It’s that time again… If you have been reading [GaS], or any other blogs for that matter, you know that there will soon be a new version of the Microsoft operating system.

Now are you curious if your faithful machine can handle Windows Seven?

You are? Then we have a little application for you!

Microsoft has put out there Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta. You can grab it from here.

This 6.3mb file will run on Windows XP SP2 and Vista. XP machines will also need Dot Net 2.0 or higher. This is the same kind of application that came out when the Release Candidates of Vista were released a few years ago. The Vista Upgrade Advisor is still available here.

After downloading and installing this advisor we run it and see this:

Hit next and continue on… You know the drill.

Accept the license agreement and hit next. Then we will pick where we want to install it to.

After choosing your location, hit next and the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (Beta) will continue and install.

When it’s done, leave the check box checked to launch the upgrade advisor automatically after hitting close. They also tell you to check for any dot Net Framework updates from Microsoft’s Windows Update.

As soon as you hit the button that says Start Check – that is exactly what will happen. Your machine will be tested in a few different areas and then a report will come back and let you know what’s up.

After waiting patiently (for almost 2 minutes!) my results popped up. As you can see below, my old Dell Dimension 4700 with 2GB of Ram passed, but the advisor says I cannot run Aero – but I already knew that from running the Vista advisor many moons ago.

So after clearing up some hard drive space to clear a whopping 16GB, I will be able to install the Windows 7 RC. I won’t be able to use Windows Aero however because my graphic card cannot support it. But I don’t really care as I would have disabled it anyhow!

Who else has already made the plunge? Let’s hear about it in the comments! Staying with XP or Vista for a specific reason? Let’s hear about it!

Karl Gechlik is a geek, a father and a devoted husband. He wears many hats and is constantly working on keeping something up and running or fixing other people’s mistakes. You can follow his antics at his personal blog located at http://www.askTheAdmin.com.

Tags: install, operating system, seven, Windows