Windows 7: Tell me about Windows 7

Amen to that. I haven't used Adobe Reader for so long, I forgot that it actually still existed.

My last few cases have all been Antec's with dust screens in the air intakes and that has been a fantastic improvement to keeping the inside of the PC clean.

Agreed, and points well illustrated

Well, I guess in a way that's the rub. I didn't want to invest all that time in maintaining the computer. The user has to work continuously and be ever vigilant about uninstalling programs. But sometimes even when you uninstall a program you decided you don't like, it doesn't completely uninstall. It leaves entries in the registry and folders and files in other places, and there's no way to know what these files and entries are. Now, to what extent all the detritus of uninstalled software contributes to the slow-down problem, I don't really know. But I know there were times that I would spend half a day figuring out what which program startup entries were associated with and which ones to delete or mark for not loading at start up. I'd have to Google each entry before figuring out whether I could delete it. And still there would be loads of stuff in RAM that I didn't have a clue what to do with.

I had noticed that many Mac users didn't have a clue about how their computers ran, and now I know why. 1) they didn't need to know because their computers ran with comparatively few problems; 2) when you do have a problem with the Mac, sometimes the solution seems to be a well-protected secret. Searching for the solution on Google will find others with the same problem but sometimes you simply can't find the solution for it.

I'm afraid I have to plead guilty as charged. When I read a good review about a program I thought would be interesting or useful, I'd install it. Often I never uninstalled the program even if I used it only very rarely.

Excellent point! +1

Does this means that Windows 7 cleans and maintains itself at night if you leave the computer on? (I don't understand the jargon "a/v such as MSE.") The Macs do that, and I wonder whether that is a big reason why they maintain their performance over time.

I guess I'm trying to persuade myself to either buy another Windows machine or to install Windows 7 in bootcamp and run it on the Mac. I prefer the idea of running Windows 7 as a virtual machine in the Mac environment so I can switch between them at will, but doing involves some tradeoffs.

Now you've touched on a problem that I've just run into. I wanted to have the Apple store install a 750 GB hard drive into my iMac and copy all the programs on my current 320 GB hard drive onto the new, bigger drive. But the Apple store told me they don't do "upgrades." Clearly they know how to install parts because they had just replaced an optical drive for me. I was told to try Best Buy. So I did. And you know what they said? That I should probably call the Apple store about doing that.

I'm not sure what the problem is, but clearly Apple doesn't want you to "upgrade" a machine once you've bought it, even if you buy the parts at their own stores and at their own inflated prices. I love the fact that my iMac is an all-in-one, however. When I want to take it with me for a few days it's a breeze to unplug it and haul it away. The downside, though, is what you just pointed out. I can't do any maintenance on it myself. (Actually, I've learned that I can, but it probably kills the warranty if I do, as Apple prohibits self-maintenance.) If this were a Windows box, popping it open and dropping in a new hard drive would be a fast, inexpensive upgrade.

A/V Stands for Anti Virus and MSE is Microsoft Security Essentials, the free a/v software provided by MS.

Basically, Windows does have a lot of scheduled automated tasks like MACS that attempt to maintain optimum efficiency.

Windows 7 does a very good job at maintaining a level of 'smoothness' over extended use.

Manhunter, when it comes to the MacBook Pro, it's not just a matter of "looks." I have fallen in love with that laptop. The aluminum case is extraordinarily sturdy. I was looking at laptops the other day at Best Buy and most of them are much thicker and heavier than the MacBook Pro, and the cases are shiny plastic. They feel much, much flimsier, whether they are in reality or not. Of course, it was NOT a cheap laptop, so I guess I paid for that sturdy look and feel.

Yes, I agree with you; and it's not just a matter of aesthetics. Indeed, most of my pointers (criticism) was directed at (Windows) laptops - I see so much poor quality kit out there. There are some nice quality laptops: Lenovo, and Asus also make some nice machines, and some of the Dell models are quite nice too