RSSWindows 7: Vista without the crap
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published October 21, 2009, 11:32 AM
Here is the essential information you need to know if you're a Windows Vista user considering whether to upgrade to Windows 7: Yes.
Up to now in Betanews, we've covered many of the individual new features of Windows 7 throughout its development stages; if you're new to Betanews, then in this feature, we'll present plenty of links to catch you up with each one. But this special feature is about the final analysis, and the big question that consumers and businesses will be asking now:
As folks have asked me outright, why buy it? Some have qualified this a little more delicately: Why do we have to buy it? Or as some have put it more pointedly, if Windows 7 truly is "Vista Service Pack 3," as I've observed before, then why didn't Microsoft actually release the product for free, maybe as Windows 6.1?
You should invest in Windows 7 if you value your time. The minutes upon minutes you've spent waiting for Vista to do its thing -- to connect with the other Windows computer in your home network, to mount a removable device, to link to your handheld, to find your printer -- are actually hours, and they're worth money. If you were to place a reasonable dollar value on those hours, you'll find that the upgrade price is worth the investment.
On average, I spend 54 hours per week as an online journalist, and maybe another six hours using the computer for entertainment. By my calculations, over the months I was running Vista on one of my production machines, at least four minutes per hour on average was spent unproductively waiting for Vista to do something -- to regain its Wi-Fi connection, to clear me as an administrator for some critical process, to refresh a directory listing, to reboot a crashed Internet Explorer, to cancel a search that became lost in a forest of meaninglessness, or to decide again that the monitor on my laptop was the only monitor on that laptop. Assume for the sake of argument that I didn't use any other computers in this office, that my Vista-based laptop was my main production system. I would reclaim four hours per week in lost latency time alone, just by moving to Windows 7.
In the over two months I've been working with the RTM build, I have not encountered even once any of the issues I've just listed -- exercises in thumb-twiddling that characterized Vista as a product.
But the ability for you to reclaim your lost time does not end there: Betanews tests on all the major brands of stable and developmental Web browsers, running on the three most recent versions of Windows, installed on the same machine with the same hardware, show that programs tend to run 17% faster on average in Windows 7 RTM than in Windows Vista SP2. That doesn't make Win7 the fastest Windows ever made -- XP Service Pack 3 is faster still, by another 16% over Win7, at least at running Web browsers. But a slightly slower execution performance level is a fairer tradeoff than a significantly slower one, for an OS that presents the improved security that Vista actually did provide, the improved stability that Vista didn't quite provide, and the overall comfort level that Vista never even approached.
Assume that any one of my computers runs on idle speed at least two-thirds of the time. That means for every hour of real-world usage, at least 20 minutes of that time is expedited by 17%. That's at least another three-and-a-half minutes per hour of work or online play gained back, which equates to another three-and-a-half hours per week recovered. Add that to the four I've reclaimed in thumb-twiddling time, and I've gained back some 385 hours of productivity per year.
That's over six weeks of work. I can write a book in six weeks.
After I told this to my wife, she suggested a new marketing slogan for Microsoft: "Buy Windows 7: Get Six Weeks of Your Life Back."
Next: Do you need a new computer for Windows 7?
TOP 10 WINDOWS 7 FEATURES:
- #10: Homegroup networking
- #9: Native PowerShell 2.0
- #8: Automated third-party troubleshooting
- #7: 'Play To' streaming media, courtesy of DLNA
- #6: DirectX 11
- #5: Multitouch
- #4: A worthwhile Windows Explorer
- #3: XP Mode
- #2: Device Stage
- #1: Action Center
[FULL SEC DISCLOSURE:] Microsoft supplies Betanews with evaluation software, including Windows 7, through its MSDN developer support program. Microsoft also provides some technical expertise and insight to Betanews on request. In return, Betanews professionals participate in Microsoft testing programs, including with Windows 7, as well as other operating systems, tools, and applications.
This relationship enables Betanews to thoroughly examine Microsoft software prior to its public availability. It does not contribute to, or color in any way, the opinions of Betanews or its writers. Scott M. Fulton, III is the author of this article, and as always, is solely responsible for his content. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Betanews or any of its other editors or contributors.
What exactly happened to Nate's article on W7? Where has it gone and why couldn't I post to it? :~
Score: 0
|well, it is unfortunate that Microsoft included "crap" in vista.
if i had know in advance that i was buying crap, i would not have used my visa and instead paid with a bag of "s***".
perhaps, microsoft needs to provide us with an sp3 fix the crap we all have endured.
Score: 0
|Sadly, Betanews has become just another assemblage of Windows bigots. There can be no dialog or discussion here.
Whenever you say anything bad about Windows you'll be modded down to the Hell even if you say the truth and even if your opponents are completely wrong.
Score: 0
|Example?
Score: 0
|@Artem Tashkinov : Yep!
@PC_Tool : Hard to spit it out in this environment
Score: -2
|When I gave a negative review of Microsoft Sync Framework, I found that the review was removed shortly afterwards. When I asked the Fileforum authorities about the reason for the removal, they replied with the general statement that it could only have been removed if it contained slander or was not based upon fact, both of which was obviously not true.
Although I really appreciate the good work of Fileforum, I also have the feeling that advertisement for Microsoft product and opponent bashing are part of the deal.
