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For the Windows faithful, it’s been a tough eight years. With the launch of Windows XP in 2001, we thought we were poised on a brink of a new world of NT-based goodness—but two years and uncountable exploits later, the future of Windows was grim. Facing a never-ending torrent of new ‘sploits, worms, and trojans, Microsoft fired back with the single greatest operating system update of all time—Service Pack 2. In the single fell swoop of SP2, Windows XP went from Swiss cheese to secure, and once again we were poised to enter the promised land with… (wait for it)… Vista.
Of course, we all know how Vista turned out. Haunted by poor performance in everything from games to disk access to networking, Vista is widely considered to be Microsoft’s biggest failure. Nonetheless, Vista laid the groundwork for a host of new technologies, all absolutely vital to pushing Windows into the 21st century. Vista’s new, modern driver architecture was designed to move core functionality from the kernel (where any instability can bring down the whole system) to user space—an absolutely necessary development. Likewise, Vista’s proper enforcement of permissions for both users and applications enhanced security, even though UAC remains very annoying. And once vendors fixed their driver flaws and Microsoft squashed some underlying bugs, Vista morphed into an entirely workable operating system, even if we still wouldn’t describe it as “good.”
So, as 2009 draws to a close, we find ourselves testing another new Microsoft OS: Windows 7. Building on the now-mature technologies introduced with Vista, but with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Windows 7 seems poised to succeed where Vista couldn’t. We’ve finally received a final build of Win7, and have run it through the wringer in both the Lab and in the real-world. Here’s what we found.
While support for new hardware and improved security are perfectly valid reasons to upgrade your OS, the sexiest benefits of an operating system upgrade are all the new features. Indeed, from a completely revamped user interface to brand-new features designed to make organizing and sharing your files easier, Windows 7 delivers much more than some new wallpaper and a different color Taskbar. (Though there are lots of new wallpapers.)
The most obvious changes from previous versions of Windows to Windows 7 can be found in a redesigned user interface. Sure, much of the interface remains the same, but Microsoft has completely overhauled key elements, starting with the Taskbar.
After 14 years of nothing more than cosmetic changes, Microsoft’s redesign of the Taskbar combines the pure window organizing power of the classic Taskbar with the application-launching, multi-purpose convenience of Mac OS X’s Dock. In addition to showing the applications that you currently have open, the new Windows 7 Taskbar also hosts shortcuts to your most commonly used applications. Click a shortcut when the app is running, and it brings the most recently used window to the foreground. Click the same shortcut when the app is closed, and it will launch the app.
But that’s not all. Drag a file onto a shortcut in the Taskbar, and Windows will open the file using that app. Hover your mouse over a running application’s icon, and it expands to show live thumbnail previews of all of that app’s windows, floating just above the Taskbar. Mouse over a thumbnail, and Windows will bring that particular window to the foreground. You can even close individual windows from the thumbnail previews.
For anyone who regularly finds himself with more than 10 windows open, the new Taskbar is a dream come true.
Another core enhancement to the OS comes in the form of Jump Lists. In short, Jump Lists put frequently used files in a convenient menu that’s a simple click away from the shortcut icon on the Taskbar or on the Start Menu. Apps that support Jump Lists will display the list when you right click on the shortcut, or when you left-click and drag the mouse up away from the Taskbar. Additionally, some apps will automatically populate their Jump List with files you recently opened.
Along with the redesigned UI elements comes a whole new world of user-interface shortcuts. There are really too many to get into here, but the best of the new shortcuts allow you to maximize a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimize it by dragging it to the bottom, maximize to half your screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimizing all other windows by shaking the one you want to focus on. Furthermore, enhancements to alt+tab let you immediately find lost windows, and you can use the Windows key and numbers 1 through 0 to launch the first ten shortcuts on your Taskbar. And when those apps are already open, you can cycle through multiple windows by pressing the app’s keyboard shortcut again.
Windows Explorer also receives some much-needed love. The changes since Vista are relatively minor, but they serve to make the left-column of Explorer the quickest way to navigate to any folder on your hard drive, network, or even in the cloud. Furthermore, you can arrange the different categories in any way you want, quickly add special folders to the Favorites section, and even hide sections you don’t use.
The other main place to access the file browser is the shortcut bar on the right column of the Start Menu. In Windows 7, there are more folders that you can choose to display there, including Downloads and Recorded TV. However, you still can’t place any folder you choose in one of those precious slots.
The controversial Ribbon, which replaced traditional menus and shortcut bars in Office 2007, is prominently featured in Windows 7. In the applets that ship with the OS, you’ll see the Ribbon featured prominently.
Comments are closed on this article
dracx619
October 13, 2009 at 3:11am
wow are these type of comment annoying is crap. is a man not allowed to like something you dont agree with? aren't we allowed to enjoy something that you dont? get off your high horse, i can easily say how much did apple pay you to be an idiot. sounds stupid doesn't it? well so does your comment
alanmc76
October 19, 2009 at 12:07pm
Amen, bro. Well said.
