Compatibility is always a sensitive issue when it comes to a new version of Windows. Microsoft takes it very seriously and considers it a hallmark of the Windows platform, making it easy for users to transition to a new release with little or no hiccups. With the release of Windows XP, Microsoft introduced Compatibility Mode, which let older applications run on the OS emulating supported versions of Windows with the ability to save settings so that your applications will start in the correct mode every time. Compatibility Mode worked in some cases and others it did not.

Windows Vista's compatibility story was a tough one, simply because of the fundamental changes that were made to enhance the system's security foundations. This ultimately affected how older applications would function, because many older applications were written with the intention of running under Administrative privileges. Meaning, some applications were designed to write to parts of the system that were considered vulnerable to attack and malicious activity. It is a beneficial change that has greatly helped the security initiative in Windows. Windows Vista's kernel version change also affected how certain applications tried to install on the system, since applications were hard coded to check for a specific version of Windows. Microsoft's solution to Vista's compatibility woes included the Virtual PC 2007 utility which allowed Windows customers to run a virtualized copy of Windows XP or 2000 and still run their legacy applications in a suitable environment while transitioning to the latest version of Windows. Although it was a solution it required a costly overhead in resources while being a cumbersome experience of having to switch between the host operating system (Vista) and the guest operating system (XP or 2000).

I recently migrated from Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM, I also moved to the final version of Microsoft's virtualization solution for small businesses and power users running legacy applications; Windows XP Mode. Back in July I started using the first beta and found it a handy solution on Windows 7 64 bit since my GPRS modem is not compatible with Windows 7 64 bit, so I was able to use the Internet through XP Mode. I also benefited from XP mode for 3 key legacy applications: Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 v2, Print Shop 5.0 and Hallmark Card Studio 1.0 This article takes a look at some of the improvements since the beta and RC were released. Prior to Windows Virtual PC with XP Mode, Microsoft's most popular virtualization solution was (and in some way, still is) Virtual PC 2007 which supports systems that do not have a processor with hardware based virtualization technology. XP Mode is a more sophisticated solution, in addition to the ability to running Windows XP in a virtual environment, you can publish applications from within the Virtual Machine and use them along side Windows 7 applications without the need for the operating system layer.

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization is jargon that has caught on with many who are in the Information Technology realm. Virtualization involves using non-physical solutions that would often involve deploying physical hardware resources. In the world of Virtualization a Virtual Machine takes the place of a physical machine, providing similar resources, only non-tangible, this is done on a machine with appropriate resources such as a powerful CPU, lots of Memory and in some cases a GPU (graphical processing unit) depending on the desired capabilities to efficiently run one or more "virtual" instances of an operating system. For instance, I could own a computer with a 2 GHz processor, 3 GBs of memory and be able to run an additional operating system on top of the included operating system, whether it be Windows or Linux without the need to have another machine by sharing some of the resources of the computer with the virtual machine.

Setup

As I noted earlier, to use XP Mode, your computers processor (CPU) needs to support hardware based virtualization. This can be recognized by standards such as Intel-VT and AMD-V. Some computers might not have this capability built in, so I recommend you check Intel or AMD's website to find out if your processor is supported. Some PC Manufacturers might have the technology disabled on certain models requiring that you enable it. Enabling Virtualization support might be a bit complex for novices which requires that you enter your computers BIOS, the experience can vary depending on the manufacturer of your computer.

For more information about the requirements and supported operating systems, see the Windows Virtual PC product page

x86 Virtualization - Wikipedia provides a page with information about which processors from Intel and AMD support virtualization here

Virtualization technologies from Intel

More information about Windows XP Mode for Windows 7

Please follow these steps to enable hardware virtualization:
    - Restart the computer and enter BIOS setup (usually F2, F10 or F12 key on your keyboard, you need to do this before the computer loads the Windows operating system.

On my Computer, I had to hit the F10 key, select my language, select Security > System Security and enable the following:
* Virtualization Technology (VTx)
* Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd)
    - Search virtualization setting in BIOS and enable the setting.
    - Save BIOS settings (usually F10).
    - Power off the computer, wait for a few seconds and start the computer.

The next step is to download Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode software, go to the following link: http://www.windows.com/business/downloads

 

There are two files you will need to download:
1. Windows6.1-KB958559-x64 or x86 depending on the architecture (32 or 64 bit) you are running.

Restart the system, then install:
2. WindowsXPMode_en-us

 

After downloading and installing Windows6.1-KB958559-x64 you will have to restart your system, then install the WindowsXPMode_en-us file, installation is quick and easy.

 

After Installation is complete, go ahead and launch Windows XP Mode from the Windows Virtual PC (Start Menu > All Programs group). The software will go through a quick configuration wizard while it details some of the benefits of the software users new to virtualization.

The three applications I will be using for this scenario are:

• Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 v2 - a business graphics solution that was released with the 2000 wave of Office products. PhotoDraw provides features for editing images, vector illustrations and creating web graphics. I love this product because of its easy to use interface and plethora of features for creating cards, certificates and stationery.
• Hallmark Card Studio 1.0 - This is a very old 16-bit product that features a very fun interface with a collection of professional greeting cards for any occasion. I never had to go to a store when I was using this program - lets hope it works. :)
• The Print Shop 5.0 Premier Edition - I remember back in high school my teacher used this program to create a wide variety of print projects, from programs to flyers. I like its easy to use interface, and wizard based approach to getting task done. Its not a replacement for Microsoft Publisher which I use for more complex projects, but compliments it very well.

Configuring Windows XP Mode

 

Before you begin installing applications and using XP Mode, it is recommended you configure the software depending on the scenarios it will be used for. If you are using a few applications, it is recommended you adjust the allotted amount of RAM (default 256 MBs) to something a bit more realistic. I have 4 GBs of RAM in my machine, so I decided to give my XP Mode setup at least 1024 MBs of RAM. To do this, click Start > All Programs > Windows Virtual PC > Windows Virtual XP Mode

 

Select the Windows XP Virtual Machine, Click Settings on the Command Bar

If you are familiar with Windows Virtual PC 2007, the Settings window presents options you are accustomed to seeing. All of the settings listed manages how the Virtual Machine performs and functions. The first setting we will adjust is the amount of RAM, select that option from the list. In the right pane, you will see a field that you can edit. Enter the desired amount, note that this will depend on how much memory is available to the Host operating system (which is your physical computer). Microsoft recommends 2 GBs of memory and an additional 15 GBs of hard disk space per virtual environment to run Windows XP Mode. You are not limited to using the pre-bundled Windows XP Mode, (although its recommended), you can use your own Windows XP installation media. The Virtual Windows XP option is faster than creating your own virtual machine though. All you need to do is download the package that applies to your Windows 7 platform (either 32-bit or 64-bit) and run through the quick setup wizard.

 

Depending on how your virtual machine is configured when not in use, you might not be able to edit the settings. You must first ensure that it is shut down to make any changes to the Virtual Machines settings. To shutdown the Virtual Machine, click Start > All Programs > Windows Virtual PC > Windows Virtual XP Mode. The Explorer window will open displaying your Virtual Machine along with its current state, as you can see, my own is set to Hibernated. Click Settings on the Command Bar, select 'Close' in the settings window and select the 'Prompt for action' radio box. Each time you close the virtual machine, you can choose to hibernate, shutdown or turn off the virtual machine. This will give you the option to make changes to Virtual Machine when shutdown.

Starting the Virtual Machine

 

Starting Windows XP Mode

Starting XP Mode is very simple, you can launch Windows XP Mode from the Start Menu > Windows Virtual PC programs group or from the "Command Bar > Open", if you are within the Virtual Machines Explorer.

Installing applications and publishing

 

Once you have Started Windows XP Mode, you will see a familiar Windows XP environment. Along the top of the screen is the Toolbar that controls your experience working between the host and Virtual Machine, Restarting or Ending your session, connecting USB devices, securing your session, minimizing, maximizing and closing the Virtual Machine.

Installing and using an application in Virtual XP Mode

Installing applications is the same as installing in Windows, simply insert the application disk or connect to your Network resource of your choice, double click the setup file or the auto-run program will begin the installation. Once the installation is complete you can launch the application from the All Programs menu and use it from within Windows XP Mode normally.

Using the application in Virtual Windows XP is very similar to working in Virtual PC, but the key differentiation happens when you virtualize your applications. My next step was to see how I could benefit from Integration Features without having to use the operating system layer. When you install an application, automatically it places a shortcut in the Windows Virtual PC programs group called Virtual Windows XP Applications in Windows 7. When you launch the application from there, Virtual Windows XP will request to close the Virtual Machine (if it is open) because a virtual application cannot run while the virtual machine is open. If you close the virtual machine, any unsaved data will be lost. After this is done, Virtual Windows XP starts the Virtual Application which runs outside of the guest operating system (Windows XP). And that's it, you are able to use the application just as you would a native application installed in Windows 7. The only thing is, you will notice that the application continues to use the guest operating systems look and feel.

If I want, I can use the application in the virtual machine itself

 

...or I can simply use the program as a virtual app from within Windows 7

So after installing PhotoDraw 2000, I decided to run Hallmark Card studio 1.0 and The Printshop 5.0 to see how that would function. Yup, installed and functioned just fine.

 

Installing Legacy applications

Understanding Integration Components

Integration components make it easier to use a virtual machine by improving the interaction between physical resources and a virtual machine environment. These are installed automatically when you set up Windows XP mode. For other operating systems, you install them separately after you set up the operating system. Integration components provide access to the following resources:

• Clipboard. You can cut, copy, and paste data between the host operating system and the guest operating system. For example, you can copy a URL from the browser in a guest operating system, and paste it to a browser in the host operating system.
• Hard drives. This feature makes all the drives on the host available to the virtual machine. You can easily access all host data from within the virtual machine. Note

NOTE: Host hard drives are listed in the guest by using the computer name of the host operating system. For example, on a host computer named WindowTest, the C drive would be listed in the guest operating system as 'C on WindowsTest‘.

• Printers. This feature makes it possible to use the same printers in a virtual machine that you can use on the host. To share printers, when Windows XP is the guest operating system, you must also install the printer drivers.
• USB devices. Printers, storage devices and smart card readers are automatically shared with virtual machines. Other types of supported USB devices are supported by redirecting them to the virtual machine. For more information, see ―To use a USB device in a virtual machine.

Integration components also make it possible for you to move the mouse seamlessly between the desktops of the host operating system and the guest operating system.

 

There are some integration limitations with the host operating system

  

...giving old applications new life

Integration is also a bit different, instead of files saved to the host OS's common directories such as Documents, Pictures, they are saved within the Virtual Machine installation. Some other things users will notice,  Virtual applications do not benefit from window management functionality in the host OS such as thumbnail and live previews. Apart from these minor limitations, the application continues to function just as normal. I can use the application without any problems while utilizing the benefits of Windows 7 which is probably the best thing about it. The other cool feature is not having to interact with the operating system layer, just being able to use the application is a great benefit. When you close a virtual machine, it can be hibernated, shut down, or turned off. When a virtual machine is opened from hibernation, it does not go through the boot sequence, so it is available for use faster than if it was turned off or shut down. You can even create shortcuts of your Virtual applications in Windows 7 and even pin them on the Taskbar for quick access.