Score: 1
|True this, but this is true with all forums where you put dialog, there are those who feel their opinions are above and more important than God. Anyone who disagrees with them is quietly moved to the side as if they are fodder. But that is life, if your happy with what you have, the opinions here mean little, if not change it. you will always find forum bullies and know it all's in this kind of environment who feel they have to comment on every little detail on earth. Such is life......
Score: 0
|Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch 'entrate.
I'll stay with Fedora Linux as my primary platform.
XP will remain my only gaming platform. Thank you very much but I'm skipping 7 like I skipped Vista - I don't want to run the software controlled by Redmond folks, I hate being treated like a thief - and Windows Activation is exactly like that.
It treats everyone like a thief. At least with XP VLK version you could safely avoid Activation.
Good luck, Windows lovers.
Score: -3
|"I hate being treated like a thief - and Windows Activation is exactly like that.
It treats everyone like a thief. At least with XP VLK version you could safely avoid Activation."
So...a thief who hates being treated like a thief. How...cute.
Score: 3
|Installed it yesterday (got it from the House Party thing)
So far I love it. So much better than Vista
Score: 4
|I'll give you that Win7 is "better" than Vista simply for the performance improvements - assuming its installed on a reasonably well-equipped system. But XP still runs rings around it on all except the most current hardware. Plus, with an interface only a mother could love and needing a VM to support many legacy apps, I question how well it will do in the markets that matter - i.e. enterprise and institutional desktops. Seriously, when XP runs all your apps just fine...what's the point? Security? Yeah, if you want to upgrade your entire network at once. XP is reasonably secure using third party products that eclipse anything Microsoft includes with Win7 (and many of them are free). Management? Just starting to catch up with the capabilities that other OS's have enjoyed for years. Multimedia? Seven is even more abysmal than Vista in this area. Many codecs including Blu-Ray are broken, WMP11 is a half-baked iTunes knock-off, and Explorer can't read ID3 tags most of the time. Maybe as time goes on things will change..XP was certainly no wunderkind when it first staggered onto the scene, either. Right now I just don't see the attraction other than being able to say "looka me purty desktop, ma". It almost seems like Microsoft is fixated on creating a quirky user experience that blends the worst parts of other OS's. That's not a really great plan for the future. I would certainly love to see them pull out of the nosedive and start making products people actually want to use again. There are some smart people in that company but I feel like their being told to forget about everything except "making us look as cool as Apple, but in opposite ways". If that's the case, its a shame.
Score: 0
|"I'll give you that Win7 is "better" than Vista simply for the performance improvements - assuming its installed on a reasonably well-equipped system. But XP still runs rings around it on all except the most current hardware."
Err...Not? My ancient laptop (HP ze2113us) runs Win7 far better than it ran XP. Default installs. That's with Aero Enabled. It responds faster, it loads faster, what else is there?
"Plus, with an interface only a mother could love and needing a VM to support many legacy apps, I question how well it will do in the markets that matter - i.e. enterprise and institutional desktops."
There's one opinion. Personally? The interface blows XP and Vista out of the water. WinP, Win-Left, Win-Right, Aero peek...not to mention how much easier it is to navigate. As for compatibility, I have yet to find a program I use on a regular basis (home or business) that fails to work in Win7. I do have XPM installed, but use it only as a seamless VM bound to my "outside" network connection (So I can browse and such without proxy & VPN to our sister sites).
Duno where you came up with the security/management "issues". Vista kicked XP's a** in that arena (though the trade-offs were not pleasant), and Win7 not only improves these but lessens to a great degree the trade-offs. Example: Vista wouldn't have run well on most of the hardware we had at the time...would probably still not run the best on our current hardware. Win7 runs beautifully. I have tested it on every standard build we use (Dell 740, 745, D630, e6400), and there are zero drawbacks. It works with our current domain policies and we are working on WS2K8 migration which would improve our capabilities in management greatly.
Frankly it sounds like you really haven't used it much. Can't blame you...if you got bit by Vista, bitterness is expected and people have issues with change...even if it is for the better.
But the "old hardware" and "compatibility" excuses don't really fly anymore.
Score: 2
|Wow, if XP "runs rings around it", imagine how much faster Windows 95 is!!!!
Score: 0
|You should invest in Windows 7 if you value your time. The minutes upon minutes you've spent waiting for Vista to do its thing -- to connect with the other Windows computer in your home network, to mount a removable device, to link to your handheld, to find your printer -- are actually hours, and they're worth money. If you were to place a reasonable dollar value on those hours, you'll find that the upgrade price is worth the investment.
what the F are you talking about?!! do you hate vista that much that you delusional. to install a thumb drive takes only seconds on vista and for it to popup. same with connecting to other PC's on my network and installing any f'n drivers that my printer web cam etc, etc needs
if it wasn't for this site releasing the latest versions of software (which seems to taken a back door to all these crap bias news stories) i wouldn't even come to this cap site which looks like its been made by a 5 year old.
Score: -3
|ok..couldn't resist and since it is off topic I'll accept being being given the "fist closed thumbs down up the backside" on this but Kholdstare, you said "cap site" now did you mean crap or is this a new part of the proposed cap and trade emission policy? Also, if you feel that way, there are other sites you can go to to get those new cutting edge programs.
Score: 0
|Everyone raved at Vista's release!! Now Vista is crap and 7 is great?
