There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Windows 7 Starter edition for a while now. Much of the concern focusing on the operating systems ability to only run three concurrent applications. Because of what seems to be an strong outcry against the limitation regardless there has been clear evidence of how it actually works (the app limit does not affect background processes such as anti-virus applications, wireless and Bluetooth, and system tools like Explorer and Control Panel), Microsoft announced that they have removed the limitation:

There of course will also be Windows 7 Starter edition, but based on the feedback we’ve received from partners and customers asking us to enable a richer small notebook PC experience with Windows 7 Starter, we’ve decided to make some changes compared to previous Starter editions.

For the first time, we will be making Windows 7 Starter available worldwide on small notebook PCs. We are also going to enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the 3 application limit that the previous Starter editions included.

We believe these changes will make Windows 7 Starter an even more attractive option for customers who want a small notebook PC for very basic tasks, like browsing the web, checking email and personal productivity.

Read the entire article here

Considering that Netbooks or small notebooks, which Windows 7 Starter specifically targets are becoming more powerful, the decision is the right choice I believe. Then again the limitation concerns came across as a bit overblown, especially after reading experiences with the OS by journalist such as Ed Bott who thoroughly tested the capabilities and presumed limitations. I am still concerned though by some of the other limitations the OS includes mentioned in the article:

"Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes" 

I think that's a rather weird decision that really shows a lack in understanding of what devices are to people these days. I can customize the wallpaper on a US $33 cellular phone, but I can't on a US $300 Netbook? That's a decision the Windows Team needs to seriously reconsider. I personally am a aesthetics nut and I find the Aero Basic theme in Vista and Windows 7 distasteful, I was hoping Microsoft would improve this theme, in fact it has even taken a step back in Windows 7 based on my experiences using it for more than a couple of months. 

Microsoft first introduced the Starter Edition of Windows with the release of the Windows XP operating system back in 2004, restricting it specifically to certain developing and emerging markets such as Russia, Africa and parts of Asia. The product sku under Windows XP and Vista were preloaded on new systems. Windows Starter edition includes restrictions such as being 32 bit only, support only for Intel Celeron, Atom and AMD Sempron processors. Windows 7 is expected to continue that trend with support for mainstream markets such as the USA, especially for the currently popular Netbook and small notebook form factors. Microsoft does note that all Windows 7 SKU’s will support Netbooks. Microsoft at the Professional Developers Conference 2008 displayed a Netbook running the Windows 7 Ultimate SKU with Aero Glass graphics.

Resources:

Windows 7 Starter Edition – Its not so bad after all

...and I thought I was a Windows Enthusiast. Ryan Rhea, of NeoWin, talks about his experiences installing Windows 7 on a variety of PC form factors with different system specifications. The information is very detailed and gives users a good idea of how well engineered this release of Windows is.

"What have I learned from these installation adventures? I've learned that Microsoft has produced their most stable, reliable & speedy codebase to date. PC's that struggled just to run Vista's basic functions, now can run Windows 7 with all of its features (including Aero). By creating an OS that scales remarkably well, Microsoft has not left the owners of older PC's out in the cold."

Read the entire article here

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.

Note: Some of the illustrations are not available in this article, I have been trying for the last three days to publish it from Live Writer, but some issues with a few images are preventing me, so I omitted them.

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). With Windows 7, Microsoft is offering an improved approach, which is built upon the fundamentals of Virtual PC and utilizing the compatibility benefits of Windows XP Professional SP3 to help transition to Windows 7 smoothly. In this article, I want to take a look at how I am using Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode to still utilize legacy applications that I enjoy using and still benefit from. I will be taking a look at starting Virtual PC, installing an application and publishing it.

In Windows 7 itself, the Compatibility process is handled through a number of avenues, which include the Windows Upgrade Advisor and Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to help customers assess application compatibility. For untested or in-house developed applications, Windows 7 provides a number of in-box compatibility aids. For example, if an application fails to install because of a hard-coded version check, the Program Compatibility Trouble-shooter can automatically fix the problem (with the users consent) and rerun the installer. Windows 7 includes an expanded application shim infrastructure and Problem Steps Recorder that people can use to capture compatibility issues for evaluation by technical experts.

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.

