is it worth it yet

is it worth it to upgrade to windows 7 ..im getting it for free but i still want my computer to function like it did when i took it home....that means all the toshiba utilities that are installed i stilll want there...is it true that if you upgrade you dont have to do a clean sweep?

i want to keep all the functions of the touchpad....the touch audio controls....the function key ..all the stuff that came on my comp when i got it


so is it safe and will all these functions be retained if i upgrade???

i have a toshiba satalite a505-s6965

 

hmm What OS you have currently ?? IF its Vista then all most all apps will work fine in Win7

Yeah you can upgrade thus no need for a clean sweep but its recommend to do clean install rather than Upgrade

btw i would suggest you to use this tool to find the issues u might get while upgrading

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

 

i have vista ultimate 64 bit system


these features i would like to retain on my laptop though

toshiba assist
toshiba config free
toshiba eco utility
toshiba face recognition
toshiba hdd protection
toshiba hdd/sdd alert
toshiba pc health monitor
touch panel media function
synaptics zoom and scroll
dolby digital surround enhancer
backlight keyboard


would i have to go and get drivers for all this stuff once i upgraded?

 

You will if you do a clean install.

 

Did you try the link , which I gave it to you ? Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor ??

 

You might get a better response in the Toshiba forum. While it seems likely that these utilities would continue to work under Windows 7 there's really no way for most of us to answer this, since these are mostly Toshiba-specific utilities.

You might just take a look at the downloads section for your model on Toshiba's site. It may tell you there whether all of these things are compatible with Windows 7.

In answer to your last question, if you do a clean install (which is what most people would recommend) then yes, you'll need to download these things from Toshiba. The Windows install will pick up most all of the main device drivers, but the vendor-specific items need to come from Toshiba.

 

IMO, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

You could always try and find those utilities on the manufacturer's website.

 

i found them on the site but i am just going to upgrade no a clean wipe

 

That statement is true when referring to the "average user". But, the fact that we all came here and actively participate in the discussions here means that most of us do not fall into the "average user" category. I'm not saying that some of us aren't "average users" or that there is anything wrong with being an "average user". Average users are the bread and butter of the industry and without them all of the software and hardware that we all use would be much more expensive. What I am saying is that as enthusiasts, we are often willing to accept a few setbacks for the opportunity to be the among the first to experience new and/or groundbreaking advances in computing.

As was recommended above, run the upgrade advisor. From those results, you can make an informed decision as to whether the incompatibilities are acceptable compared to what you will gain by upgrading to the new OS. My suspicion is that you'll find very few compatibility issues due to the fact that windows 7 and windows vista are so similar. Even if windows 7 drivers/versions of the drivers/software that you need aren't available, chances are good that the vista versions will work fine. Save a backup hard drive image of your current configuration before you attemp an install of the new OS. If your experience is unsatisfactory, you can restore from the backup image. If a backup image is not an option, you can dual boot by shrinking you current system partition and installing windows 7 to the new partition created by the shrink. If you aren't happy with windows 7, you can delete the windows 7 partition and re-expand the vista partition. Since vista and 7 use the same bootloader (BCD), its really just a matter of deleting the windows 7 BCD entry, and the windows 7 partition and you're right to where you started from.

Now on to my personal experience. I have been running windows 7 as my primary OS on my home PC since the RC was made available to the public. I didn't even bother running the upgrade advisor. The only driver issues that I encountered were solved by installing the appropriate vista drivers. I also installed the RC (and the RTM about a week later when I purchased TechNet Plus) on my new dell studio xps 16 laptop. There are some minor compatibility issues with the sound drivers (I had to give up 5.1 surround, but who really needs that on a laptop?) but all is good beyond that. IMHO, the benefits are well worth the issues that came with it. My vendor specific touch media controls and touchpad drivers and software work fine. All in all, my experience has been great. I suspect that your experience will be similar considering the fact that your machine is relatively new and as a result is probably well supported.

Also, if at all possible, back up your data and perform a clean install...a lot of issues arise from upgrade scenarios that have yet to be tested. Due to the unimaginable variety of system configurations, it is almost impossible to test and document every possible upgrade scenario. Do yourself a favor and avoid the potential issues by performing a clean install.

 

The TC gives off an "average user" vibe. The dead giveaway would be the part where he wants the computer to function the way it did when he took it home (there's no risk-taking spirit here, an enthusiast would upgrade first and work around the issues later) and the part where he asks if it's "safe" to upgrade (no enthusiast would ever ask such a thing because enthusiasts are the type of people who find out what works and what doesn't in the first place).

 

Take a look at this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=417581
Look at the poll rating and you will find that most people gave Windows 7 a nine or a ten. Now ask yourself: Is it worth buying Windows 7?

 

Yes it's worth it. Although the Vista Platform Update will be great it still lacks quite a bit of the new stuff like built in GPU transcoding, hardware GUI, etc. Plus the new codecs and the way it handles mobile devices, etc.

 

hey why dont you try dual booting the windows 7 install alongside your vista/xp install and then slowly move everything over? thats the way im going to do it...

http://apcmag.com/the_definitive_dualbooting_guide_linux_vista_and_xp_stepbystep.htm

the best guide you can find on the web, but its actually easier than that if you know what your doing.

good luck

 

In that case we'd all still be using XP.

According to MS, your upgrade should be seamless. The issues you're referring to would only apply to current XP users.