______________________________________
-- "What am I, MacGyver? Fix it with what?"--
compguytracy
October 12, 2009 at 3:52pm
I have been beta testing 7 now for awhile, and i actuall got picked to get a full blown version of 7 ultimate, 32 and 64, suckers, i would have paid for this one! it is easy to use, not one blue screen, all my hardware worked, not to many needed drivers, as the installation only didnt get my wireless card. ease of use, get this one.
AleceHelix
October 06, 2009 at 7:25pm
Windows 7 seems to be revolutionary one might say. I used to work at MS during the XP era.
shuunu
October 05, 2009 at 6:12pm
Jesus , I see a lot of retards , scared of a little change.I mean what planet are yall comming from ? XP? I forgot that shit even existed the moment vista dropped.Hillbilly geeks , listen .. Think about it this way , XP and XP x64 is fast performance / shitty looks , Vista 32 and 64bit , is a balance not as fast as XP but better looking and new gagdetry , and Windows 7 x64--- Is the New Ish On the block , It's Faster Than XP(wich is fast) , better looking that vista(wich looks awesome) , it has new gagdets , way more shit than any other.And no problem you can change the taskbar , you can convert all that to make it like you never upgraded , plus all the softwares that worked on XP and Vista works on Windows7 without any problems , it's been tested , it's been released , you can find a free copy or a cracked one on the torrent sites burn it on a bootable DVD or use an USB stick , and install that ish , I mean why pay for Windows or any other software if ure using for ureself at home.
nekollx
October 05, 2009 at 6:32pm
Dear MaxPC,
The letter by Shuunu has left me conflicted. On the one hand he is prasing and embracing Se7en. On the pimp hand he is advocating piracy. Should i let the Pimp hand be slappin'?
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
MexiTron2000
October 02, 2009 at 10:20pm
1) I like recycling folksy phrases like, "If it aint broke, don't fix it."
2) The English alphabet has not changed since XP was released...Word 2003 still types my reports and letters just fine. I'm not sure if that's legal, but it seems as if I am getting away with it.
3) Eye candy is not a sufficient reason for me to drop $200. I can't think of one compelling reason for me to jettison XP (I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Vista). What? I can shake my Windows with an Aero interface? Pardon me while I yawn.
4) I like Windows 7 RC. It runs my XP programs just fine. So what the hell do I need to switch my horse midstream for? Does Emperor Bill need a new yacht?
5) I downloaded Win 7 features from VistArt, now I have an orb button and a Win7 taskbar on my XP machine. There, eye candy problem solved. Hell, I'll even set that Win7 fish wallpaper as my XP background.
6) I have "Upgrade Fatigue". I'm tired of dropping another wad of cash for a NEW Office, a NEW OS, and therefore, a NEW video card or a NEW computer.
7) I use Opera (and therefore, even Firefox and Chrome fanboys think I'm a crazy, tinfoil hat-wearing anti-establishment nut).
That last one had nothing to do with Win7, I just wanted to plug Opera, a badass browser.
In the year 2000, there will be flying cars, video wristwatches, and we Mexicans will rule the Hemispheric Aztec Empire with an iron fist (per orders of His Excellency, Emperor William Gates The Terrible, Smasher of Men and Destroyer of Towns).
digitalvibe
October 15, 2009 at 7:32pm
I agree, good reasoning. I actually stuck with windows 98 for a good while. But it just got ridiculous with hardware support as the years went by. And then xp sp2 made xp nice and useable.
dracx619
October 03, 2009 at 9:31am
and you are the type of xp person i RESPECT. " i dont need nothing new at the moment so ill pass." as opposed to "you can take my xp by prying it from my cold dead hands and all yall who switch are a bunch of tards!!" and so on, and so on.
7 offers me lots of plusses i didint have with xp and i can see that for many those pluses are unnecesary at the moment. perhaps well see you with windows 8?
UltraTron
October 01, 2009 at 7:40am
First of all.
@Dragonflythecat. Go troll elsewhere.
Now that is out of way I'd like to state I'm having a blast with Windows 7.
I stuck with XP as my PC is now 5 years old and didn't bother going through the hassle with Vista.
I'm glad I didn't upgrade as it showed me how amazing the RC runs on my creeky pile of junk. I had difficulty finding drivers for my ATI 3850 AGP but found a workable version.
I used Vista at length on a laptop but never liked it. The permissions system was intensely annoying. Aero was pretty but I just found Vista a chore.
I use OS X a lot too and find W7 just as enjoyable to use.
Although W7 is great, my big beef is the cost and the number of versions available. Microsoft, we love you (honest) but for HEAVEN'S SAKE please release one version of Windows 8 with clearly identifiable upgrade paths.
taustin
September 30, 2009 at 11:35pm
You sir are completely out of your mind. I cant stand when people like you post ridiculous comments about an os. Ill bet you claim to be a pc tech too?
