First Look at Windows 7

by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes  |  November 6, 2008 8:30am PST  |  Image 5 of 58

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Windows 7 install

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RE: Windows 7 - Everything in the Control Panel (First Look at Windows 7)
newsletters@... 22nd Nov 2008
They should have kept XP and upgraded that instead. XP is still the best of the OS that they have. Istead they have all these different vista os, what the F&%K!
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Glad to see them catching up again.

Now, how about some stability? That would be good.
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Catching up...?
Wolfie2K3 6th Nov 2008
Looks almost identical to the Vista Ultimate w/SP1 install I did today - except this one's blue and Vista's installer was that sorta sea foam green..
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I thought the sme thing
rarsa 7th Nov 2008
I thought almost the same thing.

I thought "linux" but I was actually picturing the fedora 9 theme.

Although I wish icons in Linux were easier to resize.
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Me Too
bradleyfarrar 8th Nov 2008
I was thinking: "It looks like Ubuntu!"
I hope there is more meat on those bones. Looked visually similar to Vista so let's hope the similarities end at the surface.
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"...hope the similarities end at the surface."?

Actually, Vista is a solid, well-rounded OS and all one should hope for with Windows 7 are tweaked improvements and some cleanups; certainly nothing fundamental that affects the underlining functionality of Vista.

Indeed, that is why the end-user cost to go from Vista to 7 should be reasonably low.
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Solid and Well Rounded?
rkjohn 7th Nov 2008
Solid? Well rounded? Vista? Do you use anything besides Notepad and Paint?
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Ribbon UI - I really hate it
jshewsbury@... 6th Nov 2008
At home I bought a Microsoft Office 2007 DVD and end up not using now (install it, test it, hate it and uninstall it) as I really hate the Ribbon UI.

I've been using Microsoft Office since I used Windows 3.1 and for almost 2 decades using the same interface it is really annoying that I need to "look around and doing trial and error" just to create a simple thing that I used to do in the previous version of Microsoft Office.

End up now, my only other solution is that either using pirated Ms-Office Pro 2003 (which is easy to get nowadays) and the free Open Office 3 which look and feel familiar. I understand the fact that perhaps there are many other people out there who in fact love the Ribbon UI - but certainly not me and my few other friends who share the same thoughts. Surely I regret spending money for the Office 2007, wish I could return it and get full refund (which is impossible)

At works, we have both licensed Office Pro 2003 and Office Pro 2007.

I just use the Outlook 2007 - which in fact in many ways I feel is much superior than Outlook 2003.

But for my other office need like word processing and spreadsheet I go back to Office Pro 2003 simply because I'm familiar with the environment and I don't have to "re-learn" again as I have many paperwork to finish and I certainly don't have time.

I hope in the future Microsoft can give user option to choose the UI in Microsoft Office... that would be cool... and if they do so, I will surely buy Microsoft Office again.
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and option to pick the old method ro new method would have been a good leap.
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Not as hard as you're making it!
SLacobee 7th Nov 2008
Oh, come on ... really? I am a technical trainer and have been training MS Office for years... I agree that we "always did it another way." But, why are the ribbons so hard? How long really have you looked for an item you can find?

I wasn't sure I'd like ribbons either... but, now I'm extremely pleased and consider it much easier to train the general "lay" user community.

Give it another try!
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I'm underwhelmed by Ribbon controls.
gypkap@... 12th Nov 2008
I worked with a copy of Word 2007 that came with my new laptop during the 2 month trial period. It looks like they were trying to make text formatting simpler using the ribbons, but the older versions of Office are far easier to use. For now, I'm using Open Office, which still uses a button interface to control text formatting.
I am an avid user of Windows. Miscrosoft has a ways to go. I have seen nothing of Windows 7 yet that would make me want to upgrade from Vista. If the price for Ultimate upgrade is in the $50.00 price range I would think about it.
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Still much to do
colecrew 6th Nov 2008
I have seen nothing from the Windows 7 Ultimate preview that would make me want to upgrade from Vista. If the price for upgrade is right ($50) then I would consider it.
open your eyes, its all just eye candy. windows xp is the freindliest OS to date, most stable...etc. everything you see hear was because MS screwed up distribution and put so much security into Vista your forced to turn most of it off. Its network functionality is a pain to work through, i can go on and on and on
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Doh.
MaxKorban 7th Nov 2008
Which is why they made significant changes/improvements to the networking portion, or haven't you been really paying attention or reading up? Win7 is WinVista improved. Much looks the same but there are a long list of improvements. Don't shut it down before you've tested it yourself.
Can you upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition directly to Windows 7, and how do you know if your system will handle the new Windows 7?

