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On October 22nd Microsoft launched its Windows 7 Operating System,
with all the fanfare and media attention it deserved.
Many IT professionals, however, remember when Windows 7’s predecessor,
Vista, launched with similar fanfare and positive reviews but quickly became
unpopular with users and technicians alike.
How has Windows 7 held up in it’s first month of real world usage?
Computer Troubleshooters (the world’s largest IT support franchise with
almost 500 locations globally) surveyed its franchise network in late November
to find out.
The results of the global survey bode well for anyone who will be receiving a
new Windows 7 computer this Christmas.
Almost three-quarters of the Computer Troubleshooters surveyed indicated
that they are running Windows 7 on their own personal computer(s).
More than half (55%) have already installed Windows 7 on their customer’s
computers, and a whopping 93% say that Windows 7 is a reliable alternative to
Windows Vista or XP.
But when the question of whether or not to upgrade comes up, the data is more
mixed. 48% of the Computer
Troubleshooters surveyed recommend clients running Windows Vista upgrade to
Windows 7 “immediately” while 45% recommend upgrading but not right away –
following the traditional IT viewpoint that major upgrades should be in use for
a few months before being considered for mainstream use.
For customers running Windows XP the data is less enthusiastic – only 14%
recommend an immediate upgrade, with almost 57% recommending upgrading
“eventually” and almost 28% recommending sticking with XP.
This indicates plenty of ongoing affection for the 8+ year old Windows XP
operating system. Similarly when asked which OS is faster – in their experience
– fully 84% of the Computer Troubleshooters chose Windows 7 over Vista, but only
36% say Windows 7 is faster than XP, with another 40% saying it’s “too close to
call”.
When asked to choose their personal favorite OS, Windows 7 is the clear favorite
with 54% of Computer Troubleshooters.
Windows XP followed with 37%, and then Mac OSX came in a distant third
with 3.7% of the votes. Windows
Vista came in last with 1.8% of the vote (about 2% chose “other”, showing just
how unpopular Vista has been perceived to be with the IT community).
Another question on the survey asked what “must haves” a customer’s computer
needs before the Computer Troubleshooter would consider it for an upgrade to
Windows 7. The most popular answers
were related to the processor (dual-core recommended), followed by the graphics
card (Aero-capable, prefer dedicated not shared), and memory (most recommend
2GB, though many said 1GB was sufficient).
“Overall the survey reflected what we have been hearing anecdotally” said Chip
Reaves, CEO of Computer Troubleshooters Global.
“[Windows] Seven is popular with the Computer Troubleshooters network,
and seems to be equally popular with the IT community in general.
It’s not perfect – no OS is – but with the first month under our belts
now we’re very happy with the new Windows.”
“Overall the experience on Windows 7 is much better compared to Vista, although
it is important to have enough memory in the chip processor to take advantage of
the speed improvements and to ensure your other equipment such as printers are
compatible. Consumers & business owners should be quite comfortable purchasing
hardware with the new operating system” said Stewart Berry the local franchise
owner of Computer Troubleshooter Riverwood Bankstown
Survey Results:
Q1: Since Windows 7 officially launched, have you installed it
on your own computer(s)?
YES: 74.8%,
NO: 23.2%,
No Response 1.8%
Q2: Since Windows 7 officially launched, have you installed it
on a customer’s computer?
YES: 54.8%,
NO: 44.6%,
No Response <1%
Q3: In your professional opinion, does Windows 7 seem to be a
reliable alternative to Windows Vista or XP?
YES: 93%,
NO: 5.5%,
No Response 1.3%
Q4: For your customers currently running Windows Vista, do you
recommend upgrading to Windows 7?
Yes, Immediately: 48.3%
Yes, but not right now: 45.1%
No: 6.5%
Q5: For your customers currently running Windows XP, do you
recommend upgrading to Windows 7?
Yes, Immediately: 13.9%
Yes, but not right now: 56.7%
No: 27.9%
Q6: Based on your experience, is Windows 7 faster than Windows
Vista?
Yes: 84.1%
No: 1.3%
Too Close To Call: 11.1%
No Response: 3.2%
Q7: Based on your experience, is Windows 7 faster than Windows
XP?
Yes: 36.2%
No: 22.3%
Too Close To Call: 39.5%
No Response: 1.8%
Q8: Which OS do you personally prefer?
Windows XP: 37.2%
Windows Vista: 1.8%
Windows 7: 53.9%
Mac OSX: 3.7%
Other: 2.3%
No Response: <1%
Q9: Has Understanding Microsoft’s
licensing programs been an issue for your customers?
Yes: 63.2%
No: 35.3%
No Response: 1.3%
About the survey: 215 Computer
Troubleshooters were surveyed in 13 countries, between November 19 and November
30 2009.
About Computer Troubleshooters
Globally Computer Troubleshooters is the largest technology solutions network of
franchise owners providing onsite computer services to small businesses. Now in
its 12th year of service, Computer Troubleshooters has more than 475
franchises worldwide in more than 26 countries. Computer Troubleshooters is
Australia’s largest IT support Franchise with over 90 locations in all states
across Australia.
The company provides a comprehensive range of computer and technology solutions
to small business owners (typically with 1 to 25 staff). Computer
Troubleshooters helps companies with technology issues including computer repair
& service, problem prevention, virus and
spyware remediation, website development and a wide variety of small business IT
needs. The company offers the world's only "No-Downtime-Guarantee" on its top
managed services plan. The individual franchisees of the company are fully
trained at pinpointing and solving a broad range of computer and technology
problems.
In business since 1997, Computer Troubleshooters wins frequent awards from
Entrepreneur magazine and Franchise Business Review as a top technology
franchise.
Contact: Stewart Berry – Franchise
Owner Computer Troubleshooters Riverwood Bankstown
Tel: 1300 883 421
E-mail: Riverwood@comptroub.com
www.ComputerTroubleshooters.com.au
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