I read most of your comments but after going through only stopping to scan some more false garbage I pretty much had just about enough of your crap-fest. Where do you get your information, the planet mars? How is vista not a completely rebuilt os, oh thats right because you claim its not new if it uses notepad, a completely legitimate programming tool. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. This post just mentioned a handful of new features and tricks that windows vista and xp do not and never will have yet you claim to think windows 7 is no different. You sir are an embarrasment to the pc tech community, do your homework next time and try using a beta release of an os before you open your mouth and sling useless garbage.
Win7 is a marvel and an evolution in constrast to xp and vista. It is by far the most promising and exciting new os since. It, like mac has a feel that is very intuitive. The very fact that you can point your music library to another hard disk location and expanding upon that by adding more locations that by which can be accessed with as few as 2 mouse clicks is nothing xp and vista can do, its not in their programming. So you would be quite wrong to assume 7 to be the same as xp and vista.
I hate when people compare mac os to windows. One whose audiance is clearly as easily 100X greater than the other. You obviously have never heard the expression "the nail that sticks out gets hammered." This is windows, unfortunately this is what society does when something is so popular, surprised its not mac os eh, i reinterate, when something is popular.
fnordfnord
October 15, 2009 at 6:02pm
Swine flu is populare right now, does not make it good for you. Im just glad that people spoke up about vista on how it sucked. Maybe this time they will realise that win 7 is basically Vista with a OS X dock. Lets hope people wise up and say "im tierd of my machine messing up, ill go with a Mac this time".
8bitmaster
October 20, 2009 at 2:12pm
macs are, in my opinion, USELESS!!! I have used a pc for many years now and love 7. I program on a pc, play games on a pc, live on my pc. You will never see me dropping $3000 on a mac when $1000 will get me a much better computer out of a pc.
dragonflythecat
September 30, 2009 at 7:12am
Normal
0I spent some time reading the replies and I was surprised to
find that with all the experts voicing their comments here, they have really
missed the mark. If this operating system (Windows 7) is so great why is
Microsoft’s stock price still in the toilet? It is in the toilet because
Microsoft doesn’t know how to create a new operating system. Microsoft hasn’t
actually built a new operating system since Windows 3.0.
For all those experts out there re-check your memories and
if you find either Notepad, WordPad, or Paint in the new Windows 7 offering
then that operating system isn’t new. You have already paid for those programs
and keep paying for those programs with every new release from Microsoft.
By definition a new Operating System is completely rebuilt
from scratch but Microsoft doesn’t know how to do that. The programmers at
Microsoft are only capable of adding new items on top of old items – hence
“BloatWare”, the one thing Microsoft does well.
Vista has two distinct problems – User Account Control which
arrived ten years too late for most users where it would have a benefit to
prevent crashes in Microsoft’s early life but for us now, where 5 yrs. olds are
learning computers in kindergarten it is a waste of programming space. It makes
it seem as if you are not smart enough to use the operating system – the
operating system by default must always second-guess the operator.
Makes you wonder what idiot at Microsoft came up with that
one?
I realize that I can turn User Account Control off but then
I receive error messages from the operating system until I turn it back on.
Microsoft isn’t in the business of making friends they are in the business of
pissing people off. Many a time I’ve liked to wring Bill Gates neck.
The second is Windows Explorer. Do you find in your
computing use that you are not smart enough to be able to create directory
structures without Microsoft’s help? I was kind wondering who the folks at
Microsoft were speaking to when they decide to add all those ‘green’
folders? I see it as a waste of code
and the fact that when you open Explorer and that entire unnecessary directory
structure drops down, using valuable window space, I just toss up my hands.
Then I get angry when I find out that I can’t delete those directories.
Finally, I just cut to the chase and get a different file
manager and supplant the Microsoft offering, altogether. As I have learned to
do with most of the crap they include in an operating system.
With the advent of Windows Vista and Windows Se7en you will
find that the computer no longer belongs to you as if it ever did – How much of
the programming in both Vista and Se7en lays your computer open to the prying
eyes of the Federal Government – didn’t stop to think about that did you?
Then there is the other Microsoft problems that are in every
Microsoft release Service Packs and Updates. The worst thing you could do to a
Microsoft operating system is install these kinds of updates – most of which
you haven’t the slightest clue as to what is actually inside – they never
provide you with enough information to make a rational decision – There are
Hotfixes, Security Updates, Updates for Microsoft Windows, Service Pack for
Windows, Cumulative Updates – just on my Vista system I have received:
(32) Updates for Microsoft Windows
(9) Hotfixes for Microsoft Windows
(48) Security updates for Microsoft Windows
Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista
Microsoft Silverlight 3.0
Windows Internet Explorer 8.0
Windows Search 4.0
Windows Vista feature pack for Wireless
For XP I have:
(7) Updates for Microsoft Windows
(9) Hotfixes for Microsoft Windows
(44) Security updates for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Silverlight 3.0
Windows Internet Explorer 8.0
Windows Search 4.0
As you can see Microsoft does not make great operating
systems – they make really bad ones that require on-going improvement by the
user because they were too lazy to build the product right the first time. Now
that I have all updates and upgrades what is the point of downgrading to
Windows Se7en and going through all that crap again?
