Windows 7
The Retail boxes for Windows 7.
Windows 7 was released on October 22, 2009. Windows 7 is an upgrade edition of Windows for Vista or XP.
Windows 7 is based on the NT6.1 kernel, build 7600. Windows 7 has many enhancements from Vista, but also removes some.
Windows 7 is based on the NT6.1 kernel, build 7600. Windows 7 has many enhancements from Vista, but also removes some.
In my opinion, Windows 7 will be the new Windows XP in this day and age. Windows 7 will run on any computer better than what Vista did. But whats weird is my 2005 HP Pavilion a810n likes Vista more than it does Windows 7. Windows Vista got a higher geekbench score than 7 did on that machine. Windows 7 still isn't perfect. From my year and a half of using it, I still come across some bugs and problems. Windows 7 will be the desktop operating system as Windows 8 will not be favored on desktops as much as on tablets/phones or touch screen pcs.
Windows 7 comes in 6 different versions. Starter is the most basic version that you see on most netbooks, and low end desktops. Home Basic is only available in certain countries and doesn't provide the aero theme. Home Premium is the most widely used version and comes on any new laptop or mid-range desktop. Professional is the version that is the best for businesses and offers better multicore support than Home Basic, and Home Premium and also gives the functionality of using Windows XP mode, or joining a domain. Ultimate is for users who want it all, it's for PC enthusiasts and if often comes with more bloatware than you can ever imagine, and the support for up to 36 languages, which is something Windows 7 Professional doesn't support. Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate is support till 2015, but Pro is supported till 2020. I would recommend Windows 7 32-bit if you have less than 4 GB of RAM, with a dual-core processor, as Windows 7 64-bit will lag on anything less than 4 GB of RAM. If you want more compatibility use 32-bit but if you want to take advantage of your newest CPU, and RAM use 64-bit. Running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit on my hp pavilion slimline s7700n was the biggest pain as it was so slow. I now have Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit and not only does it run faster, but it seems to be more compatible with my older applications too such as MS Office 2003, etc.
Windows 7 comes in 6 different versions. Starter is the most basic version that you see on most netbooks, and low end desktops. Home Basic is only available in certain countries and doesn't provide the aero theme. Home Premium is the most widely used version and comes on any new laptop or mid-range desktop. Professional is the version that is the best for businesses and offers better multicore support than Home Basic, and Home Premium and also gives the functionality of using Windows XP mode, or joining a domain. Ultimate is for users who want it all, it's for PC enthusiasts and if often comes with more bloatware than you can ever imagine, and the support for up to 36 languages, which is something Windows 7 Professional doesn't support. Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate is support till 2015, but Pro is supported till 2020. I would recommend Windows 7 32-bit if you have less than 4 GB of RAM, with a dual-core processor, as Windows 7 64-bit will lag on anything less than 4 GB of RAM. If you want more compatibility use 32-bit but if you want to take advantage of your newest CPU, and RAM use 64-bit. Running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit on my hp pavilion slimline s7700n was the biggest pain as it was so slow. I now have Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit and not only does it run faster, but it seems to be more compatible with my older applications too such as MS Office 2003, etc.
How good are the new features? Well, there are some things from Vista that I wish they kept, like Ultimate Extras, I liked my Dreamscene wallpapers. I also liked their Movie Maker, but Windows Live ruined that and made it super light without any good pro editing tools. I also liked the screensaver that said "Windows Vista" like how XP had "Windows XP Professional," but as I look around I still see that XP screensaver on my old Sony server across my room.
Windows Vista Ultimate Extras from Vista SP1.
Windows XP Pro screensaver.
What does it run well on? It runs great on anything with a dual core 2GHz system and 2GB RAM. The more RAM you have, the more Windows takes up, I have 8GB of RAM, and Windows uses 2GB of that sitting here with Chrome and iTunes open. You really don't need a 6-Core PC for the next 2 years unless you do lots of movie editing, but to do what I do on a daily basis is probably what my laptop could handle. In task manager, I watch my 6 cores each having little activity. But it does come in handy when I am using Photoshop, 7-Zipping a file, or rendering a video in After Effects or Camtasia Studio 7.1. For hard drives, I fill up my 64GB SSD thats in my laptop with a Windows 7 install and some apps (like some Adobe and Office) and all that space is GONE. In my desktop, I got 1.5TB, and I got 35% of that filled with data. Last but not least, graphics. If you want the cool glassy effect, you need 128MB of grpahic power or more.If you have less than 128MB, you get to look at the non-glassy theme.
Task Manger for 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a AMD Phenom II 1090T BE 3.2GHz
Showing the system specs that link with Task Manager picture above.
Personalization menu, showing the glassy theme, and the old classic theme.
The bottom line is, Windows 7 is a great Operating System that is a big improvement for anyone moving from Vista or XP as it well make their life more productive, get things done faster, and enjoy more things possible with Windows 7. Windows 7 has a low price point for the Home Premium upgrade (I have been able to do a clean install of Windows with the upgrade disk and use the upgrade key to activate) cost of $120 USD. Professional (up the corner with Domain support and network located backups) is $200 USD for the upgrade (I was able to get a clean install with this as well), and Ultimate is up $20 more at $220 USD. If you buy the upgrade to Pro, you could spend $20 more and get Multi-Language support, and the title to say you have a legal copy of it. To buy Windows 7, click on the image below that says "Microsoft Store." Windows 7 has 1 Service Pack which is available for free to owners of a legal copy of Windows 7.
Review Info:
DyNiForm
12/3/2011 9:12PM PST
DyNiForm
12/3/2011 9:12PM PST
Buy Windows 7 from the MS Store.
