Concerned before using Windows 7

Hardware Requirements

Microsoft has published their minimum recommended specifications for a system running Windows 7 Release Candidate. For the 32-bit version, these are much the same as those for premium editions of Vista, but they are considerably higher for the 64-bit version. Microsoft has released a beta version of an upgrade advisor that scans a computer to see if it is compatible with Windows 7.


Which editions of Windows 7 will be released?

Microsoft will release six editions of Windows 7. Not all of them will be made available worldwide though:

• Windows 7 Starter - Designed for low end computer systems like netbooks, comes with severe limitations.
  
• Windows 7 Home Basic - Designed for emerging markets only.
  
• Windows 7 Home Premium - Worldwide available, one of the main end user systems that comes with a solid feature set.
  
• Windows 7 Professional - Worldwide available, aimed at small to small to medium sized businesses, professionals and enthusiasts.
  
• Windows 7 Ultimate - Will only be available online
  
• Windows 7 Enterprise - Same as Windows 7 ultimate but only available to organizations and large companies.
  

What are the differences between the six Windows 7 editions?


Each version builds up on each other: Windows 7 Starter -> Windows 7 Home Basic -> Windows 7 Home Premium -> Windows 7 Professional -> Windows 7 Ultimate / Enterprise

All 32-bit editions will support a maximum of 4 Gigabytes of computer memory.

The 64-bit editions will support the following amounts:

Starter / Home Basic: 8GB
Home Premium: 16GB
Professional / Ultimate / Enterprise: 192GB