Notebook Hunter

There are plenty of factors to take into consideration when you’re shopping for a new notebook – size, price, brand, warranty, processor, memory and more. But you might not have expected to see Microsoft’s Windows operating system on that checklist.

Microsoft offers notebooks manufacturers a choice between four versions of Windows 7. On top of that you can still find some notebooks pre-loaded with the rather unpopular Windows Vista, which is the forerunner to Windows 7. There are even many notebooks still sold with the nine year-old Windows XP, which many corporates still use and runs the fastest on netbooks.

However, with a very positive reception to Windows 7 from reviewers and the public, XP and Vista notebooks are quickly dropping away in favour of Windows 7 models, and you should definitely look for a free upgrade to Windows 7 if you are buying a new notebook without it on it – even if you don’t want to install the upgrade right away.

Some notebook vendors let you choose which edition of Windows 7 comes pre-installed on your shiny new notebook, in the same way that you can upgrade the processor or hard disk before placing your order.

Here’s your handy ‘cheat sheet’ to choosing the right version of Windows for your notebook and your needs.

Windows XP

Windows XP remains the most popular version of Windows to date. This isn’t just because it enjoyed an extended five year lifespan from mid-2001 through the end of 2006, before Windows Vista arrived.

XP remained the OS of choice for many notebook users, who opted to stick with the tried and trusted operating system. The boom in netbooks which lacked the muscle to run Windows Vista also gave XP a new lease of life.

These days, even netbooks are swinging over to Windows 7, which is almost as fast as XP and packs a few netbook-friendly tweaks such as improved support for solid state drives, and of course a much improved user interface and ability to handle modern media types like music and digital photos.

For the most basic functions of a netbook, such as web browsing, email, online chat and simple word processing – Windows XP is more than good enough. But if other PCs in your home are already running Windows 7 you won’t be able to use 7’s advanced features such as easy home networking and ‘Libraries’ for stroing and sharing documents across that network.

Windows Vista

Just about any notebook running Windows Vista will be slightly dated stock, as notebook makers quickly moved to the superior Windows 7.

The good news is that you can qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7 if you buy a notebook which comes with Vista pre-installed – as long as you buy it before January 31, 2010.

Which edition of Windows 7 you get as a free upgrade depends on which version of Windows Vista is factory-installed on the notebook. Vista Home Premium scores you Windows 7 Home Premium, Vista Business matches up to Windows 7 Professional, and Vista Ultimate gets swapped for Windows 7 Ultimate.

You’re out of luck if the notebook is running Vista Home Basic, however, as Microsoft sells no equivalent edition of Windows 7 (even though it does sell a “Windows 7 starter edition” for netbooks – it doesn’t consider this an equivalent upgrade.)

For more details, visit Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Option page.

Windows 7 Starter

These days most netbooks come with a trimmed-down ‘Starter’ edition of Windows 7. It’s got the essential features of Windows 7 and is perfectly suited to the everyday tasks for which you’d use a netbook.

What you miss are a lot of ‘creature comforts’ such as Windows 7’s HomeGroup for sharing files and printers on a home network, as well as some personalisation options.

It’s possible to upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to a more fully-featured version of Windows 7, but this usually has to be done after you buy the netbook. For example, you could use Microsoft’s Windows 7 Family Pack to upgrade your netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium.

Windows 7 Home Premium

Packed with features for the mainstream consumer market, Windows 7 Home Premium is most commonly found on entry-level to mid-range notebooks. In addition to HomeGroup for home networks, Home Premium lets you:

• simultaneously use a desktop monitor in addition to your laptop’s screen
• quickly swap between users with ‘Fast User Switching’ – ideal for a notebook shared among several members of the family
• enjoy the slick graphical effects of the ‘Windows Aero’ user interface
• play music, videos and even watch and record TV shows with the Windows Media Center (the TV function requires that your notebook has a digital TV tuner)
• quickly access common notebook controls such as battery and power management, wireless networking and the use of a second screen or projector in the Windows Mobility Center.

(If you’re wondering what happened to Windows 7 Home Basic, Microsoft chose to sell this only in ‘emerging markets’ such as Brazil, China, India and Thailand, so you’re unlikely to see it on any PC in Australia, unless it's a gray import.)

Windows 7 Professional

Notebooks which are mainly sold into the business market tend to favour Windows 7 Professional.

This contains all the features of Windows 7 Home Premium while adding extra functionality designed for business users and large companies with a corporate network and a dedicated IT department.

• Windows XP Mode allows the notebook to run some older software written for XP which for various reasons won’t load under Windows 7 (or Windows Vista, for that matter). The only caveat is that your notebook’s processor needs to offer ‘virtualisation technology (VT)’ – so if XP Mode is important to you, be sure the notebook you buy has an Intel and AMD chip which supports virtualisation. Some Sony notebooks in particular have VT mode disabled, even if the processor is capable of doing it, so they are not ideal buys if you need XP Mode.
• Presentation mode’ lets you control the notebook’s behaviour while you’re giving a presentation. It deactivates the screensaver, displays a different wallpaper and stops pop-up notifications such as email and IM alerts.
• Windows Backup files can be saved directly onto a network instead of just a local USB hard drive.

Windows 7 Ultimate

This is your hamburger with eggs, bacon and of course beetroot. The Ultimate edition is Windows with the works, and it’s typically found on the more expensive notebooks.

However, apart from the advanced ‘BitLocker’ drive encryption – which ensures that vital documents and information such as passwords are protected from prying eyes if your notebook is lost or stolen – there’s really nothing in Windows 7 Ultimate Edition that’s relevant to the average user.

Most of the features are based around the advanced management needs of a large company, government organisation or the ‘alpha geek’ of the pack.

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