Windows 7

[Chptrk 86]

First off this is NOT a place to debate about PCs and Macs. This is a place to discuss the new Microsoft operating system, Windows 7.

Now I'm not going to pretend to know too much about it, but I do know it's surposed to be better then Vista. So If anyone wants to comment and explain things a little more, it would be appreciated. One thing I would like to know about is upgrading to it from two Vista computers and a(n) XP. How would I figure out if the XP one is able to be upgraded. (I've never had to upgrade before so I don't understand it much.)

[Tysons4 68]

i tried the beta... it's really pretty, and has faster indexing

but since i had no windows 7 drivers for my nic i couldn't get on the internet and have not tried again

i think it upgrades the same way as vista. and you dont need vista to use windows 7

xp32 = 7 32

xp64 = 7 64

vista 32 = 7 32

vista 64 = 7 64

so if you have 32 bit then get the 32 bit version and same with 64

unless you plan on doing a clean install on a formatted drive or before startup then you can use your choice

hope this helps...

[sithlrd98 66]

Been running build 7100 for a couple of months. 64 bit version,with vista64 on the other partition. It shares a lot with Vista , but seems to be more responsive and ,with the exception of my video card driver(beta) crashing (and immediately fixing itself) when running through multiple open windows on the taskbar, just seems to work better. Since installing, I have not switched over to the Vista partition! I like the libraries,and as I said before,the ability to scroll trough multiple open windows via the taskbar,which is not the same as Vista desktop switching. Had zero issues finding drivers. Now,on the other hand...I also grabbed the virtual XP addon. It is useless for anything except legacy hardware. Don't even think about actually gaming through it...the virtual video is non-upgradeable and does not support DX. I'm sure there are good points for having it , just not sure what.

Jayson

[warrior 169]

I will definitely be upgrading from Vista to 7, just like after using Vista I found XP horrible and clunky, I find the same about Vista now.

The only thing I don't like is that European users won't be able to upgrade to Windows 7, unless they import the OS from America (if that's legal), because in Europe the European Competition Commission decides that shipping Internet Explorer with Windows OS is anticompetitive. (But I believe that Apple, (and other OSes) ship with Internet Browsers on such as Safari, I know the the iPhone is very much limited to Safari yet the ECC have not done anything about that)

So now Europeans won't be able to upgrade from Vista, or XP and will have to do a clean install and when they do there will not be a web browser. (So while Apple are trying to make it their computers the quickest from booting to the interent, MS is forced not to be able to compete with that (if that isn't anticompetitive what is?)) And so far there haven't been any details (that I have heard) about how to download a web browser, without having a web browser or a second PC without Windows 7(wwhich many people only have one computer).

But the 7100 build of Windows 7 is amazingly better than Vista, and you an still download it for free (and legally) from the microsoft website.

Jonathan

[Ntq€310 1]

I do find the ECC's case aganist microsoft to be... lets just say.. well.. stupid, lets put it like that

But Windows 7 looks like a great OS, seems fast, reliable, has a lot of nice features/upgrades, and in general seems better than vista. I might upgrade my laptop to it... if I had the money... wait.. I do have the money...

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

I considered a triple-boot setup to try 7, but wasn't excited enough to do it. I run Vista Ultimate now with XP on the other partition, my only complaint is VU's continuing troubles with legacy games, even after SP1. If 7catches fire I may yet try it out.

[Easy Bakes 253]

So how do you down load a web browser with out a web browser?

As for Window 7 let me know when the 1st service pack is done.

[Random_ben7 0]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

So how do you down load a web browser with out a web browser?

quote>

I've read that it will have the option to install browsers when installing windows.

So the browser installer is already within windows.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: Random_ben7

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

So how do you down load a web browser with out a web browser?

quote>

I've read that it will have the option to install browsers when installing windows.

So the browser installer is already within windows.quote>

That seems a fair way to do it. Give the user an option as to what browser they want.

although thats all null and void if your purchasing a ready to use PC,with the OS preloaded

I could not see Dell or HP not installing Explorer on them.

to me the whole browser issue is a wash( for PCs ), no one makes you use it if  you like something else.

[CryptoQuick 0]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

As for Window 7 let me know when the 1st service pack is done.quote>

For Windows 7, SP1 is RTM.

[krbe 193]

Originally posted by: warrior

So now Europeans won't be able to upgrade from Vista, or XP and will have to do a clean install and when they do there will not be a web browser. (So while Apple are trying to make it their computers the quickest from booting to the interent, MS is forced not to be able to compete with that (if that isn't anticompetitive what is?)) And so far there haven't been any details (that I have heard) about how to download a web browser, without having a web browser or a second PC without Windows 7(wwhich many people only have one computer).quote>

Isn't it possible to do an upgrade with full versions? The way I read it Microsoft won't supply upgrade-only versions on European markets, but instead ship them with full versions in order to "comply" with the ruling.

