Windows 7

[Tannin]

Windows 7 is now in beta. Read all about it here (http://xkcd.com/528/)

[ricktas]

Nothing exciting really, from my point of view.

I cracked up when I saw this bit of the media release"Users will be able to download a test version of Windows 7 from today. A final, glitch-free version is expected to go on sale in about a year."

A glitch free version? Yeah right. What was it about pigs and lipstick?

[Kym]

:D
Win 7 should be free for Vista users - its just a big service pack! :action:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=632&tag=nl.e539

[MattC]

Just reviving an oldish thread - does anyone plan on getting this? I head it is either now released or soon to be.
I am needing to upgrade my PC at the end of the year, and am hoping to run W7 on it - just not sure if CS3 etc will be o.k.?

[pgbphotographytas]

Just reviving an oldish thread - does anyone plan on getting this? I head it is either now released or soon to be.
I am needing to upgrade my PC at the end of the year, and am hoping to run W7 on it - just not sure if CS3 etc will be o.k.?

Just look at it as more of a big service pack for Vista rather then a totally new OS.
I have access to Vista if I want it but I have XP on my home computer and I use XP at work so it is easier to keep them all the same but I am planning on putting Vista on my laptop soon when I get some time to do it.

Paul

[dbax]

What was it about pigs and lipstick?

and pigs might fly as well........swine flu.....boom boom:D

[Kym]

Win 7 is a big service pack for Vista - the fact they want money for it is criminal.

[Kodi]

I'm using both the 32 and 64bit versions and there is no way i will be going back to Vista or xp its a great system and have had no problems with either versions.
You can download the release candidate versions from microsoft HERE (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/)

[ilminsterpete]

I am also running the release candidate. I like it so far. :D

[MattC]

Win 7 is a big service pack for Vista - the fact they want money for it is criminal.

Fair enough if you already have Vista, but I am (and I would think a lot of other people) still running XP, and I doubt when I upgrade my PC that XP or possibly even Vista will be available - hence the question about compatability.

[Slide]

A big service pack for Vista?... bugger my vista would have to not crash for long enough to actually download it. It's a bit like a blind persons cross here sign, a good intention but useless to those who its intended to help.

[thelastname]

Vista is much like Win Me, the in between OS.

[birdie]

Windows 7 is a ground up rewrite of Vista... its a much better OS... though i haven't had any issues with Vista myself... it took a bit of getting used to thats all...

The experts are saying Windows 7 is the best Microsoft OS ever... it even runs on older machines, runs great on netbooks.

The biggest problem with Vista is public perception... everyone thinks because some says its bad that thats the truth... but to be prefectly honest with SP1, Vista is perfectly fine now...

[Tannin]

You mean it actually works some of the time now? Sheesh ......

There ae three classes of computer user. (a) Joe the ordinary user. Joe hates Vista. (b) People with a good technical grasp, generally (but not always) professionals. 75% of pros regard Vista as the worst MS OS ever. 10% think ME was the worst one. 10% can live with it, though these same 10% probably think IIS has a great security model and Frontpage writes clean HTML. The other 5% shudder every time they remember Windows 3.0 and think Vista doesn't quite manage the worst-ever crown, though it's close. Oh, and (c), people who like Vista. No-one that I have ever met understands why. Personally, I don't believe it's the sort of thing you can cure with drugs, though surgery is probably worth a try.

[birdie]

Umm... first off... i don't have any trouble with it... though I've turned off UAC as soon as setup the computer.

Secondly, I'm a IT Technician myself and no I don't think IIS has a great security model, or Frontpage writes clean HTML...(Personally I either use notepad and create the code from scratch (PHP generally) or use Dreamweaver for the syntax highlighting and a few of its features)

I've seen and heard a lot of the well known professionals say Vista isn't bad now, but the horse has already bolted the gate for MS to fix the public perceptions.

I use both Vista and XP Pro on a daily basis, and I honestly can say that i do not have any problems with Vista...

[thelastname]

I think the best move MS has done is made it available to everyone to test it.

My thoughts so far, it seems to run better then Vista. But it is a clean install when Vista was installed some 6+ months ago.

I'm not to sure that the fact I've also gone 64bit Win7 over 32bit Vista has anything to do with better performance.

We'll see how things are in 3 months.

Mind you I've had no major issues with Vista or Win7.

