3. Understanding Windows 7 Compatibility Issues
Any discussion of PC compatibility, of course,
encompasses two very different but related topics: hardware and
software. In order for a given hardware device—a printer, graphics
card, or whatever—to work correctly with Windows 7, it needs a working
driver. In many cases, drivers designed for older versions of Windows
will actually work just fine in Windows 7. However, depending on the
class (or type) of device, many hardware devices need a new Windows
7–specific driver to function properly on Microsoft's latest operating
system.
Software offers similar challenges. While Windows 7
is largely compatible with the 32-bit software applications that
Windows users have enjoyed for over a decade, some applications—and
indeed, entire application classes, such as security software—simply
won't work properly in Windows 7. Some applications can be made to work
using Windows 7's built-in compatibility modes, as discussed below.
Some can't. Those that can't—like legacy 16-bit software or custom
software typically found in small businesses—might be able to find
solace in the new XP Mode feature in Windows 7.
A final compatibility issue that shouldn't be
overlooked is one raised by the ongoing migration to 64-bit (x64)
computing. Virtually every single PC sold today does, in fact, include
a 64-bit x64-compatible microprocessor, which means it is capable of
running 64-bit versions of Windows 7. However, until Windows 7,
virtually all copies of Windows sold were the more mainstream 32-bit
versions of the system. We'll explain why this is so and how the
situation is now changing in favor of 64-bit with Windows 7.
NOTE
From a functional standpoint, x64 and 32-bit
versions of Windows 7 are almost identical. The biggest difference is
RAM support: while 32-bit versions of Windows "support" up to 4GB of
RAM, the truth is, they can't access much more than 3.1GB or 3.2GB of
RAM because of the underlying architecture of Windows. 64-bit versions
of Windows 7, meanwhile, can access up to a whopping 192GB of RAM,
depending on which version you get.
3.1. Hardware Compatibility
One of the best things about Windows historically is
that you could go into any electronics retailer, buy any hardware
device in the store, bring it home, and know it would work. Conversely,
one of the worst things about any new version of Windows is that the
previous statement no longer applies. Paul (who, let's face it, is old)
often tells the story about the time he was wandering down the aisles
of a Best Buy in Phoenix, Arizona, over a decade ago when Windows NT
4.0 first shipped, with a printed copy of the Windows NT Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) in his hand. He needed a network adapter but
had to be sure he got one of the few models that worked in the then new
NT 4.0 system.
Windows 7 users face a similar problem today, though
there are some differences. First, there's no HCL available anymore, at
least not a public one, so you're a bit more on your own when it comes
to discovering what's going to work. Second, Windows 7 is already far
more compatible with existing hardware than NT was back in the mid
1990s. Indeed, thanks to a 3-year head start with Windows Vista—with
which Windows 7 shares the same compatibility infrastructure—Microsoft
claims that Windows 7 is actually far more compatible with today's
hardware than Windows XP was when it first shipped back in 2001. Based
on our extensive testing and evidence provided by Microsoft, this is
clearly the case. But then, that was true with Windows Vista as well,
though overblown tales of that system's compatibility issues burned up
the blogosphere during virtually its entire time in the market.
We've tested Windows 7 for over a year on a wide
variety of systems, including several desktops (most of which use dual-
and quad-core x64-compatible CPUs), Media Center PCs, notebook
computers, Tablet PCs, TouchSmart PCs, netbooks, and even an aging
Ultra-Mobile PC. Windows 7's out-of-the-box (OOTB) compatibility with
the built-in devices on each system we've tested has been stellar, even
during the beta, and it only got better over time. (In this case, OOTB
refers to both the drivers that actually ship on the Windows 7 DVD as
well as the drivers that are automatically installed via Automatic
Updating the first time you boot into your new Windows 7 desktop.) On
almost all of these systems, Windows 7 has found and installed drivers
for every single device in or attached to the system. So much for all
the compatibility nightmares.