I just don't know why everyone puts up with all the Microsoft crap!
Score: -8
|Short memory?
Everyone raved about Vista before they scrubbed their initial development (2 1/2 years in). The new dev track never got rave reviews...in beta, RC, or RTM.
Score: 6
|@thinux Because if they didn't they'd have to put up with *gulp* Apple crap...or worse, Linux...yikes!
Score: 1
|You are so spot on. I waste so many hours waiting for Windows Vista to do it's thing. Sometimes it makes me want to throw my computer because of the time I waste. Hopefully this is better.
Andrew
http://www.pacificphotopro.com
Score: 0
|gregb29: how about Kaspersky, Nod32 or BitDefender
some antivirus suggestions.
Score: -1
|Windows 7 will rule!!
Score: 0
|@SMFulton3: You implied to get away from the pre-installed big name antivirus programs. Any recommendations? All I know is Symantec and McAffee. I just found out that my copy of Windows Live OneCare that I have 9 months left on is NOT compatible with Windows 7. Go figure, a Microsoft program is not compatible with the new Microsoft OS!
Score: -2
|OneCare is discontinued...
try Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), avast!, Avira, AVG?
Score: 5
|Sorry. Reading further I see that Security Essentials is the replacement for OneCare.
Score: 0
|Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) thats for Windows 7 now which also replaces OneCare solution, free download and free for life atm ;)
Score: 0
|MSE works in XP, Vista and Windows 7, lilmegz. :)
Score: 0
|Greg, I think you may be quite happy with Security Essentials, for all the reasons why you and I and everyone else were ticked off with Windows Live OneCare. That was a travesty; MSE is not. As far as third parties are concerned, I still use Sophos, although I have colleagues who prefer Kaspersky.
-SF3
Score: 0
|#7: 'Play To' streaming media, courtesy of DLNA
points to
http://www.betanews.com/...ubleshooting/1241558044
the same link as for
#8: Automated third-party troubleshooting
Score: 1
|Thank you very much, Konrad! I've corrected the links.
-SF3
Score: 1
|Just like the reporter adviced. Get Windows 7. Yes it's the "new" XP of today. And as time passes by you'll be more and more dependent on it. DLNA support is one of those things that simply works out of the box. A lot easier to setup a network. A lot easier to get where you want. For instance the new "run" box so to speak starts searching for what you want while you type. That alone has cut a lot of the time to launch an application I want. The "All programs" section is still useful but once you get used to that run boxed you'll see your productivity rise. Plus stuff like tiling your windows side by side. Just drag one to the left, the other to the right and each will fill half of your screen. Things like libraries that simply make a lot more sense. Wherever you have your music, videos, documents you can configure the library to index files in different locations. You still have your standard music, videos, documents directory, but libraries simply bring media organization to today's standards. There are so many little things. If you have one of the top tier versions you'll have the new remote desktop that supports DirectX. Basically now you'll be able to have some sort of 3d acceleration in remote desktop. Aero looks, media center all work. You can watch video with a remote desktop if you have the bandwidth. Heck you can have your media center in the living room or wherever, and if you have the connection speed, you can connect remotely and stream your media via remote desktop. The system is extremely stable. Yes some hardware manufacters may not release the drivers for some legacy hardware for Windows 7, but most of the current hardware will work out of the box. Well I think my excitement is proof of a happy user
Score: 2
|RUN BOX. you have to be kidding. There is such a thing like the new taskbar, desktop shortcuts or got forbid the start menu. i almost never use the all programs. but why bother to type when you can click and go alot faster.
Score: 0
|Because some of us type faster than a 3rd grader? ;)
It's a preference thing. Many prefer the keyboard to the mouse. I hate mice. I use shortcuts and the search box in the start-menu for nearly everything and you'd be amazed. Hitting "Win-1" is hella faster than dragging your cursor from two screens over to click an icon.
Score: 0
|Windows 7 is not Vista without the crap. It's alot more then that. Sure alot looks the same. This is no new feature to speak of that sets it apart. What windows 7 should be looked at is a finished product and idea. There are a great many things Vista did good, but many that just felt like unfinished ideas. Even with the service packs and stuff vista still appears unfinished. The core code of windows 7 is what should concurn you. It's not a tweaked vista. You can tell just by the way the OS responds and works.
Score: 3
|Rats.
I was all exited to buy a new computer this holiday season with Win-7 preinstalled.
Then you mentioned it's like the "V"-word (EVEN IF with a disclaimer saying it's "without the crap").
Now i gotta wait until Win-7 SP1 comes out :(
Score: -7
|Okay, let me get this straight: I suggest that you do make the investment, and you use that suggestion to conclude that I really suggested you don't make the investment?
I'd take a second look to make sure those are really rats.
-SF3
Score: 4
|well, i for one wont buy it. Why bother when xp has a number of years of support left
Score: -1
|That is your prerogative.
I have no use for XP any longer and its rather archaic features.
Score: 4
|you obviously don't know what you're missing. You haven't used it.
Score: -1
|Only time will tell how well Microsoft provides 'extended support' for XP. In the past MS only fixed what it deemed to be serious security issues for 'extended support' products. I know Windows 98 already had known security issues that even Microsoft deemed 'critical' that were reported before 'extended support' ended that were never fixed.
In addition many third party developers may drop support for XP years before MS does if enough user give up on XP.
