Microsoft Corp. began to roll out Windows 7 operation system on Thursday with the hope of shaking off the negative image created by previous Vista version and maintain its dominance on the global market of personal computer (PC) operating systems.

New Zealand became the first country to kick off the global launch of Windows 7, as hundreds of people attended events in Wellington and Auckland on Thursday morning.

Events are planned around the globe over the next 24 hours and will culminate with a ceremony in New York where Microsoft chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Ballmer formally unveils the new operating system at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).

Wooing customers to migrate to Windows 7 is crucial for Microsoft as Windows Vista, the software giant's previous operating system released about three years ago, was poorly received with performance and compatibility problems, analysts said.

Many users of Windows XP, the version that was released eight years ago, have been reluctant to upgrade to Vista.

"Windows 7 will definitely swing the negative impression left by Vista to a very positive experience," Dr. Huihong Luo, a software expert and founder of VMLite, a Silicon Valley company focusing on innovative virtualization technologies, told Xinhua in an interview.

Windows 7 offers many new features such as revamped taskbar, improved file management and navigation, improved parental control, multi-touch and gesture, he said.

"It offers better performance, reliability and security. These improvements are pervasive to every level of the experience, ranging from the very low level kernel tweaks that make the whole system to run better and more robust, to the very high end user features that make Windows 7 much easier to get jobs done, and at the same time, you will find much fun," Luo noted.

Personally, "I would highly recommend Windows 7," he said.

The launch of Windows 7 ahead of the holiday shopping season has been anticipated by the PC industry to be a catalyst for computer sales. Several major PC makers are set to launch new products Thursday to coincide with the release of the new operating system.

However, some analysts said they are not expecting Windows 7 to provide a significant boost to PC sales immediately.

"We anticipate renewed interest in hardware upgrades from consumers and small business during the holiday season as a result of Windows 7's release. In the corporate market, Windows 7's adoption is not expected to ramp up until late 2010," Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at market research firm Gartner, said earlier this month.