Myths about how the Windows Aero user interface
requirements would require mass hardware upgrades also dissipated
during the Vista time frame. And sure enough, by the time we got to
Windows 7, we stopped seeing anything other than the Windows Aero UI on
every single modern (2006 or newer) PC we've tested. (With the
following exception: when you install Windows 7 Home Basic or Starter,
you don't gain access to Windows Aero—but this is due to limitations of
the OS, not the hardware.)
As always, you could still run into hardware issues
with older scanners, printers, and similar peripherals, especially if
you're coming from Windows XP. Paul's network-attached Dell laser
printer wasn't supported by Windows 7–specific drivers at launch
(though it was in Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 and newer). But
because it's really a Lexmark printer in disguise, he was able to get
it up and running just fine using Lexmark drivers.
If you're coming from Windows Vista, or are using
Windows Vista-era hardware, you're in much better shape. For the most
part, everything should just work. TV-tuner hardware? Yep. Zune? Done.
Apple's iPods? They all work (even on x64 systems). Windows
Media–compatible devices? Of course; they all connect seamlessly and
even work with Windows 7's Sync Center interface.
3.2. Software Compatibility
We regularly use and otherwise test what we feel is
a representative collection of mostly modern software. This includes
standard software applications—productivity solutions and the like—as
well as games.
We both run a standard set of applications across
most of our desktop and mobile PCs. We've also tested numerous video
games to see how they fare under Windows 7. (Hey, someone has to do
it.) The results have been very positive: not only do most Windows
XP-compatible applications and games work just fine under Windows 7,
many pre-Windows 7 games also integrate automatically into Windows 7's
new Games Explorer as well. Unless it's a very new game designed
specifically for Windows 7, you won't get performance information as
you do with built-in games, but the game's Entertainment Software
Ratings Board (ESRB) rating is enough to enable parents to lock kids
out of objectionable video games using Windows 7's parental-control
features. It's a nice touch.
If you're coming from Windows Vista, the extra
performance boost you get from simply migrating to Windows 7 is
astonishing. No, Windows 7 doesn't offer the same raw performance as
does Windows XP. But it's close. And it's much faster than Windows
Vista. Much faster.
The biggest software-compatibility issues you're
going to see in Windows 7 will involve very old applications that use
16-bit installers, and classes of applications—especially antivirus,
antispyware, and other security solutions—that need to be rewritten to
work within Windows 7's new security controls. Security vendors will
fix their wares, no doubt about it. But what about 16-bit applications
and other software that just won't run under Windows 7? Surprise.
Microsoft has an answer.
3.3. x64: Is It Time?
The one dark horse in the Windows 7 compatibility
story is x64, the 64-bit hardware platform that we're all using today
(though few people realize it). The x64 platform is a miracle of sorts,
at least from a technology standpoint, because it provides the best of
both worlds: compatibility with virtually all of the 32-bit software
that's been created over the past 15 years combined with the increased
capacity and resources that only true 64-bit platforms can provide.
When Windows Vista first debuted back in late 2006,
x64 compatibility was a mixed bag. Hardware compatibility,
surprisingly, was excellent, and virtually any hardware device that
worked on 32-bit versions of Windows Vista also worked fine on 64-bit
versions. Software was another story. Too often, a critical software
application simply wouldn't install or work properly on 64-bit versions
of Windows, making these versions a nonstarter for most.
Time, however, truly heals all wounds. A huge number
of compatibility issues were fixed over Windows Vista's first year on
the market, and x64 versions of Windows Vista are now largely
compatible, both from a hardware and software perspective, with
anything that works with 32-bit versions of the system.
With Windows 7, the situation is even
better. With this system, x64 is now the mainstream hardware and
software computing architecture for the first time, and you will most
likely obtain an x64 version of Windows 7, no matter how you acquire
it. In our view, x64 is the way to go. So if you have a choice, open
yourself up to the massive RAM improvements that accompany x64 versions
of Windows 7.
