View Full Version : Windows 7 is here!
Bass Trumpet
28.10.2009, 15:38
Hello everyone, well after waiting for ages, Windows 7 is finally here!
I've just installed and initial impressions are very good. The general look and feel are great and it seems to be so much more intuitive than either Vista or XP. I plugged in my printer and it not only found the driver online in seconds but it did the whole install for me. Sibelius 6 runs like a dream.
HOWEVER.......
Because the OS is so new, there a not that many drivers out there yet for older hardware. While my printer is fine, there is no Win7 driver for my webcam or my keyboard (Philips SPC 210NC Webcam and Creative Prodikeys keyboard - Vista drivers don't work)
So, what do people think? Any other early-adopters out there or are you all waiting for people like me to find all the glitches first!
MrsDoyle
28.10.2009, 15:52
I have adopted it - I have Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit.
So far no problems - the only thing was that my AC'97 on-board sound was not detected so I had to find a driver. Only a minor niggle.
The new Aero 1.1 features are excellent if your GPU supports them. The 'themes' functionality is something that was missing in Vista. The Wallpaper Slideshow feature is also welcome.
Jump Lists make some things easier, but for others you have to click twice where you'd only click once in XP.
Windows XP Mode also works well for incompatible applications.
Sibelius 6 works like a dream, as B.T. said, as do Visio and Project 2003 and Office 2007.
Overall, a much better upgrade than Vista.
Who cares - OSX Snow Leopard all the way ;)
Hmm ... and that little task bar thing at the bottom looks *quite a lot* like the doc on the Mac OS ..... !!
MrsDoyle
28.10.2009, 15:58
I know - I'm a sometime Mac user myself and have to concede it's very very similar...
brassneck
28.10.2009, 16:33
... are you all waiting for people like me to find all the glitches first!
... sounds reasonable to me! :cool:
Bass Trumpet
28.10.2009, 16:49
Was I the only one who held a launch party?
Only joking, I'm not THAT sad!!!
Bass Trumpet
28.10.2009, 17:25
And another sore point: my network drive is unlikely ever to receive a Win7 driver as it's considered 'end of line'. Great, that's another hundred quid I need to spend on a new one :(
brassneck
28.10.2009, 17:50
And another sore point: my network drive is unlikely ever to receive a Win7 driver as it's considered 'end of line'. Great, that's another hundred quid I need to spend on a new one :(
Limited backwards compatibility then?
Bass Trumpet
28.10.2009, 18:01
Me or the drive? :biggrin:
I'm still using XP, and I don't see a reason to upgrade (let alone pay €120 for it...)
Unless anyone of you can convince me of course ;)
brasscrest
28.10.2009, 20:06
Don't upgrade until you have to, Jan. ;)
I always wait at least a year on Micro$oft upgrades.
Anno Draconis
28.10.2009, 21:57
Don't upgrade until you have to, Jan. ;)
I always wait at least a year on Micro$oft upgrades.
Seconded. When it gets to SP2 I might think about it :biggrin:
I have it as it was installed on the new PC that I got delivered last Friday. So far, I'm very happy with it - never bothered with Vista, but this has been hammered for 5 days solid now and it's still to crash, hang or freeze. Seems very stable, not to mention quick.
However, it's early days still........ ;)
KMJ Recordings
28.10.2009, 22:06
Win 7 is to Vista what XP was to Me........
Win 7 is to Vista what XP was to Me........
What did XP do to you exactly? ;)
brassneck
28.10.2009, 22:21
It seems that you can upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista but have to do a clean install if you have XP running. So, is it Vista repaired, remodelled and remarketed?
KMJ Recordings
28.10.2009, 23:51
What did XP do to you exactly? ;)
:biggrin:
I like XP....most of the machines here still run it. The admin laptop is Vista....but won't be for much longer ;)
KMJ Recordings
28.10.2009, 23:54
It seems that you can upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista but have to do a clean install if you have XP running. So, is it Vista repaired, remodelled and remarketed?
XP was based on NT architecture was it not?
Vista was essentially a rewrite from the ground up and 7 is essentially a second generation based on the same code.
I think :eek:
brassneck
29.10.2009, 00:03
XP was based on NT architecture was it not?
Vista was essentially a rewrite from the ground up and 7 is essentially a second generation based on the same code.
I think :eek:
yup! I didn't fancy Vista so stuck with XP Pro. Most stable OS I've had was Windows 2000.
