If already have Windows Vista running on your computer, you are in luck. The WEI (Windows Experience Index) in Windows Vista gives you a good estimate of what is ahead during a Windows 7 upgrade process.  To see the WEI on a Vista computer, use the following steps:

1.   Go to Start>Control Panel.

2.   Go to ‘System and Maintenance’.

3.   Click ‘Check Your Computer’s Windows’, in the System group.

The WEI in Windows 7 is substantially different from the one you find in Windows Vista, but the Vista Windows Experience Index can give you some crucial insight into what is in store for Windows 7. (Regrettably, Windows XP does not use WEI)

Here is what you may learn, after plenty of school-of-hard-knocking around:

• If the Vista WEI is 2.0 or better, you can run Windows 7 reasonably well. Windows 7 will make up its own mind whether it should turn on Glass, or not.  Granted, you would not want to use a machine with a Vista Windows Experience Index rating of 2.0 for gaming or heavy graphics. But it is adequate for standard word processing, web browsing, daily spreadsheets, and other light activities
• If the Graphics subscore, the one called ‘Desktop Performance for Windows Aero’ is 3.0 and above, Windows 7 will turn on the Glass interface. It happens even if Windows Vista turns it off.
• For many, most of the time, the RAM (memory), Primary Hard Disk, and Gaming Graphics subscores don’t mean much. While, the processor subscore may have more influence in how Windows 7 works for you, but maybe not as significant as you may believe.

If you are ready to take the Windows 7 plunge and upgrade your Windows Vista PC to Windows 7, you can get the most bang for the buck if you have enough of the following few components:

• RAM: You should have at least 1 Gb of RAM, and it would not hurt to put in 2 GB or maybe 4 GB. Memory modules are cheap. Ask the dealer to install them.
• Graphics card: If the computer’s Graphics subscore is under 4.0 or so, you will see a significant improvement in Windows 7 operation by replacing an older graphics card with a cheap, newer and relatively fast graphic card, like ATI Radeon HD 4670 or GeForce 9600 GT. That is assuming you can replace the older graphics card – nearly all notebooks and some desktops have integrated graphic cards.

In short, if your old hardware does not work with Windows Vista, it probably does not work with Windows 7 either. It’s OK to give up now.