The Windows 7 Thread

[Q]

Hm.

Bitlocker is a data encryption that is used by the fancier versions of Vista and 7, and I'm pretty sure that HP doesn't use it. Odd.

Well, yeah, you're most likely going to have to perform a clean install. Try choosing the "custom install" option, and install 7 on the same partition that Vista is on. If it will let you do that, it will save your old files automatically in a folder marked "Windows Old".

[urluckyday]

Clean installs are the way to go anyway...you'll be happier in the end...

[swphreak]

So, how is Windows 7 treating everyone?

I'm thinking of upgrading all my machines to Windows 7. I'm coming from Windows XP Pro (Love) and Vista Home (Hate).

If I do upgrade, it'll be a clean install. My biggest concern is software compatibility. Will my XP/Vista programs work in 7?

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Originally Posted by StarWarsPhreak

So, how is Windows 7 treating everyone?

I'm thinking of upgrading all my machines to Windows 7. I'm coming from Windows XP Pro (Love) and Vista Home (Hate).

If I do upgrade, it'll be a clean install. My biggest concern is software compatibility. Will my XP/Vista programs work in 7?

Someone here said something like "Windows 7 is XP in Vista clothing".

Its true. Its got that stable feel like XP has. If you love XP, i think you'll like 7.

As for compatibility, i cant comment; i haven't really tried xp games and stuff on the 7 comp im using.

[Q]

I'd definitely upgrade the Vista machine; I'd don't think that I'd bother with the XP one, though.

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan

Someone here said something like "Windows 7 is XP in Vista clothing".

Who is this someone, I'd like to throw a cobra at them

Windows 7 is a <<.1 revision>> of the 6.0 kernel that is at the heart of vista.

Quite frankly, a lot of the people making this or similar comments were not pc purchasers when XP first came out, most likely because they were about 6 at the time It was far from stable at the onset.

Windows 7 owes it stability to not being a massive departure from vista(no new kernel), and some performance tweaks under the hood of course.

Now, where's my cobra Sanjay

mtfbwya

[Boba Rhett]

tldr,

Ok, I'm rocking 7 Ultimate now on a laptop and need a list of tips/tweaks that should be done to maximize my pleasure. Please?

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by Boba Rhett

need a list of tips/tweaks that should be done to maximize my pleasure. Please?

strange for a newlywed to be asking this Rhettski

From Techradar

67 Windows 7 tips, tricks and secrets

From Download squad

7 free Windows 7 tweaking utilities

7 Taskbar Tweaker gives you more control over the Windows 7 superbar

One not covered in those (I think) is getting the sidebar back the way it is in Vista, where it sits on top of other windows and browsers etc don't cross over it. Best use along with the sidelaunch gadget - best gadget if you have an exhaustive list of shortcuts but don't like to clutter your desktop or taskbar


Vista sidebar in W7 workaround

It ends up looking like this(my list goes all the way to the screen bottom nowdays) - great screen real estate saver. Pic below is from my vista install but it essentially looks the same in W7, esp of you get rid of the clunky taskbar and restore it to how it looks in vista



If you hate that windows auto resize(snap) like I do, you can switch of off in access settings as outlined HERE

If you happen to use the inbuilt windows media center app, this Hack7MC does a great job at compiling all the tips and tweaks from around the nerdy 7MC sites across the world. If you're into archiving a large multimedia collection for playback on your swanky TV, apps like mediabrowser for 7MC are a must.

Finally, whist not W7 specific - if you happen to be using office 2007, you cant go past these:

Office tab, creates firefox-like tabs for each document in word, excel etc. Great if you run many docs at once. Site is in chinese though download/link is in English

Save as PDF Plugin for Office 2007 from MS. They should have included it by default, but here it is anyway. Very handy if you're in office 2007 a lot and need to output PDFs

good luck

mtfbwya

[aloysiuscarl]

Installed Windows 7 last night and haven't even touched the IE8 thats there and Flash works great for me. Microsoft continuously collects feedback on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems from its customers and partners. This feedback results in enhancements that help improve compatibility, reliability, performance, and user experience.

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by aloysiuscarl

Installed Windows 7 last night and haven't even touched the IE8 thats there and Flash works great for me. Microsoft continuously collects feedback on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems from its customers and partners. This feedback results in enhancements that help improve compatibility, reliability, performance, and user experience.

strange first post.

If you are a postbot, meet dancebot If you are a human, welcome to LFN!! \o/

YouTube Video

OT:

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will be going into public beta phase soon(July 2010).

source windows team blog

EDIT: HERE's THE LINK for the SP1 Public Beta, now directly available from MS

mtfbwya

[HockeyGoalie35]

that robot is AWESOME.....
but anyway.

I have Windows 7 Pro

Win7 is better than xp and WAY better than Vista. Iv'e instaleld all my programs on it and they all work great! absolutly no complaints except for the startup screen somtimes sticks and I have to re-boot.

[johnmathew]

'm a Mac guy, but I run XP on the 'dark side' of my MacBook Pro and frankly I'm hoping Windows 7 is a good OS, just because I like playing around with new stuff.

[urluckyday]

Originally Posted by johnmathew

'm a Mac guy, but I run XP on the 'dark side' of my MacBook Pro and frankly I'm hoping Windows 7 is a good OS, just because I like playing around with new stuff.

If you like a more secure, faster, and just plain better OS...then yes, Windows 7 should be in the category of "good" OS's.

[.:Lord Revan:.]

It is awsome especially with the new internet explorer 9.