Windows 7 Options

[Sicksinz]

So I installed windows 7 the other day. Was excited at first...but now that it's installed, all the excitement is gone. It is windows vista...with better performance, neat options and a clunkier looking task bar until you change it up to where it somewhat resembles vista...but the pin/un-pin thing is kind of dumb looking...especially when you got a pinned item in between two opened items...
The other day my friend kept changing his background on his desktop while he was drunk and I didn't notice and asked him if he had an auto-background changer or slideshow thing going on...he told me no...we thought "how cool would it be if windows had that?" Well, that useless idea came with the new operating system. Go me.

The only thing I'm officially happy about is the fact my Psx emulator runs smoother on windows 7...and that the upgrade didn't force me to reinstall everything...it just ported everything over.

[Allen Hunter]

A computer technician told me that "Windows 7 is just a more glorified version of Windows Vista."

I think I'll stick to my Windows XP.

[Skully]

Dang ,still suffering from visa-itus?
Why can't Microsoft make a universally compatible OS ?
(After trying vista and how none of my xp programs worked on it I am very sceptical of any new OS)
looks like I'll be keeping my xp.

[Ndrd]

Allen, until you've actually tried out 7, I think you need to hold your opinion. It's a great OS. I think having the pin function, combined with jumplists, has changed the way I use windows. I recently went back and used a computer with XP and it just seemed lacking. I found myself dragging to the top and sides of the screen expecting it to snap etc, with nothing happening. Once you get used to the pinning feature, it's great. I have only a few things pinned, but the one thing that is a must to pin is a folder. You can then right click the folder to bring up your most visited locations, and even pin your favorite ones inside. But hey, I liked vista, so maybe I'm just weird that way.

-Ndrd

[Sicksinz]

it runs about as fast as xp.
im a pc technician
pc technicians have different views on things
/shrug

basically, im not entirely amazed with the OS, however, I wont go back to vista and its got an XP Mode (which is downloadable through microsoft) where you can run programs in XP mode. From what i hear, allen, you have a better computer than I have, so you might as well set aside a partition and try it out at least.

[Elemental Crisis]

I used an RC of Windows 7 awhile back and I liked it, to me it felt like an upgrade to Vista which is something I'm ok with. Lets face it, XP is old, sure people still use 98 but eventually the majority XP users will switch over to 7 and Vista will become the new Windows Millennium.

[NES Player]

I just received my free Windows 7 in the mail from Dell (I purchased a laptop a couple months ago when every OEM offers free upgrades for most of their computers), installed it and I am enjoying it more than I ever did XP. Sure XP excels, but every operating system has a time when you'll find yourself in an urge to upgrade. In the beginning I wasn't amazed due to the fact Windows 7 is just a repackage of an older operating system. However Windows 7 is aimed to achieve improved performance, as well as a more simplified environment, which makes this upgrade very welcome.

As far as the taskbar is concerned I find the changes very advantageous. It gives me the option to pin my frequent applications as it does assist me in my desktop's clutter reduction. I have no icons on my desktop, giving me a clear view of my entire wallpaper. Additionally when I run several windows relating to a specific application I terminate all of them simultaneously within a single right-click menu use. The Aero Peak tool located at the very right of the taskbar lets you view your desktop behind all your windows as well as the option to minimize all your open windows which is a convenience.

Anyway this is just my verdict. In a nutshell Windows 7 is my favorite Windows operating system to date. However it is important to take note some users of Windows Vista may find this upgrade somewhat useless at first impression.

Dang ,still suffering from visa-itus?
Why can't Microsoft make a universally compatible OS ?
(After trying vista and how none of my xp programs worked on it I am very sceptical of any new OS)
looks like I'll be keeping my xp.

Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions are compatible with Windows XP Mode allowing you to run most Windows XP applications without a problem. Unfortunately I am a Home Premium User so I cannot enjoy this. When you make a decision to buy Windows 7, make sure you grab at least the Professional Edition if you want backward compatibility with Windows XP.

[Allen Hunter]

From what i hear, allen, you have a better computer than I have, so you might as well set aside a partition and try it out at least.

My laptop? Eh, it often crashes programs due the damn thing being so slow.

I guess I may consider installing Windows 7 once I am able to. I just want to use a computer with that installed to see for myself.

[Krazy Meerkat]

I see many more advantages with xp, if you want something you can usually find someone's made it for xp and released it for free on the internet. There is much more of a community-based approach to bettering technology for the old platform.
I've heard that many of the applications that I use won't work with old projects on the new platform and I just refuse to "down-grade" to vista or windows 7 from xp, why fix something that isn't broken?
There are many programs with auto-snapping for xp, including several powerful media apps that have been released for free. I'm sure that there are programs that can add auto-snapping to every active window..

