Windows 7 Ultimate – Everything Vista should have been and more

I have had the pleasure (that’s right pleasure) of using Windows 7 Ultimate for sometime now. It has passed the test and I have now installed it on my production computer, with the release date scheduled for October 22nd, 2009 I thought I would share my thoughts on Windows 7.

The Install Process

As with any operating system install, I backup all my data and get a list of programs and application that will need to be installed. I always choose to do a clean install and reformat all my hard drives as I find this can increase performance. The install process is pretty much a one click affair just grab a cup of coffee and the install for most people will be done in about 30 min. below are a few grainy shots (taken with my phone cam) of some installer screens:

After a few restarts you will be presented with a login screen.

Getting Started in Windows 7

The first thing you will notice in Windows 7 is the graphics text appears sharper windows are vibrant and overall there is a brighter feel to the GUI.  One of the big changes in Windows 7 is the taskbar. If you are familiar with any Windows operating system from Windows XP onwards the switch to Windows 7 will not cause to many headaches.

Windows 7 Taskbar and Start Menu

The taskbar has increased functionality allowing you to quickly launch programs from it, switch between applications and individual application windows with ease. Taskbar shown below:

The application tray area as also had an overhaul allowing for increased customization. It is now possible to hide notification and icons from the tray area. One of the standout features of the new taskbar is the ability to preview open tabs and application windows by simply mousing over the application as shown in the image below:

Another very useful feature is the quick show desktop function located at the end of the taskbar. This allows you to quickly see all of your desktop widgets without leaving the application you are currently in. The start menu is very similar to Windows Vista with a few minor tweaks and no ability to restore the classic start menu .The image below shows the standard Windows 7 Start menu.

Appearance and Themes

Windows 7 allows for easy customization of desktop backgrounds sounds and window colours through the use of themes. You can create a customised theme yourself or download one from the net. The screenshot below shows how straightforward appearance customisation is in Windows 7:

You will also notice Calculator, Word pad and paint have gotten a makeover in this windows 7 release. Screenshots shown below:

Calculator and Paint

Windows media player has also been overhauled and supports many more file formats out of the box, however most people use VLC anyway. To read more about the new features in Windows Media player head over to Gizmodo.

The bottom line

This is by no means a complete review as there are just to many features and new components to discuss. Really Windows 7 is everything Windows Vista should have been. I have noticed increased stability, simplified networking settings and my overall workflow is faster. My PostgreSQL databases are running much quicker. The User Access Controls are much less permissive and as far as compatibility goes I have not had an issue. If you are still in the dark ages and have put off upgrading Windows XP now is definitely the time to do it.

Moving from Vista to Windows 7

This is a much harder proposition to quantify.Vista is now a mature offering, most issues have been ironed out with the last service pack release. Coming from Windows Vista Business edition myself I have found Windows 7 to be quicker, easier to use and I have not had an issue with my wireless networking like I did in Vista. For me the choice was simple to go with Windows 7 as I like to run the latest software. 

If you were disappointed with Vista or are looking to upgrade from Windows XP then Windows 7 might just be the operating system for you. Or if you are like me and like running the latest version of any software look out for this October 22 release. In the coming weeks I will post more about my Windows 7  experiences.

About the author

Mark - Is a 28 year old form Australia. He has a Bachelor in Economics and a Major in CS. He is currently working towards his CFP. His interests include algorithmic trading systems, artificial intelligence, game theory and poker.