I've been using Windows 7 since its beta release, but my laptop's been running the final version for weeks now. I really disliked Vista and preferred XP still, but Windows 7 has tipped the scales...finally. Windows 7 has been reliable and it's snappier than Vista. Windows 7 sips laptop battery power so my 1-year-old Dell XPS M1530 runs longer under Win7 than it did under Vista. But what I really like about Windows 7 are the new or improved features it offers. Here's a list of my favorites:
#1 VIRTUAL LIBRARIES
With virtual libraries, the special folders like Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos have all become libraries. Instead of being a physical storage location, they're indexes that point to one or many locations on the computer you're using, as well as other computers you're networked with. In a home setting, where you're running Windows Home Server, you can now easily direct file stores to your server. When coupled with Offline Files & Folders (a features that the non-Home editions of Windows offers since XP), you can easily take your server data with you, even when you're in a disconnected state. Also in the home, housemates can easily see each others' data by including their respective folders in one another's libraries. When you search a library, you're searching your computer and any other computer that has folders you've added to your library. This is, for me, the single best feature of Windows 7, and is an excellent reason to upgrade.
#2 START SEARCH
The Start Search has been improved in Windows 7 so results appear instantly as soon as you click the Start button, and then either type the name of a program on your computer, or a task you'd like to perform (like, "change my display settings"). No more hunting folder hierarchies to find that elusive program, or spend time figuring out where Microsoft has placed something in the Control Panel. This is a tremendous time-saver.
#3 AERO SNAP
The Aero user interface has three new tricks -- Shake, Peek, and Snap -- but only Aero Snap is a major leap forward. Have you ever tried comparing the contents of two windows together, side-by-side? It's painful to do because you have to fiddle with resizing the two windows. With Aero Snap, now all you do is grab the title bar of one window, sling it to the left, and Windows 7 will automatically resize the window to fill-up one-half of your screen display. Do the same with a 2nd window by slinging it to the right, and it'll fill-up the right-side of your display. You can start comparing two windows in...an Aero Snap. Aero Shake and Peek are cute, but not nearly so helpful.
#4 TASKBAR
Gone is the Quick Launch bar that too many people didn't know existed. Now, the whole Taskbar is a quick launch bar -- drag and drop any program icon onto the bar, and you're one click away from starting the program. Also, it's so easy to move the taskbar around now. I keep it on the left vertical on my computer. Gone is the system tray, too -- Notification Area takes its place. The Action Center alerts you to anything you need to do to keep your computer working smoothly.
#5 PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY (including XP Mode)
Any program can be run in one of many compatibility modes now. Windows 7 has a wizard that will help you pick the right, earlier version of Windows under which to run an older program. You can do the same thing more quickly by right-clicking on a program icon, click the Compatibility tab, enable Compatibility mode, and select the earlier version of Windows you want. For truly stubborn XP programs, the Professional edition offers XP Mode -- a fully licensed, virtualized copy of Windows XP. Note that your hardware must support virtualization for this to work.
#6 STICKY NOTES
Less functional that the Vista Sticky Notes -- which nobody used -- but now I actually use Sticky Notes to put reminders on my Desktop. They're quick, easy, and work just like a regular Post-It note only you don't get fingerprints on your screen!
#7 JUMP LISTS
There are two kinds -- Jump lists that let you quickly pick a task to perform, and Jump lists to quickly select a document to open and edit in the associated program. These are nice time-savers.
#8 SAVED SEARCHES
In Windows Explorer, you can create filtered searches and then save them in your Favorites for later use. This is handy to find filtered data in the future. When you re-execute the search, it creates a dynamic results set (so your search is never stale).
#9 CONTENT VIEW & ARRANGING
Also in Windows Explorer, two new features. Now you can arrange a folder into subdivisions by date (great for your pictures folders!). You can use the Content view to combine thumbnails of files along with details that usually are found only in the Details view.
#10 USER ACCOUNT CONTROL
Most everyone hated UAC in Vista (even though it helped to keep your computer safe). In Windows 7, Microsoft tamped down the annoyance factor of UAC. You can change your date and time without setting off UAC, for example. You can also decide whether UAC should go into secured Desktop mode whenever it does get triggered (secured Desktop is when your screen darkens and you're forced to respond to UAC's dialog box asking permission to run a program or make a change to your system). You can easily turn-off UAC, too.
#11 PAINT, WORDPAD, CALCULATOR
All three of these utilities got updated. Wordpad and Paint have the Office-like "ribbon" now, and Calculator has a few new memory keys, touch sensitivity, and a Programmer view for those dealing with hexidecimals and binaries.
#12 HOMEGROUP SHARING
This is the easiest way to share data with others in your (home) network. HomeGroup creates a password that is shared among computers, and that takes care of all the issues with user accounts, file permissions and "access denied" problems. While not appropriate for corporate use, this is great for the home. I made this feature last because I'm not using it -- I just think it's a great idea for inexperienced users. Note: all the networked computers need to be running Windows 7 to make HomeGroup sharing work.
Upgrading advice: I went through the upgrade process twice. Here's what I learned to do before and after the upgrade: 1) Remove Adobe Reader and reinstall the latest version (9.2 as I write this) after the upgrade. Older versions of Reader won't render correctly in Windows 7 and an IE8 browsing session. 2) Remove your antivirus, anti-malware and anti-spyware programs, and reinstall them after the upgrade using the latest versions available. 3) Remove any virtualization programs (like VMWare Workstation) and reinstall following the upgrade. 4) After the upgrade, look for the latest video driver from the video card maker, not by your computer hardware vendor (in my case, it was getting a new driver from Nvidia rather than from Dell).
Looking to do a clean install using this upgrade disk? You can, but here's how. Insert the DVD and choose "Custom" to do the clean install. During the install, DO NOT enter your product id or activate Windows -- yet. Instead, you'll finish the clean install, reboot, then use your DVD to do an upgrade of the clean install of Windows 7. Yes, you're upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 7. After you upgrade, then enter your product id and activate Windows. I haven't tried this out personally, but others have and have done so successfully. Add a comment to my review to share your experience if you go this route. Final note: This tip isn't intended to circumvent the stipulations in the licensing agreement for upgrading your computer. If you're not entitled to upgrade (because, say, you're using Windows 95, 98, 2000, or ME), then you must buy the full version. As I tell my kids, "Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should do a thing." :-)
And finally, my few quibbles with Windows 7: My Dell XPS M1530 has always had sporadic issues resuming from a sleep or hibernate state under Vista. That still is the case, even with Windows 7. I'm not convinced, though, that the underlying problem is an operating system issue as much as a hardware/BIOS problem, so I can't knock Windows 7 for this problem. Not all my laptops have had similar power-on problems, even under Vista, so my advice to you is to NOT expect Windows 7 to solve any power-on problems from a sleep or hibernate state if you've currently got those problems with your laptop.
Lastly, if you like to periodically examine the Reliability Monitor in Vista, it's not as nice in Windows 7 -- there is no precise data value assigned to your machine's ever-changing reliability metric. And it's impossible to find in the Control Panel (but it's easy to do a Start Search on). The graph is still there, though, and it's updated hourly instead of daily. For most people, I'm guessing this is a complete non-issue.
In short, think of Windows 7 as Windows Vista done right.
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade [Old Version]
3.7 | 320 ratings
Price: 199
Last update: 11-30-2024
About this item
Recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network, connect to company networks effortlessly and more securely
Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation;
Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation;
Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often
Top reviews from the United States
Centriculous
Windows 7 is Vista done right
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2009
ConsumerAdvocate
Nearly perfect OS. The best Windows ever. Upgrading can be a hassle.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2009
R. Lee
Nice, but not as slick as I'd wish
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2010