  What about other versions of Windows?

Windows Virtual PC is not limited to Windows XP, although the software is not licensed for other versions of Windows so you will have to provide yours. Windows 7 is known to work in addition to supporting Windows Aero Glass effects. For other operating systems such as MS-DOS or Windows 98 for instance, I suggest you continue running those through Windows Virtual PC 2007 SP1 or SUN Microsystems Virtual Box.

Conclusion

Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode is probably the solution a lot of users have been looking for, the seamless experience it provides users running legacy applications along side Windows 7 makes the compatibility story a better one. There is a level of complexity involved and at the same time I am disappointed to know this is only an option for certain Windows 7 SKU's. Also, the system requirements still exist, a machine with a minimum 2 GBs of RAM is required, more recommended. Knowing if your computers processor supports hardware based virtualization might make it a bit complex.  Users must also remember that they are running another computer even though its virtual, which require maintenance just as the physical machine, which includes installing an Antivirus and keeping it up to date along with keeping the OS updated too. I wish the coherence could be a bit more detailed where UI is concerned, such as making the windows of Virtual Applications adapt the Aero Glass window frames, just to match the look and feel of Windows 7. The ability to install legacy applications outside of the Virtual Machine would have been a nice. Its a minor complaint considering the boost it gives users to breath new life into old applications while moving forward with the benefits of Windows 7.

In my next article, I will be discussing some tips for getting the most out of Windows XP Mode.

 

There is more to owning a PC than just having one, whether its a laptop or desktop. With the many generic brands out there to choose from, its not unlikely for you to know someone who has an exact configuration and model as you do. Many PC OEM's have tried to differentiate their models with different finishes and form factors that make them stand out. Its one of the key aspects of WINTEL machines, there is definitely choice to be found and opportunities to customize. Consumers also have the choice of carrying their computer to an after market customization expert and have them do a custom paint job to add a bit more personality/style to a computer that defines them. Some high-end boutique vendors such as Falcon Northwest bundle that option as a part of their computer models.

What is a Theme?

A theme in Windows combines photos, sounds, color along with wallpaper background, sound scheme, screen saver and special icons/mouse pointer.

The personalization story gets much deeper when we enter the world of software and Windows 7 makes the experience even more interesting. Windows has for a long time included theming capabilities, probably as far back as the first version. Microsoft's first major overhaul of making Windows more customizable was with the release of Windows 95 in 1995 and the companion pack, Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95. This allowed customers to customize their PC experience with additional window themes, icons and sound schemes. Eventually, this was incorporated into Windows 98 and future releases. Windows XP released in 2001 introduced a bold experience called Luna, which featured thicker title bars with three optional colors called Blue, Olive and Silver. Some of the qualities of this theme include, large self explainable icons, rich in color and depth, bright vibrant wallpapers and overall richer palette of colors. Subsequent themes were released outside of Windows XP by Microsoft, such as a ZUNE theme, Royale introduced with the release Windows XP Tablet PC/Media Center 2005. Microsoft also released a companion update to Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP. Consumers described that release as offering little to be worth $39.

With Windows Vista, Microsoft took another bold step, redesigning the Windows user experience now called AERO. Windows Vista introduced real life effects such as translucent windows, life like icons and a cleaner design that made using Windows daily a pleasure. Microsoft added numerous effects and color schemes for changing the color depth of Glass along with high quality wallpaper backgrounds. Microsoft also used Windows Vista as an opportunity to update the Display Properties dialog creating a new Explorer shell called Personalization. In this new interface, in which elements were categorized into different sections explaining what each does, users clicked a different link which led to a shell or dialog for customizing the Windows interface, whether it was Window color, Desktop background, Glass color, Screen Saver, Sound scheme etc.

Edition of Windows 7	Capabilities
Starter	Aero Basic
Home Basic	Aero Basic, Aero Standard
Home Premium	Aero Basic, Aero Glass
Professional	Aero Basic, Aero Glass
Enterprise	Aero Basic, Aero Glass
Ultimate	Aero Basic, Aero Glass

Windows 7 improves on this, by enhancing the layout for quicker access to elements, but also adding more options for theming the Windows interface and making Windows connect better with locals. Themes are now bundled packages that feature a collection of high resolution wallpapers and an assigned glass color. Of course, there are some additional changes for users upgrading from versions of Windows such as XP or as far back as Windows 2000 Professional. Lets discuss some more about the different aspects of the Windows 7 Personalization Explorer shell. To access it, right click your desktop, click Personalize.

 

Users should note, Windows 7 offers varied experiences depending on the capabilities of your hardware and the edition of Windows 7 you are using. Lets learn some more about these tier of capabilities:

Windows Aero Standard - Combines some of the capabilities of Windows Aero Glass with some features of Aero Basic. Users will notice that window borders are more glass like in appearance, but do not have the option for translucency. The Taskbar is similar Aero Basic, except for the option of Thumbnail previews is now available.

Windows Aero Glass - What some would call the crème de la crème, Aero Glass offers the ultimate user experience for Windows users. The Windows Aero Glass encompasses every aspect of the Windows desktop experience: Start menu, Desktop, Taskbar and Windows Explorer. The immediate differences users will note is the ability to have translucent glass windows and a Taskbar with powerful effects such as interactive thumbnail previews, ability to see running videos with the ability to hover them and see a full size preview. If you invoke the Alt+Tab command, you can also see a live preview of windows on the fly. Users can also customize the color of the windows with up 16 different colors to choose with the option of controlling the intensity of the window color itself.

In addition to these themes, Microsoft also provides different that are grouped as Basic and High Contrast themes.

Windows Aero Basic - For computers that cannot support the minimum graphics requirements of Windows Aero Glass. Aero Basic features the standard elements of the Windows 7 interface except for the translucent effects and animations. Instead, areas such as the Taskbar, window borders display a blue/grayish color scheme. Other unavailable features include the inability to choose a Window Color, see and interact with thumbnail previews, Alt-Tab Preview, Flip 3D and Aero Peek.

Windows Classic - First introduced with Windows 95, this experience was the flagship theme for Windows for many years and was replaced by Windows XP's Luna in 2001 but is still included in Windows for persons who are not quite ready for the changes in Windows 7. Microsoft has made some changes to Windows Classic in Windows 7 where menus are concerned. The standard look and feel still exist, but Microsoft has decided to remove the Standard Classic Menu that was available as an option in both Windows XP and Vista. Personally, I agree with this, since the new Start menu offers so many benefits such as Instant Search, easier access to programs, better control (no cascading/off screen sub menus), ability to search HomeGroups, Public directories and detailed results when presented. The new Start menu also introduces support for features unique to Windows 7 such as Jump List providing access to task and recently accessed files associated with a program.

High Contrast themes - If you have difficulty reading or viewing your screen, Windows has for years included high-contrast color schemes that heightens the color contrast of some text and images on your computer, making those items more distinct and easier to identify.

System Requirements - To run Windows Aero Glass, you need appropriate hardware. The capabilities will vary depending on what you have installed, here is a list of suggested requirements from Microsoft:

• 1 GHz CPU (processor) 32 or 64 bit
• 1 GB of RAM
• 128 MB video card
• DirectX 9 compliant video card that supports Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or later, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per pixel. (To find out if your card is DirectX 9 compliant, open the Run command (Windows key + R), type dxdiag. Under System Information, DirectX Version: you should see the version of DirectX

For best results, you might also want to follow these graphics processor recommendations:

• 64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution that is less than 1,310,720 pixels (for example, a 17-inch flat panel LCD monitor that has a 1280 x 1024 resolution)
• 128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 21.1-inch flat panel LCD monitor that has up to a 1600 x 1200 resolution).
• 256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution greater than 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 30-inch wide-screen flat panel LCD monitor that has up to a 2560 x 1600 resolution)

How do I personalize Windows 7?

Aero Background - You can easily turn your desktop into a slideshow of your favorite photos.

From the Personalization window, click Desktop Background

Choose the images you want to cycle and display on your screen. You have the option of choosing how long a picture is displayed on your screen.

-------------------------------

Glass Color - You can make your windows look the way you like with your favorite color. Windows 7 Color and Appearance now includes a total of 16 different colors to choose from.

From the Personalization window, click Windows Color

Choose the color you want. You also have the option of controlling the intensity of the color by using the Color Intensity slider. The transparency effects can optionally be turned off.

--------------------------------

Windows 7 bundles a set of 6 pre-packed themes for you to get started with, these include the default branded Windows 7 themes: Architecture, Characters, Landscapes, Nature and Scenes. The Windows Team went the extra mile with Windows 7 where themes and local cultures are related. Windows 7 offers themes tailored to different regions and languages, with special wallpapers, sounds and Aero Glass colors to provide a more locally relevant experience.

The Sounds Area of Personalization includes a collection of 13 new sound schemes that are also related to the new Windows 7 bundled themes.

Windows 7 does not stop at what comes bundled on the installation disk, users can create their own Slide show themes and download additional ones from Microsoft’s Windows 7 website here Simply click a theme to Download and it will install your chosen theme. If you want to create your own theme and save it, learn more in the following Notebooks.com article here 

You can download additional themes and backgrounds from the Windows 7 website

Themes are a great way to have fun with your PC and make it represent you and your experiences. Of course, you are not limited by what Microsoft provides, third party solutions are also available for you to customize the Windows interface to an even greater degree. StarDock Object Desktop which is partly responsible for the now defunct Windows Dreamscene once available to Windows Vista provides artistic themed interfaces for Windows, allowing you to change up your Windows experience as much as you like. You can learn more here So, don't be afraid to have fun with Windows 7 and change it up the way you like, as Microsoft says After all, it's yours.

Resources

Using the Windows 7 Desktop - Fun Time Savers
Using the improved Taskbar and Start menu in Windows 7
A Guided Tour of Windows 7 for new users

Today I got a call from FedEx that a package from Microsoft is available for me to pickup. I wondered what it could be, so I hurried down to FedEx and hurried back home to unpack. Ah, there it was, my very own, special commemorative edition of Windows 7 Ultimate for participating in Microsoft's Technical Beta Program since January 2009. The folks behind this special edition added a little something extra to the packaging to make it standout as a memento from the great experience we had testing this exceptional release of Windows upgrade. At the back of the box is a special note from Steve Ballmer thanking testers for their hard work:

 

Thank You.

On behalf of all the people who helped to create Windows 7, I want personally
thank you for the interest, collaboration, and support you've extended to Microsoft
over the years.

Steve Ballmer

Check out the slide show here

This is certainly a lovely gesture and I would like to extend my thanks to Microsoft again and the Windows Team for allowing me to participate in such an excellent release. The experience I have had testing Windows 7 was one I will never forget. Also, I must extend congratulations to fellow testers for the great job they did testing Windows 7, the feature focuses, chats and filing of reports help to shape this release that millions will enjoy world wide on their PC at work and home.

