Windows 7: Windows 7 First Look

What a great evening! A Windows 7 x64 Beta to install ;-) But....

What a rip off! They had better give us Vista users a free upgrade to Windows 7! Windows 7 is just Vista Service Pack 2 really. There's nothing really new except for some cooler graphics. User Access Control (UAC) is now what it should have been in Vista. It's not annoying enough to shut it off immediately. Although I probably still would. Windows 7 has some of the same exact problems I have with Vista. Mostly with Nvidia drivers.

What I really find surprising is that Nvidia has new drivers out today the same day Windows 7 is released and when you install them they say "Windows 7 Nivida Drivers" in the title bar! Unfortunately they work the exactly the same as they did on x64 Vista. Somehow they never hold settings after a reboot. Nvidia has new System Tools dated today. They actually seem to work. They didn't with Vista.

I installed Far Cry 2 on Windows 7 and it was smooth as silk. And that's the way the game plays. I tried Far Cry 2 because it wouldn't play on Vista x64 without patches. It installed, but then crashed when you tried to play it on Vista. It plays great on Windows 7.

My only concern is that I tried to load an open source program (RivaTuner) that needed to disable Windows 7 driver signing to install. And I haven't found a way to override that in Windows 7. I was able to in Vista.

So far Windows 7 is just as impressive as WinXP SP2, which if you not familiar with your computer history, was a major milestone. But as far as I can tell Windows 7 is just Vista SP2.

What I'm looking for is something really different from Vista. But I don't see it. Anyone have anything that's a "wow" difference from Vista?

There's nothing really new here, but it does seem work now.

Bahh, Seven is not Vista SP2. Don't believe everything you read.

After spending the day with Windows 7, it's obvious Microsoft has an outstanding OS to offer. Honestly, if it didn't have an expiration date of August 1st, I'd upgrade my Vista install to Windows 7 beta. It's that good. My last Vista blue screen was just a couple of days ago, but I've yet to see one from Windows 7 and it's not without trying. I've installed new drivers, new equipment, new programs and games, and Windows 7 hasn't missed a beat. It feels rock solid like WinXP. With Vista I always felt I had to be careful with it or it would crash. Not so with Windows 7.

I'm a little concerned about installing unsigned software, but I haven't spent enough time working around it to say it's impossible.

Win 7 is easy to use if you've been using Vista at all. I think MS is going to have a problem with it's HomeGroup networking, though. It's not explained well at all. I have no problem accessing my WinXP or Linux machines from Win 7, but they have to be setup in the HomeGroup to access the Windows 7 box. Not a huge issue really, but it's different from the usual Windows networking. MS needs to explain it better.

Once again I don't think MS should charge Vista users for the upgrade. Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Was Vista the biggest beta test ever? It took MS 5 years to come out with Vista, but only two to fix it with Windows 7. You have to wonder.

My quick opinion: Windows 7 it's more than a GREAT OS, even a perfect OS when you use Intel chipsets.

I would have to agree with everyone else here PRO MSFT. Microsoft has a hit on their hands.

As an IT person, major in EE who went into the music business (Everybody Loves Raymond to Get Shorty), I used PC's for GIGASTUDIO, PC ONLY as well as developed for Sony/Sonic Foundry ACID, another PC only program.

A few years ago, I downloaded Vista and my hardware (MACKIE, considered by some as the best you can buy, (the composer for Everybody Loves Raymond (I ran his studio)), used Mackie with Pro Tools), and my hardware was not supported until just a few months ago. That said, Vista was slow and felt sluggish, not to mention all the pop ups every time you did something.

However, seeing that you could NOT run MACKIE hardware on Vista for more than one (1) year, I built a HACK n Tosh, then purchased a Macbook Pro (MATTE), then a Glossy, last February and became a full time mac user.

After playing with Windows 7 for the past day, I can tell right away this is a different OS. Sure it seems big still, (could be drivers) vs. what's actually installed, but the system is very fast, zippy and installs hardware without any constant pop up. It just works for the most part.

Today I have my audio working using the vista drivers and will try and do some audio tests today. While MAC still has the advantage with iLife and with great Video applications (FINAL CUT PRO, MOTION, SHAKE) as well as LOGIC, if the past 24 hours are any indication on how well this is working a year away, I am hopeful that developers will jump on the bandwagon and create really great applications, especially considering that TOUCH is built into the OS as I type.

Everything I am reading today (and we're a little under a year away) has all been positive- sure, there are some quirks that I would like to see fixed, such as the TRIMMER tool have a HOT KEY, but some of the things that Apple users had the luxary of using (DOCK) MS actually handles a bit better.

Example. OS X has dock and spaces. Windows 7 has PIN and Quick Look (also has quick look for audio, hope to see the same for video, images), where you launch a program and when you mouse over the ICON of the program on your dock?, you get thumbnails of every window that the application has running. If you mouse to the bottom RIGHT, it will clear you desk top (ANOTHER HOT KEY PLEASE), and eliminates the need for spaces, dock as it combines these two APPLE only features into one to some respect.


Microsoft has a winner here, especially if they take heed to all the BETA testers. I encourage all of you, especially if you are coming from OSX, to use the FEEDBACK button and send MSFT all your suggestions, such as a HOT KEY for the trimming tool. Quick look for images, thumbnails for documents NOT opened, et-cetera.

I can't remember saying this ever but I think MSFT might have a hit this time around. Ease of use is tremendous.