According to a new study, almost 9 out of 10 PCs currently used by businesses are capable of running Windows 7. That's almost double the equivalent proportion when Vista launched.

The figures come from IT assessment firm Softchoice. Rather than conduct an opinion poll, it gathered the information from the actual set-ups of 248 clients with a total of more than 450,000 Windows computers.

The research found that 88 per cent of the computers met the minimum specifications for running Windows 7. That compares with a similar study the firm carried out on Vista's release which found just 50 per cent were ready for the new operating system. (Source: pcworld.com)

Perhaps more importantly, 65% of today's machines meet the recommended specs to get "optimum performance" from Windows 7. With Vista's release, the equivalent figure was only 6 per cent.

Windows 7: Easier on Hardware

One of the main reasons for the increase in compatible machines is that Windows 7 doesn't ask for grandiose hardware set-ups. Its 1Ghz speed and 1GB memory demands are identical to those of all but the most basic editions of Vista, while it actually requires even less spare hard disk space to run.

This means that as firms have replaced older machines with newer, higher spec computers since Vista's release, the proportion meeting the requirements has inevitably gone up.

To some extent, it's surprising that so many machines are capable of running Windows 7, given how many businesses are still using Windows XP, a system released more than eight years ago. Softchoice says it suspects that the picture may have been distorted by businesses who have bought modern machines but chose to downgrade their operating system from Vista to XP.

Another welcome note for Microsoft: the study found that 95 per cent of machines which aren't currently suitable to run Windows 7 could be brought up to spec with comparatively simple measures such as upgrading memory. With Vista, only 84 per cent were in that position. (Source: marketwire.com)