[Tannin]

Thelastname, Win7 most assuredly does run better than Vista. (Well, OK, what doesn't?) But the difference is massive. Our first test install was, quite deliberately, on a mid-life cycle machine, the sort of thing that runs W2K or XP perfectly happily, but is brought toits knees by Vista. It was a ypical, middle-of-the-road 2-3 year-old system: Sempron 3100, 1GB DDR, ordinary everyday graphicsd card - Geforce 4 5200, I think, can't remember exactly now, but in any case, a perfectly capable little card for everything except full-on gaming, typical modern hard drive.

The result: it ran Win7 perfectly decently. A little slower than XP on that same machine, but only a very little. Try Vista on that same hardware and you have a complete clagfest.

Now, that doesn't mean that Windows 7 is good. It simply means that Windows 7 isn't much worse than the ancient Windows XP. So it's OK. Just OK. But if you are comparing it to Vista .... well, everything is good if you compare it to Vista.

[oldfart]

Windows 7 will ship according to ARN today on October the 22nd

Making Vista's life cycle about the same as that other recent o/s disaster Windows ME.

[Kym]

Windows 7 will ship according to ARN today on October the 22nd
Making Vista's life cycle about the same as that other recent o/s disaster Windows ME.

Spent some time with Microsoft recently (local MS tech consultant type) in the context of negotiating an enterprise agreement (puke).
They intend to have major releases more often now.
He said XP <> Vista gap was too long.
To my way of thinking it means they can get more revenue as they charge for each release.
He also said Win 7 is a big service pack plus a bit more. Which is really crook in my opinion! :action:
That Vista is sub standard ... they should fix it for free (supply Win 7 to Vista users for free).

The good news about Win7 is the driver model etc. has been left alone. So we won't have most of the XP > Vista incompatibility issues. Mind you if XP > Win7 then plan on replacing hardware.

[milspec]

I've been using Windows 7 for a few months now and find that it is far more responsive than Vista. This is mainly due to the fact that Microsoft has scrapped a lot of their legacy core code and re-written it from scratch. My advise, give it a go, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[Kym]

I've been using Windows 7 for a few months now and find that it is far more responsive than Vista. This is mainly due to the fact that Microsoft has scrapped a lot of their legacy core code and re-written it from scratch. My advise, give it a go, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

If you are using Vista I agree 100% ... Win7 is much better.

If you are on XP then it depends. Only upgrade if you really need to. We will be forced to eventually.
From what our tech people say Win7 and XP perform similarly. I.e. better than Vista.

[SpaceJunk]

I'm quite happy with win7 on an older machine that was running XP, and will probably do a hardware update and run the 64bit version when its released, I hear rumours that directx 11 will allow programs to easily access the GPU with suitable tasks which will hopefully mean better performance for image manipulation tasks, ATI is rumoured to have dx 11 parts awaiting the release of win7? :D

[milspec]

I've been running 7 for about 3 months now. Performance is much better than vista as is it's stability. The memory footprint seems much smaller which indicates a re-write of the core components. My advice : if your using Vista go to Windows 7. If you think they both suck, go to Ubuntu :p

[CapnBloodbeard]

Rumour has it that new systems with Vista Home Premium, business or ultimate wil have a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out....

Hoping so, because I'm getting a laptop soon :-)

Anybody know what's going to happen to the release candidate once the program is released?

Will it be feasible to keep using it, or is that inadvisable, or what?

[Kym]

Rumour has it that new systems with Vista Home Premium, business or ultimate wil have a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out....
Hoping so, because I'm getting a laptop soon :-)
Anybody know what's going to happen to the release candidate once the program is released?
Will it be feasible to keep using it, or is that inadvisable, or what?

Not a rumour... But caveats...


Starting on July 1, 2009 any new systems purchased will be eligible for the no-charge update. In addition to purchasing the PC after that date, there are three more rules:

* End users must purchase a new PC that is pre-installed with an eligible Windows Vista OS. Retail boxed Vista versions likely won't qualify.
* Your computer must have a valid Windows Vista COA attached.
* The only Windows Vista® versions eligible for the program are Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate. Vista basic users are out of luck.

Oh yeah, there's one more little detail that may be important:
Participation in the program is optional, so it's ultimately up to the OEM that builds your system to allow the upgrade. In all fairness, this has been the case with every other Windows upgrade -- and almost all vendors participate. YOU NEED TO ASK FOR THE UPGRADEABLE VERSION

You must ask for the option and get the coupon!

[CapnBloodbeard]

Starting July 1? That'd be bloody right - the day after all the 'end of financial year sales' end.

Dell has a 15% off coupon that finishes end of this month.....Hmm, what to do...