Over 8 million people tested Windows 7 when it was in development and I am sure many of you are still running the Windows 7 Release Candidate which expires in March 2010. You might have be running the RC in a production setup because of how stable and impressive the software is, especially for a pre-release product. At the same time, you are contemplating, how do I move to the final version of the software with my accumulated data on it? Can I simply do an in place upgrade from the RC to the final release? What about all my installed applications?

These are all good questions and its something I was curious about myself and decided to document. The first thing you should understand as a tester of pre-release software, means its pre-release and Microsoft is in no way responsible for anything that can happen running the software in a production environment. Yes, the software is very stable, especially since the first beta released back in January 2009, but there are a few things users must know before deploying it and what happens when the software is going to expire. Here is a bit of information from Microsoft about the Windows 7 Upgrade path policies:

Upgrades to Windows 7 from the following operating systems are not supported:

• Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, Windows Vista® RTM, Windows Vista Starter, Windows 7 M3, Windows 7 Beta, Windows 7 RC, or Windows 7 IDS
• Windows NT® Server 4.0, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server® 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2
• Cross-architecture in-place upgrades (for example, x86 to x64) are not supported.
• Cross-language in-place upgrades (for example, en-us to de-de) are not supported.
• Cross-SKU upgrades (for example, Windows 7 N to Windows 7 K) are not supported.
• Upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows N, Windows K, Windows KN, or Windows E are not supported. Cross-build type in-place upgrades (for example, fre to chk) are not supported.
• Pre-release in-place upgrades across milestones (for example, Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM) are not supported.
  For more details check out the link http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772579(WS.10).aspx

Q: Can computers running Windows 7 Release Candidate upgrade directly to Windows 7 Release to Manufacturer build?
A: Yes, but this is not a recommended or supported scenario. Microsoft recommends persons running the Release Candidate released in April 2009, reinstall Windows Vista and do upgrades from that release to Windows 7 RTM.

Q: Didn’t previous development versions of Windows support build to build upgrades?
A: True, but Microsoft has changed this policy for the Windows 7 release. They want users to test against real world scenarios. A build to build upgrade introduces unexpected complications that make it difficult to diagnose problems considering such scenarios do not exist in real world deployments.

You can learn more about the Windows Teams decision:
http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/04/07/delivering-a-quality-upgrade-experience.aspx

Q: What is the difference between Windows 7 RC and RTM?

Windows 7 RC software is a time limited build of the product that focuses on a phase of development. The Windows 7 RTM final release is a complete copy of the software that is designated as ready and fit for use in production environments. To reach Windows 7 RTM, a particular build has to go through a series of thorough regression test and optimizations to reach a level of quality satisfactory for production. Build 7600.16385 is that build and was completed on July 22nd 2009. Another major difference between Windows 7 RC and RTM (in particular Ultimate), with the RC it goes into Reduced Functional Mode on June 1st 2010, bi-hourly shutdowns will begin March 1st 2010. Windows 7 RTM does not expire, also the Windows 7 Ultimate RC are missing or won't receive additional key updates and features such as Language Packs which was recently made available to RTM customers.

Tools of the trade:

So you want to move to the final product, but we now understand that in place upgrades are not supported and you must return to the prior installation of Windows and then upgrade to the final release. To make it easy, the first thing I recommend you do is have an external hard disk on hand, you are going to need this for Windows Easy Transfer, I am sure some of us have data that ranges in many gigabytes and a DVD disk is not gonna be enough or reliable for such a scenario. External hard disks are cheap and easy to use and make the migration process seamless.

The the next thing you will need to do is have your Windows installation disk nearby, if your computer previously had Windows Vista or XP installed, you will need to reinstall it after backing up your personal files and settings using Windows Easy Transfer the External hard disk. Also keep any necessary application disk nearby just in case you will need to reinstall any of your favorite programs. My migration was a unique one particularly because I was using Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit SP2 prior to Windows 7. So, I was able to take advantage of the Complete PC Backup feature which is unique to Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. Complete PC Backup allows you to create a backup replica of your Windows Vista installation, so in case something catastrophic happens, you can restore your system from a image of your installation when it was working. No need to reinstall applications or device drivers. It is exceptionally convenient and easy to use. With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has made System Imaging capabilities available in all editions of Windows 7.

If you are a tester who originally had Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium installed, prior to installing Windows 7 RC, you would have had to protect your files and settings using the Standard Backup and Restore tools or Windows Easy Transfer, since those editions do not include Complete PC Backup. This also means, if you reinstall Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium and restore personal files and settings using Windows Easy Transfer or Backup and Restore Center, your programs and device drivers must be reinstalled. Persons who used third party drive imaging tools such as Acronis Disk Director should not have to go through those steps since the capabilities available in that utility are identical in functionality where disk imaging is related.

Lets begin

Here I am I booted to my Windows 7 Release Candidate desktop, the first thing I did was turn on my external hard disk, since that is where we will backup our Windows Easy Transfer .mig file. To start Windows Easy Transfer,

 

click Start, type: Windows Easy Transfer

 

Hit Enter

The Easy Transfer wizard will now begin, click next and follow the on screen wizard. Our particular choice for backup method will be done by saving the .mig file to a External hard disk.

Windows Easy Transfer Wizard

Select the method for assisting the transfer of your personal files

Identify the computer you are backing, in this case, it would be the "old computer"

Windows Easy Transfer scans your accounts for files to transferred, along with shared files

Estimating how many files will be transferred

 

You will now see the total size of the Easy Transfer File that will be created which includes all accounts, in addition to your personal settings. Please note, no programs are backed up.

Next step involves securing your Windows Easy Transfer file (optional) and save it to the external hard disk.

Windows Easy Transfer file is now being saved.

Once we have safely stored our Windows Easy Transfer file on our external hard disk, the next step is to return to Windows Vista. Returning to Vista for some persons might involve, restoring your Complete PC Backup, if you are running Windows Vista Ultimate, Enterprise or Business. If you don't have these capabilities in your edition of Windows Vista (Home Basic or Premium), you will instead have to reinstall the operating system from the DVD, then do the upgrade to Windows 7.

Another thing I have noticed is depending on the edition of Windows 7 you upgrade to, the Windows Easy Transfer file we created might not be able to restore, because they are not corresponding editions. For example, a Windows Easy Transfer file created in Windows 7 Ultimate will not able to be restored in Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional. The only work around for this is to create a standard backup of your files using the Backup and Restore features of Windows 7 Ultimate RC or manually copy and paste files to backup medium.

Restoring our Windows Vista Backup:

As I had noted earlier, I had my Windows Vista Ultimate installation backed up as a Complete PC Backup. In the above I am restoring it back to my hard disk. To learn more about backing up your Windows Installation and Improved recovery options, check here and here

 

So we are now back on Windows Vista and we have booted to the desktop. Our next step, will involve, doing an in place upgrade using the final version of Windows 7 (upgrade or full version). Of course, I am upgrading from Windows Vista Ultimate SP2 64 bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit because they are logical, corresponding editions. To start the installation, insert your Windows 7 DVD, click Install Now. To learn more about doing an in place upgrade, please check out the following article here

Pre-requisite Upgrade Notes:

1. Disable any security software before attempting to upgrade or do a clean install.
2. Make sure your computer is updated (devices and applications)
3. Disconnect any non-essential devices before installing.
4. Check your hard disk for any errors:

Click Start
Type: CMD, from the results, right click CMD
Click 'Run as Administrator'
At the Command Prompt, type: chkdsk /r
When you restart your system, your computer will be scanned for errors and attempts will be made to correct them.

So we have successfully upgraded to Windows 7, but there is one set of task left, restoring our personal data and updating the operating system. The next step now is to launch Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 7 RTM. Make sure the external hard disk where you backed up the Windows Easy Transfer (.mig) file is turned on.

Click Start, type: Windows Easy

Hit Enter

Windows Easy Transfer Wizard begins

Earlier, we had backed up our Windows Easy Transfer file to an external hard disk, so we will select that option from the three available methods.

 

Select new computer, since we are now on the final version of Windows 7.

Make sure the External hard disk is plugged in and turned on, click Yes

We now browse to the external hard disk where the WET file is stored and click Open

Opening the Windows Easy Transfer file

Here you will see the list of accounts and folders that were backed, you can select which accounts you would like to transfer. Click the Transfer button to begin restoring your personal files and settings.

Windows Easy Transfer is restoring your personal files and settings. Please avoid using your computer during the restoration.

Once you have successfully transferred your personal files and settings, you can see a list of what was transferred along with a list of programs you might need to reinstall.

The Windows Easy Transfer Report provides a detailed list of items that were transferred from your old computer, these include: Accounts, Documents, Program settings and System Settings.

The Windows Easy Transfer Program report, list all the programs that you might need to reinstall. In my case, most of my programs needed are already installed because I did an in place upgrade from Windows Vista.

Before we complete the transfer, we must restart the system to permanently apply the changes.

And that's it, we have successfully migrated from Windows 7 Ultimate Release Candidate to Windows 7 RTM. Now you can enjoy the benefits of the final product which includes key updates and support. Migration will vary depending on the final edition of Windows 7 you purchased and the edition you reinstall and upgrade from. To ensure a smooth upgrade, make sure you do a few things such as:

Install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - This utility provided by Microsoft can help you assess your current hardware devices and software programs before upgrading and make appropriate recommendations before attempting an installation.

Compatible Antivirus utility - A compatible antivirus for Windows 7 will ensure that you have stable, secure and always protected system.

Some of my devices and applications are not working, what should I do?

A: If your Internet connection is working in Windows 7, I suggest you try obtaining the drivers through Windows Update. Click Start > All Programs > Windows Update > Turn on Windows Update. A list of available updates will then be downloaded, you will have the option to view them, do so and check off the appropriate drivers or software patches you need and click Install. You can also check the manufacturer’s website for patches, updated drivers or to simply find out about Windows 7 support for the particular product.

Additional Resources:

Windows 7 System Requirements
Windows 7 Editions

Related

Using Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 7
How to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7
How to upgrade to Windows 7
How to backup your installation of Windows 7

I have had a while now to experience some of the improved features in Windows 7 more intimately. One of my favorite past times on the PC of course is listening to music. I would describe my collection as mostly Popular music with numerous Rhythm and Blues selections. I do listen Rock and Alternative but not too aggressively. Windows Media Player 12 is not a drastic departure from version 11, it adds nice enhancements that make's engaging with your music more fun.

Windows Media Player 12 features cool interface

The most noticeable difference when you first launch Media Player 12 is the changes to how the UI is now laid out. But before we go into that, lets talk about some of the initial steps to start getting ready:

Setup:
Windows Media Player still comes bundled in Windows, 7. So unlike some applications that were once bundled with the OS but are now a part of the Windows Live Essentials suite, you don't have to download it. Just like version 11 when you launch the executable for the first time you have a choice between doing a 'Express' or 'Custom' setup. Of course, I would like to see if there are any new changes, so lets go with the Custom Settings.