Most stable OS I've had was Windows 2000.
QFT
although I haven't had much trouble with XP either...
HaleStorm
29.10.2009, 08:45
Win7 is essentially an upgraded XP thats re-designed to look more modern and Mac-ish.
We have had it on out Volume Liscensing at work for a month or so now, and i have been running my Office PC on it since we got the download, and i have yet to find serious fault with it, its much quicker than it was on XP, and browsing the network is much easier and alot faster.
Alot of really goo features like the Snipping Tool and the Sticky Notes are really useful as well, especially if you forget meetings and stuff like i do haha
Alot of really goo features like the Snipping Tool and the Sticky Notes are really useful as well, especially if you forget meetings and stuff like i do haha
But that are just gadgets, for which you can easily find free alternatives on the Internet... (I'm thinking of SnagIt, etc.)
MrsDoyle
29.10.2009, 14:15
Oh dear.
Six days in and I'm getting repeated crashes. Not good.
Thank God for the MacBook
brassneck
29.10.2009, 14:41
Just my luck ... I've was infected on XP with that horrible virus that tells you that your PC is infected. No rights to use system restore etc. Worst of all, I have lost email contacts (again) and customised settings for my edting software. What's Win7 like for security?
MrsDoyle
29.10.2009, 14:44
Have you tried MalwareBytes, Brassneck?
Windows 7 appears to be a little more secure - the nanny state UAC has been toned down somewhat but it is still effective - if you don't turn it off. Otherwise, the same advice applies as for Vista - the firewall is quite dependable, but I'd install some security software.
HaleStorm
29.10.2009, 14:55
oh yeah definatly always install extra security, but Micro$oft seem to have stepped up there game alot this time, I used to get a warning message from McAfee every now and again on XP saying someone was trying to access my computer remotley. Now im on Windows7 it doesn't seem to get even that far, windows just blocks it outright.
Apparently Microsoft have just released "security essentials" which is a free package direct from them which is very good according to all the reviews i have read.
brassneck
29.10.2009, 14:57
Have you tried MalwareBytes, Brassneck?
I'll check it out. Serves me right for trusting my judgement too much since my last rebuild (without using my anti spyware installation). PERFS.EXE is the culprit.
on_castors
02.11.2009, 20:57
I'm still using XP, and I don't see a reason to upgrade (let alone pay €120 for it...)
Unless anyone of you can convince me of course ;)
Is there a special tax on it in Belgium? :-?
Home premium is from about £60 here, if you qualify for an educational licence, about 30!
Is there a special tax on it in Belgium? :-?
Home premium is from about £60 here, if you qualify for an educational licence, about 30!
€120 was the number I remember from the news. I checked the website of a local computer store. They are selling the "Home Premium OEM" for €104 and the "Home Premium Upgrade" for €119 (which according to Google equals 94 and 107 GBP respectively).
BTW, why is the Upgrade version more expensive than the regular one?
And I don't qualitfy for an eductional license any more ;)
on_castors
03.11.2009, 18:11
€120 was the number I remember from the news. I checked the website of a local computer store. They are selling the "Home Premium OEM" for €104 and the "Home Premium Upgrade" for €119 (which according to Google equals 94 and 107 GBP respectively).
BTW, why is the Upgrade version more expensive than the regular one?
It isn't necessarily so here! Upgrade versions can be got for more "reasonable" prices!
The REAL low bargain prices seem to have gone (Tesco had it very cheap!), but still available for under £70 via Amazon Marketplace, and OEM versions around too
Plenty others cheaper than full price too:
http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=windows+7+home+premium+oem+version&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=4120225455780446025&ei=8XDwSpHOBMyhjAerkpzCCA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBcQ8wIwAw#ps-sellers
Who cares - OSX Snow Leopard all the way ;)
Hmm ... and that little task bar thing at the bottom looks *quite a lot* like the doc on the Mac OS ..... !!
Too right..... Once you've had MAC you'll never go back!!
KMJ Recordings
03.11.2009, 18:16
Too right..... Once you've had MAC you'll never go back!!
You might ;)
Depends on your needs.....
Bass Trumpet
03.11.2009, 18:21
Too right..... Once you've had MAC you'll never go back!!
That's because you spend so much on the damn thing, you feel guilty for not using it! I personally find them pretty, but really only a fashion accessory for the gullible. A computer is a tool, nothing more.
