Your Computer Network Solution
On the Edge with Windows 7…

Generally when a new beta software release is announced, we take somewhat of a wait and see approach - but not this time. Within minutes of Microsoft’s release of the Windows 7 Beta to key partners, I received an e-mail from our President, Jeff Mack, indicating his eagerness to jump into the abyss of a new OS beta…. NOT!

Conveniently, Jeff was scheduled to be out of the office all day on business, not expecting to return until early evening. What an opportunity to uh… give him a little push into the abyss... I immediately started the download of Windows 7 Beta, and arranged for an identical laptop in appearance to his to be configured with this new OS. Imagine his surprise when his trusted HP Vista steed had been replaced with the Beta Win 7 build! Everyone around the office wanted to see his expression when he realized that he had been …upgraded!

With all the hype over this new OS, it was soon apparent that a lot of partners had the same idea… The download took nearly six hours. Once downloaded and burned to a DVD, installation of Windows 7 went very smoothly. For those of you who use Windows Vista, Windows 7 looks and feels very familiar. Yes, there are a few changes, but you will jump into Windows 7 without skipping a beat. Vista drivers for video, audio and mass storage installed fine. At worst, I only had to change compatibility options on one driver to “fool” the installer into believing that it was a Vista machine.

Windows 7 includes the new Internet Explorer 8 with a host of new features like Accelerators which provide live links to other applications with click of the mouse. Simply highlight a word, phrase or sentence in the browser and you right click to a menu allowing you to Google it, map it, or even find it on Ebay. That could be a great time saver.

Working with wireless networks, VPNs and other network resources has been made easier as well. Simply click on the icon on the task bar, and all your connections are at your fingertips. The “Connect To” icon on the program menu has been removed by default, but you can add it back if you prefer. The Control Panel has been streamlined with a nicer look and feel. One of the nice changes is that now screen resolution settings can be changed directly from the desktop without having to go into Personalize Setting and selecting a tab. Not a huge change, but a nice improvement.

Overall, Windows 7 appears to be a slightly refined version of Windows Vista. It remains to be seen whether it is faster or more reliable (we have not had many issues with Vista), but it is an evolutionary step forward. Since sales of Windows XP were discontinued on January 9, we need to embrace Vista and soon Windows 7. I ordered a new hard drive this morning to install Windows 7 on my laptop; might as well jump in with both feet!

As for Jeff? He came running into my office last night after noticing his laptop was missing; only to find me finishing the install on what he thought was his laptop. To his credit, his response was reserved... You could sense his panic, but I think we’ve pushed him off the bleeding edge enough times … He’s come to expect it.

For more information about Windows 7, call Chris Faist, Integrated Computer Systems Support at 425-284-5410.