Windows 7 is a far cry from the problems that plagued its predecessor, Windows Vista, but fact is that resources designed to help customers deal with eventual incompatibility issues are always welcomed (Read the Windows 7 Softpedia Review here). Just ahead of the official launch of the latest Windows client, Microsoft went live with a new compatibility center focused on Vista’s successor. The Windows 7 Compatibility Center went live on October 22nd, 2009, and is currently available at no cost for all users who are looking to see whether a certain software solution or a hardware product will play nice with Windows 7.

“The Windows 7 Compatibility Center helps you easily check the compatibility of thousands of devices and software programs for 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7,” explained Mark Relph, senior director, Windows Ecosystem Team. “Usually, you won’t need to do anything to ensure compatibility. If you do, the site goes beyond just telling you what will or will not work. It also provides links to drivers and software updates to help get your PC running with the latest software.”

At the start of this week I told you about another compatibility resource available from Microsoft, also free of charge. Customers with older PCs looking to sniff out compatibility issues associated with Windows 7 can leverage the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. The RTM versions of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is currently up for grabs via the Microsoft Download Center. The utility will evaluate Windows Vista and Windows XP computers and will assess their Windows 7 upgrade readiness.

“These tools draw on an expansive database of product information that is the result of the work (…) on (…) support for Windows 7 for an ever expanding universe of products all around the world. We have thousands of products listed and will continue to add thousands more over the coming months. As a result, the Windows 7 Compatibility Center and Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will be regularly updated with more products,” Relph added.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor version 2 is available for download here.