Happy New Year! Its been a while since we heard any really good and exciting news from Microsoft recently. But one thing that they FINALLY seemed to be getting right is the new operating system, WINDOWS 7.
Vista actually wasn’t a bad Operating System at all. But consumers got used to the quirks and habits of WIN XP and were not ready to use a brand new Operating System that was glitchy, indecisive, slow and over all, just a part of a bad marketing strategy. The truth is, it was actually a good Operating System. Just as simple as wrong product, wrong time.
Now we have WINDOWS 7. It was almost being made the same time as VISTA. In fact, it was already being thought of when Vista was still called LONGHORN in production. But one of the reasons for the quick release of 7 was easy. They needed something to go to market QUICK and Microsoft already held the blue prints for 7 by turning to VISTA. That’s right. 7 is a beefed up, smarter, lighter and more fun version of VISTA. Seems like Microsoft listened to all of the complaints from VISTA users, listened to all of the good stuff from previous XP users and said. lets tweak this here and there, call it something else and WHAM. 7th Heaven.
7 is already on pace to recapture what XP did for Microsoft. Its already captured about 4% of the market share in three weeks. There are so many different versions of 7 sometimes, we get lost in thought and don’t know what to do! I found a really easy to read flow chart right here on the Microsoft website. Here is a basic flow chart I got off of the Microsoft web site.
But some of the cool things that MOST of the versions of 7 can do are below as well!
- Protect your PC and information with Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
- Find what you need with Instant Search and Internet Explorer 7
- The Windows Aero desktop experience includes glass-like menu bars, Windows Flip 3D, and Live Thumbnails
- Enjoy more choice with Windows Mobility Center and Tablet PC support
- Share documents and collaborate with Windows Meeting Space
- Use a secondary screen on your mobile PC or extend your display to other devices using Windows SideShow
- All-in-one media center functionality makes any room a media room using Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders
- Protect against hardware failure with Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore
- Scan, fax, and receive documents and images with Windows Fax and Scan
- Automatically back up your files with Scheduled Backup
- Remotely access your business resources and applications with Remote Desktop Connection
- Simple networking connectivity...
- Help stay connected with the Network and Sharing Center
- Protect your data against loss with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption
- Make DVDs with Windows DVD Maker
- Create high-definition (HD) movies with Windows Movie Maker in HD
A lot of that is marketing mumbo jumbo but the biggest difference is, are you going to put this on a computer that will be used at home without connecting to a network? Or would this be used for a computer that needs to VPN into a server and access work files off of the server etc? In fact, if the previous sentence made no sense for you, then rest easy since you will use the Operating System as a stand alone item.
When you configure 7 properly, you can do so much to it. You can do your own backups, with Ultimate, you can do things like a backup to a bit locker the whole booting up and shutting down waiting period is mostly a thing of the past. With the Ultimate versions, there are neat features which get a hold of which third party apps you have and constantly look for updates, there is the fore mentioned backing up option and for the most part, you really don’t need many third party applications. If you have specific questions on the differences, then go ahead and send me an email and I will be happy to further this discussion. (right now, I am late with this article and don’t want the editor to get MORE mad!)
As far as we can see, 7 is the real deal and its managed to even get some of the greater skeptics to agree that this is once again a viable O/S. Its been 8 years since WINDOWS XP came to market and since we are creatures of habit, just gotten use to it. The same way we forgave Microsoft ME, we will forgive VISTA.
There are a ton of shortcuts, hints and tips to WIN 7 that we will be covering and since we have a brand new year for 2010, we have 11 more months to cover those! Do you know to flip between multiple monitors? Did you know you can setup WIN 7 from a Thumb drive? Do you know how to toggle between windows? Or look “through” an active window? These are some of the tips that we are going to jam on in the upcoming months!
Get ready for the Year of the Tiger and Happy New Year and once again, from our family to yours, Thanks for making 2009 such a good experience and we look forward to your support again in 2010!