Score: 0
|Windows 7 is going to kill off Windows XP sooner rather than later IMO.
Score: 0
|Finally a Windows 7 article without all the crap! Very well written, objective, and comprehensive. You describe features people actually use every day. Some reviewers (presumably on other web sites) can't get past the task bar and windows tiling. I have been using Windows 7 since before April.
A couple of additional things that bear mentioning. I never could get Vista to find my files. With Windows 7, it's much easier to find files, and also to find what you need in the control panel. It's also much easier to configure Windows Explorer. I practically live in Windows Explorer, and the first thing I do on a new machine is disable all the idiot options. It's much easier to do that in Windows 7 than it is in Vista.
Score: 4
|Thank you, John. Yes, this is perhaps the first genuinely good version of Windows Explorer, especially due to its integration with Search That Finally Works. I've been quite surprised with how comfortable I've become with certain Win7 features, and how much less likely I am to install third-party support software to overcome deficiencies or headaches.
Now for the software industry at large, this may not be such good news, but for me and for now, it is.
-SF3
Score: 3
|"Now for the software industry at large, this may not be such good news..."
Agreed. I'm not getting all teary-eyed over it, mind you. It just means that maybe they'll actually have to work to earn their keep in this industry.
Up until Windows 7 (and to a certain extent, Windows Vista), it was quite easy to find better alternatives that provided functionality far above and beyond what Windows offered OOB.
Software developers will simply have to work a lot harder than they have in the past to give users a compelling reason to use their products instead of what Microsoft already provides with Windows 7, in addition to free utilities such as Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Security Essentials.
Score: 3
|I have the signature edition installed as we speak (got it for having a launch party). I use the 64 bit version and it ROCKS. I have used windows since 3.1 and this so smooth, seamless and just plain fast!
Score: 5
|Because you state that you have used Windows since 3.1, I'll assume you know a bit about the underpinnings of Windows. I've been involved with computers since DOS 3.1.
1] Do you like to have to wade through all the security garbage to get things to be usable?
2] Does the lack of a drill-down neatly arranged menu not drive you crazy?
3] Are you not annoyed by the changes that appear for no apparent reason? (certain views taken away, homegroup - great for idiots, but as perplexing to people who know the old way as the old way was for idiots, the windows explorer that really is not the equivalent of any of five other free alternatives - all more useful if you are familiar with a two-pane method) ?
I want to like it for the looks, but I hate it for the garbage it puts in my way. The botched way it tries to implement permissions (MS couldn't apparently copy Unix conventions correctly), and the other 'change for change' sake simply drives me crazy. Yet I must get very proficient with this crap, for it is what I do for a living.
Score: -1
|Vista works great super fast! I will still probablly save up to buy OEM copy of win7 to see what the big deal is all about. Certainly windows vista ultimate sp2 works just fine for me and is compatable with all of my software and works great on my macosx.
Score: 3
|"and works great on my macosx."
Virtual machine?
Score: 1
|yes, I havent tried bootcamp yet, I think I will use windows 7 on bootcamp.. I do want win7, but just cant afford it at the momment I have to refurbish my oldschool pearl export (drum set) first.
* whoever scored me down on my comment above, I'm not a windows/mac fanboy, most importantly (and why you scored me low) I am NOT a vista hater. "vista just works"... lol
Score: 3
|@ PC_Tool: I don't think I have ever seen Vista torched like this. My head is spinning. Does Scott Fulton have a history of doing this? He seems to be saying Windows 7 is largely good and I am glad to hear that.
He suggests borrowing a copy of Vista and doing a two-step upgrade to 7 if you have a relatively new machine and a well-maintained XP system. Is that legal??? I am surprised to see someone advocate hoisting the Jolly Rodger in this venue.
He is also alluding to a future in the clouds and I am beginning to share that perspective.
Score: -2
|@ Adrian79: My guess is you will not like BootCamp as well as the virtual machine. If you have a recent Mac with adequate resources, 7 will run like a scalded cat in a VM. The value of sharing data seamlessly should not be underestimated. I have two virtual machines on my system (XP x64 and XP x32). I had a Windows 7 release candidate in a VM for a while and it was quite responsive.
A BootCamp install can be imported into a VM but those I know who have done it have had issues with Microsoft accepting this set-up as genuine & legal. Others may have had a different experience.
Score: 0
|"Does Scott Fulton have a history of doing this?"
Yes. He's caved to the media portrayal.
"He suggests borrowing a copy of Vista and doing a two-step upgrade to 7 if you have a relatively new machine and a well-maintained XP system. Is that legal???"
No, but then, it is better than simply using a pirated version of Win7, so...
"He is also alluding to a future in the clouds and I am beginning to share that perspective."
Meh... I think both your heads are in the clouds on that one. ;)
Score: -1
|@rauckr: Yes, it's legal; and yes, I checked. I wouldn't have advised it if it were not legal. You see, anyone is allowed to install Vista, but if he's going to use it after the preview time runs out, he needs to obtain a license. You're not going to use it even before the preview time runs out; you're going to install right over it. You're installing over it with software that you legally purchased.
By the way, you're allowed to address me directly; you don't have to go through PC_Tool to do it. Don't be shy.
-SF "My Only Experience with Jolly Roger is During Halloween" 3
Score: 4
|@PC_Tool:
"No, but then, it is better than simply using a pirated version of Win7, so..."
