Windows 7 beta - First Impressions

I loaded the Windows 7 beta on my old (5 years) P4 2.8 with 2 GB RAM. It was the most seamless installation I've had so far. Installing Vista was easier than XP. Windows 7 is an improvement on Vista. Like Vista, it connected to the Internet via my ADSL MODEM without any intervention. After a couple visits to Windows Update my hardware was properly installed with drivers. The only hardware still waiting for a driver is a wireless card that I don't use anyway.

I've started installing a limited amount of software including essentials like AV and so far no issues with Vista capable software.

Speed seems a little faster than Vista on this old PC. The Aero desktop runs smoothly, although I have turned off some of the fade effects because they annoy me and will tax performance a little on slower PC's.

A copule of issues I've sent reports about. One that annoyed me in Vista is the network icon in the taskbar not "lighting up" bright enough on network activity to indicate data movement. If only they would restore the effective network icon we had in W2K, 2003 and XP.

I haven't as yet been able to work out how to get an IE icon (other than making a shortcut) on the desktop that has the right click functionality in the icon we are used to for deleting files and making changes.

Whilst this OS looks and feels like Vista (which it basically is) it has a more mature feel about it. The same feeling XP has over Vista, even after installing SP1.

MS have a winner here, as long as they can keep compatibility issues to a minimum.

 

Installed 7 64 bit on my Acer laptop OK but took a long time! Picked up all my hardware, downloaded the correct video driver from nVidia, and found my radio link to my ISP, all on its own! That's even better than Vista managed.
Avast free AV is installed and running, and so are Flash and Spyware Blaster, but Spybot won't work. Unfortunately Photoshop CS4 won't install yet.
AUC function is much improved I think, but that is so far the only big difference from Vista that appears during daily use.
Looks good.

Roger

 

I managed to get CS4 installed by right clicking the set-up folder and 'Run as admin'. It is working just fine, and is installed in the normal 'C'\ProgramFiles\Adobe folder, but for some reason Bridge is in a folder called 'C'\ProgramFiles\x86 so presumably Bridge prefers to run in 32 bit! Also in this x86 folder are FF, Avast, and various older programs, and surprisingly to me Internet Explorer!

Roger

 

Easy and quick

I installed Windows 7 twice: first on a VM machine and later a full "upgrade "

In both instances the installation went on smoothly, quickly and effortless.

I love what I have seen and it works better that Vista (from which I upgraded). It solved every problem with drivers and compatibility.

It looks that finally, we have a winner again !

 

I, too, have been trying 7 for the last few days. Can't really tell yet if it's any faster than Vista, but as someone said, it appears to be a more "mature" Vista. I'll probably buy it when it comes out, as I have been, for the most part, pleased with Vista. Gonna build a new machine next year anyway, so may as well go with Seven Good day,