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Fasten your seat belts. There could be some bumpy nights ahead in the IT department.

When the information technology guys discover how painful it can be to upgrade their current PC hardware to Microsoft’s Windows 7 — the successor to the much-maligned Windows Vista — they may be tempted to switch to Linux or Apple’s  Mac OS X.

That’s the conclusion of the product specialists at CRN’S Channel Web — a publication geared more to IT professionals than to the typical Mac user — after running the latest Windows 7 beta through their Test Center.

“On both fresh hardware and on first-look upgrades from Windows Vista machines, Windows 7 met the world looking like a champ,” writes Channel Web’s Ed Mozen in a post published Tuesday. Upon closer look, though, it appears as though Windows 7 could actually be more of a challenge for businesses than Vista ever was. The upgrade path from Windows XP – which is still the predominant desktop OS in businesses — can be described graciously as ‘ugly.’”

Part of the problem is that you can’t install Windows 7 beta directly from Windows XP. Instead, you have to upgrade to Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later before attempting an install — a process the Channel Web team found to be non-trivial.

Among the scariest quotes in their report:

• “While Microsoft has assured the world that if the hardware works with Windows Vista it will work with Windows 7, the reality is that is misleading at best.”
• “We’ve almost lost count of the number of blue screens we’ve seen in the CRN Test Center during the Windows 7 evaluation process.”
• “We tried to do the upgrade on an Acer TravelMate, but were stopped in our tracks by Bluetooth driver incompatibilities.”
• “On a series of 3-and-a-half year old ThinkPad T43s, an IBM security processor refused to let the notebooks boot up with Windows 7. We needed to crack open a couple of four-year old desktops … to add memory just to try to get a system image.”
• “Across the XP-Vista-Windows 7 landscape, Microsoft has fostered an ecosystem that now holds out the prospect of a mind-numbing number of incompatible drivers, unsupported devices, unsupported applications, unsupported data, patches, updates, upgrades, “known issues” and unknown issues.”

Channel Web concludes:

“One at a time, these problems can be blown off as inconsequential or simply what happens during beta testing and an upgrade process. But, taken together, these problems are appearing all at once after Microsoft’s botched XP-to-Vista upgrade and during the worst economic decline in generations….

“A solution provider can now expect to spend many hours, billable or otherwise, dealing with all the extra pain points brought about by having to navigate through a mine field of three concurrently used Microsoft operating environments.

“Or they could opt to give Linux or Apple’s Mac OS X a try. That’s not as crazy an idea as it may have been in years past.”

During his annual “strategic update” conference call Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told Wall Street analysts that while Apple “has probably increased its market share over the last year or so by a point or more,” he was more focused on the competitive threats posed by Linux and Google (GOOG).

In response to a request for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote:

“Customers can purchase upgrade media and an upgrade license to move from Windows XP to Windows 7; however, they will need to do a clean installation of Windows 7.”

Windows 7 is scheduled to ship in early 2010.

Amid mounting environmental concerns, TV manufacturers are racing to make energy-efficient sets, with some now launching “eco” branded TVs.

Vizio Inc., Funai Electric Co. and Sharp Corp., for instance, recently unveiled TVs that claim power savings that exceed the U.S. government’s latest “Energy Star” standards for TVs by as much as 29%. Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Corp. and Panasonic  Corp., are also launching energy-efficient TVs.

Some of the TVs, such as one model from Vizio’s “EcoHD” models, use fewer or different lamps to illuminate the screen, thereby reducing power use. Funai Electric, which manufactures and distributes Philips-branded flat-panel TVs in the U.S., has two series of eco TVs that save power through a dimming technology that adjusts the brightness of the backlight on the LCD panel based on the ambient light in the room.

Most TVs still consume a small amount of power when they are turned off — something Sony targeted when it came up with an energy-savings switch on some models that cuts off the TV’s power consumption when the set is off without interfering with other devices, such as a DVR. The TV also comes with a motion sensor that turns off the device’s backlight if no motion is detected in the room after a certain period of time.

Some Philips TVs save energy with dimming technology.

The rush for eco-friendly TVs comes as many consumers are looking for ways to save money on their utility bills. According to the California Energy Commission, TVs rank third in the amount of power used in a home, behind heating-and-cooling systems and refrigerators. When associated devices — cable boxes or game consoles — are included, TV set-ups consume [an average] 10% of the electricity in a home, the commission says.

TV makers may also be working to pre-empt new energy regulations. While the Energy Star standard is voluntary, the California Energy Commission is considering mandating specific energy standards for TVs sold in California by 2011. Under the proposed rules, a 42-inch TV sold in California must consume 183 watts or less, which translates to 183 watt-hours when it’s on for an hour, dropping to 115.5 watts by 2013. Currently, a 40- to 42-inch LCD TV consumes 200 to 250 watts of electricity, according to the LCD TV Association.

Many TV makers aren’t waiting for regulations to go into effect. Some 70% of world-wide flat-panel display shipments will have green features by 2012, up from 20% in 2008, predicts research firm DisplaySearch.

The new TVs are finding favor with some consumers. After getting a $186 electric bill in early December, Matt Walters, a Web developer in Richmond, Va., decided to look for ways to reduce his electricity use. He quickly targeted his 50-inch plasma TV, which has a digital video recorder, Blu-ray player and other devices connected to it.

“I started looking for devices that were more guilty than others,” says Mr. Walters, 29. “The plasma TV was one of the first things” he identified.

Mr. Walters bought a few power strips to connect the TV and other devices together and got in the habit of turning it off when he wasn’t using it. When his electric bill arrived the next month, he says to his surprise he saved $27. He plans to pay more attention to the power use of the electronics he buys, and adds that he would consider an energy-efficient TV for his next purchase.

Some Sony LCD TVs come with an energy-savings switch.

But consumers interested in buying the new low-power TVs may be trading power for performance. In particular, the green TVs often sacrifice screen brightness, some analysts say. TV makers counter that consumers won’t be able to tell the difference between the image quality of eco-friendly TVs and standard models if the devices sit side by side.

Many of the green TVs are also more expensive than standard machines. Vizio’s 32-inch Eco HDTV is priced at roughly $500, while a standard Vizio 32-inch TV can cost between $400 and $450. Sony hasn’t released the pricing for its eco TVs, which are scheduled to hit the market in June, but the company says it will charge a premium for the products over its standard line of TVs.

TV manufacturers say the new sets are pricier because they have added technology to lower power use. Randy Waynick, senior vice president for home products with Sony, says the company spent money in research and development to make sure the picture was as good as standard sets.

The new energy-efficient TVs may also confuse some consumers, as companies try to convince them which products save the most energy. Last month, Panasonic announced a 37-inch LCD TV panel, which it says uses the lowest power of any LCD HDTV its size. At the same time, Samsung announced new light-emitting diode TVs, which use a different technology than most standard backlit LCD TVs today, and said the machines consume 40% less power than standard backlit LCD TVs. Meanwhile, Vizio says its “EcoHD” models exceed the Energy Star standard by between 15% and 25%, while Sony cites a 40% saving over its previous models.

Paul Gagnon, a research director at DisplaySearch, says some the TV-makers’ claims, especially those that compare power usage to previous models or standard sets, can be difficult to verify. “Without knowing what they are comparing it against, then, yes, it’s difficult to substantiate,” he says. By contrast, Mr. Gagnon adds that claims made against the Energy Star guidelines are easier to verify.