Windows 7 is the latest version of a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, laptops and netbooks.

The University is currently evaluating the future deployment of Windows 7. This will be a major refresh of a large part of our IT estate and it is anticipated that significant preparation will be needed to ensure successful deployment. Critical business software will need to be tested for Windows 7 compatibility. The scope and timescale for this deployment is currently being assessed. 

Users thinking of buying a new computer are still advised to try and find one that runs Windows XP so that full support from the University’s IT Service Desk is available to them . However, Windows 7 has been tested and most of the University’s core software applications work fine on this operating system. These include access to your University email via Outlook or OWA; antivirus software; Microsoft Office; access to p: drives and shared areas; VPN connectivity; and most Business Applications.  More information on how to configure and use the above can be found on this page.

Please note, though, that the following software programs used at the University do NOT work with Windows 7:

• Desktop ADI
• Agresso
• altaHR
• Business Objects v4
• RAD

Users who need any of the above programs and have no access to another computer configured appropriately to run them in work, should NOT buy a computer with Windows 7.

Windows 7 is available to staff under the Microsoft Campus License Agreement. Staff who require Windows 7 can therefore download it from the University's Electronic Software Delivery system (www.software.itservices.manchester.ac.uk). Installations of Windows 7 will be automatically licensed. Staff are advised that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 requires a custom installation, also known as a clean installation. A custom installation replaces your current version of Windows with Windows 7 but does NOT preserve your files, settings, and programs. This means that you should back up all of your files to an external location and gather the installation discs or setup files for programs that you want to use with Windows 7.

Note that Windows 7 computers are only allowed to be connected to the network, wired or wireless, if the following requirements are met:

• the Operating System must be fully patched;
• one of the two University-supported antivirus software packages must be installed, up to date and running (see antivirus pages for information on obtaining, installing and configuring antivirus software);
• the Windows firewall must be turned on.

Users who have a Windows 7 computer and require any help setting up, configuring or using any software, excluding those programs in the list of programs which are known to not work in Windows 7 (above), can contact the University’s IT Service Desk team on x65544 for support. Note however that Windows 7 is still not fully supported by the Service Desk. While an IT Analyst will always try to help and resolve problems experienced by users, there may be instances in which these may not be entirely resolved.

Some staff and students may have Windows 7 on personal computers that they may want to connect to the University's network (eg via a wireless connection) or that they may want to use to connect to University systems from home.

The University allows those computers to be connected to the network subject to the following requirements:

• the Operating System must be fully patched;
• one of the two University-supported antivirus software packages must be installed, up to date and running (see antivirus pages for information on obtaining, installing and configuring antivirus software);
• the Windows firewall must be turned on.

In addition, there may be staff who require Windows 7 on a University owned machine (eg due to the lack of Windows XP drivers for specialised equipment or for software testing purposes). Windows 7 is available to staff under the Microsoft Campus License Agreement. Staff who require Windows 7 can therefore download it from the University's Electronic Software Delivery system (www.software.itservices.manchester.ac.uk). Installations of Windows 7 will be automatically licensed.

It is important to note that at the present time the only University-supported operating system is Windows XP. Windows 7 is being made available to staff in order to meet specific requirements. Staff who choose to download and use Windows 7 do so on the understanding that support is not available through the University.

Until Windows 7 becomes a supported product, staff should not use Windows 7:

• if access to the following University Business Applications (BAS) is required, as they are not currently supported under Windows 7:
  
  • Oracle Financials
  • Discoverer Reporting
  • Resourcelink
  • Livelink
  • RMS - Research Management System
  • Syllabus Plus
  • Raisers Edge
  • Campus Solutions
• on computers for which they require support accessing and using any University systems, such as email;
• on computers for which they require support installing, configuring or using software applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, SPSS, etc;
• if help is required with the installation or configuration process. University IT staff will only assist with the installation and configuration of University supported operating systems and software. Windows 7 is not supported at this time.

Staff are advised that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 requires a custom installation, also known as a clean installation. A custom installation replaces your current version of Windows with Windows 7 but does NOT preserve your files, settings, and programs.
This means that you should back up all of your files to an external location and gather the installation discs or setup files for programs that you want to use with Windows 7.

Staff are also advised that if support is requested for a University owned machine running Windows 7, IT staff will offer to reinstall the (XP-based) desktop image and help with its configuration, but they will not be able to provide application or configuration support on Windows 7 or help with potential data loss issues (eg if access to data files is lost after an install of Windows 7).