With the advent of Windows Se7en can you point out
what is really new in that operating system that isn’t in either XP or Vista,
that isn’t cosmetic, that a person really needs and everyone applauds them for
their success?
Or more to the point after installing all of those Updates
and Hotfixes to my computer’s operating
system, is it not the best Microsoft can build and didn’t this operating system
just come out not even two years ago?
As long as Steve Balmer is running Microsoft, their stock
price will always be in the toilet, and every two years there will be a new
offering from Microsoft touting the Latest and Greatest operating system. It is
embarrassing to tell people I use a Microsoft Operating System.
dracx619
September 30, 2009 at 9:33am
ill try to go in order
i dont know much about stocks since i dont bother much with it so if im wrong here, feel free to correct me. i would imagine that msfts stoc is in the shitter now because there isn't much to drag it out of there. looking down the pipe i can imagine the stock going up because of the stuff they are coming out with. so i wouldnt go as far as to say that just cause they are in the shitter now doesn't mean they wont get out of it. what with 7, that concept book thing they have goin on, natal, winmo, zune, project pink. all taht may tank, but we wont know till it comes out so i would hold off saying anything about coming out are stayin in the toilet.
so just because little apps like word, notepad, etc were in previous versions, they shouldnt be in newer oses? the changes to some of those apps may not be drastic but at least there are some changes to them and its nice to see a refresh of something that had been the same since win 95. ive used pain and word pad a little and theres some nice new functionality changes sure i personally dont need em but thay take practiaclly no space so who cares? some people use em.
i see win 7 as a good start to making something more "built form the ground up" because there are so many win users, if msft were to completely build a new os, imagine how many more people than now would be SOL due to incompatability issues ets. you thought vista was bad, think of this scenario. thats why i think change happens slowly with msft because of the huge userbase...you cant keep everyone happy.
bloat can be an issue for some, they did a good thing in allowing people to remove what they dont wont (ie for example) and allowing the user to choose if they want moviemaker, im, etc is a step in the right direction. while the os itself still takes up a nice small chunk, its less than vista and i imagine that win 8 and further will be smaller. in this day in age with large hdds so cheap, whats 20gb for an os? nothin really
uac is annoying, i turn it off and i have no errors. one thing you may not take into accoutn is that yes, for us, we know our machines, we know what to do and how to do it, the general userbase is pretty inept at many basic and semi advanced computer "things." they really do need their hand held.
im ok with explorers structure now, i find myself navigating through folders and finding things a little faser than xp and vista so this may be more of a user preference. there is room for improvement and only tiem will tell what they do to make it better.
i may have to call "paranoid" on your whole government spying on us through our os bit. if theres something i dont know, please share.
every os has updates and every os needs updates. hackers are nuts and no matter how good you build a piece of code or whatever, there is always some hacker that will break it and once one breaks it, whats from stoping the rest of the hackers from going nuts. it seems performance usually goes up after a service pack so im a little lost with your disdain over updates. i say good, help everyone stay protected.
while there may not be much that could be considered "new" i and many others have found many features to be very usefull. the new taskbar is pretty sweet. homegroup has helped networking not be as much of a hastle, a bunch of little things that make the experience just that much better.
yeah, you dont really need any of the new features. then again, you dont NEED any of the features in xp, mac, heck, linux or win 3.0. you can do anything from a command prompt just fine. its all about refining the user experience, making things simpler ya know? but like i said, the userbase is huge and not everyone is going to like it. for me and others, seven is great. people nowadays like flashy, sleek, smooth, dashing, etc. it just so happens that all this eye candy actually has some good functionality and performance for (im confident) the majority of those who have been testing it and for those (especially the general users) who will inevitably get it on their computer.
all im saying is lets see what happens. they may tank or they may blow the lid of this whole industry...well see
sorry if there are ypos are grammar issues. im in an arm brace cause of work :/
nekollx
September 30, 2009 at 10:24am
i really hate people who dog updates, you know these are macfans, but i prefer a OS that fixes hacker exploits instead of leaving it bare and exposed for 2 years like Mac does...
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
TigerNightmare
September 29, 2009 at 2:57am
I tend to be a slow adopter. I used Windows95, a version that didn't support USB or even assign my video card its own IRQ for forever until "upgrading" to ME, then to 98SE. I bought an HP computer when that one died that had XP MCE 2005 on it and just last year I built this computer and put the same OS on it. I plan to ignore Vista, but I'm not sure about a lot of things concerning 7.
