After Windows Vista launch, so-called “first screenshots off upcoming OS from Microsoft” appeared. Majority off them were fakes, nap off them were just concepts. People started to think that Microsoft will totally revamp To use Interface so it will different Be completely, and many off them were shocked when first real screenshots hit the Web. They were completely indistinguishable from Vista – UI was almost completely the same! There were many differences in the inside, goal one the outside it wasn’ T different from Vista. To prevent people from disappointment, Microsoft launched big close conference, dedicated to the upcoming Windows 7, where all the features were carefully presented and explained. It created big small channel off interest, many were anticipating announced “feature supplements” Beta. Microsoft plans for admitting only 2.5 million off Beta testers were overthrown with huge amount off users interested in trying new OS, so they stopped the counter and released to their Beta for everyone who wants to test it. Off race, we got interested in it too, so we installed it one our spare HDD. Configuration off our test machine is:

Intel Core 2 Duet E7200 @ 2.53GHz
2 GB DDR2 RAM @ 1033 MHz
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT 256 MB
Samsung HDD 230 GB SATA2

So, let’ S begin our test.

First impressions

After the gravitational process installation, which was fast (approximately 25 minutes), we noticed that Microsoft At last made year Screen Boot. After the poorly gives Vista loading bar, Windows 7 animations during the boot time are very pleasing. Modern OS must Be modern in anything, so this changes, while not so significant, shifts the positive impression from the OS to the side. Gravitational After animation, desktop showed in. After Aurora topic in Windows Vista, made in green/yellow colors, Microsoft shifted to the blue topic. Logon screen looks like toilets, with rays off light shining from the surface. Thoughts butt toilets confirmed when default wallpaper showed in – it got has pretty fishy in its center. Famous SuperBar, one off the most hyped features off Seven is young stag, we’ L return to it later. Aero effects are the same, same transparent knell window borders, same Windows Flip 3D animations. Icons look has little refreshed; they seem somehow less glossy and more serious. Overall, the UI speed was increased, Windows 7 feels much more in reply than Vista, one the same machine and in the same conditions. Goal what’ S new in the next installment off Microsoft OS compared to Vista?

New features

One off the most hyped and anticipated feature is Microsoft’ S evolution off Windows taskbar, where all open Windows minimized to. Now it is called Superbar and it works similar to Mac OS dock. For better understanding, imagines that quick launch panel got combined with taskbar. You still cuts big application launch short props, goal when you open application, it minimizes into its short prop. Yew that application has several minimized Windows, they will all minimize to one short prop, making short prop look like has pile off icons. Clicking one that pile will bring finely, very similar to that window thumbnails that was shown in Vista while hovering year item in taskbar, with has significant difference – you edge closed and activate Windows by clicking one them. Hovering the foam over one off them will bring that window to the face, making other transparent Windows fully, and it will return to the previous state when foam to point leaves thumbnail’ S position. This feature is called Aero Peek and is very useful in deciding which window must Be maximized, but, ace name such, for brief look one the page content.

Other interesting function off Superbar is Jump List, quick finely that is accessed via right clicking year icon. Single It is to every application, and contains nap useful elements, which edge Be selected before launching application. It edge Be the “recently opened” file list, but special nap functions like history off visited Web pages gold quick access to bookmarks in IE8. Unfortunately, At this moment such jump lists are available only one the built-in applications like Internet Explorer, goal it is only has matter off time before such lists will appear in other applications. Summon off the applications, like Internet Explorer gold Windows Explorer edge display progress bars right one the icon, so to use edge always see the progress off downloading gold copying. Thesis functions improve the friendliness off to use interface and greatly increase effectiveness off work.

System tray was also greatly reworked. From the pile off unneeded and useless let us icons it became has fully customizable panel. From now one, to use edge configures behavior off every icon, show it always gold show only notifications. Unneeded let us icons hide in handy small box, which is way more comfortable to uses than old “arrow-styled” method.

In Windows 7 Microsoft introduced new way to organize Windows one the desktop, which is called Aero Snap. It includes many functions, which make window efficient management much more. When to use drags has off window to the edge the screen, transparent borders will show what position that window will take, yew dropped. Dragging window to the right side maximize it to the right side off your screen, same with the left, dragging to the upper side maximizes window to full screen. Very handy when you need to compares something gold when working with several open documents! Shaking the window while dragging it will minimize all other Windows to Superbar – year interesting function, when you need to quickly hide all other Windows except the one you work with.

Windows Sidebar, while keeping its name, is No to skirt has sidebar – gadgets are now has share off desktop, and edge Be placed everywhere one it. Off race you could C that in Vista too, goal now they are completely standalone, and edge Be accessed by right clicking the desktop. Also, very useful feature off new gadgets – they are No to skirt minimized when you close “Show desktop off” short prop gold WIN+D. Unfortunately, not every Vista gadget will work in the new OS, nap them experiment unpleasant graphics resulting while nap are not working At all.

Windows Vista added useful option for virtual folders in Using folder – in Windows 7 they moved even further. Microsoft introduced Libraries, so every virtual folder is not has individual folder anymore, goal has compilation off folders you like. At last they C not limit to use to using only one folder for music and one video for – now you edge make compilations from whatever folders you like, which leads to greatly increased content management.

