Windows 7: Upgrade Questions

I am upgrading the ram on my mother's laptop from 2Gb to 4GB (Corsair). Currently the OS is Vista x86 HP. I know I must upgrade the OS to x64 to make full use of the new ram, but the question is whether Vista or 7. If it was mine, I would say 7, but it isn't. I have Technet so getting a license is not a problem.

She requests the following: Windows Mail and Office 2003 (she really hates the Office 2007 ribbon). She seems resistant to use Outlook or Windows Live Mail. So, if I can get the two above applications to work on 7, I'll do it, otherwise, I'll put Vista back.

I know that there is a tutorial for installing Windows Mail on 7, but does WM really work on 7? No bugs.

And I do not know for sure if Office 2003 is compatible with 7. I'll check this soon.

I am asking for opinions on how I should proceed.

The Laptop: HP Pavilion dv9650us

Well the CPU does support 64 bit instruction, even though the frequency on it is a bit low. If ever choosing between the two I would go with Windows 7.

...I'm a formerly jilted vista user though, so take that with a grain of salt I suppose.
Might not hurt to check on driver availability to help in the choice too.

Windows 7 Compatibility for Microsoft Office 2003 for Students and Teacher version 11: Microsoft. Drivers, Updates, Downloads

The 2003 version I have is not compatible according to 7 Compatibility Center...

I liked Vista, but it was so slow.
So I think you'll get a majority vote on Windows 7, because of it being superior.

I need my concerns addressed as mentioned in my original post. What do I do if the client wants Windows Mail & Office 2003 (not Office 2007).

said it wouldn't work for me either, but I managed to get it installed and working on the machine in the other room.

Using 07 on this one though, was able to use the key from a old dead work computer.

...however, if we are in what if land, I think you have already made your choice there.

p.s. that link just leads me to a page that spins it's wheels forever.

Hope

No Office 2007 - if I did, I would be instructed to take it off...

Office 2003 is compatible with Windows 7, both 32 and 64 bit versions. The above link recommends upgrading; it doesn't declare it to be incompatible.

I've switched to Office 2010, but I used 2003 on Windows 7 Home Premium X64 for about a year before that. Micorosft Document Imaging was incompatible, but the main applications ran just fine.

7'''

The only real noticable difference between Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail is perhaps the name. Otherwise they are functionally almost identical.

I'd go with Office 2007 or Office 2010 because of better performance and security, but there's nothing wrong with Office 2003. Just keep in mind that in order to be able to read Office 2007/2010 files, you'll need to also install the Office Compatibility update.

As for the OS? Windows 7 all the way...