1. The biggest thing that pissed me off about XP is that a lot of legacy games that are supposed to run on 95 or 98 either don't run or don't run well. A lot of these games have workarounds discovered or created by the fan community, but several games are just impossible. Compatibility mode often makes things worse. I'm pretty sure no effort was made to get these old games running, but what I'm worried about is that even games designed for XP will not run. Does anyone have anything to say about Pro's XP mode?
2. A similar concern is hardware and peripheral compatibility. When Vista came out, a lot of devices became bricks. I know my old Gravis gamepad is still just a plastic grappling hook now, but the only thing I think I need to be concerned about is my printer. It was refurbished, but still generally more expensive than the average ink jet because it's a laser. The company that makes it, Brother, says on its website that it has some driver download enhancements to add the functionality of the XP drivers that the drivers built into Vista fail to implement. Will these work in 7? Is there anything that you could buy today or within the past two years or so that will not work in 7?
3. My final concern, for now, is that Vista removed XP's awesome system restore points. I'm pretty sure there isn't a system to replace this function in 7 and if there isn't, despite my other concerns, this one is the only deal breaker. I don't want to have to reinstall my OS every time I have a bad crash or something gets broken, something that is easily fixed with regular restore points in XP. If I have to format as well, that is hours and hours of time lost with the size of hard drives these days. I just can't risk losing my files like that. I've had a relatively clean experience with XP and I've never had to reinstall once in the past three or so years of its use. Someone I spoke to who has Vista periodically runs a format and reinstall whether he needs it or not, like it was car maintenance. Someone please confirm or deny this and perhaps tell me about a workaround if this fear is warranted.
paulkalman
September 26, 2009 at 2:07pm
I have yet another reason not to upgrade from xp. That is that there is no facility for an in-place upgrade. I spend a lot of time getting my computer configuration just where I want it, not to mention having to reload all my software again and again. If I can do an in place for my Vista platform, I should be able to do it for my XP systems as well, plain and simple.
ghot
September 19, 2009 at 10:21pm
If you didn't do a clean install of BOTH OS's your tests mean nothing. I would think an IT Pro would know that :/
Take an OS, and edit out all the efficiency, and what you have left is a post-XP Microsoft operating system :)
KNOWLEDGE211
September 18, 2009 at 2:57pm
I have a piece of crap DELL Precision 380 with Hyper threaded P4 3.0GHz,
four 80 gig Hard drives 2 are scratch drives and one local drive and one
allocated for virtual box 4gig of ram and nVidia quadro fx 570 running
two 20 inch LCDS at performance settings yes all crap what can I say its my
work computer they are cheap here. Anyway I am running XP pro sp3 minimal
service. Now what I did here was install Virtual Box on my second hard drive
then installed Windows 7 RC after I loaded the company software and a clone of
my documents. also both XP and windows seven are running IE8 beta. Now our
company software also includes Oracle 10b and another ERP system called MAX 4.0
and that's crap to but anyway I have been testing all kinds to see how it runs
in our network with all our programs and its functionality. I have been quite
pleased since my virtual box is running on the virtual core of my P4 and
sharing the on board network card 2 gigs of my ram and half of all other
resources. what amazes me is that my virtual box is faster than my computer. My
test was to measure which was faster opening programs and first test stunned me
was IE8 beta was opened first on my XP and the quickly after opened on my
windows 7 and my virtual box won by a land slide. And from there on my I left
IE open and opened Oracle on both then Max and then Photo shop 2 and my virtual
box windows 7 smoked the computer it was residing on. that's a benchmark I brag
about.I am an IT Administrator I dislike the fact that old tech knowledge tries to
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supersede new tech knowledge with their old partition magic
style data storage and windows 2k machines is a joke now they don't understand
that if you don't keep up with the new wave of tech knowledge you will be
replaced with a leaner and green version of yourself. Kudos on handling these
old timers and their anti shinny XP in 2k mode I laugh at that one that like my
boss wanting to install vista biz on a dell latitude 630 running with a Celeron
processor and 512 gigs of ram and asking me why we can't DAAAA! Because you don
know D#@K about anything that's why im here. I mean really if it ain't broke
why fix it isNormal
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asinine, then why add ram why leave DOS you NUBS stick with
your old hardware and see how far you go when your competitors can out bid you
because your waiting for compatibility mode to load yourNormal
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ancient software. PONY up the dough you penny pinching old
tech heads get with the program. DUMB DUMB DUMB you think upgrading now is too
much when in fact the price has never really changed computers have been the
same price value since they came out and if you compare software there is a not
even a huge difference in the price. The dollar value isn’t nothing to how much
a computer cost in the 80's and now. Why not upgrade its going to cost more to
manage old shit with user down time and support cost. ooh and you
Linux people complaining about Windows WOW! that's funny I don't remember
having to type code to install a network card why! You are comparing manual to
automatic tell an average user that they have to manually add hardware and dig
for a driver they are going to look at you like "Are you calling me an
Asshole" oh one more thing Microsoft has done wonders for you and you just
don't know it or you refuse to believe it.