Sorry bud, but yes it is legal.
This just wasn't your day for being right, was it? =)
Score: 0
|To both of you:
Read the EULA. The license is granted to one user and is not transferable. Of course, if you go by the recent AutoCAD case, they could, I suppose, sell it to you. :)
If Scott spoke to someone at Microsoft about it, I would *love* to get the name and exact quote.
I've been wrong many times, yountmj. But that's OK. I don't base my ego on the number of correct answers I give. :)
Score: 0
|Ah, you mean the license that goes along with the product key (proof of license) that is not being used during the transition?
...and what do you base your ego on, if I may ask? =)
Score: 2
|I have the 90-days trial of Windows 7 Enterprise installed through Boot Camp and my Mac mini. Installed and runs like a charm. Will definitely buy the Home Premium edition this weekend.
Score: 0
|@ SMFulton3: I'm not shy in the least. I have exchanged thoughts with PC_Tool on a number of occasions and I wanted to get his thoughts on this article. I find him to be a reasonably thoughtful person who happens to be a Windows supporter while I am an OS X supporter who uses Windows in a VM to access needed applications. I have not tracked your previous posts and was unsure of your point of view.
My knee-jerk reaction to the article was that it took a club to Vista. I have since heard you say that was not your intent. If I read this article while trying to decide on a Vista purchase, I would run from it if I trusted your opinion. I have read a number of articles on Vista and talked to other consultants who are using it. The net result is I decided not to upgrade. Nothing I have read or been told struck me as being as negative as your article. Clearly, you are an independent voice.
I'm sure that the two step upgrade to Windows 7 leaves a Vista residue in the Registry that can be accessed by Microsoft Genuine Advantage tools. I know this software "phones home". I do not know the level of checking that is done now or may be done in the future. I am not an expert in such matters. It seems unlikely that Microsoft would approve of using a copy of Windows (currently registered on another machine) as a way to bypass the price differential between an upgrade and a full copy of software. If I am wrong, I apologize for my limited expertise in such matters.
Score: 2
|Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?
Score: 0
|@rauckr: You havea wonderful sense of humor. We need more of that here. :)
@yountmj: What do I base it on? Nothing, really. Life is life. People will think and do whatever they want to do. Basing one's ego on things they cannot control (which is pretty much everything...life is chaos) is a dangerous road. My wife would say I don't even have an ego...I am sure many here would disagree. I find humor in that....and pretty much everything else. ;)
Enough psychoanalysis. Back to messing with people's heads.
Score: 0
|Wait... were you attempting to mess with my head just now? You can't fool me! I'm on to you, buddy...
'Ego'... you keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means. =)
Score: 0
|'Ego': Small, round, toaster waffles.
Right?
Score: 0
|But we don't get all of Vista with Windows 7. Even non-crap components have been subtracted. Here's a list that shows what's subtracted: http://en.wikipedia.org/...es_removed_in_Windows_7. It also doesn't add what Vista subtracted (with a few exceptions): http://en.wikipedia.org/...oved_from_Windows_Vista
Score: -3
|Why would they remove the Ultimate extras given in Vista? Man Ultimate was anything but.
Score: -1
|I just read over that list and couldn't find one thing actually useful. The only exceptions are features that weren't actually removed, but changed (and arguably vastly improved).
Will you really miss anything on that list?
Score: 0
|Depends on what features you use. Your not-so-favorite feature may be a killer feature for someone else. The issue is that Windows versions up to Windows XP hardly removed anything. Everything was downloadable or turned off by default but optional/you could customize stuff the way you wanted. Now they're on a rampage.
Score: 3
|While that's debatable, if they are, then good for Microsoft. It's about time they start removing the crap nobody really needs. They trimmed the bloat big time with 7. If a feature is really that needed, there's probably 50 third party application out there that replicate the same functionality. Just look at stardock and all of it's incarnations.
I'm a desktop programmer and I work more than 10 hours a day most days. I am at least 3 times more productive with my Windows 7 desktop than I was with Vista. It took a while to adjust to the different UI, but man am I glad I did.
Score: 0
|Im running 7 Ult. RTM and have both Texas Hold 'em and Tinker working. Found them on WinMatrix. The trick is to run them in Vista compatability mode after installing.
Hold 'Em
http://www.winmatrix.com...r-non-ultimate-editions
Tinker
http://www.winmatrix.com...r-non-ultimate-editions/
Score: 1
|I've had driver issues in W7 that I didn't experience with Vista SP2. 1. A USB key that works on every other single machine, simply refuses under 7.
2. Network Drivers (Marvell Yukon) didn't work quite right until end of September. The bug was when I RDP'd to the machine and then disconnected, I could no longer connect locally again.
3. Very few 3rd party programs for corporate world are "certified for use and support" under Windows 7 (and doubtful under XP mode as a VM). This is the reality of EVERY OS, and it will just take time for these vendors to get on board. We have had one of our top tier vendors only just approve Vista for install in 07/2009, and they are a supposed "Microsoft Partner."
Having said that, it's a 'sweet' OS, but the features listed above are relatively minor compared to Vista 64-bit alone.
I understand Betanews gets hits on these articles that bash x or y, so hope it gets you some revenue!
