An Introduction to Windows 7
On October 22nd Microsoft will release the latest version of its flagship Windows operating system; Windows 7. After taking a hit from the much maligned Windows Vista, Microsoft went back to the drawing board and is hoping to win back consumer confidence with its latest release. In this month's Tech Brief we'll give you a preview of Windows 7 and review its new features, explore what versions will be released, and discuss when or if it makes sense for your business to make the switch.
New Features in Windows 7
Whether you’re currently an XP or Vista user, the new features in Windows 7 will be apparent from the start. Here are just of few of the multitude of features present in Windows 7:
Enhanced Desktop – some of the most noticeable changes in Windows 7 take place right on the desk
Snap: In previous versions of Windows when you wanted to compare two windows side-by-side you had to manually resize them. With Snap all you have to do is drag a window to the edge of the screen and it will automatically be resized to fit half the screen.
Improved Show Desktop: Gone is the “show desktop” shortcut in the quick launch section of the task bar. With Windows 7 all you need to do is move your mouse to the lower right of the screen and all the windows will automatically become transparent, allowing you to quickly access any files or applications on the desktop.
Isolating a Window: Have a cluttered desktop and want to minimize all your windows except one? Just grab the top of the active window, shake it, and all the other windows will minimize to the taskbar. Shake it again and they’ll reappear.
Sticky Notes: There’s no need to clutter up the outside of your monitor with sticky-notes any longer. Windows 7 has a built in application which will place virtual sticky notes on your desktop.
New Features in Windows 7
Whether you’re currently an XP or Vista user, the new features in Windows 7 will be apparent from the start. Here are just of few of the multitude of features present in Windows 7:
Enhanced Desktop – some of the most noticeable changes in Windows 7 take place right on the desk
Snap: In previous versions of Windows when you wanted to compare two windows side-by-side you had to manually resize them. With Snap all you have to do is drag a window to the edge of the screen and it will automatically be resized to fit half the screen.
Improved Show Desktop: Gone is the “show desktop” shortcut in the quick launch section of the task bar. With Windows 7 all you need to do is move your mouse to the lower right of the screen and all the windows will automatically become transparent, allowing you to quickly access any files or applications on the desktop.
Isolating a Window: Have a cluttered desktop and want to minimize all your windows except one? Just grab the top of the active window, shake it, and all the other windows will minimize to the taskbar. Shake it again and they’ll reappear.
Sticky Notes: There’s no need to clutter up the outside of your monitor with sticky-notes any longer. Windows 7 has a built in application which will place virtual sticky notes on your desktop.
HomeGroup – One of the most popular features of Windows 7 is its new HomeGroup feature. With HomeGroup, Windows links computers in a home so they can share photos, music, videos, documents, and printers. Although you can currently do this in Vista in XP, HomeGroup makes it far easier by automatically configuring sharing. With homegroup you can build a digital library from the media across different machines. No longer will you have to try to figure out where your vacation pictures are, just search across HomeGroup and access them from any machine.
Improved Search– Windows 7 introduces smarter searching by instantly showing results as you type, grouping results in categories, and highlighting search terms within snippets of documents to make them easier to scan. In addition to searching networked PCs on HomeGroup, Windows 7 search will also check external hard drives and attached USB storage.
Extended BitLocker Encryption– Vista introduced the BitLocker encryption tool which protected your data if you computer was ever stolen. Windows 7 takes this a step further and now covers removable drives such as external hard drives and USB flash drives by protecting them with a passphrase, smart card, or recovery key.
Improved Built-In Applications – Some of most commonly used built-in applications are getting makeovers in Windows 7. Paint has been updated with a new ribbon-enhanced user interface as well as new brush styles, shapes, and editing options. Wordpad also gets a ribbon and new editing options, in essence making it a stripped-down version of Word 2007. The always popular Calculator gets some new options as well including “lifestyle templates” that help you calculate things such as gas mileage, hourly wages, and mortgage payments.
Faster Boot-Up Time – Despite enhanced applications, increased security, and a slick new desktop, one of the features of Windows 7 that will impress users the most is the faster boot-up time. Tests have shown that well-powered machines can boot Windows 7 in about 15 seconds, with average-powered machines clocking in around 30 seconds.
Editions
Although six versions of Windows 7 will be released, only four will be available for purchase in the United States (the other two will be released to developing markets). These editions are:
Windows 7 Home Premium- The Home Premium is geared towards the average user with the Aero Glass user interface, advanced window navigation, touch screen support, improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center, and the ability to create home networks.
Windows 7 Professional- Geared towards power users and small business professionals, the Professional edition of Windows 7 includes all the features of the Home Premium edition but also provides more security and networking features like the Encrypting File System, advanced network backup, joining managed networks with Domain Join, and support for location-aware printing.