CRASHOVERRIDEvsACIDBURN
Havok
September 26, 2009 at 6:37pm
GAH! All of this smart speak in coding is driving me bonkers!
OMGWTFBBQ
ghot
September 04, 2009 at 4:32pm
First off according to that article it was a reference design...and there was no mention of ANY startup programs...
My OLD XP boots in 17.2 seconds with a WDvelociraptor and 7 heavy load startup progies....not bad for a decrepit OS eh ;)
Take an OS, and edit out all the efficiency, and what you have left is a post-XP Microsoft operating system :)
dracx619
September 03, 2009 at 4:35pm
anybody concernced about bootimes...here you go...11 seconds
http://windows7news.com/2009/09/03/windows-7-boot-in-11-seconds/
while expensive now, in a few years, ssds will be the norm so this is kind of exciting
PICNIC
October 24, 2009 at 3:13am
Not sure why people make such a big deal about boot times. My Vista installation "boots" in about 3 seconds max. How? I just use sleep rather than power it off. Sleep has never worked hassle-free for my in any OS prior to Vista. In Vista it works great.
It is too bad the negative publicity wagon rolled over Vista. A lot of people never even gave it a chance after hearing the experiences of others. While Windows 7 is definately an incremental improvement (like WinXP was to Win2K) it was Vista that laid all the foundations and took all the chances. If you're one of the (few?) people who used Vista without issue, Windows 7 feels like nothing more than a massive service pack
Now three years later more people have updated hardware. Software and driver support has matured. And along comes Windows 7. Of course there will be fewer issues with the new OS because Vista ready = Windows 7 ready.
ghot
September 02, 2009 at 2:12pm
...is the fact that you just installed it, and haven't had a chance to pollute it yet. I tested the Win 7 ....alpha, beta, RC and (ahem) the RTM....NONE beat Win XP in efficiency or speed.
You want an OS that looks like a cartoon and acts like one....fine....install XP and eat some shrooms....there...you just saved a ton of money.
The major businesses didn't FORCE MS to support XP till 2014 for no reason! And, it wasn't because of driver or app issues either....(that was just more MS BS).
If it ain't broke....don't fix it...simple as that. XP ain't broke!
...and Dracx...grow up....this isn't yahoo chat...take your flame-tard azz somewhere else...please.
Take an OS, and edit out all the efficiency, and what you have left is a post-XP Microsoft operating system :)
COMMANDER_COOK
September 11, 2009 at 11:59pm
you're right, ghot. XP isn't broke. That's why it's not gonna get fixed.
;)
dracx619
September 02, 2009 at 3:35pm
i call them as i see them. you cant be dumb enough to think that msft will stick with one OS and provide simple cheap and/or free updates. its not linux and thats one of the main reaons its the leader in the OS market. they have to continue to inovate and change as the market changes in order to stay on top and keep making them millions. inevitably there will be a group of people who cling to the "good ol, same ol" because change is naturally hard for some people and they cling to the whole "if it aint broke, dont fix it" motif. somehold back cause of preference, some hold back cause of money. those are 2 very good reasons, but to look down on others just cause they like something new, thats what dissapoints me with some people
if we all lived by that motto, wed still be driving them slow ass model Ts. they werent percect, but they got the job done and it wasn't exactly a broken machine. it worked right? it broke down every so often and needed a little tweaking right? but what do we have now? you dont drive a model T do you? thats just one quick example, you can substitute the model T for absolutely anything and nekolix brought up a very good point below.
regarding your first statement, ive been running rtm and rc on 2 seperate machines since each version was made available and both are still as zippy as when i installed them complete with all my programs and experiments. in the same comparable time frame, xp slowed down a little more, not to the point of unusable (that took on average 1yr for me) but it did. who knows how it will be for others, but for me its been nothing but good times.
im plenty grown up, if you havnt noticed, i dont stoop to cheap insults and empty arguments(but like i said, i call em as i see them). while this may not be yahoo chat persay, there are no character limits and every comment has a 'reply' button so whats the problem in expressing opinion and arguments?
i dont "flame" i try to show people an alternate way of thinking because people like you and the other dude have tunnel vision and its dissapointing when they make it seem like the world revolves around them and their personal choices. "if it aint how i sees it or i likes it, its full of crap!" <--thats what i aim to change in peoples minds some times.
lastly, anytime i see you comment on anything, its negative and yo ubash whatever the artcle talks about, so in all honesty, whose the "flame-tard azz"?
nekollx
September 02, 2009 at 2:19pm
except, you know, XP is broke.