Score: -1
|Goto Marvell.com and download the latest drivers for your Marvell Yukon Ethernet Port. They have unified drivers and they are updated very frequently. Marvell's drivers are superb and I havent had a single issue with them. I don't recommend using the drivers provided by Windows Update as they are usually outdated.
Score: 3
|Bashing? I didn't bash Vista here, if that's what you're implying. I'm stating that along with a lot of good stuff, Vista came with some crap, and Windows 7 took it away. There's no bashing in saying that, it's a genuine observation.
I understand that you get replies on comments that bash x or y, so hope it gets you some attention!
-SF3
Score: 4
|Uh I'm well aware how to update drivers, and the quality of the chipset. My point was the drivers were not fully functional until after RTM.
Score: 1
|"Vista without the crap"
On what planet is that not bashing Vista? You then list how Vista delays your life a subjectively estimated "4 minutes per hour," which I've never seen qualified by you or anyone else. This is fine. but then you give us benchmarks and expect us to take you seriously?
The difference being I don't claim to be a "news site," nor do I use advertising, nor am I It appear you intersperse opinion, benchmarking, and finally news, with no clear line.
Score: -4
|He's not "bashing" vista by saying that it was slower then 7...he's just stating facts. If you give me two os's, and one if 17% faster then the other, then how am I wrong saying that sthe slower OS is delaying me by 17%/hour that I use it?
Score: 5
|Then say it is slower. I agree with mj on this one. Calling it "crap" is bashing.
...even in bizarro world.
Score: -1
|"Goto Marvell.com and download the latest drivers for your Marvell Yukon Ethernet Port."
Better yet, simply let Windows Update grab the driver for you. Windows 7 has never failed to properly install the drivers for both the NVIDIA 100 Mbps and the Marvell Yukon 1000 Mbps Ethernet adapters on my Asus A8N32-SLI board by itself.
Score: 2
|No clear line? The ads are in the same place every day, the analysis is marked "Analysis"...You're suggesting that anyone whose site may advertise the subject he covers is influenced. That's what the SEC Disclosure is intended to delineate -- that's why it's there.
You remind me of the Vista users who say it's a less secure operating system because they're reminded all the time about security, or folks who feel less safe in an airport stocked with armed guards.
-SF3
Score: 2
|@PC_Tool:
Bull snot. I've been an editor for a quarter-century, and a lot of the articles and books I've edited are full of crap when I get them. They're absent of crap after they leave my desk. That doesn't mean I've bashed the author or even the work; it means I've done my job and cleaned it up.
Microsoft did its job and cleaned Vista up. And on a side note, I'm the same fellow who got all the grief for the last three years because I said Vista wasn't all that bad. When confronted with folks who absolutely hated it, I conceded this much: Vista has some crap in it. It can be taken out. And guess what, most of it was. Those folks didn't phone me from Bizarro World at the time; it's just that having smelled crap for a living (editing books can be like cleaning litter boxes at an animal shelter), it takes a little more of it to set off my alarm.
So I moderated a bit -- I said that a great many of my readers do have a point, and that these Vista annoyances could go. That's not bashing, that's acknowledging reality.
-SF "Would Executive-Produce a Reality Show If Only He Could Afford the Weather Balloon" 3
Score: 3
|Scott:
Acknowledging reality=calling it slow at times.
bashing=saying it is crap.
Really didn't think we'd need to draw you a picture on this one.... Anyone have any crayons?
Score: 0
|Editing = keeping tabs on grammar.
I never said Vista was crap. The headline implies that Vista had crap, and that Windows 7 removed it.
I'll draw you the same picture using any medium of your choice, so bring on the crayons.
-SF3
Score: 2
|"I never said Vista was crap. The headline implies that Vista had crap, and that Windows 7 removed it."
logic, FAIL!
Score: -1
|@MJ: Seriously...
Scott, you're arguments rely on a little BS. But I'm not calling them bulls***. ;)
Picture clear yet?
Score: -2
|For what it's worth, the only bashing that seems to occur here on a fairly regular basis is directed towards the editors (and a couple of choice dimwit users who bring it on themselves).
To be fair to Scott, he didn't say "Windows 7: Not Crap, Unlike Vista". I'm sure everyone else here is smart enough to realize that... especially the ones who are being the most vocal about this.
Yes, Vista contained "crap"... whether it took the form of unnecessary utilities, applications that were too "dumbed down" or weren't up to par with ones that existed in previous versions, or just plain poorly- or non-optimized code that contributed heavily to its performance deficiency and heavy resource usage.
Despite my preference of Windows Vista over Windows XP, I always had the perception that it was tied to a boat anchor while performing any task. Granted, it seemed to haul it around with minimal effort, but it was there nevertheless. Vista practically screamed to be so much more (and less in some areas) than it was.
Microsoft addressed almost every single issue users had with Vista, and the end result was Windows 7. "Vista without the crap".
Score: 1
|Semantics. Trust me, I know Vista was crap. The UI being the worst. I am more than happy to bash it on that alone.
Still, call a spade a spade. Saying Vista had a lot of crap in it *is* bashing Vista. Deservedly so, but bashing, nonetheless. Windows 7 fixes a lot of that, but even it still has issues. (wrestling with XPM BS now...apps not launching properly...'logged in user' BS...it was hacked together, and that is painfully obvious).
I don't care that he's bashing it. But as he said to rauckr, "Don't be shy" about it. Vista had problems. Win7 fixes the majority of them and introduces some of it's own.