Microsoft Clubhouse member Auri Rahimzadeh recently wrote an in depth article about installing and configuring Windows Virtual XP Mode, check it out here

Starting and using Virtual XP in Windows 7 64 bit (click to enlarge)

As you can see, Virtual Windows XP includes a pre-configured copy of Windows XP Professional SP3 that is ready to be used out of the box. Microsoft has confirmed that only Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate are the only editions that will support this utility. The program requires that your computers CPU (Central Processing Unit) supports hardware based virtualization (AMD-V or Intel's VT technology). Configuring the system for this feature might be a bit technical for some persons requiring that you enter the computers BIOS to setup (which is what I had to do). Virtual Windows XP works similar to Virtual PC 2007.  The virtual system is allotted 256 MBs of RAM. One of the immediate differences though is the toolbar menu that provides options for utilizing USB devices, viewing full screen mode and enabling integration features which is used for virtualizing your applications.

Installing applications and publishing

Installation of PhotoDraw 2000 went smoothly except for a Windows File Protection prompt requesting that I insert my Windows XP Service Pack 3 CD before installation could proceed. This can be quite confusing since you might not have a CD readily available with Service Pack 3, luckily for me, I did.

Installing Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 v2

Situations like this can leave users perplexed

Installation was successful after providing the Windows XP Professional SP3 CD

Using the application in Virtual Windows XP, is very similar to 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 Virtual XP programs group called Virtual Windows XP Applications. When you launch the application from there, Virtual Windows XP will request to close the Virtual Machine 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. 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 to see how that would function. Yup, installed and functioned just fine. Sorry for the bad screenshot, but Hallmark Card Studio is one of those really old mid 90's programs that believe it should take over your screen whenever it gets the chance.

Installing Legacy applications

Using Virtual applications in Windows 7

About 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. For more information, see ―Scenario 2: Print from a virtual machine.
• 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.

Starting a Virtual application

There are some integration issues 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 Guest installation. Some other things I notice include that Virtual applications do not benefit from window management functionality in the host OS such as thumbnail previews. Apart from these inconsistence's, 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.

The Virtual Machine folder for configuring and creating Virtual machines

You are not limited to using Windows Virtual XP, (although its recommended), you can use your own Windows XP installation media. The Virtual XP option is faster than creating your own virtual machine though. When you use this option, you do not have to obtain installation media. 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 the amount of legacy applications you plan to run, you might want to configure the virtual machines memory settings to accommodate more programs and performance of the Virtual Machine itself. To do this, Open the Virtual Machines folder from the Start menu, click Virtual Machines. If the menu item is not visible, click All Programs, click Windows Virtual PC, and then click Virtual Machines. The Virtual Machines folder provides details about all the virtual machines created by the current user, as well as access to the tools for creating and modifying virtual machines and virtual hard disks.

Conclusion

Virtual XP 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 hindrance to adoption.  Users must also remember that they are running another computer, 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 out of the Virtual Machine would have been option I would like to see. Its a minor complaint considering the boost it gives users to breath new new life into old applications while moving forward with the benefits of Windows 7.

Resources: 

• 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
• Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode BETA's for Windows 7 Download's now Available
• More information about Windows XP Mode for Windows 7

Get up to speed on your Windows 7 skills, Microsoft has released some free eLearning content just for you:

Microsoft Learning has just launched some free Windows 7 training content - three free eLearning Clinics. Specifically targeted at audiences : Consumers, IT Professionals and Information Workers

What’s New in Windows 7 for Consumers (1 Hour)
What’s New in Windows 7 for IT Professionals (2 Hours)
What’s New in Windows 7 for Information Workers (2 Hours)

There are also sample book chapters from upcoming MS Press books and other resources (like Learning Snacks and some chapters from the Windows 7 Resource Kit) available on http://www.microsoft.com/learning/windows-7/default.mspx

Source: Nathan Mercer's blog

It was only a matter of time! Microsoft Office 2010 32 and 64 bit Technical Preview have found its way on the Internet and its already downloaded and installed by some persons who are showing off some of the new UI goodness the suite has embraced. What's particularly interesting is the strong use of the Windows Aero visuals in Office 2010 applications. Programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook feature a stronger degree of semi-transparency in the Tab menu region. The Office Galleries feature a thinner gradient similar to Windows applications that have embraced the Ribbon (Paint and WordPad).