[Sicksinz]

Well, this isn't me being a fanboy or anything, but until you've tried it, you cannot say that it is "downgrade" or whatever. Also, keep in mind that the time is coming up real soon that Microsoft is going to stop supporting xp. Windows 7 also has a downloadable windows xp compatibility mode from the microsoft website which should be able to run older software that wont work on vista or 7. The big thing with Windows 7 is that they did not add a bunch of extra junk, but they did add in the snapping. This is meant to make the touch screen compatibility better and easier for older folks who are first getting into computers (hate to say it, but i love this feature for that...at work, all i gotta do is tell a customer to shake the window to get rid of the other windows and focus on one...lmao) They even removed Windows Mail. In the end it is all entirely up to you what you do, but until you try something, there is absolutely no reason to judge it.

[SirBanmbee]

Hey Sicksinz, I've seen screenshots of the new Windows 7, and I saw this one where there's a circle in the center of the screen. What's this circle? Do you have the Start button over there? Is it Windows Media Player? Or what is it? By the way why do they call it Windows 7? If somebody might know.

And my advice would be that when a new operating system comes out, to wait to install it until all bugs are tested and repaired, I would say to wait about six months to buy it.

[Ndrd]

The public beta lasted quite a long time, so most of the bugs that existed were tested and are gone. I'm not sure what you mean by circle in the middle, but if you posted the screenshot I'm sure we'd be able to tell you.

-Ndrd

[Sicksinz]

might have been a theme. or background. i havent seen any circle thing myself

[NES Player]

Hey Sicksinz, I've seen screenshots of the new Windows 7, and I saw this one where there's a circle in the center of the screen. What's this circle? Do you have the Start button over there? Is it Windows Media Player? Or what is it? By the way why do they call it Windows 7? If somebody might know.

And my advice would be that when a new operating system comes out, to wait to install it until all bugs are tested and repaired, I would say to wait about six months to buy it.

6 months wasn't a good enough time window for Windows Vista. I waited almost a year to buy a Vista-equipped computer, only to find out Windows 7 is in development shortly after, as well as suffering a plethora of glitches that would excessively crash my system.

[Krazy Meerkat]

I have heard that although you can run xp programs, it doesn't support all xp functions and a lot of games with big fan-bases will continue to use the old system until windows can make a stable OS that supports all platforms.
They need to remember that they are making a platform for applications, not the applications themselves.. Eg. Microsoft word's paperclip, it's just another cpu-draining annoyance that should have been a downloadable app. The help file is there for a reason..
Using a computer is meant to be harder than learning to use the DVD player, the way I see it, microsoft is just making it easier for idiots to use the computer..
Also, vista and windows 7 are "down-grades" because they removed many functions and started from scratch with a lot of core platforms.. Read any respectable PC magazine and you'll see the articles even state that they consider a lot of microsoft's new ideas to be useless and say that so much is removed from the old platform that one would question "upgrading".
I admit that I have not tried it but I've seen the advertisements and apart from all it's fancy screen-manipulation, what does the actual operating system have to offer? Microsoft could make xp the perfect operating system but that's not how they work. They are constantly releasing more products as soon as they seem bug-free without proper testing, they gotta keep making money but they know that if they made what people wanted in one package, they would get the raw end on the price side of things.. So they cut it apart and release various versions, each with a different capabilities.. But they still seem to appear as if they only work on one version at a time and each is "better" than the one before..
The way I see it, microsoft thinks that they made a mistake with xp, and they're trying to fix it.. They already released a virus that locks xp operating systems with a used regristration key which can be downloaded with some programs (a trojan horse) directly from their website. Now I'm not saying that pirating software is right, but my friend bought his PC from someone in the newspaper (a long time ago now) who assembled and sold computers for a living, anyway when he went on the internet, xp downloaded an update from microsoft's automatic update system containing the virus. He only got to use his AU$200 computer for a few weeks before it locked up and that is a lot of money for a teenager.. My point being that the blame lies not with my friend (because he did not know it was counterfit), nor with the merchant (he was just trying to make a living and he was doing good and not bad), but with microsoft and their malicious attitude towards people who out-smart them.. Not a good attitude for a company desperately trying to get people to buy a new operating system as expensive as a second-hand car.

[Ndrd]

God forbid an operating system would make a computer easier to use...

Not a good attitude for a company desperately trying to get people to buy a new operating system as expensive as a second-hand car.

Where the fuck am I going to get a second hand car for $30?

