Windows 7 Hits the Wires

Our heroes in Redmond have released a beta version of Windows 7 for our testing pleasure.

Freely available for download (after you register), burn onto DVD, install and enjoy [?].

Caveat: System “expires” in August, 2009, requiring you to reinstall a [prior] version of Windows.

Caveat II: BEWARE: this install will wipe your prior hard drive content, so BACK EVERYTHING UP!! Also, make sure you’ve got reinstallation disk(s) to put your system back together after August.

Not advised to install on your primary system. Better to be doing this with a spare that has (at least!):

• Processor: 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
  Memory: 1 GB of system memory
  Hard drive: 16 GB of available disk space
  Video card: Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
  Drive: DVD-R/W drive
  Internet connection (to download the Beta and get updates)

  Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of “touch”, may require advanced or additional hardware.
  “

• (above from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/dd353205.aspx)

Reports indicate W7 is faster and less of a resource hog than Vista. A few brave souls are trying it. Some report it’s far superior to Vista, while others claim it’s just a re-dressed Vista. I guess there’s only one way to find out.

After some glitches this past weekend, MS decided to allow an unlimited number of downloads until mid January (24th), instead of the 2 1/2 million limit they originally imposed.

So, if you want to experiment, and you’ve got the tech know-how, go for it!

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

or, scope out the FAQ:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-faq.aspx

Let us know what you think!

Reluctantly moving into Vista

Yeah, I’ve put it off as long as I could… too long, perhaps. Now I’m getting calls to support this thing, so I’d better get my act together.

So far, so good, with a gew glitches.

Importing email records from Outlook Express (OE, under Win XP) into Vista’s Windows Mail program is a bit problematical. It appears that Vista is VERY particular about how you follow the procedure. Also, mysteriously, MS seems to have decided that each user account under Vista only deserves a single email account in Windows Mail. If you want to have three separate accounts (with three separate inboxes), like you could in  OE, you have to set up three separate logins for Vista, and set up the Mail program for each mail account. So, as many have complained, now you have to logout/login between SYSTEM accounts to access your different email accounts in an organized fashion. Of course, aside from linux people snickering, there are constructure suggestions such as using Mozilla Thunderbird or Incredimail. But these solutions may not fit all users well.

Security… appears to be better with Vista. Since all users operate in “user land” instead of “administrator land”, it makes it that much harder to get stuff inadvertently installed onto your system. On the other hand, it does make it painful to install stuff you do want. And more painful still to keep using things (having to click yet another dialog to insure that, yes, I really want to do this). Seems like MS might have made this a little smoother using some technologies we’re already familiary with. More on this as I fine-tune my Vista-bule.

Since more and more are getting Vista-ized, anybody finding good resources for newbies and/or more advanced users?

Certainly, everyone should be aware of:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc748998.aspx , with its more technical writeups of various Vista features; and, of course,

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/default.mspx

with general help information.

What else have you seen out there?

Vista-Ready: Not

One of my customers has reported going to computer stores (you know, the megastores, or office supply places) attempting to find wireless print server hardware. After being reassured that the device and its software was Vista-ready, the customer purchased, and brought it home.

During installation, of course, the software failed to install on Vista. Visiting the vendor’s website (Linksys, in this case), showed that the device is NOT YET Vista-ready – they’re still working on it.

My complaint isn’t with the manufacturer – no misrepresentation was made there; it’s with the sales guy at the store, who mislead my customer. Not cool.

Message to the sales guys – find out what is and isn’t Vista-ready; and DON’T make assertions about stuff you don’t know about. Your customers are asking for your knowledge, not your guesswork. If you don’t know, find out. Your customers are your paycheck. Piss them off, and they go away. Sales 101.

Microsoft Windows Vista and XP

While much ink (and many bits) have been burned concerning the virtues of Windows Vista, it seems not everyone wants the new system. Yahoo! news recently (April 23, 24, 2007) posted several news items reporting that Dell has begun offering Windows XP on a number of consumer systems, in response to customer feedback. Apparently Dell also offers Linux on (some of) their systems, and continues to offer XP on Enterprise systems. Noteworthy in one of the news items (http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070421/tc_cmp/199200199, link good April 24, 2007) was:

“To experience all of Vista’s features, PC users need a computer with at least a 1-GHz processor, 1 Gbyte of memory, and a 40-Gbyte hard drive. By contrast, Windows XP Professional requires only a 300-MHz processor, 128 Mbytes of RAM, and a 1.5-Gbyte disk.”

I would add to this that, at least as far as XP goes, you may get away with a 300 MHz processor, but 128Mb of RAM is only enough to run the Windows system, not really enough to do anything productive with any degree of performance, especially with Service Pack 2. You really want at least 256Mb, and the more memory the better. A 1.5 Gb disk isn’t even an option these days, as 80 Gb drives are available for less than $50. Similarly, I have heard that Vista’s minimum requirements don’t really provide enough room to work, and something like 2 Gbyte of memory is much more preferable. Again, the more the better. Otherwise, the system starts swapping memory to disk like crazy, your performance goes into the toilet, and your hard drive sees years of mileage in a matter of months.

I’ve also read many complaints about Vista compatibility with both older hardware and software, resulting in the need to retire that old hardware, and purchase sometimes expensive new software licenses. Finally, I’ve also heard enough reports to suggest that upgrading to Vista on a computer that is much more than about a year old is a very bad idea. You may get lucky, though.