Microsoft Word 2010 interface

Microsoft Office options

More applications in the Office family have embraced Office Fluent, program such as Visio, Publisher, Project, InfoPath now use the ribbon. I noticed in a screen of the Office 2010 programs group at Arstechnica, InfoPath has two family of applications (Designer and Editor) which Groove has dropped its name to SharePoint Workspace to reflect its tighter integration with the Team Site server software. There is also heavy use of branding color with File menus and application options featuring their respective colors. There seems to be some heavy changes to the Options area of the applications though which likely focuses on better accessibility and maintenance of the suite. Office 2010 overall does not look like a drastic departure at this stage, but its still early days and a lot can change between now and RTM. Considering that Office 12 alpha (which eventually became Office 2007) used a totally different UI compared to what showed up at beta 2. Microsoft has promised that Office 2010 will support Windows XP x86 (SP3) and x64, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Resources

Office 2010 Technical Preview Screenshots
Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview Registration
Office 2010 Team Blog now up

Related

New User Experience Improvements coming in Office 2010
Screenshot of Microsoft Office Outlook 2010
Office ‘14’ branded Office 2010, Exchange 2010 BETA expected Wednesday
Its official – Office ‘14’ will be available in both 32 and 64 bit
Microsoft Office ‘14’ to include native 64-bit support?
Office 14 – Finally! Anytime Upgrade, Portable Office?
Confirmed: Office 14 will support Windows XP
Ballmer: Office 14 not this year
Just a Note: A small change I noticed in Microsoft Word 14

This is a difficult question simply because of the richness of the Windows Ecosystem. I run a variety of applications on Windows that I use almost everyday, whether its Microsoft Word, Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 V2, Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Windows Media Player 11. But when I try to think about it from a fundamental point of view, some of those applications I mentioned are not detrimental, because they are available on the majority of PC's that run Windows. So, what is that one app I just cannot do without? The app that triggers some weird paranoia, anxiety moments if I don't have access to it on a daily basis? I thought about this carefully and looked at my usage patterns and management of the application itself. So, I would conclude that Windows Live Messenger is my must have, can't do without, can't cope without it application of them all.

Why is it so important to me?

Windows Live Messenger to me is my line of communication, just like my cellular phone, I am able to stay in touch with many friends and family. Windows Live Messenger goes beyond the traditional PC, just the other night, I saw my brother come online and I we started a chat session. I broke the ice, saying, 'you are up rather late tonight', he replied, 'I'm at work'. I asked 'where', he said at a 'Cell' tower. 'So late?' and 'how are you getting Net access?' I asked. He said from his Blackberry phone (he works for a Cellular carrier, so he is on stand by 24 hours). This particular scenario for me shows how powerful and connected Windows Live Messenger is, not necessarily the connection which could be EDGE or 3G, but the anytime, anywhere, almost any device experience Windows Live Messenger provides. In addition to being a connected platform, I have formed some life long friendships through Messenger over the years, to the point I have gotten the chance to meet persons face to face I got to know through Windows Live Messenger. One of the things I have discovered that others have agreed with is the ice breaker experience it provides. Being able to get to know persons over a long period of time from around the world establishes a trust and comfort when that opportunity arrives to actually meet in person. I remember traveling abroad and my only form of contact was through Windows Live Messenger being able to utilize features such as voice and video allowed me see my family and them to see me - all with the help of a free Wi-Fi connection.

How long have I been using Windows Live Messenger?

My first experience with Instant Messaging was MSN Messenger 2.2 that came with Windows Millennium Edition back in 2000. I was a bit scared at first, since it was a new experience for me, but I adjusted quite fast to this new way of communication when I discovered a few friends from high school were also using the service. I have upgraded to every version ever since and have enjoyed the fast pace level of innovation the platform has delivered with each release along with the opportunities to know so many wonderful persons and cultures from around the world. Here is a list of some the countries I have gotten to know people from:

Australia, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, USA, France, Germany, Pakistan, United Kingdom, China, India (and many others I am sure I can't remember). Its quite amazing when you can say, ' I know a person or two from these fascinating lands and one of the engaging experiences that makes Windows Live Messenger such a worthy and powerful application/service for me.

