Windows 7: An impressive upgrade

Windows 7 is impressive. That word is rarely used in the same sentence as “Microsoft” and “Windows” certainly not in recent years. But this word fits for Windows 7.

Unlike other Windows operating systems, this Windows version feels as if it were designed and built by a single, coordinated team instead of being assembled from other changeable parts. Windows 7 feels graceful and often elegant in daily use, but it does not feels graceful. Although it builds on elements that began in Windows Vista, it fixes many usability sins and adds consistency and polish to an interface that had too many rugged edges. And some very good new capabilities offer rewards for digging deeper such as especially the grossly underrated Libraries feature.
Windows 7 is very skilled and thus runs very smoothly and efficiently on even simple hardware. Windows 7 runs fewer services, uses less memory and consumes less disk space than previous versions of Windows, Windows Vista and in the 64-bit version it can address about five times more RAM than you can actually install onto a single motherboard.

Little in Windows 7 has changed. The sole exception is Windows XP Mode, which has changed significantly from the beta release.
Though no seamless upgrade is there from Windows XP to Windows 7 but Microsoft has provided the consumers with Windows XP Mode to make the transition smoother. Windows XP Mode is fast and easier to use.

XP Mode virtualization can calm the pain of transition from Windows XP to Windows 7. Launched after three years of Windows Vista, Windows 7 is considered to be a win but there are certain drivers and software updates that do not work with Windows 7. Users who have held on to Windows XP are particularly exposed to compatibility issues; which is why Microsoft has created XP Mode virtualization.

XP Mode is a licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 constituted in a virtual hard disk (VHD) that runs under Windows Virtual PC. With Windows XP Mode, you can run Windows XP within Windows 7. USB devices can be added and you can consistently access drives on the host Windows 7 system. What you should notice is that Windows XP Mode allows you to use Windows 7 by offering you a platform to use legacy hardware that is not compatible with Windows 7.

When Windows Vista was launched in January 2007, most businesses of even common size and complexity would be wise to give attention on conventional wisdom and ignore it until Service Pack 1 was ready. The development process for Windows 7 has been balanced and deliberate. The Release Candidate code that Microsoft made public was definitely more stable and reliable than most recent official Windows operating system.

Nearly 8 million people have been running the Windows 7 Release Candidate which is the four times the number of users who registered as Windows Vista beta testers during its development process. The number of users actually using Windows 7 in current months is at least an order of magnitude greater than the corresponding head count in the runup to Windows Vista.

For a few categories, the choice is simple:
•If you have Windows Vista running on your computer and it is creating problems for you then you should upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as possible.
•If you are planning to buy a new PC, you should get one with Windows 7 on it. And if it doesn’t run properly on Day 1, you can return it and find another. OEMs that do a better job of matching PC hardware to Windows should be rewarded.
But Windows 7's enhancements in productivity, security, and reliability make it worth those short-term hassles.

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