Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Helps You Install Windows 7

Will Windows 7 be a whole new computing experience--or a nightmare that turns your computer into an unusable brick?

Rather than leaving it up to the OS gods, why not test out your system with Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. The program will determine if your computer will be able to run Windows 7 without displaying the ever-popular blue screen of death.

Microsoft released a beta version of Upgrade Advisor on Thursday, available now in English on the company's Web site.

"Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor examines a PC's processor, memory, storage, and graphics capabilities, identifies known compatibility issues with installed software and devices and finally provides guidance on how to resolve those issues if possible," Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc wrote in a blog post.

XP users take note. As Microsoft has previously mentioned, if you are running XP, you will have to do a clean install of the Windows 7 RC and the final product. Only Vista machines can upgrade to Windows 7.

LeBlanc encouraged users to plug in USB devices, printer, external hard drives, or scanners that are regularly used with your PC for a better assessment.