Living in Windows 7: Part 1

Monday, February 2, 2009 by Frogboy | Discussion: Personal Computing

I’m running the BETA of Windows 7 and it’s been running so well that I’ve decided to make it my quasi-production machine.

Windows 7 is a massive usability upgrade from any previous version of Windows.  Much of the changes are just minor in terms of effort but just make the whole system feel a lot better designed.

For example, if I want look at my connected devices I see this:

image

Notice I don’t see a bunch of crap. I just see the stuff actually connected to the machine. It’s a very nice change from what has been in Windows before.

One of the purposes of this series of articles is to let you know what programs I have problems with, and which ones work right.

Over the coming weeks and months I’ll give you generalized reports on the progress of our software (Stardock’s) running on Windows 7 as well as highlighting cool little touches in Windows 7.

Now, for the purposes of making life hard on Stardock, I’m not just running a beta of Windows 7, I’m running a beta of Windows 7 64-bit.  By the time Windows 7 is released, all applicable Stardock software must run on this machine.

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ArileenDesign
Reply #1 Monday, February 2, 2009 12:28 PM

Windows 7 looks definitively interesting

Wish i'll have the money when it'll be release and another desk though a 4th PC won't fit the one i've already

 

DrJBHL
Reply #2 Monday, February 2, 2009 1:06 PM

From everything I've read and heard, I'll probably be upgrading. I wonder if going from Vista to W7 will be as problematic as going from XP to Vista. Judging from appearances, probably not, but I'm wary of anything that's not a "Clean" install.

Thanks for starting this series, Frogboy. WC is definitely looking up...DX, JJ's "From Zero to Theme" and The Photoshop posting show a definitely good and desirable direction.

landisaurus
Reply #3 Monday, February 2, 2009 1:08 PM

which software doesn't run on that machine?

CharlesCS
Reply #4 Monday, February 2, 2009 1:21 PM

So what do you think about the idea that Microsift should give Windows 7 for free to rhose who have Windows Vista?

Link

Philly0381
Reply #5 Monday, February 2, 2009 1:38 PM

CharlesCS something tells me you should not hold your breath on that one.  Just ask yourself have they done it after other versions of the OS that were flawed?  Why only folks who chose to update to Vista?  Seems the rest of us saw the 'hand writing on the wall' and stayed with what ever we were running.  Sorry, just had to get that in.

Windows 7 needs to be priced so that it developes consurmer confidence back, not just in the product but the company also.  I suppose we don't need to mention that it doesn't need 4 to 6 different levels either.

With this go around of a new OS I just might change due to the fact that it's also time to upgrade the computer.  Lets see in dog years my computer is.................oh never mind. 

vStyler
Reply #6 Monday, February 2, 2009 1:59 PM

Living in Windows

We really do don't we

 

Nice article

elvee
Reply #7 Monday, February 2, 2009 2:33 PM

So If I want to try out the Beta...I should download the 64 bit Version...

CharlesCS
Reply #8 Monday, February 2, 2009 3:09 PM

harlesCS something tells me you should not hold your breath on that one. Just ask yourself have they done it after other versions of the OS that were flawed? Why only folks who chose to update to Vista? Seems the rest of us saw the 'hand writing on the wall' and stayed with what ever we were running. Sorry, just had to get that in.

Hey, I thought the idea itself was insane. I don't know any company that gave anything away, at least not something like Windows 7. But the article seemed to have an interesting point. I was hoping to get a view based on the concept of why Microsoft should give it away as per the writer and not a view based on "yea right, you wish". I already had the "yea right, you wish" thought cross my mind.

dilmonen
Reply #9 Monday, February 2, 2009 6:39 PM
IconPackager definitely doesn't work right now. Unfortunately, all my icons are toast after upgrading a Vista Ultimate 32-bit machine to Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. Since I can't get IconPackager back on there, I can't fix my icons. Hopefully a beta version that works on 7 will show up soon.
Fungus
Reply #10 Monday, February 2, 2009 6:44 PM
I've been running the beta (32 bit). I like that this OS, unlike most of the recent Windows versions, doesn't inherently cater to computer noobs. It's a bit more advanced right out of the box. I'm looking forward to seeing how W.7 plays with Stardock...
Sir Kight of Camelot
Reply #11 Monday, February 2, 2009 7:01 PM

This is the OS that my folks have been waiting for since of the many cons of Vista. A year ago when my father heard about it he wasn't going to get Vista. So we are running Windows XP Media Center SP3. I can't wait to get W7.

