I'm reviewing specifically the upgrade process, as well as first impressions of Windows 7. Once I use it more, I'll be able to give a more complete rundown of how it works. Through some finagling of an old EDU email address, I was able to score a student copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. I upgraded from XP Pro, and the process was...as smooth as I'd expect from Microsoft.

For those of you that don't know, an operating system is the computer program that runs all the OTHER computer programs. Windows is actually a program, and it's ridiculously expensive. The fact that it comes on your computer is no different than the fact that AOL came on your computer 10 years ago. They're both just programs. The Operating System is the basic level of operations that you can access, and it controls how the other programs run and which of your computer's resources are directed to which programs. Mac OSX is another famous operating system.

I've been a console gamer for years. I wouldn't call myself a "Nintendo Fanboy," but I will admit to never finding any good reasons to ever buy any other kind of console.

Now I'm a Windows PC gamer... unlike consoles which (at least until recently) just worked, Windows PCs need special types of coddling. Antivirus, antispyware, firewalls for operating in hostile network environments... I wanted a simple solution that just worked.

So I found Bitdefender GameSafe.

[i]Oh and did I mention it's free?[/i] (For 90 days at least)