Oct. 26--At long last, Windows 7, the latest version of Microsoft's computer operating system, is here.

Users of Windows Vista -- Microsoft's bloated, confusing excuse for an operating system that preceded Windows 7 -- should be rejoicing in particular.

Vista, released in early 2007 after Windows XP, didn't work well with existing applications or hardware, and it nagged users to death with pop-up warnings, notifications and those oh-so-lovely "are you (really, really) sure" messages.

Windows 7 is supposed to be better than that.

Correction: It is better than that.

I've been using Windows 7 for a few days now, and I'm generally pleased with it. The operating system is every bit as pretty as Vista, but faster and easier to navigate. Dare I say, at times, it's even intuitive.

But alas, it's still from Microsoft.

Getting Windows 7 to run smoothly on my Dell netbook took longer than I expected. And I still haven't solved all the problems.

I fall into that camp of users who had to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. And like those who upgraded from XP to Vista, I ran into hardware compatibility issues.

To upgrade to Windows 7, you'll need a computer that has a processor that's 1 gigahertz or faster; has 1 gigabyte to 2 gigabytes of RAM (or memory) available; has at least 16 gigabytes of free hard disk space; and a graphics device with DirectX 9 and a driver model of 1.0 or higher.

I realize all of this probably sounds like technobabble, and, well, I guess it is. But the bottom line is, if you have a computer that's capable of running in Vista, you'll be fine.

If you're not sure, Microsoft offers a free downloadable application called Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (http://tinyurl.com/qumqcc) that will scan your computer and attached hardware, such as an external DVD drive, for compatibility issues.

Windows 7, tested on another computer in my household that was already running Vista, worked beautifully. Installation was a breeze.

Windows XP users may be in for some trouble, though.

Why?

Well, for starters, Windows XP users can't do a straight upgrade like Vista users can. Instead, we have to do what's called a "clean install," which means Windows 7 will erase every file and application on your PC along with the old operating system to make room for its gloriousness.

That means you'll have to back up all of your files, take inventory of every application on your PC, pray that you still have the installation disks for them, install Windows 7, and then reinstall every application, and copy every file back to your computer.

It's a pain, I can assure you. But Microsoft tries to make it simpler with its Easy Transfer tool (http://tinyurl.com/n2zoz6).

However, the real problems may come after you finish the upgrade. For me, it's that Intel hasn't gotten around to creating a driver -- or tool -- to allow my graphics card to run properly in Windows 7. So I'm working with a hobbled version of the operating system, without some of the visual bells and whistles.

But for those users without hardware issues, Windows 7 is truly a joy to use.

It starts up faster, even from sleep mode. You don't have to click around as much to do common tasks, like saving a file on the desktop.

Microsoft also has added features to help people keep track of open windows. Notably, Windows Aero allows users to reposition and flip windows around, and make others translucent so it's simple to see what's underneath them.

Windows 7 comes in three flavors, starting at $120. Go here for more info: http://tinyurl.com/5oj3md.

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