Getting ready for Windows 7

With just over two weeks left until Windows 7 Hits the shelves, it's time to start thinking about whether or not you will upgrade. Many of you have held on for dear life to Windows XP but with XP support due to fade away very soon where will this leave you?

If you have bought a new computer running Vista since September, you should have received a voucher for a free upgrade to Windows 7. Upgrading from Vista to 7 can be time consuming and possibly confusing for a novice user. However, upgrading from XP to 7 is not possible. The only option is to back up all your files and settings to another drive, format your hard drive, perform a clean installation of Windows 7 and then import them once the Windows 7 installation is complete. Once again, this task could be daunting for a novice user. Another possible but lengthy and not practical process is to upgrade from XP to Vista and then to 7.

The people that have hung on to Windows XP for so long may have a bit of a rude awakening when it comes to learning the changes that come with Windows 7. In my opinion, Windows 7 is a combination of the stability of XP combined with the pretty user interface of Vista. Many of my customers didn't upgrade to Vista because of rumors and here say. Microsoft did eventually iron out most of the kinks that caused people to hate Vista early on. The problem was that by that time, most everyone had heard how awful Vista was and chose to hang on to XP. It's funny when a customer says "I hate Vista" You ask them why and they reply with something like "My sister said it sucked"

I tried Vista when it was first released and while I liked it, the hardware support wasn't there. I wasn't going to buy a new printer, video card and sound card just because the OS wasn't ready when it was released. I chose to go back to XP. Once Service Pack 1 was released, I went back to Vista and have been using it ever since.

I have been beta testing Windows 7 for a few months now and am typing this on my Windows 7 laptop. The change from Vista to 7 isn't a drastic one. There are a few changes that are noticeable but again, the average user will not notice them until they go digging around their new OS. All in all, I like Vista and Windows 7. I have already pre ordered my copy of 7 and am anxious to install in on my desktop.

I think Windows 7 will have a much better reception that Vista did. It's been getting a lot of good press and from a hands on experience I think that things like the absence of the UAC controls (that people hated in Vista,) those that refused to upgrade before will likely greet this with open arms.

If you need help or advice for upgrading, feel free to give B-TECH Computer Repair a call at (864) 252-0881 or email me at brian@btechpcrepair.com.

Microsoft to offer Windows 7 upgrade deals

Microsoft announced Tuesday that Windows 7 will start selling on October 22. They also announced that they will offer a special deal to consumers who buy a computer with Vista before the launch of the new OS.

"This program enables participating retailers and OEMs to offer a special deal to upgrade to Windows 7 for customers purchasing a qualifying PC," said Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc in a post made on the Windows 7 blog.

Details about the cost and eligibility requirements are still unknown and Microsoft has yet to say anything else.

Voice your opinion about Windows 7

Microsoft has created a website which right now is mostly being used as an advertising tool for Windows 7 in which IT Professionals and Microsoft developers are talking about how great Windows 7 is. Technicians have the ability to give the Microsoft devs feedback on Windows 7 and hopefully help make it a better product.

There are some videos to check out and you can then comment to the developers about the features and new ideas in Windows 7.

If you have tried Windows 7 (which I currently am), leave some feedback. If you haven't, you can get it here Check it out and then leave some feedback. This is important so we don't end up with another of what many regard as a real stinker (Vista)

The sites URL is: http://www.TalkingAboutWindows.com & requires the Microsoft Silverlight plugin to run.

Microsoft looking to release Windows 7 in time for the holidays.

Microsoft confirmed on Monday that it is planning to release Windows 7 this year, in time for the Christmas shopping season.

"We are tracking well to a Windows 7 holiday," Microsoft Senior Vice President Bill Veghte said in an interview. Veghte will be making a statement Monday at Microsoft's TechEd event in Los Angeles. Until recently, Veghte had said publicly that such a release was unsure. Microsoft issued a release candidate for the server operating system last month, alongside an almost final version of Windows 7.

For some time now, Microsoft's "official" position has been that Windows 7 would ship by January 2010. Now it seems, the software maker has been aiming and planning for a 2009 release the whole time.

Early feedback (which has been good thus far) from the Windows 7 release candidate that came out late last month, convinced Microsoft it could commit to a 2009 launch, Veghte said.

Veghte said that Microsoft has seen the number of crashes being experienced with the release candidate drop as opposed to the beta version.

"You know pretty quickly if you've got any big gotchas," he said. "You can get a pretty good sniff pretty quickly."

Equally important, Veghte said the company has seen the needed level of partner support. According to him, the first couple of companies have gotten Windows 7 logo certification. Among that first group are some graphics chip vendors. A big "whew" from many of the early Vista adopters that suffered with limited chip support.

Veghte didn't provide a specific time for launch. He did say that generally the ecosystem needs anywhere from nine to fourteen weeks from the product being declared final to be ready for launch.

I've been beta testing the RC and it does look promising for Microsoft this time. It's speedy, quite speedy actually. Surely....surely they have learned from past mistakes and will make sure this release is ready instead of rushing it out so it will be on all those new Christmas PCs.

Computer Repair - Spartanburg, SC