To help businesses and users wishing to quickly assess whether their computer needs an operating system Windows 7, Microsoft has developed a special tool called Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit, version 4.0.

When you release a new version of the operating system, a number of users who use very old equipment may not be installed on your computer a new operating system due to incompatibility of hardware and software. For individual users and for professionals working with large corporate networks, finding out whether it was possible to put a new OS to a specific computer, it may be quite complex. In light of the imminent release of Windows 7, Microsoft seeks to remove this obstacle, which could significantly delay the adoption of the new operating system by many users.

The largest producer of software has released a beta version of the utility, which will give users the ability to determine the suitability of their computers for the operating system Windows 7. Utility Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit, version 4.0, check your computer to match the system requirements of a number of operating systems and software products, including Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft Office 2007. This utility will also give recommendations on virtualization, energy-saving opportunities and security.

Baldwin Ng (Baldwin Ng), a senior manager of the group of basic design of accelerator solutions company Microsoft, said that the utility performs basic functions, which include an inventory of equipment and devices, the analysis of the compatibility of equipment, and generate concrete proposals for the migration of most major Technologies Microsoft, focusing on a particular system. "

Currently, the utility can be found on the MAP site TechNet. A limitation of this version of the tools is the possibility of its application only in a limited range of operating systems, Windows, namely Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows XP Professional Edition. If the boot sector of the disk will not be any one of these operating systems, the MAP will not start. The utility may provide a report in English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Currently, users can check your system for compatibility with Windows 7, download and install Windows 7 Release Candidate. However, this method is not suitable for novice users and for businesses.

Compared with the previous version of the Microsoft operating system Windows 7 improved interface, added some new features, increased speed of working with multiple tasks simultaneously, reduced the system requirements. The manufacturer expects that the issuance of a new operating system will correct the negative impression left by many users of the release Windows Vista.