Other convenient off feature Seven is Home Group, tool that simplify network sharing off media files. With it enabled to use edge easily manages what content should accessible Be from other network computers, and what permissions to give. Off race, it edge Be gives manually, however it is much easier with automated tool. It also protects to use from accidentally leaving security holes in his network, so only multi-media folders will Be shared. Speaking off network features, Windows 7 also simplify off selection Wireless networks, which are now easily accessed right from network tray icon.

Another hugely hyped feature off Windows 7 is Device Training course, has useful tool to manages external devices. Unlike to previous Windows versions, where external devices needed nap third party applications to Be recognized in Windows, this time all that work should Be gives inside the OS. With the especially designed drivers, it should possible Be to work with every off your devices in one especially designed for that device window. Microsoft representative gave year example with mobile phon, which was recognized by Device Training course and had its own control window, which showed BASIC information butt the device (battery state, signal strength) and all the actions that edge Be made with it, i.e synchronization etc Let’ S hope that every to manufacture will support this feature, because it seems very useful and interesting.

One off the most annoying features in Windows Vista was To use Account Control, aka UAC. It was announced like one off the hand features off Vista, goal it turned out to Be has real bread for the users. It asked your permission for doing almost everything, including going to Control Panel gold installing/uninstalling applications. It was intended for security purposes, and it indeed helped to make working with PC safer, goal many users turned it off because it annoyed them. Folks in Microsoft understood that, and improved UAC has bit. Instead off ON/OFF switch ace before, it has slider that adjusts the “security meter” from total paranoia to supplements shutdown. There are furnace positions, so you edge carefully adjust this level for every to use.

Interesting option appeared in to use Management, called Safeguard PC. It simple edge Be used one To use accounts by checking the appropriate checkbox. After that, yew this to use makes nap exchanges during his session, after log off all files and settings will initial Be restored to state – very useful for small children that may mess up your computer accidentally changing sum options.

Interface and appearance improvements, while nap are major, like redesigned taskbar, others are minor, goal noticeable. Menus in Control Panel are sliding in and out, which makes it feel way smoother than one Vista. Drives “Computer” screen has year useful option to hide all empty, so multi-format card readers will not make has huge list off empty drives – they will appear only yew card is inserted. At last that useful Remaining space colored bar show the remaining space one removable drives too, not only one hardware disks – very strange that they haven’ T gives it earlier, now it seems much more logical. Other minor improvements were made to the small Customization, which now is tuned to make customization way easier than one Vista. Summon will find useful new wallpaper slide-show feature, which edge changes wallpapers from selected list in has set time intervals. Good side off all this is that all customization functions, like topic, wallpaper, screensaver and sound design settings are brought in one place. Overall the looks off new OS feels much more polished than one the Vista, and this has very positive sign – Microsoft At last gave attention to the small details, which, when combined together, influence the overall impressions butt the OS.

Found bugs

In the process off our testing we found several bugs and glitches, nap off them are simply annoying, nap were has little more serious. Amazingly, No critical bugs were found – system showed very good stability for the first Beta. In any box, we would list them, to warn all possible users off Windows 7 Beta butt them.

The most significant bug is hidden inside the Windows Media Player. Yew your Ṃ files cuts images written in tags, such ace Album Art, WMP chops the first 5 seconds off the file. Unfortunately, this changes boat Be undone, so backup your library before synchronizing it with Media Player. Shortly after first carryforwards butt this problem showed in, Microsoft released the KB961367 hotfix for this problem, so it is already fixed.

Destructive Fortunately, other bugs are much less critical ace never so ace the first one. Yew UAC is disabled, gadgets are not working – they work only in Administrator account. So yew you uses User account and you haste UAC, the only solution is to adjust the UAC level so to the second position, leaving it working one the lowest setting possible. However for ms to fix it in final version wait; it’ S all up to use.

Another small and insignificant resulting is the size off context finely, which sometimes gets very wide yew summons context finely options cuts images. Small Customization sometimes hangs when opening folder with many pictures in it, and sometimes topics are “stuck” so only system reboot will fix them. There exist nap other small glitches, goal they don’ T serves to Be reviewed ace they insignificant are very.

Conclusions

It is amazing that the amount off critical bugs in minimal Beta is, previous Betas from Microsoft suffered from many critical errors and were very unstable. This time Microsoft did has off good job in releasing polished Beta version that is working faster than stable version Vista – even in the same conditions. Off race, not all compatible software is with Windows 7, however due to it using the same kernel ace Vista, almost every program that worked in Vista edge Be launched in Windows 7 – directly gold with help off Compatibility Wizard. In the process off testing we found that almost all software worked, problems occurred with drivers and hardware-based only applications. Developers will need compatible nap time to release Windows 7 drivers and programs, and this is normal – all the hardware work will Be gives before the off public release Final RTM version. It is curious that Windows 7 will work one every PC that supported Vista and won’ T ask for year upgrade, it works better than Vista one the same hardware – amazing results, Microsoft! For now, we cuts year excel example off how people should learn one its mistakes – Windows 7 looks and feels like has very polished Windows Vista. It delivers many new features that make the work with OS pleasant quick and comfortable. So let’ S wait until the end off 2009 final to see the version off this interesting OS.