Windows 7 Compatibility Issues

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This discussion should center around problems & fixes that you find with Windows 7 and your hardware & software.

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Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor & Windows 7 Compatability Center

Microsoft is announcing the availability of two great tools today – the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.

Both these tools are available at www.windows.com/compatibility- your place to go for any Windows 7 compatibility questions you might have.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor scans your PC to see if it’s ready for Windows 7. It checks to see if your PC meets the system requirements, lets you know if your processor is capable of running 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and gives guidance on your upgrade options. It also tells you about any known compatibility issues with the most commonly installed software programs and devices connected to your PC. If an issue can be resolved, it suggests next steps for you to take before installing Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Compatibility Center helps you easily check the compatibility of thousands of devices and software programs for 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Usually, you won’t need to do anything to ensure compatibility. If you do, the site goes beyond just telling you what will or will not work. It also provides links to drivers and software updates to help get your PC running with the latest software.

The Windows 7 Compatibility Center and Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will be regularly updated with more products.

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Sandboxie

A new version (3.40) of Sandboxie was releases September 30, 2009. I had trouble with the previous version woking in Windows 7. The update seems to work well.

Sandboxie creates a virtual environment called a “sandbox” that lets you run applications without affecting your actual computer system. You can install a new application in the sandbox environment to test it out, without having to worry about it making changes to the OS. It allows more security when browsing the web as well. When you open a browser in the sandbox environment, the cookies, site history, cached files, etc are deleted when you clear the sandbox content or shut it down.

View a great tutorial at How-to Geek on how to run Sandboxie to keep your system clean & secure.