Bash away, just don't be cute and try and pass it off as something other than bashing.
Score: 0
|Fair enough. =)
Actually, I'm quite happy to bash Windows 7 on the apparent fact that there was more than one person responsible for naming "HomeGroup". Things like that annoy me. Pick one way to spell it already and stick with it...
I was also hoping that Windows Explorer would open the way it has traditionally opened in the past: individual drive view (similar to the way the Computer icon does, but with a two-pane view), and not the Library as it does now. Surely there must be a way to change that.
Also, with Windows Vista, I used to be quite annoyed with the complete lack of visual representation of the level of fragmentation of disk drives. I was initially disappointed to see that carry over to Windows 7, despite a few changes to the defragmenter utility... but in the end, I'm relatively content to just see "0% fragmented" and know that it's doing its job.
Score: 0
|"Surely there must be a way to change that."
Right Click the "Explorer" Icon on the taskbar.
Right Click the "Explorer" link.
Paste the following line in the "Target" text-field:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Done.
Defrag: Google Defraggler. ;)
Haven't had any issues with HomeGroup. *shrug*
Score: 1
|Hah! Well check that out. Thanks for the target information.
Oh, and no... no issues with HomeGroup. It works great. They just can't seem to get the spelling consistent.
Go to Windows Explorer, click on 'Homegroup' in the left pane, and on the view that follows, there are three different spellings for 'HomeGroup' on that one window alone.
Minor annoyance, but I figured that would have been addressed after all this time.
Score: 0
|The computer I am currently on is not connected to a homegroup, but...every instance of the word when I click that is "homegroup", all lowercase, while in the left it is "Homegroup".
In Control Panel, it is "HomeGroup".
Meh...minor annoyance. I bet MSE showing up as "MS Anti-malware" in it's window title drove you absolutely batty during it's beta. ;)
(Just tried the suggestion I found for ya on the shortcut...for some reason it opens each new folder in a separate window. Boy..that's annoying as all get out. I'll try and locate a better work-around. this is driving *me* batty)
Score: 0
|Got it:
Create a folder somewhere called shortcuts (you can use this to put all your workaround shortcuts in...there are quite a few to be found)
In that folder, create a new shortcut with the path:
%windir%\explorer.exe /e,
Save it and pin it to your taskbar.
This shortcut will open explorer to the drive view and will not open a new instance for everything you click on.
Score: 0
|LOL... hilarious. Just before you posted that, I found out about the separate window thing myself. I was thinking "What the hell did you do?" =)
I appreciate the addendum. It is now working closer to the way I was hoping.
Score: 0
|By the way, I'm not sure where you were getting your suggestions from, but this may help:
http://www.mydigitallife...pening-windows-explorer/
Score: 0
|@ PC_Tool: I have a copy of Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0. Yes, I know it is old (but so am I). I need it to generate code for a useful app that has not been updated in a while. It is XP compatible so I was hopeful it would install under Windows 7 but, at least with the release candidate, it spewed error messages. I am still hopeful the shake-down cruse will fix the rough edges.
I am glad to hear you say Vista had serious flaws. The ~ 70% of Windows users still stuck on XP have already voted. We need a better upgrade path than start over or "borrow a copy of Vista" to kick-start the upgrade.
Score: 0
|trust me, I know Vista was crap. The UI being the worst. I am more than happy to bash it on that alone.
LOL!!! So now that there's a new Windows for you to make a living from fixing, you think we'll all just forget how you defended Vista with every fiber of your being - *especially* the UI, which was sooo superior to XP's. Remember those hundreds of posts? No? Hmm...ever think about going into politics, Tool?
Score: -1
|"you think we'll all just forget how you defended Vista with every fiber of your being - *especially* the UI, which was sooo superior to XP's."
Defending it against the stupidity of "it takes 6 clicks to change the screen resolution" is far from defending it as a whole.
Explaining that they moved the advanced cruft out of the "normal users" way so they didn't royally hose everything isn't defending it, it's just an explanation.
Defending it in any way does not mean it is superior or inferior to anything else...those are your assumptions. Apparently, if I defend it, you immediately jump to the conclusion that I love it. That'd be wrong. I just hate stupid comments. :) I have even defended Apple from stupid comments. It's just the way I am.
If the people who hate Vista didn't exaggerate the issues "it takes 6 clicks", I wouldn't have to "defend" it at all. I am the first to admit the UI was dumbed down for "normal users". That's been my "defense" of it the whole time. Was it a good idea? Yes. Did they implement it properly? Nope, not even close.
Score: 1
|@rauckr:
What version of Win7? Have you tried XPM?
Score: 0
|@ PC_Tool: It was RC1. I thought XPM was built into 7 at that time. My current understanding is that it is a separate utility. I had limited time to investigate the compatibility issue during that time frame. Since 70% of Windows users are in the XP group, I think this should have been released with 7 and on the DVD at a minimum. Was it? I took down the VM with 7 on it after spending a bit of time to get a general sense of the product. I'll take another look at XPM when I upgrade. If it works well enough, I may be able to use only a single Windows VM at some point.
Score: 0
|XPM/Virtual PC is separate, but for for Pro/Enterprise/Ultimate edition users.