Most of the common options you are accustom to seeing during this portion of setup are there, the first change I see is the option to add the Media Player 12 executable to your desktop, which I see a lot of persons do, so looks like a make sense option. Next you can choose to make Media Player your default music or video Player or choose specific file types you would like it to play. Media Player 12 supports numerous formats now, I notice songs that I had to resort to playing in iTunes now play just fine in Media Player eg. MP3 Format Sound and the proprietary AAC.

There are many new supported codec's making WMP 12 a definite choice for Media.

After you have completed the setup process, you are greeted by the media player, which takes you immediately to the music library. Based on my observations, Media Player adapts a combination of Windows Explorer bread crumb menus which help you to easily back track path ways throughout a folder hierarchy but in this case your music library locations. There is also separation between task and locations as evident by the location arrangements and features like 'Play', 'Burn' and 'Sync' which are now situated on the far right of the interface. The familiar back and forward buttons are still there and makes it easy to move between different areas of the interface.

Below these options you will find a second toolbar which display menus for Organizing, Streaming, creating a playlist, Library Mode and searching in addition to Help. The Navigation Pane situated on the right of the interface is revamped with a new addition. In Media Player 12 Library links such as Year, Rating, Songs are now a part of the library table. You can still find Navigation Pane options under Organize > Customize Navigation Pane. The Recently Added link has been removed. Two new library links Video and Pictures are available providing a central location to truly view all your media. Today's Portable Players are complex media devices that not only store music and videos, but also photos and those are just two more of the great things users can look forward to in this release.

Lets look a little closer at the different components and within their locations:
Play tab - a combination of 'Now Playing' (which exist now only as a mini playing mode - discussed later) with Playlist wrapped into one. Its quite convenient and provides the option of easily navigating back and forth between your custom playlist while also viewing your main library of music. I wish there was a separator to make it easier to identify different albums from the artiste, also, I would have liked to see an option for one song within that active playlist to have the option of Repeat when selected though, instead playing over the entire playlist or having the user manually choose to play over that particular song by double clicking.

Burn tab - provides the same functionality as previous versions without the need to leave your music library. Some nice options are available such as Eject Disc After Burning, Apply Volume Leveling Across Tracks on Audio CDs and Name Disk (not checked by default).

Sync tab - provides synchronization capabilities for your portable player. I was not able to accurately test this since I do not own a MP3 player at this time, but similar options available in prior versions are just the same in this release.

The new mini playing mode, also works for video clips and movies.

If you find activated Tabs distracting, you can easily hide them by clicking the Tab once which will show the entire library. Organization of music in Media Player 12 has been greatly enhanced and the new layout of songs in the library provides a more simplified, yet detailed approach to interacting with your collections. I do find it frustrating that certain areas still cannot be customized, for instance, the Album art column cannot be unchecked, I would like to use that space for another column such as Date Added or Play Count.

One of the nice things I like about playing songs from my personal ripped collection of albums, when I hover the mouse pointer over the Album art in the 'Play' tab, it does display buy. I find that annoying in Media Player 11, I already have the album on my hard disk, why is it suggesting that I purchase the album, a more neutral 'shop' link is displayed which could suggest buying more music from that artiste. You can also preview tracks in your library. You might ask, how different is this from simply double clicking a track and listening to it for a few seconds. When you hover a track and click the preview song link on the floating balloon, you will hear the song for approximately 15 seconds, the sweet part is, when you have heard enough, you simply move the pointer away from the floating balloon which will stop playing the song. The Windows Media Player Team could have made it even more innovative by simply hovering over the preview button without any manual clicking.

Windows Media Player becomes a true media player, you can also play slideshows.

Working with Management
Options once available under hidden drop down menus for each button of the player interface in Media Player 11 (Now Playing, Library etc) are now clearly exposed through Organize, Share and New Playlist.

Organize - Features menus for managing your library content, whether its Pictures, videos or Recorded TV. You can customize and arrange your library views by checking or un-checking columns in addition to customizing the Navigation Pane displaying drop down menus and access entire options for Media Player 12.

Stream

A new Stream Menu provides quick access to sharing your media and configuring options for how you can access it from other PC’s, some of the new options include:

• Set up your home PC so you can access your media libraries while away from home
• Allow other Windows 7 PCs and devices to push media to your Player and control it
• Quickly authorize all home PCs and devices to access your media collection

‘Play To’ allows playing media to be streamed from other shared media libraries within Windows Media Player, Windows 7 can now send media to be played on other Windows 7 PCs and DLNA-certified digital media renderers. With “Play To,” you can browse or search from within Windows Media Player or Windows Explorer to find your desired media, and then choose where you want it to be played.

 

A versatile remote control window is presented for each “Play To” session, providing you with the ability to control the entire experience. “Play To” is available for both local media libraries and for shared media libraries. If you would like to send media from one Windows 7 PC to another, choose “Allow remote control of my Player” from the Windows Media Player “Stream” menu on the receiving PC. This will cause Windows Media Player to be discovered in the “Play To” menu of other Windows 7 PCs on the same network.

Create Playlist - has its own dedicated menu which allows you to quickly create new custom playlist of your favorite content. There is also a sub menu for a New Auto Playlist which is a playlist that changes automatically according to criteria you have specified.

Performance and Quality
Media Player 12 is faster based on my testing, songs instantly play when double clicked in the library. To reduce the waiting time to launch full media player when you might only want to play an album or a few songs, there is a Mini Player mode called Now Playing Mode. This convenient setup instantly opens when you launch a song from an Explorer for instance (by default), immediately your music begins playing, no waiting, no hitching and no glitches. Media Players familiar Now Playing tools are situated here with visualization effects (that I think needs to be updated) and album art in the visualization similar to 'mediaviz' that was released for Media Player 10. Its quite nice and makes it more fun playing songs from a folder when you are not particularly interested with working the full media player library. The Mini-Player itself is resizable and intelligent in doing so, it knows when to show certain player controls and reveals more when it resized to a larger size. If you want to go back to the full Media Player, simply click the 'Library Mode' button on the player controls. I would have liked to see an option to hide the window border though, to give it a floating appearance. I still would like the option of turning it off and go directly to full library whenever a song is double clicked from Explorer although you can easily switch Library mode from the player controls, it's just the extra step I would like to get out of the way.

Quality is very good, audio comes back pumping and clear to the listeners ears. This is something I have noticed since version 11, but I think it has more to do with the improvements to Audio in Windows 7/Vista. Since audio sounds puny when played in Windows XP I get a much richer experience on both Vista and 7. I imported 5.4 GBs of music (which is significantly small compared to some libraries), but there were no problems doing so and all my tracks were recognized along with album art. What I notice about miscellaneous tracks in a folder that the meta data such as song information and album art in particular needs to be downloaded again regardless its there hidden. There is also a mis-match of album art for different songs and artiste - kinda funny seeing Bill Haley's Jingle Bell Rock represented by Shanice Wilson's Greatest Hits.

You can enjoy your videos and movies in a number of cool ways from full screen to mini.

Watching Video
Watching movies is a favorite activity in Windows Media Player. Version 12 adds some improvements such as automatically going into full screen mode when you insert a DVD. There is also support for the new Mini-mode which looks lovely. From a technical point of view, Media Player 12 supports new video codec's which were once available through Third party vendors, some include: MPEG-4, 3GPP standards, H.264 video, DivX and xVid. This of course delivers a richer playback experience for the consumer, which results in less disappointment, something which was true of Media Player 11. Often you would download some particular video just find out the correct codec is not installed to view it.

Changes and some missing options:

• Cannot play movies in the Library interface of Media Player 12.
• I cannot find a way to get Media Player 12 to open up in full screen mode when I play a media file, it always starts up in preview mode first - I still love preview mode though.
• Advanced Tag Editor isn't included in Media Player. Microsoft says editing media information in the details pane of the Player Library allows you perform some of the tasks once available in Advanced Tag Editor.

Overall, Windows Media Player 12 looks like a solid release that will surely keep loyal users happy. Its fast, great design and user interface make it great application that I will continue to turn to for my media. The ability to now work with photos in addition to video is just a great way of defining WMP 12 as a true media player.

Originally posted November 11, 2008 on Teching It Easy

You might be wondering where have you been Andre? Well, a combination of no Internet and being busy with other projects kind of held me back from celebrating the General Availability of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009 world wide. Windows 7 has been well received, from the numerous positive reviews and demos I have seen on television, everybody is looking forward to Windows 7, whether they are upgrading from a previous version of Windows or purchasing it preloaded on a new PC. Just to provide a recap of some of the events this week, I want to link you to some tutorial and guides along with a 70 page review of the new Windows 7 from yours truly and fellow colleagues I have collaborated with:

Notebooks.com Since I started contributing to the Microsoft Clubhouse, I had the privilege of seeing some of my early Windows 7 articles republished on microsoft.com. Since then other sites have become interested in my writing giving me further opportunities to have my articles reach an even wider readership. Notebooks.com is such a site, since early October, 14 of my favorite guides and tutorials have been published on the site, here are 6 of them:

A Look at the Windows 7 Editions: If you’re trying to figure out which version of Windows 7 is right for you this is a great place to start. This guide covers everything from editions and versions to pricing and upgrade paths.

How to Install Windows 7: This guide walks you through the installation process highlighting important steps and providing pictures to guide you through installing Windows 7.

How to Upgrade to Windows 7: If you aren’t installing from scratch then this guide is for you. It contains a walkthrough of an “in-place” upgrade and information about how to fix compatibility issues.

How to Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7: Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 brings many improvements but it’s not as easy as an upgrade from Vista. This guide will provide you with tips to make it easier.

Using Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 7: Windows Easy Transfer makes moving your files and settings from an old computer to a new one easy. This guide walks you through how to use Windows Easy Transfer to get your files to your windows 7 computer.

How to backup your installation of Windows 7: Introduces you to some of the enhanced features of Backup and Restore in Windows 7 along tools for securing your installation of Windows 7.

You can check out the additional 8 articles HERE

ActiveWin.com Is another one of my favorite sites that I have been contributing to for a good while, and with the release of Windows 7, I and fellow ActiveWin.com contributors Byron Hinson and Fernando Javier Hualpa put together a 70 page review of Windows 7 detailing our experiences with the new Microsoft blockbuster, covering topics such as user experience, performance, entertainment, gaming, security, networking, developer and a whole lot more. You can check out that review HERE

In addition to the review, we updated our Windows 7 Frequently Asked Questions page with numerous questions and answers related to Windows 7 such as Homegroups, Upgrading, Activation, Migration and other topics of interest. You can check that out HERE

Microsoft's PressPass website provides links from popular websites and news organizations that have also reviewed Windows 7, you can check them out HERE

Now that Windows 7 has been released, I will continue to share my experiences with you about this exceptional upgrade. Its almost 1 year since the first public pre-release version of Windows 7 was released and to see it blossom into a product based on feedback from us the consumers and seeing the promised benefits come to fruition further strengthens my love for the Windows PC. Major Congratulations to the folks on the Windows Team and at Microsoft!

