Windows 7 -- Initial Impressions

As I posted last week, I got a new laptop with Windows 7 on it. Best Buy had a deal that you could get a Windows 7 upgrade package for $49 instead of $119 with that purchase. So I bought that for Betty's laptop. (They also offer a family upgrade for three computers for $149.)

Several of you asked if I would share my impressions of it so here are a few, early comments and I'll talk about it from an upgrade viewpoint using Betty's laptop experience. It's best to have at least 2 GB of RAM and more is better. Microsoft has a Windows 7 advisory software you can download to check your computer. If you have Vista (which Betty had), it's a simple upgrade (takes a couple of hours) and everything worked under the new system. If you have XP my understanding is it's a much more complicated process and you should check that out before purchasing the upgrade.

Windows 7 is a smaller (size) operating system than Vista or XP so it takes up less space on your computer. At first glance it looks similar to Vista, but there are some real differences.

The start up and shut down time is at least twice as fast as Vista (can't say about XP as it's been awhile since we had that system). Betty's internet and wireless seems to work much better than under Vista. All of her programs seem to load quicker and work smoother than before.

If you have two or more computers with Windows 7 you can set up a Homegroup that allows users to see documents, pictures, music, videos, etc. and access them as if they were on their own computer. You can decide what you want to share. The set up is intuitive and easy.

One of the features I like most is the ability to snap windows. I often work between two different windows at the same time -- taking information from one window to use in the other. Before I had to flip back and forth between windows hoping to remember what I saw on the one as I worked in the other. Now I can snap one window to the left half of the screen the other window to the right half so I can see both at the same time. I can go back and forth as I work and it makes it a whole lot easier -- and I don't have to rely on my aging, failing memory. As an example, Betty did that with Quicken and our bank statement to reconcile the two.

You can pin programs, documents, web sites, etc., that you use most often to the task bar. When you have one or more windows open in a particular program or web site, you can get a preview of all of them moving the cursor over the icon in the task bar. If you want to open a particular window you just click on the preview.

Another small improvement I really like is removing hardware. For example, under Vista/XP when you insert a thumb drive you have to go through a four step process so you can safely remove it. Under Windows 7 there's a small icon in the area where your sound, wireless, etc., icons are located. You click it once and then click the remove thumb drive icon and it's done. Again, very intuitive and simple.

Finally, the Windows explorer window is on the task bar and it's very well organized. Everything you need is right there in a simple, easy to understand format. Also, they have added "libraries" so if you have pictures in more than one place, all you have to do is click on the picture library and all your pictures will be there and it's easy to find where they are.

Those are first impressions and I'm sure I've forgotten something.

Net, it appears that Microsoft really listened to regular (non-geek) users to make Windows 7 the easiest, most intuitive Windows version yet developed. In my opinion, it's definitely worth considering.

Let me know if you have any questions.