Prep Your PC for Windows 7

Q. My computer is a few years old. Will it be able to handle Windows 7 if I decide to upgrade my operating system?

A. According to a page on Microsoft’s site (bit.ly/RuDfh) the most basic requirements for computers to run Windows 7 include a gigabyte of memory and a processor running at a speed of at least one gigahertz. The machine also needs 16 gigabytes of free space on the hard drive. (Computers running 64-bit processors need 2 gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of drive space.)

Microsoft has a free program you can use to see if your hardware is up to the challenge. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta is available at microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx.

If your computer is running Windows Vista, upgrading to Windows 7 when it arrives this fall shouldn’t be too difficult. You should also be able to easily upgrade a Vista machine to Windows 7 without having to move your data somewhere else to install the new system.

Windows XP computers are probably not going to be as easy to upgrade. Although Windows 7 includes an Easy Transfer program to help you get your files moved, you will still most likely need to park your data on an external drive while you wipe the computer drive and do a clean installation of Windows 7. After that, you need to copy your files back to the PC and then reinstall all your programs.

Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology, by e-mail to QandA@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.

source:http://www.nytimes.com