[Kym]

Rumah! Murmah! Rumor!

http://windows7center.com/news/rumor-windows-7-rtm-sign-off-on-july-13/


FINAL ROADMAP FOR WINDOWS 7 [CLIENT-SERVER]:
6/1 – 6/19 BUILDING RTM ESCROW – already assembled RTM ESCROW.
6/22 – 7/10 RTM RECALL – assembly and search for candidates to the final RTM release.
7/10 WINDOWS 7 RTM FINAL BUILD TARGET – build day “gold code”.
7/13 WINDOWS 7 RTM SIGN-OFF – the date of signing the final RTM release!

13th of July ... mmmm ..... Glad I'm not superstitious ! :efelant:

[CapnBloodbeard]

Well the rumour came true - as of today, most manufacturer's offer free upgrade to windows 7 if you buy a new system with Home Premium or above between now and....I think January next year
http://www.cnet.com.au/microsoft-hikes-win7-prices-for-australia-339297112.htm

I wonder if there's going to be an academic release? Vista Ultimate academic is only $80 (the free upgrade only applies to new systems though)

There will be a highly discounted pre-order available. $50 for Americans, not sure how much it is over here but Microsoft have confirmed it will be available

[ozdevil]

would be better of waiting another 12 months before getting it really when the bugs have been so called fixed

if i could understand lunix properly i would be using that far more stable then windows ever was

[Kym]

would be better of waiting another 12 months before getting it really when the bugs have been so called fixed

if i could understand lunix properly i would be using that far more stable then windows ever was

Not in this case. Win 7 is just a big service pack to vista.
It is the most stable 1st release every from M$ - because its really the 4th release of Vista (RTM, SP1, SP2, Win7) and they have the gall to charge for it.

Linux has its place but to use it for desktop does require a change in thinking and new skills; as well as alternate software apps.

[Kym]

Now running Windows 7 release version at home and here at work.
(Via MSDN subscription - retail Oct 22nd)

Observations:
- Its faster than Vista, uses less memory than Vista.
- I had a couple of driver issues on th HP/Compaq notebook - resolved by latest drives.
- The GUI is better than Vista - some annoyances gone - Yay!

[pgbphotographytas]

I have been running Win7 at work for the past week and a half, so far I am very happy with it and have found no issues.

[I @ M]

Observations:
- Its faster than Vista, uses less memory than Vista.
- I had a couple of driver issues on th HP/Compaq notebook - resolved by latest drives.
- The GUI is better than Vista - some annoyances gone - Yay!

Hmm with all those attributes I wonder why they called it "7" when they could have given it a more interesting code like ------ XP ------ :D

[Kym]

Hmm with all those attributes I wonder why they called it "7" when they could have given it a more interesting code like ------ XP ------ :D

Windows 2009? :rolleyes:

[brindyman]

Hmm with all those attributes I wonder why they called it "7" when they could have given it a more interesting code like ------ XP ------ :D


Simply put, this is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore "Windows 7" just makes sense.

^ 7th version of Windows ;) :D makes sense hope that clears it up

I use vista.....i have no reason to go to windows 7 vista does everything fine for me havent had any problems with it whatso ever....but then i did my research before i built my machine all my hardware is compatible with vista so i knew i wouldnt have any problems with it....im sure ill migrate to windows 7 eventually but i dont see that happening anytime soon.

[wideangle]

So are there any ideas of prices for the full retail box version of Windows 7?

[Kym]

So are there any ideas of prices for the full retail box version of Windows 7?

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/pcs/microsoft-unveils-windows-7-prices-20090626-czbg.html

[wideangle]

Pricing for Windows 7 - http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/148599,official-windows-7-australian-pricing-announced-see-how-it-compares-to-vista.aspx

[dh52726]

Not in this case. Win 7 is just a big service pack to vista.
It is the most stable 1st release every from M$ - because its really the 4th release of Vista (RTM, SP1, SP2, Win7) and they have the gall to charge for it.

Linux has its place but to use it for desktop does require a change in thinking and new skills; as well as alternate software apps.

i gotta disagree on that.

Win 7 is a significant rewrite of Windows, its GUI is an update to Vista but thats about it. Of course it shares the same core kernel but its has to otherwise it wont be Windows.

Every new OS is essentially a big service pack to the old one.

As for the linux side of things. As long as you have the apps you need its great. I use it as my file server and torrent box (to get linux iso's of course) i reckon linux is great for a specific tasks but not what i could you it as a desktop replacement to XP or OSX its just not supported by enough software vendors (this will change soon though) you have the Option of Wine to use Windows based apps in linux which is great though.

