Microsoft Starts Selling Windows 7 Operating System.

Sir Skully

Yeah I just received today upgrade W-7 Pro.
Ran it on W-7 Ultimate RC, all ran smooth, was easy!
I had preordered it from newegg for $99.

#2  

switch_abx

Here is a link comparing all Window 7 Editions on a category by category basis, and broken down on a feature by feature basis:

http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/win7_skus_compare.asp

#3  

zapionics<alt>

hey, I didnt know they had upgraded Bitlocker so you can now install it on partitions other than boot! (Bitlocker to Go)... Thats awesome... one reason I never used it on my C drive in Vista was because in Vista I can only install Bitlocker on my boot drive... not much use if I need to move/backup my valuable data onto another drive because I lose Bitlocker protection.

Well it seems that Win7 gives me Bitlocker on all my drives!... its getting harder to find reasons to stay with Vista now...

My only concern would be impact on games performance. I usually install games on the default location which is on the boot partition. (Too many hassles with some games if you dont use default installation path). But I guess I could reserve the boot partition for only system/apps and games files and have separate partitions for my data which I could then install Bitlocker To Go on.

#4  

switch_abx

Its' interesting to read about all the new features. As a matter of fact, I consider all these new features gimmicks and not contributing any real substance to our day-to-day experiences in Windows XP or Vista.

I add to this that in Windows 7 there are two new apps:

1. Snipping tool (which is SnagIt with the "Capture a Region" functionality only)
2. Sticky Notes (the electronic version of the 3M PostIt Notes).

All in all, I don't see any reason for any user on this planet to change from XP to Windows 7 or from Vista to Windows 7, except for medium sized and large corporations. I have been working with Vista Enterprise for about 6 months, and honestly there is no major justification to change to or adopt Windows 7, except, as I stated before, in a corporate environment.

Windows 7 in a Windows Server 2008 R2 corporate environment could benefit from these new features:

1. RAD (Remote App and Desktop) or RDS (Remote Desktop Services), also called Hosted Desktop Services or Presentation Desktop Services. Replaces Terminal Services on Windows Server 2008 R1.
2. DirectAccess (VPN without the need for a VPN client on the PC or Notebook). A major, and very secure, additional feature.
3. Windows XP Mode + Virtual PC (for those who won't apply MED-V). Great for the smaller companies, however with the small inherent risk of using XP.
4. AppLocker (on the 2008 R2 server you can block certain apps to run for specific users).
5. MDOP 2009 R2 (a previous version was already existing for Windows Server 2008 R1)
6. App-V 4.5 (32-bit) App-V 4.6 (64 bit) (a previous version was already available for Windows Server 2008 R1.
7. Microsoft VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) Suites to create Virtual Desktop Images
8. BranchCache (for those who have one or more branch office(s) with it's own server
9. File Classification Infrastructure (FCI)
10. BitLocker-to-Go.
11. RSAT (Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools) for Windows 7, which allows to configure your Server remotely from within Windows 7. This can be downloaded separately. Great if you need to e.g. add or delete users in Active Directory
12. PowerShell v2
13. MED-V (in 2010) for Windows Server 2008 R2

#5  

maraud

There is a major reason to upgrade to win7 and that is the lack of backward compatibility. You could prolong buying win7 for a time period but sooner or later programs that you want or even hardware will not be supported on XP and you will be forced to change.

#6  

switch_abx

well, tell me which major programs do NOT run on all three OSs i.e. on XP, Vista and Windows 7 (32-bit).

IMHO the average consumer is sick and tired of buying new hardware, acquiring new OSs, the latest Office Suites and upgrades to newer editions all the time. Why? There is no major additional benefit which justifies the price.

There is a buyer's strike, particularly in the USA and Europe. There is no backward compatibility issue. Yes, in the heads of some people, but not in the real world. No one is developing software for Windows 7 only, if he/she is not sure it will be selling.

Literally, events which have been organized of late here, in my country, to show the benefits of Windows 7 have been cancelled. Just because of the fact that there is no interest, no one wants to spend time for something which obviously is not really new. And be honest: Windows 7 is nothing more than what Vista had to be in the first place. Call it Vista R2. MS should have offered if for free to those who bought Vista. Or at a very low price.

I have to admit though, that Windows 7 could be a great benefit to corporations, as I stated in a previous posting.

#7  

maraud

A year or two from now when there are few systems using XP, developers will not be building hardware or software with any need to confine themselves to testing for XP compatibility. You have a noble cause but history always repeats itself and you are just a voice in the wilderness. Mark my word, you to will get sucked in to buying win7.

#8  

switch_abx

it's not a noble cause. I have Windows 7 Enterprise now for a few weeks, but I have it because of the benefits in conjunction with Windows Server 2008 R2.

Before I had Windows 7 Enterprise, I had Vista SP2 Enterprise.

Having compared these OSs, I can say that I don't see any major benefit for any average citizen to invest in Windows 7, other than increasing the revenue of Microsoft. Vista SP2 is a very solid OS. And XP still is the mainstream Microsoft OS.

My guess is that Virtualization will become the major issue in the coming years (read Hyper-V like OS for the desktop). Pretty similar to XP Mode(with Virtual PC) in Windows 7 now (only Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise). This will allow you to run Apps in XP Mode, apps in Vista Mode, Apps in Windows 7 Mode, 32-bit and 64 bit, plus Ubuntu and Mac OS, whatever you want.

Think VMware Workstation and Citrix's upcoming XenClient. Such Virtualization OSs will drive the market. That will trigger a wave of new hardware purchases and will make current systems with XP in households obsolete.

#9