However, if like Macs, please don't let my anti-Mac bias change your mind. It's your money ;)
Btw, what's a Mac user doing visiting a Windows thread? :oops:
on_castors
03.11.2009, 18:25
Too right..... Once you've had MAC you'll never go back!!
Of course not - you will be too skint to buy anything else!
Meanwhile PC users can ponder which of the three machines they have for the same money to upgrade first - the desktop, the Laptop or the Netbook!
In most threads I inhabit, your post would be seen as TROLLING... but that's the quirk of this site ;)
Bass Trumpet
03.11.2009, 18:45
Meanwhile PC users can ponder which of the three machines they have for the same money to upgrade first - the desktop, the Laptop or the Netbook!
Only three pc's for the price of a Mac? They must be posh ones!
In all seriousness, I'm not sure about Win7 on the netbook. While my home pc is a monster (AMD Phenom, 8GB RAM etc.), my netbook is quite basic (Intel Atom, 2GB RAM). I might just wait for some reviews in the computer magazines before upgrading on that.
That's because you spend so much on the damn thing, you feel guilty for not using it! I personally find them pretty, but really only a fashion accessory for the gullible. A computer is a tool, nothing more.
However, if like Macs, please don't let my anti-Mac bias change your mind. It's your money ;)
Btw, what's a Mac user doing visiting a Windows thread? :oops:
Yup - and the tools I want come as standard on my Mac, and don't on a PC.
If you think its a 'fashion accessory' you've obviously never used one properly. I thought long and hard before I bought my Mac (I spent a year deciding before I parted with the £600 - which I don't think is excessive) and I've been very pleased with it. I use mine for basic audio recording using USB and firewire and the PCs at work just cant keep up .... especially with the mix of audio/midi data we are using. KMJ recordings may disagree but on a music department budget for AS music and music tech I have found mac's much more cost-efficient for what we need.
What's a Mac user doing visiting a Windows thread - laughing mainly ;)
Bass Trumpet
03.11.2009, 19:19
you've obviously never used one properly.
Sadly, I have :(
Sadly, I have :(
lol
Don't get me wrong - if Microsoft come up with something cheaper that does the job I need in a better way, then I will go back to a PC. I'm not some Apple-obsessed nutcase! ;)
*goes all misty eyed*
I remember the good 'ol days when my hard drive was 10 MEG (!!) and everything was DOS codes .....
Anyway .... windows 7 - sure its lovely :)
That's because you spend so much on the damn thing, you feel guilty for not using it! I personally find them pretty, but really only a fashion accessory for the gullible. A computer is a tool, nothing more.
However, if like Macs, please don't let my anti-Mac bias change your mind. It's your money ;)
Btw, what's a Mac user doing visiting a Windows thread? :oops:
Ha Ha!:) On the contrary... I switch it on and within seconds its ready to go. Sibelius and Itunes actually work without freaking out!! I can do what I need to do (usually my business accounts) and whilst you're still waiting for yer PC or lappy to boot up, I've hit the button 5 seconds later its off and I'm back on pro evo 10!! lol;)
KMJ Recordings
03.11.2009, 19:54
KMJ recordings may disagree but on a music department budget for AS music and music tech I have found mac's much more cost-efficient for what we need.
)
Not at all...it's horses for courses.
I just use PCs because of my choice of software....I'm not precious about the platform at all...I just use what I need....and for mission critical projects I'll always use parallel hardware recorders possibly with the addition of computer(s).
I've known both pcs AND macs fall over at the most unforgiving times, so I remain a bit of a traditionalist ;)
on_castors
04.11.2009, 08:34
In all seriousness, I'm not sure about Win7 on the netbook. While my home pc is a monster (AMD Phenom, 8GB RAM etc.), my netbook is quite basic (Intel Atom, 2GB RAM). I might just wait for some reviews in the computer magazines before upgrading on that.
Just last week I have set up a new Dell Netbook with Windows 7 for a friend -it only had 1Gb, yet runs fine (for that amount of RAM!) - I don't have a Netbook myself, I just find them too slow, and don't need the ultra portability, my laptop is old, but still a lot faster than one!
Anyway, having run it with XP as it came, I can say there is barely any noticeable speed difference at all with W7, one way or the other, so if you want 7 put it on! (Watch what you do when disabling services, it behaves a bit different to Vista, especially if you want to keep the Media Center functionality!)
I am not using W7 myself yet, as it is a bit early for me to go the whole hog with a new OS, but I don't think it will be very long, as I have tried it out on other machines and it is certainly very good.