Any Microsoft sites that will check hardware requirements and give indication if present PC will operate properly under the new Windows 7 system?
Microsoft should work on Vista's Hardware compatablilty problems before working on a new OS system. I think is sucks.
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Read up.
MaxKorban 7th Nov 2008
It's already been mentioned that the hardware and device drivers area have been vastly improved. Win7 is WinVista improved. Much looks the same but there are a long list of improvements. Don't shut it down before you've tested it yourself.
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Seems to me to be Vista version 1.5 or so, nothing really new. Where is the new usability and simpleness that all the magazines are talking about?
Or am i just blind?
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it's just vista with a name change.
bendib Updated - 7th Nov 2008
Get linux and end these endless hassles.
Don't try one linux and say "I hate linux"
There are hundreds of distributions so find the one you like best.
I like ubuntu.
Get linux at my site, here:
http://linuxmadegeeky.weebly.com/get-linux.html
Except for running MS windows specific applications, no thrill here. Can you adjust the looks, probably not much. Can you get a version that will work in 512MB of memory or will you need 2Gig?

Oh wait, except for websites that require IE*, Firefox is fine. I've been using Xubuntu to do almost everything. Should I buy MSW7 just to keep familiar with MS products? If I buy a new machine, will it come with my own copy on a CD and will it easily accommodate dual booting? Why after having paid so much money for it do I have to register and activate it to be able to use it and update it? Do I still have to buy MSW7 for each machine I own?

And people wonder why there is a digital gap.
Looks just like Vista as far as I can see. What I really want is an operating system that doesn't get in the way of what I'm trying to do. Vista hogs a lot of valuable memory I need for my applications, as does XP actually. But Vista especially seems so overblown. Perhaps Microsoft should think about two operating systems, one for professionals who need power, speed, lots of memory and an OS like a BMW engine - silent and extremely efficient and another for the domestic market.
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This task bar looks exactly like my vista ultimate.
Where's the changes at looks to much like the same old crappy version of Vista I wont buy it I will go to Linux myself at least they have a lot of different versions not the same old crap. Microsoft sucks as a working system anyway.
It looks a lot like the Server 2008 install. Very quick, very easy. Even for a server install it only took maybe 20 minutes tops. Perhaps MS used some of the same functionality in Windows 7.

I dig the new install for Win 7, it looks so easy even a very new and non-technical person can do it with ease.
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Looks great to me.
MaxKorban 7th Nov 2008
There are UI similarities with Vista, of course. I like what I see, though I know what I see isn't everything. They haven't included the rest of the UI changes that we've seen in this build. It'll be interesting to see the final RC and really get to play. I've read up on what's been released for a list of changes, and I'm keeping in the loop. There's a lot more to Win7 than what we're seeing here, and I can't wait to get an RC and find out the knittygritty details. happy

Thanks Adrian for the screenshots. Doesn't tell us much, but it looks good.
I liked the previous taskbar, which was cleaner and well...cooler. The default background has changed as well, making it more like Vista and less like a 'cooler', new OS. And i didn't see any widgets hovering anywhere on the screen either...
I have try to install beta version but after i have installed my computer get an error and i can't boot into now system . I have try again to install on virual pc to see if my computer is incompatible , i have installed ok but when i have installed virtual pc tools windows 7 get a fatal error and is not starting getting a error about FSDISK.sys . So , this windows 7 is like vista but with more error that vista when vista was in beta test .
You are kidding me right!!!
This is another Microsoft scam.
barf
Looks like vista to me.
Looks good. Can I have a copy?

Michael
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Get a mac
saxpablo 8th Nov 2008
With Mac you can get the best of both worlds
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Get a mac and...
fuego96@... 8th Nov 2008
...still run Windows. Like a lot of my friends have done. Like, they run nothing Mac related at all. So it's a wonder where the good idea in that is.
I want to hate it too. How much HDD does it need?
What the ? Same moronic bull just changing the name thinking everyone will fall for it.
Wow, what a pictorial . . . like watching grass grow _
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This just makes me angry
jzweigoron 10th Nov 2008
I got Vista when I got a new home computer recently. I hate it! It looks to me like they had a bunch of 20-somes right out of UI school design it. Now I'm supposed to pay how much to get a usable operating system? Only Microsoft could get away with it.
I think Microsoft needs some really good stiff competition to level the playing field. I do not like monopolies.
They should have kept XP and upgraded that instead. XP is still the best of the OS that they have. Istead they have all these different vista os, what the F&%K!

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ie8 fix

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