Windows 7 RC
May 10, 2009 0:47:30 GMT -5
Post by Lamron on May 10, 2009 0:47:30 GMT -5
I've made the switch to Windows 7 RC as my full time OS. Its a complete, working operating system now and it works really well. So I decided it was time to finally let go of XP and embrace the future. ( I still have my XP install on another partition as a back up, and I'm still in the process of moving everything over).
You can get it here:
www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx
(Don't be a 'tard like me and try THREE times to burn this to a CD, before realizing that it is WAY too big. You must have a DVD burner! )
Here's the deal, this is a Release Candidate. Its pretty close to done, they're just doing final testing. It will work until June 1, 2010. After that, you will have to buy the new OS or revert back to something else.
Things I Like:
No drivers to install! Everything was automatically detected and installed. They put alot of effort into making this work with almost any hardware.
Taskbar preview. Hold your mouse over anything in the taskbar and a thumbnail preview shows that window. The taskbar labels automatically stack up by file type, so its easy to find what you're looking for.
Very easy networking. I have three computers and a printer on my home network, and they were all painlessly recognized and made usable immediately. This was sometimes a big pain in XP.
Start Menu search box. There is a very smart and fast search box built into the Start Menu. It doesn't just search for file names, it searches EVERYTHING, and the results list changes as fast as you can type. Its kind of hard to describe until you play with it. You can type in things like "adjust time" or "show hidden folders" or "turn off autoplay" and it will know what information you're looking for. You can also type in things like "one step closer" and it figured out I was looking for a Linkin Park song called "One Step Closer" in my media library. It also looks at your internet favorites list and finds relevant info there. Its HUGELY useful if you can't remember how to do or find something, or while you're getting used to the settings on a new OS.
Desktop gadgets. These tiny programs don't seem to use much CPU power and let you put different types of info on the screen. I'm using a meter that shows current CPU and memory usage, and a weather box. Theres a permanent "show desktop" button next to the clock so you can check them with a screen full of windows.
Sound Mixer. The mixer lets you set the sound PER AUDIO APPLICATION, and adds/removes sliders on the fly. There's a master volume, system sounds, and then additional ones popup when you start an new audio application.
I'm still learning all the new features and transfering all my programs over, but so far there hasn't been any compatibility problems.
Anybody else taking the plunge into Windows 7?
You can get it here:
www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx
(Don't be a 'tard like me and try THREE times to burn this to a CD, before realizing that it is WAY too big. You must have a DVD burner! )
Here's the deal, this is a Release Candidate. Its pretty close to done, they're just doing final testing. It will work until June 1, 2010. After that, you will have to buy the new OS or revert back to something else.
Things I Like:
No drivers to install! Everything was automatically detected and installed. They put alot of effort into making this work with almost any hardware.
Taskbar preview. Hold your mouse over anything in the taskbar and a thumbnail preview shows that window. The taskbar labels automatically stack up by file type, so its easy to find what you're looking for.
Very easy networking. I have three computers and a printer on my home network, and they were all painlessly recognized and made usable immediately. This was sometimes a big pain in XP.
Start Menu search box. There is a very smart and fast search box built into the Start Menu. It doesn't just search for file names, it searches EVERYTHING, and the results list changes as fast as you can type. Its kind of hard to describe until you play with it. You can type in things like "adjust time" or "show hidden folders" or "turn off autoplay" and it will know what information you're looking for. You can also type in things like "one step closer" and it figured out I was looking for a Linkin Park song called "One Step Closer" in my media library. It also looks at your internet favorites list and finds relevant info there. Its HUGELY useful if you can't remember how to do or find something, or while you're getting used to the settings on a new OS.
Desktop gadgets. These tiny programs don't seem to use much CPU power and let you put different types of info on the screen. I'm using a meter that shows current CPU and memory usage, and a weather box. Theres a permanent "show desktop" button next to the clock so you can check them with a screen full of windows.
Sound Mixer. The mixer lets you set the sound PER AUDIO APPLICATION, and adds/removes sliders on the fly. There's a master volume, system sounds, and then additional ones popup when you start an new audio application.
I'm still learning all the new features and transfering all my programs over, but so far there hasn't been any compatibility problems.
Anybody else taking the plunge into Windows 7?