For those beings with educational staus, here seems to be cheapest at the moment:
http://students.pugh.co.uk/index.php?nID=productDetail&manu=50&prodID=2830
at £32.66 for the Professional version!
brasscrest
04.11.2009, 14:53
According to some of the technical gurus at my office, W7 is much less resource-intensive than Vista. Especially if you turn off the services you don't need.
Bass Trumpet
04.11.2009, 16:50
Ha Ha!:) On the contrary... I switch it on and within seconds its ready to go. Sibelius and Itunes actually work without freaking out!! I can do what I need to do (usually my business accounts) and whilst you're still waiting for yer PC or lappy to boot up, I've hit the button 5 seconds later its off and I'm back on pro evo 10!! lol;)
Congratulations, I'm very happy for you.
on_castors
04.11.2009, 19:52
According to some of the technical gurus at my office, W7 is much less resource-intensive than Vista. Especially if you turn off the services you don't need.
Although I have run Vista for a long time, I am first to admit it does use as little more resources than XP did, even with some services turned off; but Windows 7 seems to have near enough matched XP performance in this respect, so most of the complaints about Vista do not apply to W7.
Problem is, W7 seems to be more dependant on letting more of the services to continue running, and the little time I have spent with it, I had to leave more components running than I do with Vista, one of the reason I am not moving to it on my main PC just yet, until I do some more playing around with it on an older machine I have!
Bass Trumpet
13.11.2009, 19:12
Joy of joys! My home-built PC went bang yesterday. Nobody's fault, apart from the idiot who assembled the PSU, thus blowing the motherboard :mad:
Anyway, got it all sorted using the spare-room-full of spare parts I have. But here's a strange thing; Windows requested I re-register my copy of Win7. Despite using the same HDD, it noticed the change of motherboard and PSU and assumed I was somebody else. Had to go through the rigmarole of calling the automated help line, which to me always sounds like a grumpy headmistress!
All going again now, until something else blows a fuse!
brassneck
13.11.2009, 19:26
...Nobody's fault, apart from the idiot who assembled the PSU, thus blowing the motherboard :mad:
Ouch! ... no overclocking involved?
Just got a new PC which has Windows 7 love it. Just got a new version of Sibelius 6 and it's not liking Windows 7.
See some of you say it works well - what am I doing wrong?
Have done the upload or whatever to 6.1 but still not completely ok yet.
Help please :-?
brassneck
13.11.2009, 23:58
Just got a new PC which has Windows 7 love it. Just got a new version of Sibelius 6 and it's not liking Windows 7.
See some of you say it works well - what am I doing wrong?
Have done the upload or whatever to 6.1 but still not completely ok yet.
Help please :-?
Moira, is your PC running in 64bit mode, because Sibelius 6.1 must be run only under 32bit. The linked article below may help if this is indeed the problem.
http://www.sibelius.com/helpcenter/64bit.html
My main PC is now running Linux Ubuntu 9.10, and, while I'd love to say it's brilliant, there's a couple of quibbles...
Having said that, for the vast majority of tasks, it's fine - and free. ;)
Bass Trumpet
14.11.2009, 10:37
Just got a new PC which has Windows 7 love it. Just got a new version of Sibelius 6 and it's not liking Windows 7.
See some of you say it works well - what am I doing wrong?
Have done the upload or whatever to 6.1 but still not completely ok yet.
Help please :-?
Try the Sibelius thread, lots of good advice. Some of it even from me!
Might be the 64bit problem. Despite my CPU being 64, I still plumped for the 32bit Win7 simply for the reason that there is still not a lot of software support for 64bit computing.
Bass Trumpet
14.11.2009, 10:44
My main PC is now running Linux Ubuntu 9.10, and, while I'd love to say it's brilliant, there's a couple of quibbles...
Having said that, for the vast majority of tasks, it's fine - and free. ;)
I would agree Linux is a good alternative, but my main quibble was lack of support for industry-standard applications such as Sibelius. I ran Debian for quite a while with WinXP on VirtualBox, but I found that it was just so clunky and slow. My Netbook is running Ubuntu very well but setting up Wifi is still a faff for the uninitiated.
Despite the time and effort put into it, I still find that Linux has a long way to go before it becomes a real alternative to Windows (or MacOS). I don't have too many problems, but I still feel like it is not very friendly for people who don't have much computer knowledge.
I would happily pay for a Linux distro which was as well-supported as Windows or MacOS.
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