Windows 7

You missed the party — actually, several thousand parties.

On October 22, 2009, Microsoft released Windows 7 to much fanfare and somehow managed to convince tens of thousands of people around the globe to host their own "launch" parties. After all, positive word-of-mouth and subsequent referrals are the most flattering of all compliments. Microsoft desperately needed good vibes because we all know that the word-of-mouth for Microsoft Vista was definitely not positive and rather unflattering.

In fact the "buzz" around the launch parties was designed to get people to enter the contests and host them in order to receive a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and a chance at winning a PC. I personally did not attend, but maybe you did or someone you know.

Instead, what IT professionals and shops like ours did do over the past 12 months is use Windows 7 during its beta testing, release candidate (RC) stage and now in full Release to Manufacturing (RTM). As Computer Weekly magazine attests, "Windows 7 is Microsoft's most significant operating system since Windows 95."

In our testing, Microsoft Windows 7 has proven to be much more stable, faster — on same hardware — and more intuitive than both its predecessors, Windows Vista and Windows XP. As a matter of fact, this past summer most of our production desktop machines in our office were wiped and reinstalled with Windows 7.

It is therefore important that you acclimate yourself to Windows 7 and leverage your knowledge when making IT decisions in the coming months.

Why Is It Called Windows 7

Let us go back in time, shall we? Conventional wisdom suggests that because the current version is code-named Windows 7, previous versions of Windows must have had code names of Windows 6, Windows 5, etc. While that is partially true, like all things Microsoft, there is an explanation.

Windows 6 was in fact Windows Vista, and Windows 5 was Windows XP, but prior to that the logic breaks down. There was in fact Windows 1.0 back in November 1985, Windows 2.0, Windows 3.0, and in April 1992 the very popular Windows 3.1, then Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 — well, you get the picture. Let's just say there were too many versions and not enough whole number assignments, and they did not get it "right" until Windows XP.

What You Need To Know about Windows 7 Architecture

As little as possible if you can help it. Without getting into complexities of software development and subtleties of hardware platforms, all you need to know are the terms 32-bit and 64-bit. These terms refer to the way a computer's processor handles information and can fully leverage the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed in the system.

The 32-bit version of Windows 7 handles up to a maximum of 4 GB of RAM, while the 64-bit version of Windows 7 can theoretically handle 16 EB - if you must ask, that's exabytes.

Keep in mind that not all computer hardware is 64-bit capable, and, more importantly, your line-of-business (LOB) application or EMR suite at your office may not be 64-bit compatible.

So moving forward for the next six to 12 months, the safest hardware/software combination for your practice is 64-bit capable hardware and 32-bit version of Windows 7.

Windows 7 Versions

While many editions of Windows 7 were released worldwide, only five versions are for sale in the United States. These five main versions are available through retail or through a Microsoft licensing agreement with your IT vendor or reseller:

• Windows 7 Starter: Only available in 32-bit and cannot join a business network, this version is pre-installed on small form factor computers (i.e., Netbooks) and for educational purposes. Do not consider this version for your practice.
• Windows 7 Home Premium: This version is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit machines and is primarily designed for the home market segment. It includes numerous multimedia features but cannot join a business network. As in the case of Windows 7 Starter versions, do not consider this version for your practice.
• Windows 7 Professional: This edition includes all of the features of Windows 7 Home Premium but does include the ability to join a business network, server, or domain. It adds additional business-centric functions like remote access, location-aware printing, encrypted file system, and XP mode (see below). This version should be considered for the small- to medium-size practice.
• Windows 7 Ultimate: This version includes all features of Windows 7 Professional and adds additional business functionality designed for larger businesses such as drive encryption, managed application access, UNIX application support, etc. This version should be considered for medium- to large-size practices and can be purchased via retail or via Microsoft licensing from your IT vendor or reseller.
• Windows 7 Enterprise: All the features of Windows 7 Ultimate but not available through retail or system builder channels (i.e., HP, Dell). This edition is only distributed through Microsoft licensing and does include additional enterprise-level features, including a license allowing the running of multiple, virtual machines, multi-lingual user interfaces, etc. This edition targets the large to very large practice or hospital.

So take note: While there may be five versions of Windows 7 offered in the United States, only three are right for your practice. All three of them have a feature called XP mode.

XP Mode

There are many new features introduced in Windows 7, and while many of them improve on usability, stability, screen ergonomics, and performance, there are also numerous advances made to the operating system that offer compelling business advantages. Among them is a new feature that is called XP mode. This feature only comes with the aforementioned Windows 7 version recommendations of Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise.

Without delving too deeply into the technical aspects, you need to know that XP mode within Windows 7 is a virtual machine that runs a full copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 — in other words, Windows 7 runs a virtualized copy of Windows XP within itself — for free.

This is huge.

It effectively future-proofs your new hardware/software investment by allowing you to run new applications under Windows 7 in the foreground and legacy (i.e., EMR, financial, medical) applications under a virtual Windows XP session in the background. Of course, you will have to check with your software vendor to ensure that XP mode is supported, but the possibilities are endless.

The Bottom Line

The decision on how and when to move to Windows 7 may be easier than you think. Three scenarios:

• If your practice is still using computers running Windows XP — released exactly eight years ago in 2001 — you will want to seriously consider new hardware and Windows 7 installed.
• If your computer is newer and already running Windows Vista, then the hardware specs are good enough for Windows 7 to run as well or better.
• If you are planning to purchase a new computer, laptop, or tablet, make sure it comes with Windows 7 installed. Do not settle for Windows Vista.

In all cases with Windows 7 make sure the versions are business-friendly — Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise — and that your specific line-of-business application (LOB) or EMR supports Windows 7 or XP mode. At this time we are recommending Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate.

Moving forward with proper planning, the selection of the right version and architecture of Windows 7 should allow you to bid "Hasta la Vista, baby."