Also, these measures are taken against Microsoft and not Apple because Microsoft has a 90% market share.

[warrior 169]

What I've heard is you can't do an upgrade install. You have to backup all your data doa clean install and restore your data.

There's no upgrade option, just in case Internet Explorer is left installed, which would then "conflict" with what the ECC have decided.

I personally use Firefox, but don't like the idea of a OS being released with no internet browser. What with Chrome OS relying on the internet (from what I hear), and then Micorosft isn't allowed to package an browser with W7.

So Microsoft has 90% market share? They earnt it. They managed to make Windows the norma, I mean most people have Windows or at least know how to use a PC. Isn't taking actions against a company that has done well discrimination or something. It seems it's always the people and comapnies that do well that get tackled by all these useless Commissions or whatever.

Seeing as Windows 7 is quite similar to Vista, drivers and software that works with Vista works with Windows 7. Not once have I had any problem with getting drivers or software installed. So it won't be like when Vista was released and nothing worked on it because so much had changed from XP, because everything has changed once it doesn't need to again. So you do not need to wait for SP1.

[gml_josea 2]

I've used the Windows 7 Beta since it was released. Switched to the RC as soon as it was out. I'm very pleased with it, it definitely feels faster, looks prettier. Oh, and the new folder explorer and libraries are a bless from heaven, I wonder what took them so long to come up with something like that. I'm definitely getting Windows 7 when it is released.

[Ntq€310 1]

But here's the thing, Microsoft is in the Browser market, and the ECC is expecting microsoft to put rival browsers onto it's system?

Which, Opera is really only doing this because, for how good there browser is, they can't get any market share, so making Microsoft give you a list of browsers at setup would probably help them. Though Microsoft undercut both the ECC and Opera with Windows 7E, then there is no browser, and if anyone get's angry at Microsoft about it, they move the blame to the ECC.

[Chptrk 86]

So if there is an upgrade way to update to Windows 7, does that mean that everything would have to be backed-up? or would that not be needed?

[chris0101 8]

Essentially, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Only now, Microsoft is charging us full price if we want to upgrade from Vista to W7. Grrr.

[warrior 169]

I forgot to say, thankfully Microsoft are offering Windows 7 E (The Europe verison you cant upgrade with) for the same price as the US upgrade version. Which means that Europeans get the full version cheaper than the US full version. Is that not the first time ever in history it has been that way?

Obviously it is for a limited time only, until the end of 2009. Also apparently there are websites which are offering even more discounts.

And it seems there may be an upgrade disc in the future, just not at release.

The Different editions

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows7/products/windows-7/compare-editions

And the pricing

http://windows7news.com/2009/07/01/microsoft-reduces-prices-for-windows-7-e/

[rainyday 2]

Well I'm looking forward to windows 7. I haven't been able to use the RC because my old pc had only 256mb of ram, and I wasn't risking messing up my vista laptop. But I'm upgrading that old pc now, so I have a long checklist to go through. The price of windows 7 from PC World and from ebuyer.com is £44.99, if you pre-order it before August 9th. After that date, I think the price is £149 pounds. So if you want windows 7 cheap, make sure to check out pcworld.co.uk or ebuyer.com! Make sure to leave a copy for me though!

EDIT: I know this is kind of unrelated but, I just saw this amazing video by Copenhagen Concepts of what "Windows 8" should look like. Note that this is not an official video from Microsoft, but rather from a Concepts team not affiliated with Microsoft: Copenhagen Concepts.

If the video doesn't embed properly, just go to this link: http://vimeo.com/4255076

Copenhagen User Experience from Copenhagen Concept on Vimeo.

[warrior 169]

It seems that the ultimate version is not included in the further pre order discounts, anyone know what exactly the difference between Pro and Ult. is? If it's just BitLocker then I wont bother with ultimate.

Also why is the OS so expensive, so many people will buy it, and once you've made one disc really how much does it cost to mass produce copies? I know they have to pay the people who programm it, but surely they can do that is the disc is like

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: warrior

Also why is the OS so expensive, so many people will buy it, and once you've made one disc really how much does it cost to mass produce copies? I know they have to pay the people who programm it, but surely they can do that is the disc is like £30?quote>

Product development costs are often much higher than most people realize.  People complain about how a heart medication (I forget which one) costs $150 a bottle, but most don't realize that GlaxoSmithKline worked 20 years and spent billions of dollars to develop the drug.  The situation with Windows (and Office too) isn't quite the same, but it is similar.  Windows and Office aren't just having to pay for their own development (which isn't cheap); they're having to provide the money for the Microsoft to pay to develop other software that it gives away for free.  Microsoft can't afford to charge for them if it wants them to be widely adopted, but it can't just ask the developers to work for free while they're working on those projects.

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

However, I have not enjoyed using Vista due to its clunky interface and bizarre application handling.quote>

What exactly is wrong with Vista's application handling?  I have yet to see anything abnormal.