[thelastname]

A think I found the other day is you can download and run Windows XP Mode via Windows Virtual PC (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx) for free, on Windows 7 for those still attached to the old OS.

Now you may ask why. For some reason Win7 RC would not run my scanner (I'm sure it will be right by final release) so in the ended I decided to try XP on Virtual PC and managed to get it working.

[Kym]

i gotta disagree on that.

Win 7 is a significant rewrite of Windows, its GUI is an update to Vista but thats about it. Of course it shares the same core kernel but its has to otherwise it wont be Windows.

Every new OS is essentially a big service pack to the old one.

Vista was a much bigger change from XP (eg. driver model and a whole bunch of stuff) whereas the changes between Vista and 7 are much less. More re-write happened XP > Vista than Vista > 7.

[arthurking83]

whilst OI was waiting for some print to develop a while back I had a play with Vista on a PC they had running to showcase how 'well' :rolleyes: it works.. and thanks.. but definitely no thanks!

I noticed that at idle Vista 64 with some u-bute Apple inspired graphical access panel running across the lower edge of the screen.. why do they have to copy Apple for christs sake.. isn't it bad enough that nave this kind of crap to annoy their users!? :action:
I wanted Windows because I couldn't stand Apples hold my hand and babyme approach to computing! :rolleyes: uber-trendo-cyber-chic at it's worst.. anyhow, enough rant.

What I wanna know is:

*how much memory is Win7 running compared to stupid insane Vista.
*I want 64bit(for future proofiness). Only reason is I'm assuming CaptureNX(future edition) is going to become 64bit one day(probably years after the D9xs has been available second hand on ebay for $1K :p). I want ram.. and tons of it! probably 64Tb of it in the end so I want. So 64bit is an important and I want todays hardware for tomorrow(if that makes sense) I use PC's for 5-6 years at a minimum.. I'm not a rampant upgrader for the sake of rampant ugrading. My current XP box has been running(now groaning) under the strain of never having any kind of refresh/re-install for over 6 ot 7 years.. with never a hint of a problem.
*I'm thinking Win7 is the real upgrade from WinXP, as in the years to come, I suspect software for XP will be thin on the ground.. remember the next time I'm looking to upgrade it'll probably be very much closer to 2020, than to 2010.
*I want fast-ish hardware at normal people pricing, not gamers pricing!... running an OS with as little puff as possible, as CNX likes to use up over 1G of ram with a single NEF loaded! :eek: so I don't need 1.5G of ram being used up by the OS too! :p
*sounds like Win7 is the way forward?

have plenty of time to contemplate, and have been thinking of dumping the current drives in favour of installing a new drive(1 of 4) I've had sitting for 4 years now.
The mountain of data backups(meaningless personal garbage, not the important photographic stuff.. that's all backed up on an external drive, and on separate drives in the box itself anyhow. Saving insignificant personal files/emails/text files/etc is going to take a while to finalise.

Is it worth trying out Win7 on an (AMD)Athlon XP3200 system with only 2gigs of ram?

[arthurking83]

thnx Rich.

I'll give it a shot when I do a refresh one day soon.. maybe the weekend after next.

I'm assuming Ultimate is closer to XP Pro than to XP home? I'll see if I can get a copy of Ultimate, as I want most of the admin services(available in XP pro) and stuff like that.
My XP3200 CPU is only 32bit so the x64 version is kind'a useless to me, and the major program I use, CaptureNX, isn't available in 64bit version(yet?.. hopefully soon the knuckleheads! :rolleyes:).

I have downloaded an iso a while back when the links in this thread first started to appear. I have Win_7100.0.090421-1700_x86fre which may be an earlier release candidate than you have.. have you compared earlier versions to the latest, and is there any reason to download the latest version.
The only priority is to try out the Ultimate version and not the standard version(for the more admin purposes that is).

good info :th3:

[Kodi]

Go to Microsofts site and check what versions have what. You will find that Ultimate will be a waste of money for you (bit locker is the only extra above pro).
7100 is the official Release candidate any higher number are leaked versions.
I am a Technet suscriber and as such I have obtained the Retail version and could not notice any major difference to the RC

[Kym]

C:\>ver

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]

This is RTM (MSDN - I have the real version)

[dh52726]

Vista was a much bigger change from XP (eg. driver model and a whole bunch of stuff) whereas the changes between Vista and 7 are much less. More re-write happened XP > Vista than Vista > 7.

yes Vista was, but the amount of the change is not what constitutes the next version been consider a upgrade/SP or a new product, its the added functionality.

in the drivers example, with the out cry from Vista driver problems, MS has ensured (umm maybe given a work around) that drivers that failed in Vista will work with reduced functionality at minimum in Win7 (ie XP compatibility)

going down the windows timeline, Win98 was only a small rewrite to Win95 but the improvements were huge, enough to consider it a new version.

