Ironcladd's Full Review: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Version f...
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade: Is It For You?
By
James P. Zaworski
I just upgraded my Toshiba laptop from the pre-installed Windows Vista to the brand new Windows 7 Operating System. The upgrade from Vista to 7 is relatively smooth. I purchased the home premium upgrade last week, and I felt compelled to write a review of this new operating system. I have heard that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 is not without difficulty. Many folks were unhappy with Windows Vista, and a lot of complaints were lodged against this operating system, that it taxed the resources of the computer, used too much energy, crashed all too often, and was a bit slow and sluggish in the execution of its new and improved features. What follows is a review of Windows 7 based on my experiences of the past week. I am by no means a computer expert, and this is a user end review that may be a bit narrow in scope. I will make a provisional recommendation at the end of the review.
New Features/"Streamlined Features."
One thing about Windows 7 is that many of the "new" features are simply improved or "streamlined" features that existed before in both Windows XP and Windows Vista. The line between "new" and "streamlined" seems to be rather blurry to me, so I'm including them all in this section.
Minimum Requirements for the Upgrade. This upgrade is best for Windows Vista, which was my previous operating system on both computers. You have to make sure that your computer has the particular minimum specifications to run the new operating system, Windows 7: minimum of 16 Gb if hard drive space available, 1 GHz CPU, and 1.02 Gb of RAM. More is recommended however (20 Gb hard drive space and 2.0 Gb RAM respectively). Startup/Boot. Windows 7 has a faster boot/startup time than previous Windows operating systems. My computer consistently starts up more quickly than with either XP or Vista.
Homegroup/Home Networking. Windows 7 makes it a lot easier to setup and maintain a home network. In the past, the process was quite a headache to go through, and would often leave me pulling out my hair in frustration. Homegrouping makes it easy to connect several computers together so that one can share files and printers between them. The only problem seems to be that only Windows 7 computers can connect to each other. I tried to connect my girlfriend's computer, which runs Windows XP, and was unsuccessful in doing so. Wireless connections make the networking really seamless and less cumbersome. With wireless networking, two computers can easily share an internet connection, share media files, play network games, and share printers. I like the printer sharing feature, as I now don't have to fumble around with finding a USB disk to go from one to the other to do the desired printing. Windows 7 makes significant improvements here over the previous systems.
Windows Taskbar/Windows Search.
From the start/program button menu on the lower left, you can now search for files on your computer much more easily. The Windows explorer search button is right at the bottom and can make finding files much easier than in previous versions of Windows. The taskbar has been simplified, and it is easy to customize. It, is on the lower left of the desktop.There is a ‘jumplist' feature, which is accessed by right clicking on the open items in the taskbar. For example, I have Windows Internet Explorer and Google Chrome open right now, and right clicking will bring me to the most visited sites, my favorites, recently closed items, and tasks open, or recently closed.
Other features here are "peek", "shake", and "snap". "Peek" is a feature that can be accessed by bringing your mouse pointer over a taskbar item, and a mini-window will appear, showing you what is open, without opening up a whole new full screen window. "Shake", or "Aero-Shake", is a feature that will minimize all windows at once. I've used it only once or twice, and the first time I did so, I thought I lost everything I was working on. It takes a little getting used to. "Snap" is a feature that resizes Windows. I'm using it right now, with my Word document opened to about one third the normal screen size, as I am surfing both chrome and explorer. It's a useful feature to have when moving files around to peripheral devices or to other file folders on your system.
Personalization and Gadgets.
The desktop can now be more easily personalized. From screensavers to wallpaper slideshows, you can personalize your computer in ways which were more time consuming before with XP or Vista. I like the wallpaper slideshow, as I can now have seven different wallpapers automatically change every thirty minutes or so, and don't have to constantly change it manually if I get sick of an image.
Gadgets .
By right clicking on the desktop, you can access the "gadgets" feature, which include a calendar, clock, cpu meter, currency exchange folder, weather, windows media, and picture puzzle respectively. There is even a default news wire from MSNBC with news headline links live to click on if you want to checkout the story online (feed headlines). I've only used these sparingly, but they are pretty cool. They require you to be connected to the internet.
Aero Themes.
There are seven "Aero Themes" that can be selected as default. You can also make your own theme if you so desire. I've just used the Windows 7 theme, the landscapes theme and the architecture theme so far. The wallpaper will change, from one spectacular theme to another every now and then.
Computer Performance. The "sleep", "resume", and "reconnect" functions to wireless networking are all improved, and take up less time to do so than in previous systems. Connecting a USB device is also faster than before. Automatic power saving also seems to be a feature here, as my laptop screen gets dimmer after a minute or two of inactivity. It also seems that Windows 7 is more efficient in terms of managing the memory of the computer. I do some computer gaming, and the games that I usually play (Sierra's Empire Earth I and II), work far better on my Toshiba than before.
Windows Live Essentials. Windows Live can be downloaded and used without Windows 7. They do, however, work well with Windows 7, and include Windows Live Messenger, photo gallery, movie maker, web browsing, and more. However, they are not included in Windows 7, and are just available as links on the start menu.
Is Windows 7 Worth the $99 Upgrade? When I first upgraded from Vista to Windows 7, I felt a little bit cheated. It really didn't seem that there was much difference in the typical tasks that I routinely performed on my computer from day to day. However, after fiddling with the desktop and getting a feel for the new system, I'm happy with it. There seem to be fewer crashes from too many programs that are opened simultaneously, my games play more smoothly, the memory seems to be utilized more efficiently, and the new bells and whistles all seem to work. I'm happy with the ease with which networked my two computers, with the process of upgrading, and with the performance of the new operating system. However, does it really make your life easier? Probably not. When it comes down to it, Windows 7 is just what Windows Vista should have been. It seems to me that these computer software companies always rush to get something out into the market, and then there will be a host of upgrades that you will be bothered to download, patches to fix all of the bugs that weren't ironed out in the release to the general public. You can live without Windows 7, but if you are a consumer of the latest and greatest bells and whistles, as I am, you will want to upgrade. References.
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