It has no reliable 64 bit support
choaks on new hardware and formats
oh yeah...
and its limited to Dx9
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
KLJTech
September 01, 2009 at 6:30pm
I've been using Windows 7 for over a week now and I haven't encountered a single problem and it runs the programs I use most faster than XP Pro did. I'm actually rather shocked that a RC version of a Microsoft OS is this fast and (so far) trouble free not to mention it's fun using some of the new features after using the same OS for so many years. I never took the leap to Vista because I liked using XP but after just a week of using 7 there's no going back for me.
georgegliddy
August 31, 2009 at 3:55pm
All of your comments about improvements are pointless when the UI is literally nauseating. Yes, it makes me feel sick just looking at it's @#$ glossy visuals, as if it is the fashion choice of some 15-year old girl (or any Mac user). And don't @#$!@#$ tell me to switch to Classic mode, which of course I use in XP (you should be put in a shredder if you don't use Classic in XP), because MS has decided to destroy Classic mode in Win7. Of course I will still use Classic mode when I am eventually forced to use Win7, but it is not nearly as efficient as in XP. And there are significant keyboard bugs with Windows Explorer, and by-design keyboard navigation problems in other parts of the OS. Most of you dumb@sses (and that apparently now includes the MPC editorial team, who are just sickening fanb0is for MS at this point) wouldn't even notice these problems, because you are so reliant on the mouse these days, failing to comprehend how much faster you can get things done with the keyboard.
dracx619
September 01, 2009 at 3:16am
ahh, ye old "you cant spell, grammar" bash. always a scapegoat, always irrelevant, nonsensical bashing....always lame.
let me re-iterrate, no one is forcing shit on you. you dont like it, stay behind. just cause you dont like it, doesn't mean it isn't good.
again, whats wrong with eye candy? nothing. it has nothing to do with being a fanboy, nothing to do "rotting brain." your archaic, we get it. honestly, what does being bitter and acting like a jerk get you? i dont want to assume how you are in your daliy life, but if something so simple as a graphical interface sets you off, what else does? ...
just cause windows 7 improves my workflow doesn't mean i was incompetent with xp, ive used xp since launch and im very familiar with it and had it over various systems like many readers here. i just grew tired of it and for what i do, its not that great and is very limiting. again, im assuming, but my guess is your more of an IT guy and do more behind the scenes type stuff. fine, i can understand why you may like xp more along with simplicity. no nonsense, just give me the bare bones look.
what you have to understand is that not everyone is like you and not everyone can work like you, while many (including myself) can adapt to your workflow, many may still not like it and be inhibiting. i work in tv/film/entertainment and i cant compete if im using xp cause im limited from the amount of ram i can put to how i just switch to a different project. yeah i know of the various tweaks and junk i can do to improve the flow, but i do less of that on 7. yeah sure, theres xp 64, but adobe doesn't play nice with it and neither does most of my production hardware. tweaks yeah, but why should i waste hours mucking stuff up to get it to work and even then, have it work half assed?
this is an argument i always use when talking to thick heads like you, i find this holds true cause honestly...thes are just fricken machines meant to make our lives easier not start these stupid OS wars...its all about PREFERENCE. you like it, use it. you dont like it, don't use it. theres no point in bashing other people cause they like something you dont and theres no point in bashing the product itself to the degeree you do. quick example, at work, i have to use macs, i know it very well and can probably open a program and start working faster than most people can open a comparable program on xp and do the same. while i can use it, and use it well, i dont like it...i prefer how msft structures their shit better.
i hardly ever bash on mac(and when i do, i never go to retarded extremes, i used to in the past until i grew up), i bash on apple cause of various reasons not being just the fact that its apple. i bash on many of the users for various reasons EXCEPT the fact that they use it simply cause they like it more. we live in a world of choice and to harbor such disgust and hatred towards others just cause they like something different for reason XYZ...well, what has that led to in the past now?
COMMANDER_COOK
September 11, 2009 at 11:58pm
Not that I don't agree with you, but how can you write so much in response to some jackass's retorts. I can't even stand to read all of it. Maybe I'm just tired?
I'll sum my opinion up quick:
If you don't embrace newer technologies, then you're no different than old people who still use typewriters.
nekollx
September 01, 2009 at 9:24am
I always ask this if these vehement die hards.
XP is a decade old OS
Name one electronic component or app you have were you are still using the original from a decade ago. Anyone still running Word 97? Quickbook 2000?
Is it reliable and hassle free?
Didn't think so.
So why do you expect a decade old OS to be so perfect?
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Zazubovich
October 19, 2009 at 1:22pm
I have a separate computer at home with several hard drives and OS versions on it and I use it. One version is still Win98SE, two disks are XP, because some of my favorite games didn't make the jump to XP very well. Some are so old they rely on a software layer to convince the game the processor clock is 12 megahertz.
Win98SE. It just works.
I'll probably get 7, but the fact is the user experience with the ribbon interface is worse than learning Linux in my opinion. It's not because it is new, it is because some of it is new, and it has been tuned to be less efficient for people who know what they are doing. In Office 2007 it has nearly doubled the time needed to create reports with formatted pictures and tables simply because they moved the formatting buttons around so it takes 5 more steps than it did under previous editions. More billable hours for me, I guess.
nekollx
September 02, 2009 at 9:12am
thanks, i'm rather frugal myself, the hope PC last 6 years old before having a massive heart attack. That's genenrally my rule of thumb (upgrade and rebuild every 5 years) which i think is fair lifespan for any device.