Yahoo! Messenger

Every now and then I try out Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger's main rival in the IM field, but I have discovered quickly that I know limited group of contacts who use the service. In fact, the majority of my 313 Windows Live Messenger contacts are mostly Hotmail, MSN or Live members. With the release of Windows Live Messenger 8.1, Microsoft in partnership with Yahoo! integrated support for Live Messenger users to communicate with Yahoo! Messenger users on their respective services. Apart from being able to chat with Yahoo! contacts, Windows Live Messenger delivers some unique enhancements that makes it the best platform for instant Messaging, features such as photo-sharing, personalized theming capabilities, integration with Windows Live products and services, ability to sign into multiple locations and devices make it best choice for me and the must have application on all the computers I use.

Resources

Instant and Social Communication with Windows Live Messenger 9

I recently talked about the changes in branding art the Windows 7 Product Boxes might be using. Now Microsoft Enthusiast website, Redmond Pie has discovered additional branding images related to Windows 7 with key emphasis on the numeral ‘7’ from Chinese technology website PCBeta. The beauty of this ‘7’ is very refreshing with its natural styling and soft blending with touches of linear lighting. Lets take a look:

Stylish Windows ‘7’ brand

The logo also gives a hint that previous branding particularly on the Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade could be a work in progress. I am not one for rumors and speculations, but when it comes graphics, artwork and branding, I cannot and will not resist. :) I love what the folks on the Windows UX team or whoever they are in marketing are doing. Windows Enthusiast Long Zheng provided some details on the number itself:

In the spirit of hitting two birds with one stone however, not only is the box art now confirmed but the official Windows 7 mark or logo is also revealed and confirmed to be an artistic-variant of the Arabic numeral “7″ with a not-so-subtle lens flare effect. The internet will now judge.

Learn more here

Resources

Windows 7 Product boxes: Simple, Elegant and Informative

Polish Windows Enthusiast web site Centrum XP managed to get a hold of the possible final art work for the Windows 7 product boxes. Not much has changed since Vista, still maintaining a similar form factor. The art work does put greater emphasis on the Windows logo with a stylish design featuring nature theme elements such as a fern leaf, butterflies, snow flakes, grass and the moon bursting out and silhouetted within the logo. I do like the design because of its simplicity and focus on the brand which is Windows logo but also the continuation in color scheme branding and identity which makes it easy for consumers of either Windows XP or Vista to clearly identify their upgrade paths. It seems Microsoft will also be providing well explained Anytime Upgrade packages for persons who purchase a particular edition of Windows 7 and would like to upgrade to a higher SKU and gain more features and functionality.

Windows 7 (FPP) retail packaging

Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade packages with stylish '7' numeral

Even Windows 7 Starter edition get its own Anytime Upgrade

What's missing is Windows 7 Home Basic which Microsoft is targeting along with Windows 7 Starter to emerging markets around the world. Mainstream markets such as the US will focus primarily on Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional since those are considered to be premium SKUs. Windows 7 Ultimate will continue to be available for power users who demand both business and consumer functionality.

Easier to open

Windows 7's packaging seems to also simplify opening the box. The Windows Vista box opens with a swing-out section that holds your DVD and manuals. The box has two security seals that need to be cut or removed before it can be opened. Windows 7 packaging seem to feature a DVD style casing which is much easier to open.

Resources

Windows Vista Packaging - What has changed?
Leaked Windows 7 box art is indeed real
Opening the Windows Vista Box Update
Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade – Unlocking more benefits with less effort
Announcing New Packaging for Windows Vista and 2007 Office System

 Thanks to Marcin for the correction!

Remote Access is a powerful feature that has been a part of the Windows platform for a very long time now. One time though, this was only a feature available only to businesses that provided such functionality for Desktop Support and employee access to resources at the office. With the release of Windows XP, Microsoft introduced two technologies, Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance. Remote Desktop focusing on business use and integration with Microsoft technologies such as Terminal Services for providing so-called dumb terminal access. To break it down further, a dumb terminal provides access to resources managed through a centralized server accessed through a client computer with a Display, keyboard and mouse, there is no need for a physical PC like you would have on your desk at home.