Windows 7 Enterprise - Targeted at the enterprise market segment and only available to organizations which have a Software Assurance Contract with Microsoft, the Enterprise edition will contain all the features of the Professional Edition as well as BitLocker Drive Encryption, support for Multilingual User Interfaces, BranchCatch, and Direct Access.
Windows 7 Home Ultimate - Windows Home Ultimate will include all the same features as the Enterprise edition but will be sold commercially to home users.
Interestingly, the features of each edition of Windows 7 will be stored on your machine when you install it, but you'll only have access to those of the edition you have a license for. If you wish to upgrade to a different edition you can use the Windows Anytime Upgrade to purchase a new license and unlock the additional features.
When Should You Upgrade?
As is the case with any new operating system, unless you absolutely need some of the features offered in Windows 7 there is no need to upgrade to it immediately upon its release. Although it has gone through a thorough and well documented testing process, there still could be undiscovered problems which could cause issues if you implement it across your entire network.
To be on the safe side, it's good to wait at least 6-12 months following its release before you install a new operating system. By that time the initial feedback from the early adopters is in and the first wave of patches and updates typically start to get rolled out.
Final Thoughts...
So far the early reviews of Windows 7 have generally been positive and it looks like Microsoft might have their first widely success operating system since Windows XP was released in 2001. One thing is for certain though, with millions of aging XP systems still out there that will need to be replaced, Windows 7 won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Improved Search– Windows 7 introduces smarter searching by instantly showing results as you type, grouping results in categories, and highlighting search terms within snippets of documents to make them easier to scan. In addition to searching networked PCs on HomeGroup, Windows 7 search will also check external hard drives and attached USB storage.
Extended BitLocker Encryption– Vista introduced the BitLocker encryption tool which protected your data if you computer was ever stolen. Windows 7 takes this a step further and now covers removable drives such as external hard drives and USB flash drives by protecting them with a passphrase, smart card, or recovery key.
Improved Built-In Applications – Some of most commonly used built-in applications are getting makeovers in Windows 7. Paint has been updated with a new ribbon-enhanced user interface as well as new brush styles, shapes, and editing options. Wordpad also gets a ribbon and new editing options, in essence making it a stripped-down version of Word 2007. The always popular Calculator gets some new options as well including “lifestyle templates” that help you calculate things such as gas mileage, hourly wages, and mortgage payments.
Faster Boot-Up Time – Despite enhanced applications, increased security, and a slick new desktop, one of the features of Windows 7 that will impress users the most is the faster boot-up time. Tests have shown that well-powered machines can boot Windows 7 in about 15 seconds, with average-powered machines clocking in around 30 seconds.
Editions
Although six versions of Windows 7 will be released, only four will be available for purchase in the United States (the other two will be released to developing markets). These editions are:
Windows 7 Home Premium- The Home Premium is geared towards the average user with the Aero Glass user interface, advanced window navigation, touch screen support, improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center, and the ability to create home networks.
Windows 7 Professional- Geared towards power users and small business professionals, the Professional edition of Windows 7 includes all the features of the Home Premium edition but also provides more security and networking features like the Encrypting File System, advanced network backup, joining managed networks with Domain Join, and support for location-aware printing.
Windows 7 Enterprise - Targeted at the enterprise market segment and only available to organizations which have a Software Assurance Contract with Microsoft, the Enterprise edition will contain all the features of the Professional Edition as well as BitLocker Drive Encryption, support for Multilingual User Interfaces, BranchCatch, and Direct Access.
Windows 7 Home Ultimate - Windows Home Ultimate will include all the same features as the Enterprise edition but will be sold commercially to home users.
Interestingly, the features of each edition of Windows 7 will be stored on your machine when you install it, but you'll only have access to those of the edition you have a license for. If you wish to upgrade to a different edition you can use the Windows Anytime Upgrade to purchase a new license and unlock the additional features.
When Should You Upgrade?
As is the case with any new operating system, unless you absolutely need some of the features offered in Windows 7 there is no need to upgrade to it immediately upon its release. Although it has gone through a thorough and well documented testing process, there still could be undiscovered problems which could cause issues if you implement it across your entire network.
To be on the safe side, it's good to wait at least 6-12 months following its release before you install a new operating system. By that time the initial feedback from the early adopters is in and the first wave of patches and updates typically start to get rolled out.
Final Thoughts...
So far the early reviews of Windows 7 have generally been positive and it looks like Microsoft might have their first widely success operating system since Windows XP was released in 2001. One thing is for certain though, with millions of aging XP systems still out there that will need to be replaced, Windows 7 won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
