Businesses Don't Need to Wait for Win 7 SP1

By Marcus Yam
published

The IT departments, any new version of software is an unknown quantity--particularly an operating system.

Businesses have typically waited until after the first service pack release of Windows before upgrading, sometimes for reasons related to ‘first release bugs’ or compatibility issues. But research firm Gartner believes that no such waiting is required for Windows 7. That said, most businesses’ implementation schedules run long enough that Microsoft has usually already released SP1 even if firms planned to adopt the new OS as soon as possible.

“The first Service Pack for Windows 7 is not necessary for the operating system's stability and security readiness,” asserted Gartner’s Michael A. Silver. “However, organizations likely won't be ready to deploy Windows 7 before SP1 ships, so they will include it in their initial deployments.

“Windows 7 is an incremental update to Windows Vista, but many independent software vendors (ISVs) will not support their applications running on it for six to 12 months or more. Service Pack 1 (SP1) should be released well before organizations are ready to deploy Windows 7, so they should plan to integrate SP1.”

Silver added that SP1 does not represent the milestone it used to--calling it a “Bogus milestone for OS readiness in general”--and that the bigger beta testing group helps to ensure a more stable and compatible product. The Windows 7 beta is reported to have a testing pool more than five times larger than that of Windows 95.

While overall Windows 7 is regarded as a stable and safe upgrade for businesses, one area that Gartner cautions is the built-in browser. As more companies begin to rely on applications that run from within a browser, the addition of a new version--in this case Internet Explorer 8--adds a completely new layer of compatibility concerns.

In fact, we discovered earlier this week that some users of the new Internet Explorer 8 have reverted back to version 7 for the very reason of compatibility.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • carver_g
    Silver added that SP1 does not represent the milestone it used to--calling it a “Bogus milestone for OS readiness in general”--

    I beg to differ.

    Maybe for Windows 7 since it's a minor upgrade to Vista (going from NT v6.0 to NT v6.1) but definitely not in general.
    Reply
  • kittle
    Still running XP here where I work -- so updating to Win7 is decidedly NOT trivial.
    Reply
  • FHDelux
    Ah good, now i can rest easily knowing that i don't need to wait for SP1 to come out in order to run Windows 7.

    is this really news? seriously? I'm sure all those businesses out there will have their IT staff trained any ready for the release of Windows 7 because it is such a ground breaking game changing OS and will help productivity 10 fold.

    Gimme a break. Windows 7 will not out Windows XP anymore than Vista did. MS will have to pull the cord on XP before those OS even get looked at.
    Reply
  • A Stoner
    Basically what I get from this is what I have already said. Windows 7 is basically Vista SP2 that Microsoft gets to rebrand to get rid of the stench of Vista while at the same time soaking the owners of Vista with a cost to get the service pack.

    It might be different, it may have a new Kernel, but Windows XP SP2 and on is a pretty much new kernel from Windows XP SP 1.

    Windows 7 is Vista rebranded with a few tweaks. So of course it is just like installing a SP1 or newer version of an OS.
    Reply
  • gm0n3y
    Everyone in my company is still running XP as well, with no real desire to "upgrade".
    Reply
  • gnesterenko
    Beg to differ. I too work with XP computers at work, but run 7 at home. The contrast REALLY makes you appreciate how much smoother and easier it is to work in 7. Not that I expect my IT dept to refresh our tech what with the hard times and all, but one can hope and wish. XPs age is really beginning to show itself in some of the apps we use where workarounds and tinkering is needed for what happens easily in 7. The little things really do add up.

    "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."
    Reply
  • The Schnoz
    Support for XP is going to run out soon and that's important to businesses and consumers alike. Business are going to upgrade after Microsoft stops supporting XP and they'll have to choose between Visto or 7, and I beleieve, based on the betas positive feedback, they'll choose Windows 7. Microsoft has got a hit on their hands and a lot of it has to do with timing. BTW, I run Vista 64 Ultimate and never had any problems, I love it, but I'm going to get Windows 7 as soon as its hacked, er, released anyway.
    Reply
  • tayb
    carver_gI beg to differ.Maybe for Windows 7 since it's a minor upgrade to Vista (going from NT v6.0 to NT v6.1) but definitely not in general.
    Oh dear lord. Just because the version has gone from 6.0 to 6.1 does NOT mean it is a minor upgrade. How about you see for yourself whether it is a minor upgrade instead of basing your opinion on an idiotic numbering system.

    OS X 10.4 to 10.5 was considered a huge upgrade but I suppose to appease people like you they should have gone from 10.4 to 11.4 as to make it look more a really big update right?
    Reply
  • grieve
    Considering Win7 is in beta I’m impressed by the positive reviews thus far, Also the lack of poor reviews.

    I run Vista Ultimate 64 and love it… I have had some minor problems, but nothing to be upset over.

    I agree with gnesterenko, XP is dated. Pick up a new OS and learn it, you’ll be impressed. I am looking forward to the release of Win 7.
    Reply
  • belardo
    grieveAlso the lack of poor reviews.I run Vista Ultimate 64 and love it… I have had some minor problems, but nothing to be upset over. Pick up a new OS and learn it, you’ll be impressed. I am looking forward to the release of Win 7.
    Win7 may get some neg reviews... here and there, but overall, its looking good. But you yourself have some minor issues with vista, I don't care to deal with an OS that offers no improved user experince. And yeah, I have used vista... and learn that I don't like it. I'm not impressed with an OS that requires 4GB to do the job of a 1GB XP box. Open a browser, MS-Word, Photoshop, etc... vista is just a launcher for local programs.

    I too am looking forward to Win7 and hope its retail version is as good as it should be. With that said, what PCs I built today, have Win7 in mind with 4GB of RAM... even thou I'm still building WinXP boxes.
    Reply