Related:

Windows 7 has finally RTMed! - A Look back over the past 10 months

 

Microsoft released the final version of Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor today. This is a essential utility that can help you prepare for a smooth upgrade to Windows 7.

Brief Description

Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.

Overview

Before you begin: Be sure to plug in and turn on any USB devices or other devices, such as printers, external hard disks, and scanners, that you regularly use with the PC you're checking.
The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor scans your PC for potential compatibility issues and lets you know about your Windows 7 upgrade options. Within minutes, you'll get a report that tells you if your PC meets the system requirements, if any known compatibility issues with your hardware, devices, and installed programs are found, and gives guidance on what to do to before installing Windows 7 on your PC.

You can download it here

Related:

Upgrading to...ur Migrating to Windows 7 from Windows XP
Troubleshooting Hero's in Windows 7
Improved Recovery Options in Windows 7
Windows Easy Transfer: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
Windows Easy Transfer: Lessons Learned

 

On the cusp of releasing Security Updates for Windows 7 just a couple days ago, Microsoft today, provided a set of stability updates for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Overview

The update resolves some reliability issues in Windows 7. By applying this update, you can achieve better reliability in various scenarios. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Downloads:

Windows 7 32-bit (15.9MB), Windows 7 64-bit (20.8MB), and Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit (20.8MB)

Some addition information about the update provided by ArsTechnica:

• When you view a PDF file that was created by using an Office 2007 document, the PDF file is displayed on the screen correctly. However, when the document is printed, some characters are missing. This problem occurs in fonts such as Calibri, Cambria, Courier New, or Gabriola, in which characters such as "fi", "ti", "fl", and other combinations are frequently presented as ligatures.
• In certain scenarios, an Emergency Alert System (EAS) message does not automatically tune to the appropriate channel in Windows Media Center.
• You connect a secondary monitor to a computer that is running Windows 7. When the computer resumes from hibernation, a black screen is displayed.
• In certain scenarios, the Windows 7 Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) diagnostic information settings are configured incorrectly for Windows Explorer. Only those users who are enrolled in the Windows 7 CEIP will be affected by this part of the update. This update limits the diagnostic information that can be collected by the CEIP.
• You put an x86-based computer that does not have Physical Address Extension (PAE) enabled into hibernation. However, it does not enter hibernation correctly. When you try to resume the computer from hibernation, a black screen is displayed. This issue does not affect x64-based or Itanium-based computers, or computers that have the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) feature enabled.
• A problem in Windows 7 affects the playback of certain media files in Windows Media Player, when Windows Media Player is started from Internet Explorer. Only those users whose media associations were changed incorrectly will be affected by this part of the update.
• On a computer that is running Windows 7, you use Internet Explorer to open the certificate enrollment webpage and to install an end entity certificate. However, the installation fails. This issue occurs if the certificate chain for the new certificate cannot be built, or if the root certification authority (CA) has not first been installed in the Trusted Roots on the computer.

Related:

First set of Security Updates available for Windows 7

Resources:

1. Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB975467)
2. Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB973525)
3. Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB974571)
4. Update for Windows 7 (KB974431)
5. Security Update for Windows 7 (KB975467)

Windows 7 users, make sure your automatic updates feature in Windows Update is turned on, Microsoft released its routine set of updates for Windows today which is done every second Tuesday of the month.

Overview

A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause the affected system to stop responding. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.

Downloads:

Windows 7 32 Bit here
Windows 7 64 bit here
Windows Server 2008 R2 here
Windows Server 2008 R2 here

For other versions of Windows affected: Windows XP 32-bit (733KB), Windows XP 64-bit (1.1MB), Windows Server 2003 32-bit (684KB), Windows Server 2003 64-bit (1.1MB), Windows Server 2003 for Itanium (1.6MB), Windows Vista 32-bit (1.4MB), Windows Vista 64-bit (2.1MB), Windows Server 2008 32-bit (1.4MB), Windows Server 2008 64-bit (2.1MB), Windows Server 2008 for Itanium (2.4MB)

Another set of updates for Windows 7 are Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits (973525):

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update addresses a privately reported vulnerability that is common to multiple ActiveX controls and is currently being exploited. The vulnerability that affects ActiveX controls that were compiled using the vulnerable version of the Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page with Internet Explorer, instantiating the ActiveX control. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP, Important for all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, Moderate for all supported editions of Windows Server 2003, and Low for all supported editions of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

Learn more here

Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems*
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems

When I first got access to the Windows 7 preview back in October 2008, the first form factor I installed it on was a laptop. Since then I have tried it on a few desktops and workstations, but I am particularly impressed by the benefits that users of portable computers such as Netbooks, Notebooks, desktop replacements can get by running Windows 7. Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the improved performance of Windows 7 running on my laptop. Prior to this I was running Windows Vista Ultimate x64, Windows 7 x64 in comparison is a snap, boot time, log in, sleep, resume from sleep, hibernate, resume from hibernate all see enhancements when running Windows 7, its 'fast"! I can't emphasize that enough. The Windows Team went back to the fundamentals and worked on some key areas of the operating system to achieve these welcome improvements.

Battery Life and Power Management

It’s a fact that more people are using laptops, not mainly for mobility reasons, but for personality and style. They want to carry it with them wherever they go and be able to use it without having to be an expert in power conservation or play find the power socket. Windows 7 features exceptional Power Management enhancements that include increasing the idle time for the processor, automatically dimming the display, and more efficient playback of DVDs. There are also better information tools to keep you up to date about the state of your battery life when on the go. The Windows Team worked to increase the efficiency of battery life in laptops by reducing the amount of background activities by supporting the trigger-starting of services, when you are doing a task that requires a particular service, Windows 7 will provide that service on demand.

Adaptive Display Brightness automatically reduces display brightness after a certain period of inactivity similar to cell phones. Less power is required to watch a DVD because Windows 7 requires less processing power which leads to a more efficient way to spinning the disk, this leads to benefits such as watching a full length movie on a single battery charge. In Vista, Wake on LAN could only be done over a wired network connection, in 7, you can now Wake on Wireless LAN which provides the same capabilities over a wireless network connection. For IT environments, this minimizes power costs for such systems for scenarios like maintenance and applying patches.

Today, mobile PCs send energy to parts of the computer when they are not being used, such as sending power to the network adapter when you don’t have an Ethernet cable plugged-in. Windows 7 automatically turns off power to the network adapter when the cable is disconnected and restores power when the cable is connected. Making users aware of the battery life status is key improvement in Windows 7 for a better; the Battery Life Notification Area applet provides prominent, timely information to ensure that you can use your notebook in tight situations where there is no power. A new utility called Power Config detects problems across devices, policies, firmware, system settings, applications, and other common areas where settings can reduce power efficiency delivering that information to you in an easy to understand report.

Getting the mouse out of Windows - 7 Tips and Features.

1. Conserve Energy Automatically.

Conserving energy is very important these days and its something we need to be conscious about. One of the ways I have found to efficiently preserve battery life in Windows 7 is to control the actual Windows 7 experience. Sometimes I might have a power outage, but I want to use my laptop until electricity is restored, task like listening to music and tweeting are some of the things I will do to occupy the time.

  

What I did was have Windows 7's Power Options set to Power Saver when there is a power outage. This allows me to get more juice and be able to use my laptop for longer periods. This is not only great for Power Outages of course, but when you are somewhere that you cannot get access to a power socket, it comes in very handy. So when a power outage occurs, Windows 7 automatically does things like change the Windows 7 theme from Aero Glass to Aero Standard. Its a lovely feature and shows the intelligence built into the system.

Here is a geeky tip my friend Kristan M. Kenney told me about, PowerCfg.exe. This lets you get a report of how energy is being used so you can fine tune and configure your laptop to use less power.

Click Start, type: CMD

From the search results, right click CMD and click Run as Administrator

At the command prompt type the following:
 powercfg.exe /energy /output "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Energy Report.html"

A 1 minute scan will be ran across your system and a report will then be generated, check your Desktop, it will be stored in an HTML file. As you can see, I had a few errors.

Windows 7 will display an analysis of the report with recommendations for what corrective measures you can take.

 

2. Quicker Access to Networks

Windows 7 makes viewing and connecting to all of your networks simple and consistent with the new View Available Networks floating dialog in the Notification Area. You’ll always have one-click access to available networks, regardless of whether those networks are based on Wi-Fi, Mobile Broadband, Dial-up, or your corporate VPN.

 

 

 

3. Improved Support for External Displays.

If you have a mobile PC, you may want to connect it to an external display—for example, to watch a movie at home or give a presentation at work. Windows 7 makes it easier to connect to external displays because all of the common display-related features are consolidated in one place, under Display in Control Panel. And with Windows 7, you can press the Windows key + P to toggle between your laptop screen and an external display.

4. Mobility Center

What Mobility Center does is provide a one stop location to configure all settings related to laptops. Instead of hunting down through various menus and applets, Windows provides this one applet that makes it convenient and centralized for you to adjust all appropriate settings when on the go.

• Brightness: Move the slide to temporarily adjust the brightness of your display.
• Volume: Use the slider to adjust the speaker volume of your laptop, or select the mute check box.
• Battery Status: View how much charge remains on your batter or select a power plan from the list.
• Wireless Network: View the status of your wireless network connection or turn your wireless adapter on or off.
• Screen Rotation: If you are using Windows 7 on a Tablet computer, you can use this to change the orientation of the on the fly from either landscape or portrait or vice versa.
• External Display: Connect an additional monitor to your laptop, or customize the display settings.
• Sync Center: View the status of an in-progress file sync, start a new sync, set up a sync partnerships, or change your settings in the Sync Center.

5. Flexible Start Menu Power Options

The Windows 7 Start menu power options are more flexible. Back in Windows Vista, the default was Shutdown, in XP, it was the Turn off Windows dialog that you had to invoke. Users can change the default Power Options button to something you regularly use, such as Sleep or Hibernation. To do this, right click the Taskbar, click Properties > click the Start Menu (tab) > in the Power button action: list box and select the desired option you would like to see every time you click Power Button on the Start menu.

6. Integrated Fingerprint Readers and Logon

Fingerprint scanners are becoming more and more common in standard laptop configurations, and
Windows 7 helps ensure that they work well. It’s easy to set up and begin using a fingerprint reader, and
logging on to Windows using a fingerprint is more reliable across different hardware providers. Fingerprint reader configurations are easy to modify, so you can control how you log on to Windows 7 and manage the fingerprint data stored on your PC. Clubhouse member Tarun Chachra recently did an article about setting up Biometric Devices in Windows 7, a worthy read!

7. Utilize BitLocker to protect your laptop

With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced us to BitLocker, an encryption technology to protect your personal data and operating system files on the hard disk on which Windows is installed. This is a great feature if your computer is stolen or unauthorized individuals try to access your computer.

