The critical acclaim for Windows 7 keeps coming, with early previewers calling the system “stable, smooth, and highly polished,” amongst other things. However, while Windows 7 may be shaping up to be the operating system Microsoft has been hoping for, more mundane issues may present a serious problem for pc users looking to upgrade come spring 2010.

One of the most common pc problems we are faced with here in Burton on Trent and, no doubt around the country too, is the confusion and potential pitfalls of upgrading operating systems.  With multiple versions of the Vista operating system, each one demanding a different upgrade version of Windows 7, Microsoft has created quite a puzzle for many upgraders, but the fun doesn’t end there.

While most operating system upgrades should take a matter of minutes, or an hour or two at most, Microsoft’s latest benchmark for upgrading a 32bit Windows Vista installation with 650GB of data and 40 applications to its Windows 7 counterpart takes a whopping 1,220 minutes. That’s almost a day - on a mid powered machine.

Microsoft didn’t test the same upgrade process on a low powered machine, such as a netbook, but the results are likely to be a staggering install time – perhaps days. Admittedly, netbooks rarely hold more than 200GB’s of data, and certainly less than 40 applications, but the implications of the medium spec test are worrying, to say the least.

If you are worried about problems upgrading to Windows 7, you can check Microsoft’s upgrade page, which aims to answer any questions you might have. We will bring you more results as they come in, but don’t hold your breath!