-Ndrd

[SirBanmbee]

Here's a screenshot of what I was talking about. It looks like a taskbar or something like that.

http://images.chron.com/blogs/techblog/archives/win7jpg.jpg

Yeah six months could be too much, or it could not be enough at all, for example imagine waiting, back in the year 2000, six months to install Windows Me, which lasted only a year, you'll have only six months of a brand new operating system. Also, remember Windows XP had some issues at the beginning, too, like compatibilty issues on software. And like in Windows 2000 it was difficult, sometimes impossible, to play games, and thus Windows XP comes from Windows 2000, and now I believe many of those problems are gone. Windows XP comes from an operating sytem designed for business type platforms, and now, for what I've read in many forums, is one of people's favorites since Windows 95 and 98, and in those years there was Windows NT, that also had problems with Y2K issue. See? Windows XP is a version of Windows NT with many of the problems resolved. May be an operating system gets better when a new one comes out. I believe you should try them all to compare and contrast each of them. For now, I'll stick mostly to Windows XP Media Center Edition, not because I don't want another one, like Windows 7, because as of now I can't afford to buy a new one, ha ha ha! In conclusion it seems that for what you've said Windows 7 is Windows Vista with a better performance and stability, who knows, may be in the near future this one will be most of people favorites. Or we'll have to wait for Windows Vista gets perfected and Microsoft calls it something else, like Windows 8.

[clone1018]

Thats a fake conception of Windows 7 before it was made. Fan made

[SirBanmbee]

I have heard that although you can run xp programs, it doesn't support all xp functions and a lot of games with big fan-bases will continue to use the old system until windows can make a stable OS that supports all platforms.
They need to remember that they are making a platform for applications, not the applications themselves.. Eg. Microsoft word's paperclip, it's just another cpu-draining annoyance that should have been a downloadable app. The help file is there for a reason..
Using a computer is meant to be harder than learning to use the DVD player, the way I see it, microsoft is just making it easier for idiots to use the computer..
Also, vista and windows 7 are "down-grades" because they removed many functions and started from scratch with a lot of core platforms.. Read any respectable PC magazine and you'll see the articles even state that they consider a lot of microsoft's new ideas to be useless and say that so much is removed from the old platform that one would question "upgrading".
I admit that I have not tried it but I've seen the advertisements and apart from all it's fancy screen-manipulation, what does the actual operating system have to offer? Microsoft could make xp the perfect operating system but that's not how they work. They are constantly releasing more products as soon as they seem bug-free without proper testing, they gotta keep making money but they know that if they made what people wanted in one package, they would get the raw end on the price side of things.. So they cut it apart and release various versions, each with a different capabilities.. But they still seem to appear as if they only work on one version at a time and each is "better" than the one before..
The way I see it, microsoft thinks that they made a mistake with xp, and they're trying to fix it.. They already released a virus that locks xp operating systems with a used regristration key which can be downloaded with some programs (a trojan horse) directly from their website. Now I'm not saying that pirating software is right, but my friend bought his PC from someone in the newspaper (a long time ago now) who assembled and sold computers for a living, anyway when he went on the internet, xp downloaded an update from microsoft's automatic update system containing the virus. He only got to use his AU$200 computer for a few weeks before it locked up and that is a lot of money for a teenager.. My point being that the blame lies not with my friend (because he did not know it was counterfit), nor with the merchant (he was just trying to make a living and he was doing good and not bad), but with microsoft and their malicious attitude towards people who out-smart them.. Not a good attitude for a company desperately trying to get people to buy a new operating system as expensive as a second-hand car.

I agree with you in what you say that many things are removed from previous operating systems. Like, I don't know, but I'd like to have the MS-DOS feature from the Windows 1.0, that ended with Windows Me. And like you said, it would be neat to have an operating system that support all the old programs and are compatible from back then with Windows 1.0. And don't have the need to install an emulator, because sometimes not even with an emulator you could have this. I might go too far now, but wouldn't it be neat too, to have compatibility with other platform programs like MacOS or Linux? I believe Windows is ready for this.

God forbid an operating system would make a computer easier to use...


QUOTE
Not a good attitude for a company desperately trying to get people to buy a new operating system as expensive as a second-hand car.

Where the fuck am I going to get a second hand car for $30?

-Ndrd


I can buy a used car for 500 bucks. NDRD where can I get Windows 7 for 30 bucks? I can get some of previous operating systems for may be 20 bucks, but not Windows 7.

[probablyflashy]

I probably won't upgrade to Windows 7 until the first service pack comes out. just in case there's any vulnerabilities that Microsoft hasn't fixed yet. I do need to upgrade my OS, though. It's only a matter of time before Microsoft quits supporting XP.