Remote Assistance which I will be taking a look at in this article is geared towards the home user, although it is still useful in business scenarios for help and support technicians. Remote Assistance allows you to do a number of things:

• Ability to share your Windows 7 Desktop with another user
• Ability to share control of computer peripherals: Mouse and Keyboard
• Peer to Peer connection without a relay server, meaning, Remote Assistance works just as well with two computers over a LAN (Local Area Network) just as it would over the Internet (WAN).

Remote Assistance in Windows 7 introduces a new feature called 'Easy Connect' which simplifies the process of connecting to another PC remotely with only a password, no file needed. When a connection is established between both computers, contact files are exchanged which creates a trust relationship. This further simplifies future connections that are made without the need for a password. Lets take a look at inviting someone for help using Remote Assistance Easy Connect:

There are multiple ways of inviting and offering assistance, lets take a look at connecting from the Novice side and accepting from the Expert side.

Click Start, Type: Assistance

Hit Enter

Inviting a friend or family member for help (click to enlarge)

Helper password which you will tell the Expert to gain access to your desktop.

Once you have established your connection with the Expert who will be assisting you with your problem, the Expert will connect to your machine with the password generated by Windows Remote Assistance. Lets take a look at connecting from that side of the fence:

Using the Easy Connect wizard to help a friend or family member. (click to enlarge)

Enter the password generated by the person requesting assistance.

Your Windows Remote Assistance session will now begin:

The above screenshot shows the person viewing the desktop of the individual in need of help.

Both persons can initiate a chat session to help communicate and explain the problem (click to enlarge)

Requesting and granting control of your desktop

A person seeking help can share their desktop which will allow their friend or family to use the mouse and keyboard to help solve their problem. In this scenario, adacosta doesn't know how to hide desktop icons, the Helper is showing them how to do so. (click image to enlarge)

You can quickly stop sharing your desktop by clicking the 'Stop Sharing' located on the Chat window.

Conclusion

Remote Assistance makes the troubleshooting experience on the PC seamless, taking away the lengthy phone calls typical of years ago in which you tried to explain what your PC is going through using psychic abilities to solve a problem or make a simple diagnosis. With Windows 7, Remote Assistance is even easier to use and help others.

Troubleshooting: If you experience problems trying to connect or invite, try these suggestions:

• Ensure that your network location is set to 'Home' in Network and Sharing Center'.
• Microsoft provides a tool for testing your router for Peer to Peer technologies such as:
  - Universal Plug and Play
  - Teredo (Network Address Translator)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd/default.mspx

Resources

Improved Recovery Options in Windows 7
A Quick Look: Customizing your Windows 7 Installation
Windows Easy Transfer: Lessons Learned

If you want to get notified immediately about the Office 2010 preview program which will give you early access to beta (test) versions of the next release of Office, here is your chance:

The Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview is a limited, invitation only program which will provide you with the opportunity to experience early, pre-release versions of Office 2010 which will include the following applications:  Word 2010, Excel 2010, Outlook 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Communicator 2010, Access 2010, InfoPath 2010 and Publisher 2010.

By registering you are signing up to be considered for the Technical Preview Program, you will be waitlisted for consideration to be invited into the Technical Preview Program. We will notify invitees in early to mid July.

Sign up HERE

Resources:

Office 2010 Team Blog now up

The Windows Team Blog provides concrete details about when the final release of Windows 7 will be available. Brandon Leblanc provides the details:

There has been quite a bit of speculation and chatter around the timing of milestones for Windows 7. Of course folks want to know when Windows 7 will become available in stores and on new PCs. We’re in a good position today to provide an update to the timing of when we expect for that to happen. I’m really excited to be able to give this update – particularly given what it takes to deliver a high quality OS to millions of partners, customers, developers and the entire ecosystem.

Learn more here

No content is up yet on the site, but its a sign that the Office Team is getting ready to share more details about the next version of the worlds most popular productivity suite:

This blog is being created by the Office team to help our IT professionals and enthusiasts get a better idea of what we are building with Office 2010 and discuss the key issues that matter to you.  We are all incredibly excited to start talking about the new version of Office and hope you will participate here.