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Khaled
August 29, 2009 at 4:36am
gonna hang on to windows xp for a little longer,
maybe MS will allow me to have a second interface language without paying for 33 I don't need with Ultimate :/
Baer
August 28, 2009 at 6:28pm
I really do not have a problem with Vista. IMHO, the worst OS ever was Me, no doubt. Yes the performance is sluggish with Vista but I ran it from day one a new powerful computer so I did not really notice that. I very much like Win 7 and I consider it the best OS I have ever used and that includes Win 3.1, Win 98SE and the various Apple OSes I have used.
kakarukeys
August 27, 2009 at 3:32am
The new taskbar is counter-intuitive. MS tried not to copy entirely from Mac, so they ended up creating something which is neither a Dock nor a classic taskbar and doubly difficult to use. To muti-task in Win7, you have no choice but to turn on the Aero effects that have performance trade-off. XP is so much easier and 3rd party software can enhance it for productivity gain. Read this XP/Vista Desktop Multitasking Guide.Now which is more productive?
dracx619
August 27, 2009 at 6:28am
well if you dont use aero, you can easily multitask in the same way as XP. to make it the taskbar look like XP, you make a couple of quick changes in the taskbar settings, im pretty sure you can use all the tools mentioned in your link and now its the same. 7 has been reported by tons of people to work pretty damn well in a variety of older configurations so there really isnt much of a performance tradeoff and if there really is a significant drop in performance, then its time for an upgrade cause it mus really be some old crusty POS, or just dont upgrade. quite simple
it seems the majority of users (at least the younger users) have been loving the new taskbar and for me, its definitely helped me work faster. your right, its not a Dock, its way better than a Dock. apple even copied some of the new taskbar features and included them in their new snow leopard but its rather bleh compared to 7.
this is the beauty of msft and of course the bevy of linux distros. you dont like it, use some free third party apps and compeltely revamp the experience! dont like it in mac, well, youre pretty limited to a few options. i use vista switcher on top of the new 7 features. i may incorporate other tools later to see how it goes but im pretty happy with my set-up
CoyoteWilee
August 26, 2009 at 9:37pm
Windows ME was the disaster OS. At least with Vista (though I still don't like Vista) the service packs made it work well anough in the end. With Windows ME, no amount of updates could stabalize that piece of OS... and I stress 'stabalize' - it was the biggest BSOD OS made.
da_samman
August 25, 2009 at 10:22am
Will I still be unable to see how big the folders are? It would be cool to be able to do so without having to install another app.
Sincerely yours, from Fort Lewis, WA
SGT Samuel E. McClard II
Life's a journey, enjoy the ride!!
UltraTron
August 24, 2009 at 7:08am
"Vista is widely considered to be Microsoft’s biggest failure."
I put ME as a contender for that title.
Saying that, I think Vista is pants and almost made me want to run back to CP/M. XP caught me in her stable arms again so I didn't go that far back ;)
MS, in their newly found wisdom, did a beautiful job with W7. I have the RC and I'm madly in love with it as only a nerd can be in love with an O/S.
W7 restored my faith in MS. Let us hope MS, with their new numerical moniker, doesn't become like a weird Star Trek movie Twilight Zone thing. Windows 8 was terrible, Windows 9 was yum. You read it here first.
thomsonr
August 26, 2009 at 5:21pm
I must be lucky, Vista gave me little or no trouble. 7 though is great but I still feel Explorer needs more work.
wiley69
August 23, 2009 at 9:57pm
i like some of my old 32 bit games like Diablo 2 and civ. 3... win 7 will play them but there is a deffante problum... d%*n slow... win 7 has a problum with win32.exe files
DrX69
August 27, 2009 at 11:26am
i wonder if you have something else going on... I can run Diablo 2 with no problem at all. I run win7 build 7201 x64 version.
bikerbub
August 20, 2009 at 4:09pm
I upgraded to 7 from XP Pro sp3. I first got xp when i was like 9 or 10, in (i think) 2004. I upgraded from bsod once or twice a day to smooth sailing. 5 years later, i read about windows 7. i downloaded the x64 RC and it has not crashed on it's own accord. every time it has crashed was definitly my fault. 7 runs my dual monitor seamlessly, and although the taskbar still does not extend past the border of the first monitor, it allows for much more flexibility than a single monitor setup.
oh and another thing. i never used vista, but i think this was in vista too...
CTRL-ALT-DELETE WORKS!! that was probably my biggest beef with XP. if it froze, Game Over. reboot neccecary, bsod optional.
my personal opinion? after testing the RC thoroughly... two thumbs up.
