Beware the Internet Explorer 6.0 headache for Windows 7 upgrade

Internet Explorer 6.0 is likely to cause major headaches, because there is no support for it in Windows 7. IE 6.0 compatibility was killed off in the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing initiative to make Microsoft code more secure. As a result, IE6 is not supported in later versions of the browser. Websites and web applications written for IE6 will not work under IE8 or 9. The IE6-dependency issue is a significant problem for many organisations looking to migrate from XP and is a blocker to many Windows 7 migrations.

Microsoft says it’s one of the biggest challenges for Windows 7 projects. The UK public sector and many large businesses rely a lot on IE6 applications. When most were installed, browser compatibility was not as serious an issue as it is now. Some websites and applications are tied to IE6. Browsium is a software company tackling this aspect of Windows XP migrations by providing a browser plug-in for IE8 that provides an environment for running IE6 websites and plug-ins.

 How Windows 7 upgrade affects desktop virtualisation

Desktop virtualisation is no way to lower desktop computing costs. It puts immense strain on the network and storage, but it does offer a strong model for centralised security that fits in well with the consumerisation of IT. VDI is a major undertaking, technically challenging and it requires a cultural shift in how people view personal computing.

The Co-operative Group plans to virtualise up to 2,000 desktops by the end of 2011, reaching 3,500 desktops across its head office and funeral services branches during 2012.

Moving to Windows 7 also gives the IT department the ability to use App-V, the Microsoft virtualisation technology. But not all applications are suitable for virtualisation. Application compatibility tools have a role to play here, again, by helping users to identify potential compatibility issues.

 How Windows 8 release affects Windows XP upgrade

Organisations may consider delaying the migration because Windows 8 is just around the corner.

In Gartner’s paper, Don’t Change Your Windows 7 Plans Because of Windows 8, analysts say Microsoft expects Windows 8 to be released to manufacture in April 2012, a date that would allow general availability by mid-year. In the paper Gartner warns that independent software vendors (ISVs) and enterprises will likely need nine to 18 months to obtain and test supported applications and plan deployments.

According to Gartner, most organisations will not be able to start deploying Windows 8 before the end of 2013. “With support for Windows XP ending in April 2014, we believe it would be dangerous for organisations now running XP to attempt to skip Windows 7 and move directly to Windows 8.”

Five pointers for your Windows XP upgrade at a glance

1. Software and hardware auditing should be used to determine the state of the desktop in terms of software and hardware configuration. Windows 7 has a minimum specification, in terms of hardware requirements. Generally, businesses are installing 4 to 8GBytes of memory on 64-bit ready PC hardware to make the most of what the OS offers.
2. Reducing the number of applications, by simplifying the desktop PC environment, should be a priority. Ultimately, IT departments should consider migrating towards a fully -fledged virtual desktop environment, but this may be too big a first step from Windows XP. Tools that monitor application usage can identify candidate applications to remove from the desktop.
3. Don’t forget Internet Explorer 6.0. Some internal websites and web applications may have been hard-coded to run only in IE6. Such applications can be redeveloped, but it may be more cost-effective to user a browser emulation plug-in, that enables the IE6 environment to run within a modern Microsoft browser.
4. Automated application compatibility testing enables IT departments to test which desktop applications are good to go and which are incompatible with Windows 7.
5. Some application testing tools can fix many common application compatibility problems automatically, leaving just a few applications that need to be manually re-engineered.

Microsoft ends support for Windows XP in 2014. Realistically, businesses will need to start migration plans in 2012, to leave enough time to test and roll-out desktops. So what steps can an IT department take to simplify the Windows 7 upgrade.

Prepare for XP migration with hardware and software audit

Organisations should try to eliminate Windows XP by the end of 2012 to avoid disruptions, says Gartner. CIOs and IT leaders will be confronted by a host of challenges, as well as some degree of risk, as they work through the preparation and deployment processes. Issues such as software compatibility, licensing agreements and SLAs will need to be addressed.

The place to start is with a hardware and software audit. This allows IT departments to discover what hardware will run Windows 7 and catalogue the desktop applications run in the organisation. Depending on how much flexibility IT gives business users to deploy their own desktop software, IT can find it has hundreds of un-licensed and un-supported applications.

With potentially thousands of applications to check, organisations must starting anticipating the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7. 

Use automated tools to test application compatibility with Windows 7

But be aware that Windows 7 is no ordinary desktop upgrade. In fact, treating it just like a Windows upgrade would be missing the point as it offers the chance for IT to rethink how it does desktop IT. Businesses have to think about their IE6 websites and applications, whether or not to take advantage of 64-bit computing available on Windows 7 and a virtual desktop infrastructure.

Windows XP application compatibility could be a major issue – some XP applications will fail on Windows 7 – but there are various software tools available that will allow organisations to check if applications will install on Windows 7. These are automated tools so developers don’t have to test applications themselves. Such tools can reduce the manual migration process significantly. As usual, expect the 80/20 rule; most applications should pass through with no compatibility issues, leaving fewer that need manual checking.

Post remediation, to fix the compatibility issue, around 98% of applications should then be able to run on a Windows 7 desktop. That leaves 2%, which will need re-engineering.

The move to 64-bit computing will cause 16-bit to become inoperable. This is likely to affect legacy device drivers and older peripheral hardware. On modern PCs, users should update 32-bit device drivers to the latest 64-bit versions.

Windows 7 owners are having problems installing their new operating system, especially over Vista, according to comments on Microsoft’s support site. Many find their installation goes into infinite reboot after 62% of the installation is complete. Switching off and rebooting doesn’t help either because the system no longer recognises the older operating system. Microsoft says the problem occurs because the Iphlpsvc service stops responding during the upgrade. But others may also be to blame. One user who followed Microsoft’s fix said it took 48 hours to get a working installation, with installation runs taking 10 hours a time. Even then he had to delete his wireless card and get the operating system to find it again. Sounds like something to be avoided until Microsoft get their bug fixes sorted.

Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has ruled out reviewing its user licences, despite acknowledging the fine print and complexity can cause headaches for customers.“I don’t anticipate a big round of simplifying licences. The last round of simplification was done six years ago” he said. Ballmer has also said that the supplier was working hard to ensure the launch of Windows 7 was more successful than Vista. “My hope is that in the first three to six months [after launch on 22 October 2009] any new PC you buy will come with Windows 7. It would be a shame to see people acquire Windows XP machines in 2010,” he said. Whether Windows 7 takes off quickly or stumbles like Vista remains to be seen. It would be nice if Microsoft were to simplify its licencing terms; but don’t hold your breath. And it would be great if Microsoft were to acknowledge their pricing policy was unreasonable too. The next few years will become increasingly tougher for Microsoft as competitive products such as Open Office and Google Apps take chunks out of their revenues. Maybe Windows 7 will be the last great revenue hurrah for Microsoft before a long slow revenue decline sets in.  

Mirosoft Windows 7, due to ship on 22 October 2009, has received good reviews as the Operating System that Vista should have been. And it would appear that the large percentage of businesses that have held onto XP rather than go to Vista are no doubt planning to migrate to Windows 7. But Microsoft may be making it harder and costlier for them to do so. Under Microsoft’s planned enterprise licensing rules, businesses that buy PCs before 23 April, 2010, with Windows 7 preinstalled can downgrade them to Windows XP, then later upgrade them to Windows 7 when they’re ready to migrate their users. But PCs bought on or after 23 April 2010 can only be downgraded to Vista which will be of no help for XP-based organizations and could cause major headaches and add more costs to the Windows 7 migration effort.