Windows 7 review

[JDArt]

I've been playing with Windows 7 for a couple of weeks now. I wrote up a review of the forthcoming OS and posted it in my blog:

http://photocamel.com/forum/blogs/jd...-7-review.html

[JDArt]

MS releases the official beta on Friday. Only 2.5 million downloads will be allowed, so get there fast:

Welcome to Windows 7

[thorin]

JD,

I did not take the Vista plunge and still us XP-Pro on both of my computers. I am quite happy. Can you think of any reason for me to play with Windows 7 beta, or should I wait for some more bugs to be worked out in beta format? In other words, wait for Windows to be released on the unsuspecting masses by the evil empire. (Give my age away with this statement!)

Thanks

[JPhotoz]

I happen to like Vista and have been using it since it came out.

It does happen to be a resource hog but I jut got more ram.

If this is as good as I have heard I will be switching in a couple of days. It has the good things in Vista without the resource needs.

Jordan

[moggi1964]

Jordan,

I'm not sure I would "switch" just yet unless you have a spare computer you can run it on. I trialed a number of early OS and software releases for Microsoft (though not this one) and even at very close to release, show-stopping bugs were still appearing.
In fact, there is a bug (that may now be patched I haven't checked) that cuts the first three seconds off of your MP3 files if you try to play them in the embedded WMP12 that comes in Windows 7. It doesn't just miss out the three seconds, it actually deletes it - PERMANENTLY!

I am a big fan of Vista and recently changed from 32 to 64 bit as I recognised a use for it. I will be downloading 7 in a few days time once initial public beta test reports have started to flood in and I have had a chance to identify the ones I consider dangerous to me. I will also be running it either in a virtual environment or on a spare or maybe as a dual-boot option on my main machine.

Have fun with it and it us know what you think when you do try it out.

[JDArt]

Can you talk a bit about the 64 bit version of Vista? Slower? Less compatible with software/hardware?

[gumper]

OK its Friday morning and I just read your post. I cant find where to download Windows 7. Been all over Windows website. Do you have the link yet?

[moggi1964]

I upgraded about a month or so ago and have not had a single compatibility issue (oops, that's a lie - I downloaded an incompatible sidebar widget yesterday).

I upgraded to 8gb of RAM (and who wouldn't at todays prices) from 4gb.

I upgraded as I bought CS4 and Lightroom 2 and wanted to be able to utilise the 64 bit architecture and the extra RAM.

The system boots quicker now and I don't seem to have to wait for things to load or processes to run. Is it quicker than 32 bit Vista? The benchmarking stuff I ran just before and just after upgrade says it is and I FEEL like it is but it isn't like stepping out of a Chevy and into a Maserati. More like going from a Ferrari to a Lamborghini (or vice-versa) ; the specs say one is quicker than the other but to you and me they both seem equally quick

Don't anyone start a Mac is Ferrari and PC is Chevy war now okay

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by gumper

OK its Friday morning and I just read your post. I cant find where to download Windows 7. Been all over Windows website. Do you have the link yet?

I just checked myself. Doesn't appear to be there.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by moggi1964

The system boots quicker now and I don't seem to have to wait for things to load or processes to run. Is it quicker than 32 bit Vista? The benchmarking stuff I ran just before and just after upgrade says it is and I FEEL like it is but it isn't like stepping out of a Chevy and into a Maserati. More like going from a Ferrari to a Lamborghini (or vice-versa) ; the specs say one is quicker than the other but to you and me they both seem equally quick

Okay, now you're tempting me. Thanks.

[moggi1964]

Originally Posted by gumper

OK its Friday morning and I just read your post. I cant find where to download Windows 7. Been all over Windows website. Do you have the link yet?

As far as I can tell they have delayed it till this afternoon (according to the Windows 7 blog) though there are plenty of copies flying around from the Technet download and previous beta versions.

There isn't a rush. Even though only 2.5 million codes will be given out you will still be able to download it after that and then legally extend it after the 30 days (like Windows Server 200 until it finally expires on August 1st.

See how here:

How to Rearm and Extend Free Usage (Activation Grace Period) of Windows 7 to 120 Days My Digital Life

[swampler]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Okay, now you're tempting me. Thanks.

Assuming you're shooting with Canon. You might make sure the Canon software you run will work on 64 bit Vista before you do. I know DPP works, but the EOS Utility doesn't.

[moggi1964]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/

Helps for checking compatibility.

I did find some programs would run that weren't considered compatible.

[gumper]

Interesting, here is a statement from an RSS feed from MS today.
I guess that means we wont know now what day it will be released?

"Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta. We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I’ll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!"

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/win...ilability.aspx

Oh well, good luck getting thru to the blog right now though.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by gumper

Interesting, here is a statement from an RSS feed from MS today.
I guess that means we wont know now what day it will be released?

"Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta. We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I’ll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!"

Update on Windows 7 Beta Availability - Windows 7 Team Blog - The Windows Blog

Oh well, good luck getting thru to the blog right now though.

I was wondering how they were going to handle all that download traffic. They must have some honking big servers.

[jazzy]

did I miss something,no new raw viewer? anyone able to get windows to open 50D raw

[swampler]

Originally Posted by jazzy

did I miss something,no new raw viewer? anyone able to get windows to open 50D raw

WIndows Vista opens them.

[Joves]

Originally Posted by thorin

JD,

I did not take the Vista plunge and still us XP-Pro on both of my computers. I am quite happy. Can you think of any reason for me to play with Windows 7 beta, or should I wait for some more bugs to be worked out in beta format? In other words, wait for Windows to be released on the unsuspecting masses by the evil empire. (Give my age away with this statement!)

Thanks

Yeah Im still on XP as well. I tried Vista and didnt like it at all. Personally I plan on getting Win7 when I rebuild my machine later this year. I hear it is even less of a resource hog than XP, which I dont find to be much of one as it is.
The only thing I dont like from the screenshots is the retarded Mac style toolbar. I only like anything Mac with cheese.

[moggi1964]

I am writing this from Windows 7 64 bit (couldn't resist getitng it when I saw the Microsoft site had crashed - got it through my Technet membership).

Anyway, I haven't loaded any software on it other than security software (Kaspersky) and am running it in a partition of my boot drive. It took up about 14gb as a standalone instal and loaded in about 20 minutes. No hassle in loading process, no funny error messages and no BSOD.

It really is just an update/upgrade (you decide) to Vista and if it had been released as a major patch I would not be unhappy that I had installed it AT THIS POINT!

Anyway, I will keep playing with it for the next few weeks and see what the feedback from testers is.

As I said earlier, I wouldn't recommend it as your only OS but if you have the space and desire to dual boot then have fun.

Okay, I'm logging off to go back to Vista.

[AustinRoepke]

Argh! Download's down AGAIN!!!

Thanks for your interest in the Windows 7 Beta. The volume has been phenomenal—we're in the process of adding more servers to handle the demand. We're sorry for the delay and we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience.

Apparently they didn't think so many people would be wanting the beta... Well, after a shoddy release like Vista, I'd be suprised too.