Windows 7 is coming. Will your PC be ready?

It seems like a straightforward question. However, in the aftermath of the Vista debacle, where many systems that were certified as "Vista Capable" proved to be anything but, the process of vetting new Windows-compatible hardware has taken on new complexity.

You simply cannot count on Microsoft to provide an honest assessment of Windows system requirements. And as the "Vista Capable" experience has shown us, Microsoft’s vendor partners are no better.

[ Find out more about Windows 7 -- and Randall C. Kennedy's advice to Microsoft on how to make it better -- in our special report. ]

Hence InfoWorld's motivation in developing the Windows 7 Compatibility Testing widget: the need for a truly independent tool that can evaluate a PC’s suitability to run the next version of Windows.

By taking marketing, politics, and vendor-speak out of the equation, we're hoping to provide you with an honest assessment of your PC's runtime environment, factoring in hardware configuration, current stress levels, and workload composition.

How to get started
Note: As with all Windows Sentinel widgets, you'll first need to register for your free Windows Sentinel account, which my company (Devil Mountain Software) developed based on years of experience benchmarking system performance for Microsoft and Intel.

Once you've registered, download and install the DMS Clarity Tracker Agent from InfoWorld's Windows Sentinel page and allow it to collect data for a few hours during normal usage periods. Then load the widget and find out if you pass or fail (and if the latter, why).

You can learn more about the process by visiting the Windows Sentinel page at InfoWorld.com.

What the Windows 7 compatibility widget looks for
The widget begins with an analysis of your system’s hardware; specifically, the type and speed of your CPU and the amount of installed memory.

As a Vista-derived OS, Windows 7 will no doubt levy the same kind of performance "tax" (high overall CPU utilization spread across a massive thread pool) that hobbled its predecessor. Experience has shown that, to get acceptable performance with Vista, you need at least two CPU cores.