The_Regicide
Reply #12 Monday, February 2, 2009 7:08 PM

I want to have a very close eye to this thread...

jpmurph1
Reply #13 Monday, February 2, 2009 7:14 PM
I had a minor problem dual booting Windows7 and Vista, apparently somehow, when i install new software etc, i always do a manual "restore point" which i did on both 7 and vista as i was using them doing something, anyways, somehow, these restore files were overwriting each other, as i tried to do a restore and the file was damaged, and the same in 7, so i did a test run, created a restore point in 7, then went to vista, created one there, went back to 7, file corrupted or damaged, back to vista, and same thing, dont know how this happened, so away goes windows 7 until the final release, reformatted, installed vista,restore point test, and everything is just fine. this turned into a real time consuming affair
Heavenfall
Reply #14 Monday, February 2, 2009 7:19 PM

Hmm, I haven't bothered with windows 7 even though most are quite positive bout it. Guess it's time to buckle down.

GhoS
Reply #15 Monday, February 2, 2009 7:36 PM
IconPackager definitely doesn't work right now. Unfortunately, all my icons are toast after upgrading a Vista Ultimate 32-bit machine to Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit.
Its your mistake dilmonen for upgrading over your existing Vista. It is never recommended you do that no matter how good the beta. Especially where no company has officially said their software works correctly on Win7. I like the direction that Win7 is going and it is very usable. Interesting to read Frogboys notes as he uses it. Especially with the progress of Stardock programs to use on it.
michaelpedersen
Reply #16 Monday, February 2, 2009 9:54 PM
I don't find that Vista is so bad. To me Windows is Windows, until they scrap DOS and go with a more Unix-like kernel it will always be a mess. I really don't have high hopes for Win7, I just expect it to be Vista with different icons, more wallpapers, more code and higher hardware requirements. Same problems that will be fixed with service packs. I'm ok with that, I almost with Microsoft would just come out and say, this is it. Yeah it kind of sucks but overall it works, here ya go.
LightStar
Reply #17 Monday, February 2, 2009 10:39 PM
I did a clean install of Windows 7 on my laptop, and unfortunately nothing from Stardock runs right on it.
JavaFiend
Reply #18 Monday, February 2, 2009 10:53 PM
I have been running the beta 64bit for a few days now. I must say I am very impressed. I didn't mind vista, but it had some things I didn't care for. But, windows 7 seems to me like a big improvement. This is my first experience with 64bit too, and I installed on my laptop with 0 problems. I went from boot-from-cd to desktop with internet access in 45 minutes and had to download nothing extra. Just the install dvd and network passkey. I am actually very excited for this to be released so I can run it full time on my other machine.
Leo the Lion
Reply #19 Tuesday, February 3, 2009 12:33 AM

I'm dual booting XP and Windows 7 and I am finding W7 to be a great experience wherever I look. And that's on a three year old laptop with a pretty pathetic CPU (in todays terms) and a gig of ram. Microsoft are really going to win back the public with this new OS. I've got two freebie Vista Ultimate discs and they've been gathering dust after I installed them last year on my better rigs and they performed like a pig...........so went back to XP.........but now there is light at the end of the tunnel   

AG3
Reply #20 Tuesday, February 3, 2009 3:11 AM

I'm dual booting XP and Win 7 x64 at the moment. I like Windows 7 a lot more than I do Vista (which I have to deal with on a regular basis at work and when playing IT support for my parents), but it's behaving very beta for me, with BSODs not being very uncommon; usually get 1 per day or so, sometimes more. But I did expect that when I installed the beta.

Win 7 is going to be my cue to go 64 bit, and get some more RAM on my game rig

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