Be prepared if you plan to upgrade

If you skipped Windows Vista, as many did, you may be surprised to see the switch from Windows XP to Windows 7. Microsoft's latest operating system is a major change in usability, convenience, and overall computer performance over previous versions of Windows.

While not all of these are earth-shattering changes, below are the Top 10 differences between Windows XP and Windows 7. Many of these changes may seem like a big deal because you’ve become so accustomed to how things work in XP. If you’re considering upgrading from XP to Windows 7, be prepared for these changes.

Outlook Express (OE) has been a trusted friend since Windows 95, so much so that many people have never used another email client. OE was removed from Windows Vista, but replaced by Windows Mail. Oddly enough, Windows does not ship with an email client at all. Users must either purchase an email client such as Outlook, use a free service such as Windows Live Mail or Outlook.com, or download an open source email client such as Thunderbird.