I have been a long time Windows user, and so have progressively worked my way through the various Windows permutations over the years. So is Windows 7 any different/better than Vista or XP? Is it worth upgrading to? Well read on and see.
Firstly, I have now been using Windows 7 since virtually its release. So my initial opinion? It is to Vista, as Windows ME was to XP. By this, I mean that on my computer setup at that time, ME was absolutely horrible. I had so many errors and problems while using it, that as soon as XP came along, I jumped on the band wagon straight away and upgraded. The difference was huge. The stability was great. All the previous errors just simply no longer existed under XP.
Under Vista, I believe the biggest problem was that they tried to screw the security down too tight. This was such a cause of frustration for me. Folders I could previously access and write to etc under XP just weren't available to me under Vista. The old "you do not have access" error would come up again and again. Then you had to go through the convoluted rigmarole of changing owners/permissions etc. etc. just so you could do something to your own computer. Totally ridiculous. Eventually after much heart ache, I managed to get Vista mostly working the way I wanted. It still was by no means perfect, but at least it was a bit less frustrating.
Still on Vista, I know of a number of people who don't really tinker too much with their computers. They simply install programs and go about watching the odd video, access the internet a few times a week and do some general document editing etc. These people have had no real problem with Vista, and love the fact that they can restrict access to the computer so that their kids can only do certain things on it. So I guess Vista was a bit of a horses-for-courses type of thing. BUT, if you wanted to be even a little more adventureous, prepare for some major hair pulling.
So on to Windows 7. My general opinion? Definetly worth the upgrade from Vista. Most of my security issues have vanished. Not all of them mind, W7 still restricts you in regards to accessing some folders, but so far I have only really had one issue with it. Under Vista by this time, I had too many to count.
Overall, W7 seems more like XP. Somehow it just feels more stable and easier to work with than Vista. Just like XP was easier than ME, but this time it has to be said, that the difference isn't quite so dramatic.
Most people if they haven't had the problems that happened to me under Vista, probably won't see a huge change when they go over to W7. As far as cosmetic changes go, you could probably do most things in Vista as you can in W7. Things like slideshows for your desktop background are implemented under W7 as part of the themes. I have never been one to load my computer with all sorts of desktop extras as I prefer to have it as lean as possible so I can not only have access to as much memory as possible, but also to get every last bit of speed out of it that I can. So under other OS's I have simply had a coloured background, a basic screensaver, virtually no desktop icons etc etc. This time, I actually have one of W7's themes up and running with some wonderful pictures forming a slideshow as a desktop backdrop. The themes even include and Aussie theme. This probably changes depending on which country the windows version is released in, but not sure.
As for other desktop bit and pieces. The taskbar is still there and can be repositioned onlong whichever edge you want it to be. As standard it is quite large, but can be made smaller, as well as the icons which apprear on it. One handy thing, is that you can actually "pin" various programs onto the taskbar by simply right clicking on the program listing in that start button menu and selecting the pin option. You can then use these shortcuts to find and start the program quickly. The only problem with this, is that the icons don't stay in the one position as they did in the previous OS's. Once you start opening windows, the other windows icons can be placed in between your pinned programs icons. So if you want to start a pinned program you sometimes have to search through the other windows icons on the taskbar in oder to find it. There may be a way around this, but at this stage I am yet to find it.
A couple of handy features in W7 are: If you have a number of windows expanded on the desktop, if you grab the top window's top border and then shake the mouse making the window you have grabbed shake, the rest of the opened windows will be minimised automatically.Also, if you grab a window and then drag it to the left or right edge of the screen, the window will automatically be expanded to fill half of the screen. This allows you to quickly have two windows up on screen to enable you to compare the details between the two windows. If you drag a window to the top edge, then this automatically maximises the window. Another nifty feature of this, if you drag a window to an edge, the window won't immediatly expand, but only a border will be shown so you can see where the window will expand to. If you are happy with that, then release the mouse and the window will expand to those dimensions.
Now to the start button. Firstly, when you have used a program and it is listed in the start menu. It will have an arrow next to it. If you click on this, it will show a list of recently opened documents for that program. Very handy.
When it comes time to shut down, the shut down option is now right there on the menu. To the right of it is an arrow and when you click on it, it then gives you the other options of sleeping etc.
These are just some of the features that W7 has in it and which I have found to be useful. Now to some of the programs that are in W7 and how they run.
Number one on the list is Media Centre. I watch TV on my computer, so MC was something I was eager to try. Under Vista, it worked ok, but under W7 it is so smooth and easy to work with. Firstly, to get my Hauppauge TV card working, I simply downloaded the driver listed in my windows update notification. Then I ran in MC the option to detect the TV channels and that was it. Under Vista it listed all the channels available in my area, but there were some which I was never able to actually see. Under W7 all were listed and all watchable. This was amazingly smooth and had not one problem with it. Under Vista, I also had to have a third party guide set up. Under W7, this is a thing of the past as it now automatically brings up a guide listing. I can't praise this side of things highly enough. MC takes a little getting used to under W7 opening screen with the selections is a bit different, but you soon adapt and it is in fact very easy to use.
The controls for watching video/ recorded TV is also better. While the TV show is being watched, if you touch the mouse the control panel will open. If you click on the bright dot, which shows how far through the show you are, and you drag this to the right or left, a little window appears and shows you a preview of the TV show at that particular point in time. Very handy and much improved over VMC.
The whole setup with recorded TV is so much better. When you click on a recorded show it brings up an option screen that allows you play the show, but if you press the right arrow key, it scrolls to other screens which allow you to change series recording as well as giving you info on the show.
I think that upgrading to W7 is worth it just to get the new Media Centre.
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