Check out the Office 2010 Team Blog here

So I have the Windows 7 RC running on a couple systems and I am loving every moment of it. The increased performance, stability, features, entertainment, aesthetics and customization make it all a great experience. Customization in particular is an area the Release Candidate puts a lot of emphasis on. Although I like running the Ultimate edition on all my systems, I do not necessarily need all the features on all systems. Windows 7 provides a much richer set of options in its 'Turn Windows Features on or off' applet. For instance, I am not really using Windows Tablet PC components, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player on my Windows 7 RC 64-bit install, so lets take a look at the ability to remove some of these features.

Click Start, type: Windows Features

Hit Enter

You can customize your Windows installation even more.

What can you remove?

• Internet Explorer 8
• Windows Media Player
• Windows Media Center
• Windows DVD Maker
• Windows Search
• Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)
• Windows Gadget Platform
• Fax and Scan
• XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)

In Windows 7, you can remove Tablet PC components without it removing the Snipping Tool.

The ability to remove Windows Internet Explorer is probably one of the most significant options considering its high level of integration with the Windows operating system over the past 10 years. Microsoft does note there are consequences to removing certain features since third party programs and other Windows Features may have certain requirements or dependencies on functionality built.

Application Dependencies are still a factor when removing features like Internet Explorer or Windows Search.

It is worth describing the details of “remove” since this too is a place where there are engineering and customer decisions to be made. We’ve already seen one decision which is to make sure we keep the features staged for future use so that a DVD is not required. A second decision is that we also continue to support the APIs available for features where these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component. As many of you know these are often referred to as “dependencies” and with Windows the dependencies can run both internal to Windows and external for ISVs.

Windows Team member, Jack Mayo

Windows 7 preparing to remove Windows Features and Components

What it suggest though is that Windows 7 is a more open platform to competing solutions that have come with the OS for years. Personally, I think its a good decision, in particular for the systems I plan on running Windows 7 on depending on the SKU (edition) I purchase. Do I want Windows 7 Ultimate on all my PC’s? Yes. But do I really need all the features on all the PC’s? Probably not. So the idea of having the user pick and choose is a great thing. For libraries or class rooms, it will also be a great option for administrators to utilize along with tools such as Group Policy Editor to customize their Windows systems and prevent access to functionality they would prefer students not have access to during class time.

Jenny Craig or Slim Fast couldn't light a candle to Windows 7's instant diet

I have Windows 7 Ultimate on a AMD Sempron, 512 MBs of RAM, a very bare bones system, personally, I use it for nothing more than Email, casual Web surfing and Backup, I don’t even have speakers connected to it, so in addition to reducing disk foot print by removing certain features like Media Center, XPS Viewer and Media Player, I can also improve the systems overall performance even more. However, if the need arises for a particular feature I removed, it can be easily re-enabled without any fuss.

Resources

Engineering Windows 7 : Beta to RC Changes Turning Windows Features On or Off

Resources

Improved Recovery Options in Windows 7
Improved Windows 7 Applets – Productivity Boosters
Configuring Libraries and your Devices
Interacting with the Windows 7 Desktop – Fun Time Savers
In depth look at the Windows 7 Taskbar and Start Menu
Windows Explorer – What’s new in Windows 7?
Networking made easy with HomeGroups in Windows 7
A Look at Windows Backup and Windows Update in 7
Playing with Windows Media Player 12

Popular Windows Community ActiveWin.com where I write reviews and post news articles is now on popular Micro-blogging site Twitter, you can find us by going to http://twitter.com/ActiveWin. So be sure to follow us!

Get ready for a series of test updates the Windows Team is planning to release to test the Windows Update functionality in the Windows 7 Release Candidate. Brandon Leblanc provides the details:

Starting this Tuesday (May 12th) we will release up to ten test updates to PCs running the Windows 7 RC in order to verify our ability to deliver and manage updating of Windows 7 in certain real-life scenarios. These updates do not deliver any new features or fixes. This is the second set of test updates we’ve released to test the updating mechanism for Windows 7 - the first set were released on February 24. For more information, see this post on the Microsoft Update Blog.