Score: 0
|What is UP with the barely legible graph? Can you please make the lines bolder, make them not FADE out for XP SP3, make it either a png with decent edge on the fonts or a much better quality jpg?
Gah!
Score: 2
|Agreed on the png point. I wish jpg wasn't the standard for *every* type of graphic on the Internet.
Score: 1
|i am excited for my copy of Windows 7 to arrive soon, i don't like the headline you chose but some of what you say rings true, its a great upgrade from XP & runs decent on older hardware, should not disappoint
http://is.gd/4ugVl this old fella (a designed for XP machine) was brought back to life upon installing 7, soon he'll enjoy some Linix distro while my main PC, a much newer system enjoys Windows 7 retail
Thursday will be great ;D
Score: 6
|i have to ask though, "Installing the very latest version of Windows Live Messenger still requires you to hack the Registry and/or re-register a DLL from an administrator-authorized command line"
that was necessary to add? ;P of all the copies of WLM i've installed, i've never had to do this, i must be some odd exception
Score: 4
|You aren't the only one, artful. I've done a few Windows Live installs and messenger has never given me issues. That comment confused me as well.
Score: 2
|Same here. Numerous installs and re-installs of Windows 7 32- and 64-bit (I've been bored) have all yielded the same results...
Complete satisfaction, driver- and software-wise (including WLM), with zero problems.
Score: 3
|Yet another with no WLM problems.
Score: 2
|Whoa, only "four minutes per hour," Scott? I do miss the long coffee breaks Windows Vista provided. Speedy 7 means work, work, work -- but in less time. Excellent write-up, by the way.
Score: 6
|your disclosure should also say Microsoft is a large, if not the largest, advertiser on Betanews...
Score: -16
|It is not required to. And I think folks can plainly see from the Microsoft ads (including one I'm looking at now) that Microsoft is a Betanews advertiser, without us repeating that fact.
-SF3
Score: 7
|REASONS TO NOT UPGRADE:
1. it should have been a FREE upgrade for all Vista to users so m$ could say sorry for wasting everyone's time with the disaster that was Vista.
2. Vista presented the perfect opportunity for the world to see that there are alternatives: Linux and Macs
3. Vista with a new shell does not solve the ghastly security issues that plague this risky platform
Score: -13
|I usually don't respond to ill-educated and obvious troll replies but I have to point out some things:
1) Minus the vocal minority who had issues with Vista, I have seen nothing but stability and problem-free computing while using it. I have helped deploy vista in an organization with over 1000 computers of varying types (laptops, desktops, tablets) and have had no issues. Vista is very stable and the major problems which have occurred are due to vendors not being willing to re-write their code in a proper way so as to cause few problems with UAC. UAC is the way windows should have been from the start. Vendors and developers became lazy and abused the ability to write to program files as opposed to the users documents and settings folder thus creating the fiasco we have now. Hardware vendors have never been required to certify code and thus the problems arose with lack of driver support. Microsoft is not to blame for fixing problems which any decent developer would have avoided from the start. Good practices in coding and driver development not being followed are not the fault of MS but instead the respective developers who code for the OS.
MS should not provide Windows 7 for free because a majority of users didn't pay for Vista. They got it as part of their computer purchase. Those few who purchased retail copies did so, hopefully, knowing what they were doing. If you blindly purchase an OS without researching, then you are asking for problems especially if you do not bother to check compatibility and application support prior to doing so.
2) And yet, here we are. Linux did not push much more into the DESKTOP market ( I assume this is what you are referring to right? Your post is not very clear). MACs remain a niche market for those who are willing to spend more on hardware for a system that "Just works". I put that in quotes because, as the owner of a macbook pro, I can atest that MACs do anything but "Just work" and have their fair share of problems that aren't heard of because Apple would rather slam Windows rather than stating what their product does well.
3) If you think Win7 is just a new shell, you have obviously not used it. There are quite a few changes to the core architecture of Windows as a platform in and of itself. Explorer represents solely the GUI that the users operate. So yes, if you judge the OS solely by explorer, then you will be quite disappointed. But there have been very large changes to the fundamental architecture that is the Windows Kernel.
Score: 4
|FUD *runs around all scared, you duned it now slumbergod, should i make up my own mind? or listen to your wise words ;)
tosser, get lost
Score: 2
|You're an idiot.
1. Following that same logic, the first version of Mac OS X should have been free to make up for the disaster that was every prior version of Mac OS.
Mac OS X 10.1 should have been free for the disaster that was 10.0... and so on.
2. Agreed... and what happened? Seems like the overwhelming number of computer users *still* use Windows.
Simply because Vista wasn't quite what Microsoft and everyone else was expecting or hoping for doesn't by default make OS X (and certainly not Linux) better. Such a narrow-minded view you have of what users actually use their PCs for... thousands of Windows-compatible applications, and not just the OS itself.
3. Vista with a new shell? Security issues? That basically solidifies your ignorance.
Score: 7
|The ones that don't like Windows 7, are the haters, some of em probably didn't even try Windows 7 to talk bad about it. Gaming on Windows is far greater than on a Mac computer..
Score: 3
|Yeah I can't say I've ever tried it but I sure am looking forward to giving it a spin.
Score: 3
|Wow is that best insult you could come up with? Really, vista with a new shell. Ha, funny. But so incorrect.
Score: 0
|That is a great info about windows 7. Thanx
Score: 1
|