The user experience from Vista to Win7 is huge, maybe not as visual as XP-Vista, or as game changing as 3.11 - Win95 but usability wise huge, enough so i to be considered a new product. Prices, well thats a bit debateable i'm still at two minds about it, especially when other countries get it cheaper.



*how much memory is Win7 running compared to stupid insane Vista.

......

Is it worth trying out Win7 on an (AMD)Athlon XP3200 system with only 2gigs of ram?

with regard to the above, i've used Win7 (RC 7100) on a Via (think slower/less powerfull than Atom) netbook, with 1gb ram and it runs fine, takes longer to load than Winxp though, and uses apporx 500mb ram (winxp was about 200mb)

It does use up more hdd though, so with netbooks that is something to factor.

[Kodi]

Is it worth trying out Win7 on an (AMD)Athlon XP3200 system with only 2gigs of ram?

My second computer is an XP3200 Athlon and has 2 gigs of Ram, I installed the 32 bit RC version (7100) on that you have and it ran like a charm

[Kym]

Get a Technet subscription then you can run Win7 and Office 2007 on a couple of boxes at home. If you have more than one machine it is usually cheapest.
We have MSDN at work so I get Ultimate (for non production purposes) anyway.

[Kodi]

Get a Technet subscription then you can run Win7 and Office 2007 on a couple of boxes at home. If you have more than one machine it is usually cheapest.
We have MSDN at work so I get Ultimate (for non production purposes) anyway.

Make sure you Google for a Discount coupon, if you do you can get a Subscription for less than 1 copy of Windows 7.
If you subscribe now you should be able to get Office 2010 before your sub runs out

[birdie]

Get a Technet subscription then you can run Win7 and Office 2007 on a couple of boxes at home. If you have more than one machine it is usually cheapest.
We have MSDN at work so I get Ultimate (for non production purposes) anyway.

I've never used technet... which one is the one to get so that you can install the software on more than one pc? as I (and my wife) have two desktops, a laptop and a netbook... so running them all on Windows 7 would be great :-)

I've been running Win7 RC on my desktop and i love it... its a lot faster than Vista... :-)

[Kodi]

Information available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/subscriptions/bb892756.aspx

You can get up to 10 copies of Most of their Software including Windows 7 BUT you are supposed to use it for evaluation purposes and not for production use.
I am sure you would only be using it to evaluate if it is suitable for your requirements.
To give you a bit of an idea what it costs etc
! years subscription is about $500 AUD but with the coupon I paid $307 Aud for that I have already downloaded copies of XP, Vista 32 & 64 bit, Win7 32 & 64 bit, Office 2007 and Windows Home Server all being evaluated on the Various computers i own.

[thelastname]

! years subscription is about $500 AUD but with the coupon I paid $307 Aud for that I have already downloaded copies of XP, Vista 32 & 64 bit, Win7 32 & 64 bit, Office 2007 and Windows Home Server all being evaluated on the Various computers i own.

Is it a coupon code? how did you get the coupon? could would you mind sharing with others if possible?

[Kodi]

Google is your friend.
You could try this one ; TNSCP09N30
It should bring it down to about $350

[birdie]

Information available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/subscriptions/bb892756.aspx

You can get up to 10 copies of Most of their Software including Windows 7 BUT you are supposed to use it for evaluation purposes and not for production use.
I am sure you would only be using it to evaluate if it is suitable for your requirements.
To give you a bit of an idea what it costs etc
! years subscription is about $500 AUD but with the coupon I paid $307 Aud for that I have already downloaded copies of XP, Vista 32 & 64 bit, Win7 32 & 64 bit, Office 2007 and Windows Home Server all being evaluated on the Various computers i own.

Ok that sounds good... 10 copies of each? or 10 copies total? Also is the "evaluation" software any different to off the shelf software? ie does it have any time limits or anything? eg will it expire when the Technet subscription expires?

[Kodi]

10 copies of each and the software is the same as you get over the counter at your local computer store.

[birdie]

I'm running Win 7 on 3 of my machines... From a Acer Aspire One Netbook, to a Pentium Dual Core 1.46Ghz/2Gb Ram and a 2.66Ghz Quad Core/4GB Ram Desktop Machine. And I'm very happy with it on all machines its nice and fast... great job MS...