Windows 7 - User experiences?

[steve.ledger]

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta has been officially released for public testing since 9th January.
Both 32bit and 64bit versions are available for free download from the Windows-7 website.
Microsoft are capping the downloads to 2.5 million.
You are able to use the software without any restrictions until August 2009.

So - have you downloaded and installed Windows-7 on your PC?

Tell us about your experiences here.

[Soquili]

So far testing Windows 7 has gone well.

A new feature is called Library. It is not a folder or file but is a way to group related files and folders. If you have documents and text files in serveral locations like different folders on the hard drive, removeable flash drive, network folder, etc. You can use a library to see all the files in those locations collectively in one Library. The files will remain in their respective location, the library contains an index to the file or folder.

[remi]

Hi Bill,

this Library feature sounds like a directory with symbolic links to the files (as you would do it in Linux/UNIX/Mac OS X).

Remi

[Soquili]

Hi Remi,

That does appear to be the way Libraries work. I will do a hex examination of a Library to see if the similarity is only skin deep or all the way to the core.

EDIT: The similarity is purely cosmetic. Windows 7 uses standard windows links and ini files to determine how the links are displayed.

[jyoung]

Bill, does it look like a better product than Vista. I am still using XP Pro and I hope Windows 7 is more "user friendly" than Vista.

[Soquili]

Hi Joe,

I think it is more user friendly than Vista. Probably because of a lot of feedback about Vista.

The User Account Control (UAC) defaults to a moderate level so it does not constantly pop up asking about everything. In Windows Vista I disabled UAC almost immediately because of the pop ups. UAC is still enabled on Windows 7 and I have not been tempted to disable it.

Personally I find Vista to be user friendly accept for UAC and more stable than XP.

[BONES]

Bill, does it look like a better product than Vista. I am still using XP Pro and I hope Windows 7 is more "user friendly" than Vista.

That's a loaded question. I think Vista is a huge step up from XP. Win7 doesn't seem like the same leap ahead, more of a consolidation of all the good stuff introduced in Vista. If you find Vista unfriendly, you probably won't like Win7 either, as it is very similar overall. I think it is amazingly good, to the point that I just bought a new laptop, a Dell M4400, and I will be using Win7 with it, assuming I can get all my applications to install and run. So far Xara is the only one that has given me any grief but I just found out how to sort that out. I still haven't tried Combustion, 3DS Max, Maya or Toxik yet though, and Autodesk stuff has a habit of being very finicky about OSs.

[Scotty]

Hi,
Ok so now you have windows 7 (beta) and it is good what happens whould you not want to upgrade to Windows 7, and remove the beta? or Wait for Windows 7 to be out a while before upgraing can you roll-back to previous version?
Jim

[steve.ledger]

Jim the purpose of the beta is mostly for IT people to evaluate and familiarise, this prepares them ahead of the commercial release.
The general public are invited to try the Beta version also, and Microsoft encourages feedback from all Beta users so that any issues can be addressed before commercial release.
It isn't recommended for installing on your primary 'everyday' computer.
The beta expires in August, there will be no rolling back as you are advised not to go the upgrade path over your everyday OS.
Removing the 'For testing purposes only' notice which appears on the desktop will only happen once the commercial release is installed.
I'd assume that the commercial release could be used to upgrade the Beta version, (though I can't be certain of that yet), but personally I would advise against it.

[RTK]

Sorry, I play a few games, so was interested if any has heard.

I don't have much time for games anymore... However, when I did -- finding appropriate patches on the game developer sites to speed things up, used to be quite painless. Vista has been the "default" installation on DELL, HP etc. systems for a long time now... Any "Vista" game related issues would have been long solved with patches by the developer. Unless of course, the developer no longer supports the game.

Poorly coded DirectX support in games is probably more a game developer/hardware issue than a V.V.I.A.N.E.B.A.A.D.I.A.M.C... . "vague-Vista-"issues"-as-non-explained-by-an-actor-dude-in-a-MAC-commercial."

If you are having problems -- your best bet: the game developer. Second, best, a designated (and friendly) gaming forum.

Sorry, Mods, slightly off-topic.

Back OT. I will be reading this thread with interest. I have been googling -- and I'm yet to find any real-life reasons to upgrade from Vista to 7? The only issues I ever had with Vista -- a Canon scanner driver than Canon couldn't bother to update, because it was a piece of junk in the first place. Any future (if not already in place) Vista problems, will be self-inflicted (doing stuff you really, really, really shouldn't do). Or it will be related to HP -- not knowing exactly what's in that shiny case, and not knowing where to start looking for a solution.

I'm sure, I will eventually need a local "Steve" -- but I will also know for sure, it will be a self-caused problem. Which are probably the most expensive to fix, eh? (Cue our Sledger... )

Carry on. Will be reading with interest. Thanks.

Risto