Windows 7 Beta - One Month In, What Do We Know Now?

It’s been about a month since we loaded version Microsoft Windows 7 Beta version 7000 (official Microsoft Windows 7 Beta) on our test computers here at the office.

I thought it might help people if I shared a list of what seems to work, what has problems and what we did to get things going.  Here is our list and our install notes.

At the end of the article we give our top tips for Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Compatibility for your applications and games.

If you have any additions, things you’d like us to test or problems, please use the comments and we’ll get you an answer on every single item. Read the full story

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Attention Microsoft: We Don’t need 6 versions of your product.  We need at most two versions that work very well.

We got 6 versions of Vista and that was a nightmare.  I really just want one version of Windows 7 and that should be the best version.  After all, you don’t want people to experience less than the best when running Microsoft Windows right?  I mean, you really want people to be loyal, love it and potentially respect it the morning after they get their copy from the torrents. Read the full story

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There are now three Antivirus / Anti-Spyware solutions approved by Microsoft for use with the Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 1 test program:

1. Avg 8 For Windows 7
2. Kaspersky 8 Windows 7 Beta Preview
3. Symantec Norton 360 v3 pre-release (beta)

After Hands on Testing Inlcuding Spyware and Virus Removal Here Are My Short Takes On Each:

AVG v8 for Windows 7 Beta and Windows Vista

This is the only one of the group that’s actually fully released.  I trust this solution because it was able to find and resolve a few things that other products didn’t.  It doesn’t feel like anything is running on your computer at all.  It never bothers you and it does it’s job very well without needing you to manage it.  It’s focused on protecting your PC and it does it very well. Read the full story

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A while back I posted on testing the Windows 7 Beta 1 release to developers and how incredibly great it is.  Yes, It’s still much better than Microsoft’s Windows Vista SP2 Beta.

I got some good news from AVG on current owners of AVG Version 7. Many Current AVG 7 Anti-Virus and Internet Security customers will be able to upgrade for FREE to AVG 8 Anti-Virus including Microsoft Windows 7 Antivirus Compatibility. Read the full story

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Sorry, did I say “crap”. Yeah well I needed a stronger word! Even “crap” isn’t enough to express my angst.  There are times when the word “disappointed” just doesn’t say everything you feel.

1) It sounds like low fi AM radio quality sound

2) There is NO EQUALIZER!  What?

Read the full story

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If I worked in corporate IT (wait.. I do!) I’d never allow or support the Vista SP2 update.  I’d wait a couple months, certify Microsoft Windows 7 and be glad I skipped a step along the way.  From what I can see it’s a step worth skipping to create a step worth taking.  Windows 7 will lower your Microsoft Windows support burden significantly due to it’s wide hardware compatibility right out of the box and it’s really easy and advanced self diagnostics. Read the full story

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After installing Windows 7 Beta I was unable to find any Windows 7 approved partners on the microsoft solutions page.  Today they updated that page and advised that Kaspersky and AVG version 8 will both run on Windows 7 Beta.

I downloaded AVG 8 for Windows 7 Beta and installed it. Read the full story

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I’ve got two computers here running Windows 7 Beta.  They are very different computers in that one is almost 5 years old and one is absolutely cutting edge with all the latest graphics cards, etc.  Both run Windows 7 Beta very well and without any errors.

The new Windows 7 Aero theme is pretty and a bit more organized and intuitive than Windows Vista Aero.  Enabling the mouse gestures makes Windows 7 much nicer.  An example mouse gesture that I use is to wiggle the mouse back and forth like you are scratching something off a list.  This instantly clears the desktop by hiding all the open windows.

The new interface also allows you to click the thumbnails of the programs that are running.  It’s a bit Apple OSX like, except not so animated and annoying in my humble opinion.

I am still concerned about compatibility issues, but even the few games I’ve run have been no problem for Window 7.

Given that a Windows 7 beta will be readily downloadable in the near future and given that the apparent quality of the release exceeds that of Vista SP2 Beta, I have to ask who will bother to upgrade to Vista SP2?

In addition to frame rate increases in games, the internet connection scores nearly 10% higher throuput.  On our 1GB connections, the difference is even more noticeable.

Even if you do not have machine to test drive Microsoft  Windows 7 on, you can use Vmware’s free desktop virtualization software to set up and start exploring.  It’s coming fairly soon.  It’s going to be good and if you work in a corporate IT department, you’ll have to support it.

To set up Windows 7 on Vmware, just tell vmware that you will be using Vista.  This works well because one of the excplicit goals of Windows 7 is driver and hardware compatibility with Vista.

Installation is a breeze.  It basically looks just like the Windows Vista installer with upgraded graphics.

Like all new Windows releases, Microsoft has tried to appeal to users on the current platform.  The result is that there is a lot going on under the hood that has changed but that you won’t see until you’re in a support situation and relealize that some of your tried and true debugging rituals no longer work.

Conclusion:

I think it’s wise to start preparing to support this operating system now, especially if you’ve been holding off corporate users waiting for a better version of Vista. By the time Windows Vista SP2 Beta is stable and out the door, you’ll be on the heels of Microsoft’s Windows 7 release date.  At the least you should install a virtual machine on Vmware for familiarization

If you have applications that need to be tested on Windows 7, the time to start that is right now.  Developers should have their beta copy very shortly

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Like most technology geeks I was excited to get my hands on the Vista SP2 beta.  I was betting that this was finally the Vista that we’d all been waiting for.  The Vista that makes good on so many Microsoft promises.  I am now officially disappointed.

I followed the directions from lifehacker’s excellent website, downloaded the little batch file, ran it as administrator and added the super top secret registry entry that allows Windows Update to download an update my computer to Windows Vista SP2. Read the full story

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