To learn more about how to setup BitLocker, check out the following Microsoft TechNet Guide:

BitLocker Drive Encryption Step-by-Step Guide for Windows 7

Windows 7 provides a holistic experience when working with your portable computer. Especially when on the go or in tight situations where you need to conserve battery life. The Windows Teams focus on efficiency is a major highlight for users too. From ease of use, management to security, running Windows 7 on your laptop, Tablet, Notebook, Netbook is a must.

Microsoft today unleashed the Microsoft Answers Windows 7 Forums where users of Windows 7 can get help with a number topics related to the new operating system, whether its Installation, troubleshooting, configuration, networking, security and many others, you name it. You can find a helpful bunch of folks from Microsoft, Microsoft MVP's and Windows Enthusiast sharing their experiences ready and willing to help you:

• Desktop and Personalization
• Gaming
• Hardware and Drivers
• Performance and maintenance
• Install, upgrade and activate
• Programs
• Music and Sound
• Pictures and Video
• Security, privacy and user accounts
• Networking, e-mail and getting online
• Files, folders and search
• System repair and recovery
• Internet Explorer
• Windows Update

In conjunction with the Windows Live Forums, users can get the most out of their technology investments and computing experiences. Not to forget, the Microsoft Clubhouse is also a great resource for users to even get more insight into using Windows Live and Windows 7 together in real world scenarios.

I am sure there are many persons out there who like to build computers, or do so for a living. Well, System Builders can now pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate OEM versions of the OS from popular technology retailer New Egg. Here is what PC Magazine had to say to about the availability:

Missed out on the early preorder discounts? Popular retailer Newegg.com has listed the OEM prices for Windows 7, which will be offered at less than half what Microsoft will charge for a retail copy.

Newegg hasn't listed any prerequisites for buying the OEM version, such as the purchase of any additional hardware. Past OEM copies have prevented users from taking advantage of Microsoft's support options, however, and the packaging and instructions are usually minimal.

Read the entire article here

Edition	Cost
Windows 7 Home Premium 32 and 64 bit	$109.99
Windows 7 Professional 32 and 64 bit	$134.99
Windows 7 Ultimate 32 and 64 bit	$174.99

Three-pack Licenses

Edition	Cost
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM	$309.99
Windows 7 Ultimate OEM	$549.99

Users should note that OEM (which means Original Equipment Manufacturer) software is licensed differently from retail versions of Windows. The License Agreement allows it to be sold with a qualifying piece of hardware to which it is tied such as a motherboard making the license non-transferable. An OEM version of Windows 7 cannot upgrade previous versions of Windows either. An OEM version of Windows 7 does not require that you have a qualifying version of Windows, it is an entirely full version of the OS.

Learn more here

Resources

System Builder
Windows 7 Upgrade Program
Windows 7 Student Offer
Windows Anytime Upgrade and Family Pack Pricing details revealed
Dell Windows 7 Option Upgrade Program
More information on Windows 7: Pricing and Availability

Rob Margel who works in Windows International at Microsoft in the UK, talks about an updated list of Windows 7 Antivirus partners now available. With Windows 7 coming next month, consumers and businesses will have numerous updated certified security solutions to choose from.

A while back I mentioned the list of Windows 7 Anti Virus partners which was way back during the RC I think.  Well we have updated the list  at http://www.microsoft.com/UK/windows/antivirus-partners/windows-7.aspx  and it now includes (in no particular order):

Learn more here

Resources:

Windows 7 security software providers
Checking out Microsoft Security Essentials BETA

 

Back in the 90's, I could count on one hand how many people I knew had a computer, or just had access to one. With the fast pace of changes such as Moore's Law and affordability of computers and hardware over the past 10 years, everybody I know has a PC or are upgrading one, buying their second or third computer. With current buying trends comes certain responsibilities. We need to be thinking about how our purchasing decisions are affecting the environment around us in addition to persons living in other countries. If you want to start making a contribution to saving your environment, you can start by changing your buying habits.

The above logos can help guide you in your future buying decisions. Green Computing is a hot topic these days and many consumers are consciously looking into how they can help improve the environment by buying products that are Green certified.

What is Green Computing?

Green computing involves reducing the electricity and environmental waste while using a computer. Computers use and often waste resources such as electricity and paper. The industry has become aware of this problem and is implementing important measures to combat it. Personal computers, displays, and printers should comply with guidelines of the Energy STAR program, which was developed by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

This program encourages manufacturers to create energy efficient devices that require little power when they are not in use. For example, many devices switch to standby or power save mode after a specified number of inactive minutes or hours. Computers and devices that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines display an ENERGY STAR label.

What can we do with old computers?

You might have an old computer, printer or some other device you are not using anymore. Either its obsolete or just doesn't meet your needs anymore. You can start by not storing obsolete computers and devices in your basement, storage room, attic, warehouse or any other location. Computers, monitors, and other equipment contain toxic materials and potentially dangerous elements including lead, mercury and flame retardants. In a landfill, these material are released into the environment. There are some options available such as refurbishing or recycling the equipment. Just yesterday, I was listening to a call in radio program, a student who just started a Data Operations course at an institution was pleading for some assistance because she doesn't have a computer and wouldn't mind getting a second hand PC just to practice Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Database Management. So, even if that old computer is not useful to you anymore, there might be a student or school who might just need it for basic task.

Local governments are working on methods to make it easy for consumers to recycle their old equipment, but you can also help by altering some habits now, here is a list of ways you can contribute to a healthy, more energy efficient environment:

• Use computers and devices that comply with ENERGY STAR program or recognized Green Computing initiatives. You will often recognize this by a logo featuring a green leaf or similar branding.
• Do not leave the computer and devices running overnight. I admit, this is a bad habit of mine, but I am cutting it out these days.
• Turn off your monitor, printer, and other devices when not in use. In fact, I haven't used my printer at home in months, so you know I did I plugged it out.
• Use paperless methods to communicate - Windows Live services from Microsoft are helping to make this initiative a reality, free electronic email services and programs such as Windows Live Hotmail/Mail, Skydrive, Photos make it easy and convenient to share files with colleagues and memories with family and friends. Check out Clubhouse member Ali's story about how Skydrive saved the day here
• If you must use paper, ensure that old papers are recycled and ensure that the paper you buy is recycled.
• Recycle toner cartridges.
• Recycle old computers and printers.
• Shop online - there are so many online stores and services these days, cut out the unnecessary travel.
• Telecommunication is also a great way to help protect the environment. Windows 7 includes tools such as Remote Desktop that allow you to access files and other resources at the office.
• Download instead of going for the boxed copy. Do you really need to have a physical box or DVD copy? Thick manuals are even more useless, since they become obsolete the moment you pull the box. Online resources and help forums are all the manuals you will need and they always have the latest information "a live person". Especially with today's enormous external hard disk on the cheap, just buy one and store your digital downloads on them for backup purposes. Millions of packaging world wide are simply thrown away each year, don't add anymore to if you can.

If you are going to donate a used machine, don't just leave it on the doorstep somewhere. A little planning will ensure that the machine goes to a good cause. Before you give it away, make sure you've removed your personal data - letters, financial information etc. onto your new computer using migration tools such as LapLink or Windows Easy Transfer or backup your data to DVDs/external hard disk.

If you plan to keep the software you were using before, you should remove it from the computer you are giving away. When you are ready to give the computer away, call the school, church or organization first. Some will be unable to use the model you're offering even if it works well. Some groups, however, welcome computers of any age and in almost any condition, but you should still call them before donating. Here are list of organizations you can donate your computer to and give it new life and purpose.

California

Donate a Computer to Computer Recycling Center
CompuMentor Home Page

Connecticut

National Cristina Foundation

Additional resources:

Computer disposal, donation, and recycle information
HP Environment: Product recycling
eCycling | Common Wastes & Materials | US EPA
- Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronic

Computer recycling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Home : ENERGY STAR
The Electronics Recycling Superguide

Windows 7 helps too

Windows 7 extends battery life for your mobile PC, helping you be productive longer while still getting great performance. Power-saving enhancements include increasing the idle time for the processor, automatically dimming the display, and more power-efficient playback for DVDs. With Windows 7, you’re also kept better-informed about battery status.

Get Idle and Stay Idle Longer. An idle processor reduces battery life. Windows 7 reduces background activities and supports the trigger-starting of system services, so your computer’s processor can be in an idle state more often.

Adaptive Display Brightness. The display on a typical mobile PC consumes more battery power than any other part of the computer. Windows 7 automatically reduces display brightness after a period of inactivity, much like cell phones do today. And Windows 7 intelligently adapts to your activity. For example, if the screen dims after 30 seconds and you immediately move the mouse to brighten
the display, Windows 7 will wait 60 seconds before dimming the display again.

Power-saving DVD Playback. Your PC will use less power when playing a DVD. Windows 7 requires less processing power than previous versions of Windows and is more efficient when it spins the disc, so you’re more likely to get through a full movie with a single battery charge.

Wake on Wireless LAN. Having your computer go into Sleep state when idle is a good way to conserve power, and Wake on LAN provides a way to “wake up” a computer that’s in Sleep state over the network when you need to access it remotely. However, in Windows Vista, waking up a computer that’s in Sleep state could only be done over a wired network connection. Wake on Wireless LAN in Windows 7 provides the same capabilities over a wireless network connection.

For example, if you have a PC in your kitchen that’s wirelessly connected to your home network and want to view a photo on that system from your laptop in the bedroom, the computer in the kitchen can be in Sleep state and wake-up to allow you to see the photo. Similarly, in an enterprise environment, IT administrators can wake up wirelessly connected computers to apply software updates or perform other maintenance. In this way, IT administrators can minimize power costs for wirelessly connected systems.

Smart Network Power. Today, your mobile PC sends energy to parts of your computer when they’re not being used—such as sending power to the network adapter when you don’t have an Ethernet cable plugged-in. Windows 7 automatically turns off power to the network adapter (subject to adapters and drivers supporting this feature) when the cable is disconnected and restores power when the cable is connected. IT professionals can take advantage of this feature to reduce power costs.

Battery Life Notification. Windows 7 provides more prominent, timely, and accurate battery life notifications, helping you remain aware of power consumption and remaining battery life.

Power Efficiency Diagnostics. In Windows 7, the PowerCfg utility is updated to detect problems across devices, policies, firmware, system settings, applications, and other common areas where settings can reduce power efficiency. The information is provided in an easy to understand report. Although this feature is designed primarily for developers and system integrators, it can also be useful to tech-savvy users.

Performance improvements start under-the-hood. Windows 7 is designed to reduce background activity
and adds support for trigger-starting of system services, starting them only when they’re needed instead of ahead of-time. For example, the Windows Bluetooth service is only started when a Bluetooth device is connected. This means that Windows 7 runs fewer services by default than Windows Vista while offering increased functionality.

