Make Sure your Computer Can Run Windows 7 with Upgrade Advisor

You’re excited for the Windows 7 release from Microsoft but question if you computer can run it.  Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a free download from Microsoft that will analyze your current system and let you know what is and isn’t ready for the new OS.
We ran Upgrade Advisor on an older IBM Thinkpad currently running XP.  You will need Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed, but if you don’t it allows you to easily install it first the restart Upgrade Advisor installation.

After everything is installed successfully Upgrade Advisor is ready to be launched.

In the first screen you get an overview of the advisor then click on the Start Check button.

It will take a few minutes while the check is completed.  Time will depend on the type of system you’re checking.

When the check is complete you will get a report on what isn’t compatible and what needs to be changed.

You can also save the report as an HTML file so you can easily share it with other users.

The minimum system requirements for Windows 7 are a 1Ghz CPU, 1GB RAM, and a 16GB Hard Drive.  Less important is you will also need a DX9 capable graphics card with 128MB of memory to be able to run the Aero interface. If you think your system might be on the fence, this is a handy tool to find out if your hardware will run Windows 7.
Download Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor