Windows 7

[WhollyHeretic]

I got Windows 7 Enterprise last week and installed it on several PCs. I installed it on my main work PC as an upgrade from Vista and also did a clean install on a test machine.

The upgraded machine:
White Box
AMD Athalon 64 X2 5400+
2 GB RAM
ATI 3450 video card with 512 MB
The upgrade was slower than I expected (close to an hour). I did run into a couple of issues right after I upgraded. The IIS was corrupted and had to be uninstalled and reinstalled. AVG also seems to have problems with upgrading, it caused problems with internet explorer. If you are doing an upgrade than I would recommend unistalling AVG before the upgrade and then reinstall it after. Things have been running well since I fixed the initial issues. The first big difference you'll notice is the taskbar is totally redone. It is a vast improvement with a number of nice features. The first few things on this list are about the revamped taskbar http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/18-cool-things-windows-7-does-that-vista-doesn-t-628892?artc_pg=1 The performance seems similar or a bit better than Vista (provided your Vista was updated and running well in the first place. Windows 7 is a huge improvement over the initial release of Vista). I've got several dozen programs installed on this machine and everything still seems to be in working order.

The clean install machine:
Dell Optiplex 740
AMD Athalon 64 X2 5200+
2 GB RAM
Integrated video
The install took about 1/2 an hour. I got a nice surprise when I booted it up for the first time, no drivers to install. Windows 7 had found and installed all hardware. It joined to the domain no problem. I had no issues installing all our business apps including an old VB program. AVG installed and is running fine. When I was adding the network printers I was surprised to find that it did not have the HP Laserjet 8000 driver (it is an old printer).

So far I'm happy with Windows 7. It seems like Microsoft finally has a quality successor to XP. It has some nice functional new features(see link above). Microsoft does still include UAC but it is much less annoying and I do see the value in it. Has anyone else been using Windows 7? Thoughts? Problems? BSoD?

[Warpy]

1. Thanks for the review

I have a pristine XP backup box, so it will be a long time before I need to replace hardware and confront another Windows OS. I did tell myself if Windows 7 was as bad as Vista, I'd be biting the bullet and learning how to cope with Linux when the second box finally died for good.

Everything I've read about 7 has been positive so far, mostly along the line that it's what Vista should have been had Microschlock not rushed it onto the market before all the bugs were worked out.

[WhollyHeretic]

2. I'm researching Windows 7 for work. I've been reading quite a few reviews

and they've all been positive. It feels kind of bizarre to read so many positive reviews of a Microsoft product online. Microsoft needed to have this one work right out of the box. Vista was such a clusterfuck. I work for a small IT company that oversees a few dozen small to medium sized business and there is only 1 user with a Vista computer. Even the ones I'm installing this week have XP installed on them. I've worked on thousands(I used to work for much larger companies) of computers since Vista was released and I've only seen 3 Vista computers in a business setting. 2 of those Vista boxes were test machines.

[RoyGBiv]

3. There's a couple reasons for that ...

As you say, it's what Vista should have been. That is, it actually seems like a decent operating system with enough newness to it to justify a new version.

Also, one of the big problems for Vista was the system requirements and the incompetently implemented "certified for Vista" garbage. That was nothing more than a bad marketing campaign to allow for low-balling hardware and putting out cheap machines that were "Vista certified." It turned out that, as usual, meeting the minimum system requirement for any Microsoft product doesn't mean you can actually use it, just that it'll load and show you the interface.

Eventually.

Windows 7 doesn't have any fewer requirements, but it doesn't have more either, not for it to run acceptably well. This is being reflected in many of the reviews without it directly being stated. No one's trying to cram the thing onto a machine that's not even top-of-the-line for XP.

All that said, some of my underlying complaints remain and likely always will. It's still a huge blow job for big media that forces its users into an ever decreasing list of options.

[BlueJazz]

4. Love Windows 7 also. If you use Avg, you might want to look at this >>

PC World rates Avira the best free Anti-Virus. ..and it works well with "7"



.
.
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/290836/review/antivir_personal.html

[hobbit709]

5. Havent' had any problems with AVG on my 7 machine.

What I liked is that my Trayplay works just fine with 7. A 34Kb exe that sits in the system tray and plays audio files. I've used it since Win 95. Works just fine on 95, 98, 2000, XP, XP X64, Vista and 7 X64.

[BlueJazz]

6. Oh..I like avg also. ..just offering something else if anybody wants it.

:)

[City of Mills]

7. Just installed Windows 7

It's awesome! Everything that Vista should've been. It runs faster than either XP or Vista on my machine, the graphics are smooth and seamless, quick transitions, only one driver not detected (which I was able to install a Vista version). The multimedia is much more tied in - media center is included rather than being a separate build. Connecting multiple monitors is great, setting up displays as extended or cloned desktops is much simpler. The OS actually knows what .iso files are and can burn them natively! Rather than Vista's gadget sidebar, you can place gadgets where you want them on your desktop. My hard drive isn't grinding away when idle like it used to, either.

Microsoft finally got it right. They built Vista to run on new top of the line PCs, but with 7 they really designed it so it runs well on older hardware. We have a pile of PCs at work we may be able to keep in use with Windows 7.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this version!

[Celebration]

8. When they come new on the computers

I'm ordering it. I need a new computer anyway, because this one doesn't have enough memory, nor can it burn DVDs.

I think I will go with a Dell instead of HP.

I think Windows 7 is available installed on new computers in the latter part of October. I can't wait.

[DainBramaged]

9. yup, love it, maybe we can gravitate away from XP Pro at work (finally)

The only problem is getting a decent IT budget so we can replace some of the 6+ year old systems I have to work with. ;(