on 7, from a user’s standpoint, and from IHD’s:

For the Windows 7 User:

What changes will potentially throw off users?

1. With the elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar, users will have to pin items to the Start Menu or the taskbar.
2. The taskbar will include icons only (no text), which may confuse some users.
3. Not being able to turn off taskbar windows previews may confuse or even irritate.
4. Some auxiliary apps such as Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail are removed or replaced.
5. People who used the Vista Sidebar and gadgets in it may miss it.

What new features will increase users’ productivity?

1. With Federated Search, Windows Explorer can be used to simultaneously search different types of resources such as local drives, network drives and SharePoint sites.
2. Easier use of projectors with the Windows Mobility Center.
3. A significantly improved backup utility allows greater flexibility and granularity in a user-friendly interface.
4. Taskbar changes and Aero Peek make working with and switching among multiple windows easier and more efficient.
5. The addition of Windows key combinations to launch frequently used applications and to control the placement of windows.
6. Jump Lists offer quicker access to frequently used program features and content (files, URLs).

For the Help Desk:

What will break when 7 is rolled out (compatibility issues, legacy system issues, security issues, etc)?

1. Mostly what you would expect to break in an OS migration.
2. Some compatibility issues with older hardware and software have been found, but fewer than with migration to Windows Vista. Legacy items that touch on security or network connectivity lead the list as expected.
3. Sleep mode in laptops has been a problem in betas and release candidates.

What capabilities will be helpful to the IHD/system admins?

1. Loads faster! Loads faster! Loads faster!
2. The Problem Steps Recorder can automatically create a history of a problem complete with screen shots.
3. The Action Center combines functions of several interfaces related to security, troubleshooting and recovery.
4. Built-in management of biometric devices.
5. The utility for creating System Repair Disks is simplified and improved.
6. The second generation of PowerShell makes automating administrative tasks easier and more powerful.
7. Easily running applications with Elevated Rights without restarting them.
8. Ability to burn .ISO images to disk.
9. Installation from USB memory devices.

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Our consultants rarely come across a question that hasn’t been asked before. Experience and stats collected over the last 15 years, from more than 4 million end-users, prove that most callers have problems with the same general areas of an application or operating system. And although navigating through a few levels to open an application doesn’t seem time-consuming, when you add up the minutes it takes to open it a few times a day, every day of the workweek, and scale that across a company with 3,500 PC users, the productivity loss becomes significantly more substantial.

Do you regularly “store” things in your trash can at home, just in case you might need them?

Everyone wants to be more productive, especially in a time when workers are being asked to “do more with less,” and are even being asked to itemize or quantify what they’ve accomplished in a day. Boost productivity instantly by sharing this list with your IT staff and customers. Chances are, if your help desk is not receiving these types of calls, your customers don’t know it’s there to help and they’re seeking assistance elsewhere, if at all.

1. Pinning applications to your start menu. Tedium is clicking through a half-dozen layers of folders every day to open the same application. One solution is creating desktop shortcuts, but they clutter your workspace. Then there’s the “Pin to Start Menu” feature in XP and Vista, which allows you to “pin” applications to your start menu with a right-click. One or two steps instead of six or seven can add up over time. Stealth.

2. Safely remove hardware. You faithfully back up your non-network files with a thumb drive, but when you finish copying them over, you yank the drive out of the slot without ensuring it has stopped running. Tsk, tsk. Such carelessness usually will not cause permanent harm, but can damage your files or even your device. Removing it properly is as important as backing up your work.

Here’s how:

• From the Notification area (next to the clock in the system tray), right-click the Safe Removal icon (usually has a green arrow).
• Click Safely Remove Hardware.
• Click on the device to be unplugged or ejected in the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box.
• Click the Stop button.
• In the Stop Hardware device dialog box, confirm the device to be unplugged.
• Click the OK button.
• Click the Close button in the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box.

3. Don’t be a trash-picker. When tidying up friends’ computers, I ask them this question regarding the trash bin: “Do you regularly ‘store’ things in your trash can at home, just in case you might need them?” They always reply with “no.” To which I reply, “So why do you hoard items in your recycle bin at work?” It almost always helps them to appreciate the importance of letting go, of emptying recycle bins and clearing temps regularly. You should do the same. Your computer will run faster, but I cannot promise your workspace will smell any better.

Have great tips or other commonly asked Help Desk questions to share? Post in comments or send us an e-mail.

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