A couple key areas where you’ll notice improved performance in Windows 7 include the following:

• Startup and Shutdown. Windows 7 is ready when  you are. It’s designed to start, hibernate, and shut down faster than Windows Vista, although individual user experiences will vary based on specific hardware and software configurations.

• Resume from Standby. When resuming from Standby, Windows 7 is designed to reconnect to your wireless network faster than Windows Vista, so your PC will be ready to use in seconds. You’ll spend even less time waiting for your computer to be ready if you use the Sleep mode.

All of these improvements from Windows 7, to the types of computers and components we purchase can affect our environment for the better, cleaner air, cleaner water and a better life!

Resources
I’m a PC, running Windows 7 & I’m Green!
Sorry Kermit, But It Can Be Easy Being Green
Configuring Windows Home Server For Energy Savings
Sharing jokes and funny pictures is a lot more Earth-Friendly than it used to be.

 

This October Microsoft will release Windows 7 world-wide, the successor to Windows Vista and Windows XP (again), a major upgrade that promises to further improve the user experience on different PC form factors such as the popular Netbook. For the past couple of weeks I along with members of the ActiveWin.com Team spent some time testing the Windows 7 (RTM) Release to Manufacturing build, which is the final build that will be available in stores and new PC’s around the world (that goes for Intel Macs too).

Because the review is 26 pages long, I won't be able to post everything here, but I want to give you a snippet. Here is the final comments from the review:

This review was just the tip of the ice berg, Windows 7 is a major release that innovates and performs. As noted throughout this review, Microsoft went back to the basics of what made Windows great in the first place; the operating systems focus on performance has paid off. End users will appreciate significant improvements in areas such as boot time, resume from sleep/hibernation and faster connection to networks. Windows 7 also focuses deeply on mobility, products like the Netbook form factor, which has become highly popular with consumers over the past couple of years. Windows 7 users can appreciate improvements in battery life while also being able to experience the web in a more seamless way through Windows 7’s out of box support for technologies such as 3G and simplified access and setup of Networks.

 

Should you upgrade? Most certainly, there is no on the fence, if’s or buts about it. This is a major upgrade both Windows XP and Vista users will certainly see benefits from. Vista was of course a hard sell because of the major architectural changes it introduced, Windows 7 reaps the benefits. The investments both businesses and consumers have made in it over the past three years has come forward. In my final comments of ActiveWin’s Windows Vista review, I recommended potential customers move to Windows Vista on new PC’s. Of course with Windows 7 it’s also a great way to upgrade, but existing systems can definitely benefit from Windows 7 with just an upgrade. Running the OS on an AMD Sempron 1.6 GHz machine, 512 MBs the performance is just exceptional, I see Windows 7 breathing new life into many old systems as far back as 2003 (with a few upgrades of course). Windows 7 has the edge here; this is something I can’t see Apple’s Mac OS X Snow Leopard doing because of the architectural changes.

 

With fundamental improvements to how you navigate and interact with your devices and applications, Windows 7 provides an experience that’s cohesive and forward thinking. It makes application switching intuitive while also enhancing the general user experience of working with your programs in a more convenient way. The Taskbar has come a long way since the days of ‘it works just like switching channels’. Users expect a rich experience and the compelling aesthetics such as interactive thumbnail previews and enhanced search functionality will bring a major boost to productivity. Subtle changes to Search and customization themselves make Windows 7 a joy to work with on a daily basis. Businesses will appreciate the new experiences when accessing resources and staying connected to corporate networks in more simplified ways. When combined with the free Windows Live Essentials, Windows 7 shines further, and proves that Microsoft is focusing on delivering real innovation and value to consumers.

Users today have an overwhelming amount of information stored on their PCs and various devices to contend with, keeping it all organized and accessible can be a chore. Windows 7 takes the complexity out of such scenarios and I think it’s the gem of this release a lot of users will discover they could never do without.

Read the entire review here

ActiveWin.com:

Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 8 - Review
Microsoft Windows Live Essentials - Review
ActiveWin: Windows 7 FAQ/Quick Guide
Microsoft Windows 7 RC Build 7100 Preview
Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 Preview
Microsoft Windows 7 Pre-beta M3 Build 6801 Preview

Related:

Microsoft Windows Vista RTM - Review
Microsoft Windows XP Professional - Review
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition - Review
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition - Review
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition - Review

Microsoft:

Windows 7 Team Blog
Engineering Windows 7
Microsoft Answers Windows 7 Forums
Windows 7 home
Windows Live Team Blog

 

Overview

Install this update to resolve issues with non-compatible applications for Windows 7. For complete details of this update, see Knowledge Base Article KB974332. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

System Requirements

• Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7

Download here

 

Yesterday Microsoft announced the technical preview of Office Web Apps. A suite of Microsoft's popular desktop programs Word, Excel and PowerPoint that are now built into the web browser allowing users rich fidelity of documents anywhere, anytime, any device. Microsoft Office Web Apps will be delivered as part of the next generation of Office products and services (Office 2010). With this announcement, its also official that Office Web Apps are now a part of the Windows Live which I am excited about. Yesterday evening, I had a chance to check out these applications and so far I am very impressed with what I have experienced. Let me get this out of the way right now, Office Word Web kicks Google Docs to the curb. From performance to the richness of viewing documents. Microsoft has a hit on their hands here and I can't wait to see more functionality added to the service over the next few months. Microsoft Office Web Apps support the following web browsers: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Apples Safari.

Setup & Access

End User License Agreement

To use Office Web Apps, you will need to have a Windows Live ID (Hotmail, Live, MSN) account with access to Windows Live Skydrive. Once you have your account setup, simply go to a folder containing Office documents such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint or upload some files to your Skydrive (http://skydrive.live.com). When you open a folder with Office files in it, you will see a banner for the first time announcing a request to "Join our preview program to create, edit, view, and share Office documents online!" Once you click this link, you will be asked to accept a EULA which is currently a Technical Preview (Beta).

 

Selecting your Office document to view or edit

After setting up the service, select a document from your library, which will display a gallery of options, such as View, Edit, Download, Delete, Move etc. Right now, you are limited to viewing Documents, no editing which will be coming soon. My interest is primarily to see if the formatting is preserved in the web browser. After clicking View, your document will be loaded and that's it!

How does it look?

 

A table rendered beautifully in Microsoft Word Web App

Well, its just like viewing in Microsoft Word on the desktop. Boring I know and that's a good thing. You will notice that you are limited with you can do for now, but documents are rendered just like you would have them in Microsoft Word 2007, the same fonts, paragraphs and even tables are displayed correctly. 

 

Functionality available in Office Web Word app now are limited to viewing, searching the document, printing and scan through documents quickly. The interface maintains some similarity with the desktop versions in particular Office 2010. If you are limited on screen real estate, you can click the pop out button (located in the upper left hand corner of the screen), which will display your document in a separate window minus the web browsers file menu and toolbars. Alternatively, you can gain more real estate in either Firefox or Internet Explorer by hitting the F11 key on your keyboard. Performance is quite good, I was able to load 1.7 MB Word Document in under a minute, considering its 29 pages of text and, complex table and numerous images.

Office Web Apps are limited for the time being, but more functionality is expected soon!

Suggestions and Conclusion

Right now, as much as I love the Windows Live wave branding, I think it takes away a lot of real estate, this is not a problem on high resolution monitors. But for me, I would like to see more of my document, so possibly making the banner that reveals the path to your document in the Skydrive much thinner in height would be nice. Just like the desktop version of Microsoft Office apps, I would prefer if the file name is displayed in the title bar "Microsoft Office Web App (Technical Preview) - File Name" to maintain some consistency in look and feel. These are minor suggestions anyway, but I like what I see and it should open up a new world of productivity for users. For instance, I am working on the "ActiveWin: Windows 7 Ultimate Review" which is 67 pages of content, the most frustrating part is being told I have to make a few changes here and there. This means, I need to load up Microsoft Word, make the change then upload it back to my Skydrive Collaboration folder. With Office Word App, I don't need to do this anymore, I can make changes or the person with whom I am sharing/collaborating with on the document can do this if necessary from within web browser with no need to download or re-upload. If you need to make more complex changes, you can always download the file back into Office Word on the desktop and apply changes. Its clear benefits like that I see Office Web Apps making a huge impact.

Resources

A look at the new Office 2010
The Microsoft Office 2010 IT Blog
Microsoft Web Apps: Microsoft Office goes to the web 

An interesting blog entry by Chris Hernandez who works in the Windows deployment team, I came across reading Computer World today talks about what users can expect upgrading from Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7. What's causing a lot of buzz is the mention of some upgrades taking up to 20 hours to complete. Yep, 20 hours! Now, don't be astonished, because you have take into account some variables here such as your data set (personal data: music, pictures, videos, application library) and your system configuration.

One of the main goals with Windows 7 in general has been to be better than Vista. As part of the Windows Upgrade team we have tracked Windows 7 upgrade performance using Vista as our baseline comparison.

The upgrade performance tests used the metric of total upgrade time to gauge how Windows 7 upgrade performed against Vista upgrade. The tests were designed to measure total upgrade time simulating different user profiles (with different data set sizes, number of programs installed and settings) against different hardware profiles.

The goal was to determine whether an upgrade from Vista SP1 -> Windows 7 was within a 5% threshold faster than an upgrade from Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1. The reason we choose to use a Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 upgrade instead of Windows XP -> Vista as our baseline was for the following:

• Windows XP is a vastly different operating system compared to Vista and an upgrade from Windows XP -> Vista would not be a good comparison with Vista -> Windows 7
• Windows XP did not support 64-bit upgrades and we wanted to track 64-bit upgrade performance as well as 32-bit upgrades for Windows 7
• Vista SP1 -> Vista SP1 is a valid upgrade path that exercises all upgrade code (this upgrade is commonly used by Product Support Services for a repair scenario)

Read the entire article here

My upgrade experience from Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64 bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, is in line with some of the results Chris produced. Considering that I have a large library of software installed (108 applications), in addition to a large data set that is around 60 GBs I wasn't surprised by the 4 hours it took to upgrade to Windows 7. What surprised me most was how successful and smooth the procedure was, everything works except for VMWare and iTunes Bonjour (need to upgrade to version 9 to see if it has been fixed), I have also managed to work around some hardware compatibility issues by using Windows Virtual PC with XP Mode:

The Windows Team has made installing Windows a bit more informative, detailing the various steps of what happens during an upgrade. What’s also interesting is the ‘Copying Windows installation files to your computer (27 of 2772 MB copied) indication. Its the first time I am seeing this and I find it a welcome change that actually keeps the user in the know about what is going on. During the upgrade, which took several hours on my system (nearly 4 hours to be exact), you will see a lot of details about Files, Settings and Programs being transferred with numbers ranging in the hundreds of thousands. It might seem like the upgrade will take a very long time, but do not worry, Windows 7 will quickly jump over hundred’s of thousand files at various points during the install.