[Chptrk 86]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

However, I have not enjoyed using Vista due to its clunky interface and bizarre application handling.quote>

In all honesty, I have never seen really anything wrong with Vista, the main reason I plan on getting Windows 7 is to upgrade my XP computer, and then I might as well upgrade the rest. Speaking of which, do you have to delete your files to upgrade an OS? Am I gonna have to back-up everything?

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[sithlrd98 66]

I had a few issues with Vista64 and how long it takes to do things such as installing apps , with full permissions, and how terrible every card that I've tried for SC4 has a very annoying graphics issue that no one else either seems to have or doesn't know how to fix (All Nvidia cards, one is actually just the on board , other 2 are PCI-e) ...I have a quad core with 8 gigs of ram , so that's not the issue. I think that the way that Vista and 7 are setup , it is to keep users from screwing things up as bad as they were able to do in the past. I like to say that Vista is to what NT4 was , and 7 is closer to what XP was.Even though 7 is built out of much of Vista , and it shares a lot of the same feel , 7 works much better, for me at least...although I still have that annoying graphics problem with SC4! I do plan on purchasing when the Beta expires , mainly because I have now gotten so accustomed to the overall feel of 7 , and love how the libraries work!

Jayson

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

However, to give you an example, I do not like how Vista treats game exe's.  I see little use for opening a window (Games) just to launch something, especially when not prompted to put an icon on the desktop.  Instead, I have to create a shortcut to the exe in order to lauch from the desktop.  Call me crazy, but I don't want to waste space opening a window just to launch an app.  I much prefer the standard pre-Vista method.  This applies to more than games, but they are a good example.  My better half would complain of even more than I do, on the photoediting side.quote>

Out of curiosity, what is the "standard pre-Vista" method that you used?  I might be reading it wrong, but your post seems to imply that Vista requires you to do things in a different manner than you're used to with XP.  I have difficulty relating to this as I never really had to change any of my habits to adapt to Vista.  For me, Vista has been an improvement over XP in terms of interaction with the user.

[warrior 169]

I have never used the Games folder/window, If it's not in my quick launch (on Vista, or Taskbar in 7), start menu or desktop, then I just use the search, which is inifinitely better than XP. Also after using Vista for about 2 years (I think) I tried to install a driver for a Wireless card on a XP machine, and it took an hour before I gave up. Vista I just plugged in the Card and USB pen drive with the dirver on and said search automatically it found it and I was on the net. After using Vista I find XP clunky, to be honest it seems now (I have not used XP for quite a while) that it's a bluer version of older windows OSes.

The OS has no part in prompting you to put a shortcut on the desktop by the way, it is the game's installer which ask you if you want to put one there.

I do admit though that Vista was not particularly great when it first came out and a lot things didn't work properly but now developers have made versions of their software compatible with Vista, and everything compatible with VIsta is compatible with 7 (The odd exception of course).

I can't say the changes between 7 and Vista, because almost all of them are just natural and you don't notice them till you don't have them.

Jonathan

[toxicpiano 125]

A massive improvement. It's so much smoother than vista (and XP, but who cares about a 8 year old OS). It won't be enough to make me switch from OSX, but it's a lot better/nicer to use.

[Duke87 1,070]

Give me something that's actually a new installment of the Windows I grew up with rather than a sequal to Vista and I'll consider it.

XP is still the latest version of "Windows" and will be the last version. The new line instead builds off Vista (rather than DOS), which makes its compatiblity with old things limited. But besides that, there are other unrelated issues I still have with the way things are being done now. Give me an OS that doesn't have a mandatory built in DRM structure. Give me an OS which will let me modify my settings as I please instead of telling me I don't have permission.

But as for Europe telling MS they can't make Internet Explorer default browser by default, good for them!

[Easy Bakes 253]

Looks like ill be skiping vista and going right to W7.

[warrior 169]

If everything kept getting built off old things then we wouldn't get anywhere. If you can't run a program on windows 7 or Vista now, then the program is bound to be so old you either don't need it or there is a newer version that will work with Vista. And in WIndows 7 you get XP mode, which is XP in a virtual PC so any programs that don't work in Vista but you really need you can run in the virtual XP.

If you make your user an administrator when you install 7 then you will have no problems at all with settings, UAC in 7 even pops up a lot less thankfully.

I don't use IE, and I think it's ok that Windows shouldn't ship with a browser, but Apple OSs should not ship with browsers as well, and there should somewhere on the OS you click to download a webrowser out of the common ones, so IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari. Microsoft are now expecting people to download a webbrowser put it on a pen drive then use that to install it. Some people won't have pendrives, some won't know how to do it, my mum would would have no idea where to start.

And I think that Microsoft not being able to have Upgrade versions of 7 E(just in case IE gets left on the machine) is just stupid, the ECC should have said by the next Windows release there must be no IE.

Jonathan