MICROSOFT; WINDOWS 7 ???

Well we're back to shaking our heads. We were still contemplating whether to switch to Vista when Microsoft sprang yet another operating system on us. This one looks a lot like Vista, but seems to actually work.

Vista had some shortcomings, to put it politely, most of them having to do with simple procedures like opening files. For whatever reason, Vista would "step out" for a few moments whenever it was retrieving a file. Sometimes it never came back, preferring to take the rest of the day off. The only solution seemed to be to hit the power button, or if your computer was configured for standby, pull the plug from the wall. Restarting the computer helped for a minute or so, but it didn't seem to take too long before things went awry again.

There was also that annoying UAC that kept asking you if you wanted to allow your application to do anything important. You were constantly being asked this over and over, even if you had just replied yes. Fortunately there was a way to turn that off.

So now we have Windows 7. Many of you are asking "Why?"

I would like to say that Vista was not evil, just different. The jury is still out on that one. I will say that about Windows 7.  It still has the "WOW" factor features like Aero and cool desktop themes and screen savers. It also has that rolodex window switcher that I never use. It does display the windows in miniature above the task bar, which I do use because I don't have to guess what Excel window I'm actually opening. Like Vista, the interface seems to be Microsoft's interpretation of the Apple / Linux desktop. As Microsoft did with Office 2007 and Vista, menus have been changed around so much that it seems you have to relearn everything you've come to know and love about Windows. Try finding the Run command a couple of times and you'll see what I mean. It isn't really all that bad, however, and only takes a short while to get used to.

What I noticed most about Windows 7 was that it actually works. It opens files when I ask it to instead of keeping me from getting my work done. Vista seemed to check the entire Internet before it looked for files in local drives. 7 is still slower than XP at times, but the delay is acceptable and nothing like Vista. UAC is still enabled by default, so unless you want to click Yes a few thousand times a day, you need to disable the setting. More on that later. It also still asks you whether the network you are connecting to is Private, Public, etc.. so it can handle security for you. This can be annoying, yes, but in an age when organized crime is trying to steal your identity anyway they can, it may not be a bad thing. I have found that the average computer user doesn't think much about computer security. It appears that Microsoft has had the same experience and designed the the operating system to take over that chore.

Windows 7 is also "self maintaining" Like Vista, it will go out to the Internet and look for updates and solutions for issues. It will also notify Microsoft about things it has concerns about, if you let it. It's like having level one support built in. It will still attempt to find an answer to any problem it encounters even if some of the solutions don't exist yet. This isn't necessarily a Microsoft problem. Much of it has to do with outdated hardware or software. The company that built your scanner or printer or other device should be creating compatible drivers and DLL's. If they haven't done these things neither Windows 7 or Microsoft can solve the problem.

As much as Windows 7 looks like Vista there are differences. Most of these are at the system level and not obvious to the casual user. The obvious ones include a new ribbon interface (ala Office 2007) and functions for Wordpad and Paint. A new desktop feature called "slivers" allows you to see the desktop through an open Window. For home users there are now "homegroups" that make it easier to share files on the home network. There is also tool named Credential Manager that will maintain user names and passwords for remote sites. It's a kind of "single sign-on" utility, something IT groups have been anticipating for decades. It keeps the credential data in a vault that can be backed up or transferred along with your other settings. Bad news: it only works with Credential Manager "enabled" sites. Good news: it can be turned off. Having it work half the time doesn't seem worth the trouble. If more sites go for the idea, it can always be turned on again.

There is an enhanced Instant Search feature and Jump Lists, two navigation aids that make it easier and faster to access websites and documents through the taskbar or start menu. Windows 7 now sports the Action Center that manages security, maintenance and configuration. This is where the user will go to turn off UAC and other security and maintenance messages. You can now turn off that annoying reminder that you forgot to purchase anti-virus protection. For those of us who need proof that their computers are reliable, there is also a Reliability Monitor.

For those of us who use VPN connections there is Direct Access. It only works between Windows 7 clients and Windows Server 2008 (release 2)  servers. So you aren't going to have to switch from your Cisco and Symantec client apps until your IT staff migrates to Server 2008 R2

Other features include a Virtual Hard Disk utility for those who would like to create a recovery disk on a USB thumb drive. There is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, an enhanced terminal services that requires Windows 7 and Server 2008.  There are a few more Aero functions. For instance, you can now shake a window and all others minimize. You can drag windows and they will stick to the edges of the desktop in a sort of a manual horizontal Tile function. You can even view the desktop windows by making all open windows transparent outlines (hold the mouse over the small rectangle to the right of the clock display). I mustn't forget BitLocker, an encryption utility for USB jump drives.

At the system level experienced users and IT personnel will find some additional functionality. PowerShell remoting now enables IT staff to perform remote management tasks at the command line level. PowerShell tasks run in a hidden window so there is no need to take control of the computer as you would using Remote Desktop. The tasks can be managed and operated remotely through WS-Management. There is also AppLocker, an application control tool that allows system admins to tailor the way apps are run on a system. It's an easier, more powerful way to create and maintain Group and Local policy objects.

Remote Assistance has been enhanced with Easy Connect. IT staff can now use Remote Desktop to remotely diagnose computer problems. Tools include a PSR or Problem Steps Recorder. Once started, PSR records the procedures leading up to the issue and packs the result in a ZIP file that can then be e-mailed to system admin for analysis.

Another Windows 7 feature is called BranchCache. This allows Windows 7 to store local copies of data collected from websites or servers. It's an enhancement of past features like My Briefcase and Offline Files. I haven't had the pleasure of trying this yet, but I suspect the usual problems of using offline data are still an issue. Database merging has always been a rather tricky operation and the usual solution is to make the local data read-only.

For brave users who have already made the leap to Vista, updating your computer to Windows 7 is straight forward. That is provided you have upgraded Vista to Service Pack 1. If not, the first step will be to turn on auto-update and download and install SP1. I personally had trouble with getting auto update to install SP1 and had to actually download the Service Pack and install it manually. That part of the procedure took quite a while. Once that was accomplished Windows 7 installed without any problem at all.

XP users will find the upgrade path a bit harder. There is no direct path from XP to Windows 7. You will have to upgrade XP using that Vista DVD you've hidden in a drawer somewhere. Being a bit paranoid about software updates of any kind  I made sure I created a disk image, a system state backup and a files and settings transfer before I did anything with Vista. It turned out I didn't need to use them, but safe is better than sorry in this business. I was able to upgrade my XP installation to Vista without issue. The only problem I ran into was installing Vista Service Pack 1. As I stated previously, auto-update didn't do the trick for me and I had to download and install the software manually. That was the only problem I ran into. Windows 7 installed with nary a whimper and my HP notebook is now whirring happily away with the new operating system.

Microsoft is trying hard to to fit into a market where the I-Phone is the hottest selling gadget on the planet. 7 is part of that strategy and looks to be adaptable to any number of future trends in computing. The company doesn't want to be left behind by hardware and software that changes the way we do things. If there is a drawback in this philosophy it's only the fact that some of these things haven't been invented yet. We can't always see what's up ahead. One thing is for sure...Our beloved XP is familiar and comfortable, but it won't take us into the future. Windows 7 is Microsoft's way of anticipating things to come.

For a closer look at the way some people are adapting to the new Microsoft products visit Microsoft