Upgrading is a complex and timely process. I do not recommend doing this in the middle of a project or on a week day. The weekend is recommended, you can also leave Windows 7 to handle the upgrade while you go take a walk, watch a movie or some other activity while the upgrade do its thing.

I concluded:

I have heard a lot about upgrading to newer versions of Windows and the potential for problems with persons most times recommending a clean install instead. Windows 7 is an exception in this case and I can see that the Windows Team has done some significant work to ensure that the transition from Windows Vista SP1 is a smooth one. Of course, there will always be potential hiccups, but with careful planning and a small amount of patience, upgrading to Windows 7 can be as smooth as its intended to be. I definitely give Windows 7 a thumbs up in this regard!

Users planning to upgrade from Windows Vista SP1 or later to Windows 7 can have a smooth experience by planning well.

• If you are not sure an application or hardware device you are using now is compatible with Windows 7, check the software or hardware developers website for patches, updated drivers or to simply find out about Windows 7 support for the particular product. If you are unable to find information on the website, try contacting the developer by telephone. If you unable to get any information that way, its best you look into investing in a alternative solution from another vendor.
• Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - provided by Microsoft, the Upgrade Advisor can help you evaluate your systems configuration to find out what works and what does not if you decide to move to Windows 7. The utility also makes appropriate recommendations where editions of Windows 7 are concerned along with what you might need to upgrade.
• Get Religion: Backup, Backup, Backup!

  I can't say this enough, if it can go wrong, it will. Upgrading is a very complex process and there are often cases of failed upgrades from older versions of Windows. Causes can include, power outage during installation, hardware or application conflict. This is why you should “always back up”, it’s better to be inconvenienced than having to start all over from scratch.

• If you are upgrading/clean install, disable any external or USB based devices you might have attached to the computer. Also, disable any Security software before launching setup and ensure that you meet the minimum system requirements for Windows 7.
  - 1 GHz processor (32-bit or 64-bit)
  - 1 GB of system memory (2 GBs for 64 bit)
  - 16 GBs of disk space – Windows 7 uses approximately 10.5 GBs of disk space.
  - DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB of memory

Following these basic instructions can have a positive impact on your upgrade experience.

Resources:

Windows 7 Upgrade Performance
UPDATED: Upgrading: Starting the Move to Windows 7 RTM
My Software Library and Windows 7 - Compatibility Experiences
Upgrading to...ur Migrating to Windows 7 from Windows XP
Windows Easy Transfer: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate

 

So, there is a new version of Movie Maker that's out on the prowl looking for videos to edit and share. Back in February of this year, we saw the release of Windows Live Movie Maker 1.0 beta, which focused on simplifying video editing with a snazzy new interface and quick approach to sharing videos. Some persons were a bit skeptical with good reasons. Although the focus of the new Movie Maker beta was ease use, there were some missing features along with some getting use to the new look. The Windows Live Movie Maker team continued working on improving the user experience and ended up delivering an exceptional final product I am sure many of you will be pleased with. In this tutorial, I want to take a look at the new features and introduce you to the new interface based on the popular Scenic Ribbon.

The first thing I would like to get out of the way for users of Windows Movie Maker that comes bundled with Windows XP or Vista is, they are distinctively different products. Do not expect to see everything in Movie Maker 2.6 in Windows Live Movie Maker 1.0. As you probably know from the name, Windows Live Movie Maker is now a member of the Windows Live family of free products and services. You can download it from http://download.live.com included with Windows Live Essentials, a powerful suite of solutions for Email, Photo Management, Instant Messaging, Data Synchronization and blogging.

System Requirements:

Operating system: Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit editions), Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit editions), or Windows Server 2008. Note: Windows Live Movie Maker is not supported on Windows XP

• Processor: 1 GHz or higher for Windows Vista; 800 MHz or higher for Windows XP
• 512 MB for Windows Vista
• Resolution: Minimum 1024 x 768
• Internet connection: Internet functionality requires dial-up or broadband Internet access (provided separately). Local or long-distance charges may apply.
• Graphics or video card: Windows Live Movie Maker requires ATI Radeon 9500 (or higher) or nVidia GeForce FX 5900 (or higher). I have Live Movie Maker working with a nVidia Geforce FX 5200 128 MB AGP.

Additional requirements

The following components are needed for specific Windows Live programs, and may be installed for you if they’re not already on your computer.

• For Writer: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher*.
• For Photo Gallery: SQL 2005 Compact Edition and Windows Imaging Codecs*.
• For Photo Gallery and Movie Maker: Some components of DirectX9.
• * Not required when installing on Windows Vista.

Compatibility

One of the key improvements Windows Live Movie Maker users will appreciate is the ability to import Windows Movie Maker projects. Although you might be warned that there are features in your existing project that might not work or are not available in this version of Movie Maker. Overall, users can appreciate that most features and functionality from the previous release works just fine.

Interface

In addition to a lighter color scheme, Windows Live Movie Maker works differently through and through. You won't find previous functionality such as a Storyboard, drop down menus, and a time lines. Windows Movie Maker used a Task based approached to creating a movie, WL Movie Maker introduces a clean design with most tools and functionality revealed through the innovative Scenic Ribbon which displays common functionality once buried under drop down menus and wizards in a gallery of easy to identify icons.

 

The Ribbon is very intelligent and only reveals additional functionality when needed through contextual tabs that can be easily identified by their activated colors.

Adding media

Just like the previous version, Live Movie Maker makes it quick and easy to import your media such as Videos or Photos. In Windows Movie Maker this can be done from the Import Task Pane toolbar button or Import Media toolbar button, in Live Movie Maker, you can import media through the Add videos and photos button located under the Home (tab) within the Add gallery. Once you have added your media, you will see it populated within the Bin area.

Editing content

Previously, in Windows Movie Maker, your videos would require that you drag and drop into the Story board and edit in the Time line. Windows Live Movie Maker does the opposite. Task like re-arranging or cropping a video clip are more visual and interactive. In fact, one of the lovely highlights is the actual display of multiple frames in a clip. You can use the video cursor bar to scan through a video clip and see additional sequences within the video itself. The cursor bar itself is a important element of the software and allows you to accomplish many of the common task you would do in the previous Movie Maker time line.

 

To organize your clips, all you need to do is use a drag and drop action in the order you find most desirable. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Cropping a clip

In Windows Movie Maker, this was done through the Time Line, its just as easy in Windows Live Movie Maker. Select your video clip, go to the Edit tab which you will notice is activated in the yellow 'Video Tools' Contextual tab. Within the 'Editing' gallery, click the Trim tool button, now use the Trim Maker knobs on both sides of the clip duration in the video preview pane, drag either knob until you reach the desired point in the video you would like to see played. If you know the point in time you would like the video to  start and end, you can alternatively use the Start and EndPoint markers located in the Trim markers gallery. Once completed, click the 'Save trim' button to keep your edit.

Adding media - music

What is a movie without music? In Movie Maker, you add music to your video from the Tasks > Import (Audio or Music) link. This would extend across the time line, you then had the option of cropping and adding effects such as fade in or out. You can do that too in Windows Live Movie Maker, a bit differently of course. I even like this method, simply go to the Home tab, within the Add gallery, click Add music button. From the pop out list, you have two options, which will add a music track to the entire project or you can add music to just a specific point within a video.

 

If the song is distributed over the project, you can edit this by selecting the song represented by a green bar (you should see the title of the track specified), drag the video cursor, to the point in the video you would like the song to stop playing, right click the cursor and click 'Set end point' from the the contextual menu. Additional options include, you can have the song fade in and out from the 'Audio' gallery options.

 Text Overlays, Transitions and Visual Effects!

The initial beta was limited in this respect, but the final release makes up for it with a respectable set of options. The Text Tools contextual tab allows you to format your text with a range of options. To add a Caption, go to the Home Tab, from within the Add gallery, click Caption, enter your text. To format the text using a desired font and size, click Format Text Tools button and choose from the gallery of options available, one of the nice improvements users will notice, the Font list box allows you to see a preview of a font before applying. If you want to add some effects, you can do so from within the Effects gallery which provides the ability to hover over effects and preview them before applying - very cool! You will also notice any text added your clips are represented by a cream colored bar, to edit your text, simply double click this bar and edit the text within the preview window.

As for Visual Effects, I am happy to tell you that this functionality has improved tremendously in the final product, by benefiting immediately from the Scenic Ribbon. Hovering over available effects gives you a quick on the fly preview, you won't see this in Windows Movie Maker. You can also control the brightness of your videos and photos from within Live Movie Maker too. I hope in a future update, the Windows Live Movie Maker Team adds some robust text effects similar to what you can find in Office 2007/2010.

 

In Windows Movie Maker, transitions are located under the Edit > Transitions link. In Windows Live Movie Maker, the Animation tab stores a collection of transitions that you can use to control how your movie changes from one clip to the next. Again, one of the great things I like about WL Movie Maker, you can simply hover a transition to preview without even applying the effect. You will notice that Pan and Zoom Gallery is grayed out, these effects are activated when you add photos to your movie.

Previewing Transition before Applying

Publishing your work

Out of the box, Windows Live Movie Maker supports a number of distribution points, in today's world of online video most users I am sure would like to get their content out to a wide audience quickly. Windows Live Movie Maker does that with built in support for YouTube, a request  I made during the beta and I am glad to see it happen. If you want to share your media through traditional mediums such as DVD, no problem, just click the DVD icon in the gallery to save your video in an appropriate format suitable for use in Windows DVD Maker. You can also prepare your movie for viewing on different aspect ratios and video formats such as hi and standard definition or save to a portable device, prepare for email or instant messaging.  If you don't find a suitable tool, you can download additional plug ins that will provide you with additional functionality.

A look at the final project

So, you want to see what I did? Take a look

 

 At Home with Family

This is a movie of some random videos of family at home visiting that I decided to put together. You can see a my mom Yvonne, my sis-in-law Marjorie, brothers Troy, Dion, and my little nephew Nathan (the star).

With this update, the Windows Live Movie Maker Team listened to its users based on feedback from the beta and incorporated numerous improvements to make the software much easier to use while also bringing back some functionality from its predecessor Windows Movie Maker 2.6. The tutorial does not look at everything, but you should be able to become more familiar with the software as you discover Windows Live Movie Makers focus on making video editing a fun experience that's quick and easy.

Resources:
Windows Live Essentials the Recap

Related:
- Instant and Social Communication with Windows Live Messenger 9
- Managing and Sharing Digital Memories using Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009
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Popular Windows Enthusiast Long Zheng of http://istartedsomething.com got a hold of the official Windows 7 hologram disk showing the new art work. The disk is not that different from the Windows Vista disk, but Microsoft has been using a consisting look for most products that utilize the technology for anti-piracy purposes.

Back in July of 2007, Microsoft was able to utilize the anti-piracy technologies of the hologram disk to bust one of the largest underground counterfeit ring in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. 

 Resources:
Taking a detailed look at Windows Vista DVD hologram
How To Tell site

Related:
Official look at the new Windows 7 Packaging