Planning a Windows 7 Deployment? Here is your survival guide.

We often receive questions on how to best plan a Windows 7 deployment. With this "Deployment Survival Guide" we wanted to point you to what we think are very useful resources for IT Pros who are thinking about migrating/deploying to Windows 7. The guide is just a subset of information you can find on our "TechNet Springboard" site. APP.COMPAT. TOOLS & GUIDANCE

• Windows 7 Application Compatibility (Overview)
• Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.6
• Application Compatibility Downloadable List for IT Pros
• Windows 7 Application Quality Cookbook
• Getting Started with Application Compatibility in a Windows Deployment
• Five Steps to Windows 7 Application Readiness
• TechDays 2011 Application compatibility session

MANAGEABILTY & SECURITY

• What's new in Group Policy: Group Policy Blog
• Techdays 2011: Troubleshooting Group Policy
• PowerShell Script Center: PowerShell Blog
• Windows 7 BitLocker Documentation
• Windows 7 AppLocker Documentation
• TechDays 2011: Total Workstation lockdown

DEPLOYMENT TOOLS GUIDANCE

• Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010
• Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK)
• How to pilot W7

PERFORMANCE TOOLS, MONITORING AND ANALYSIS

• Sysinternals Process Utilities
• Windows Performance Analysis Developer Center
• Windows Performance Toolkit

• Part 1: Building the Deployment Environment
• Part 2: Initiating the Install and Migrating the PC

Windows 7 Deployment Tools

• Part 1: Preparing an Image using Sysprep and ImageX
• Part 2: Deployment Image and Servicing Management
• Part 3: Deployment Workbench in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010
• Part 4: Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration

Step-by-Step Deployment with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK)

• Step 1: Create an Answer File
• Step 2: Build a Reference Installation
• Step 3: Create a Bootable Windows PE CD-ROM
• Step 4: Capture the Customized Windows Installation
• Step 5: Deploy the Windows Image from a Network Share

Upgrading to Windows 7 for Small and Midsize Businesses

• Upgrading to Windows 7 for Small and Midsize Businesses: Overview
• Manual Installation of Windows 7
• Building a Standard Image of Windows 7
• Automated Installation of Windows 7