Windows 7 Blog

Since the release of Windows 2000 and XP, Microsoft included the limited Recovery Console which was used to diagnose and recover from serious errors which may be preventing Windows from booting successfully. The problem with Recovery Console (although it was very handy), was its complexity and use of the Command Line. Using it required remembering obscure commands and knowing how to apply them properly. If you were not careful, you could seriously cause further problems. With the release of Windows Vista Microsoft introduced significant improvements to diagnosing problems that might occur with a Windows installation, called the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), it features a graphical user interface with a wealth of options for diagnosing and solving problems. These include:

• Startup Repair - Automatically finds and fixes boot errors in the Windows Vista Startup Process (including corrupted Boot Configuration Data files).
• System Restore - Utilizes the Volume Shadow Copy service to restore the computer to a previous state or restore point. 
• System Image Recovery - Restores a Complete PC Backup disk image you created earlier.
• Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool - Analyses the computer memory (RAM) for hardware memory problems.
• Command Prompt - Gives full command-line access to the file system, volumes and files, unlike the Recovery Console, which was limited in operation.

In Windows 7 if the OS refuses to load properly, it will recommend to automatically load the Start-up Repair tool, which will scan your PC for issues (such as corrupt registry and system files or an invalid Boot Configuration Database).

Built in utility just for creating a System Repair disc.

A few months ago, one of my Vista systems was in limbo, I resized its partition from within Windows XP using Acronis Disk Director. When I booted into Windows Vista, Windows Explorer refused to load with an error message popping up informing me that the file ‘rundll32’ was missing or the path to it cannot be found. I tried to repair this issue without having to resort to reinstalling Windows. Although the Windows Vista DVD provides a Start-up Repair utility it was not going to be of any help in this case. I was able to start the OS and reach the desktop, just that Windows refused to work properly by not loading Windows Explorer. To make matters worse, my optical disk drives are not working in the system and I could not repair by launching setup from a Vista image since it would be choosing to reinstall instead of booting into the System Recovery environment, and I am unable to boot from a recovery disc itself.

Starting the Recovery Environment (click to enlarge)

Windows 7 automatically transforms current experiences like this in Vista by doing a number of things, automatically it installs Start-up Repair tool onto the operating system partition, so you’ll always have access to it, no more booting from a DVD necessary. To access the System Recovery Environment in Windows 7, simply boot your PC, just before the system loads the Windows operating system, hit the [F8] Function 8 key on your keyboard which will launch the Advanced Boot Options menu. There you will see a new option 'Repair Your Computer', select this option and hit 'Enter' on your keyboard.

Logging on to your Windows Installation is required (click to enlarge)

Once this is done, Windows will load the necessary files to start the System Recovery process, the major difference here, you are doing this all without the need for your Windows DVD. For persons who might be using a Netbook which often does not include a built in optical drive or even an external one, the new Windows 7 Recovery options make scenarios like this less of a chore. In addition to these options, Windows 7 provides the option to create a 'System Repair disc' which you can use to boot your computer, it also contains all the System Recovery tools discussed earlier. To create your System Repair disc, click Start > All Programs > Maintenance > Create a System Repair Disc. Insert a blank DVD or CD and click the Create disc button.

Windows 7 even makes itself a cinch to reinstall (click to enlarge)

In addition to these options, Windows 7 includes advanced recovery options that can guide you through the 'reinstallation of Windows' and restoration of personal files and settings. This will require that you have an available Windows 7 installation disc or Recovery Image, which will assist with the reinstallation. You will have to restore your files from a backup, programs must also be reinstalled. Most OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers) such as HP, Lenovo and Dell install a hard drive partition customized with additional tools such as a separate system recovery tool for restoring the computer back to its original state. Advanced Recovery also includes the option to backup files before starting this procedure. You can find the Advanced Recovery option in Control Panel > Action Center > Recovery > Advanced recovery methods.

The Windows Team has thought through the end to end experiences, Windows 7 provides a sophisticated level of ease use when it comes to maintaining your Windows PC and protecting your digital investments. If the need every arises, you know that Windows 7 has got you covered.

Resources

Windows RE Notes : Introducing Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE)
Windows Recovery Environment Team Blog

The Windows Team Blog announced the availability of the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor which provides guidance and analysis of your PC hardware and devices before you upgrade to Windows 7 informing you of any potential problems that might occur, along with recommendations. Brandon Leblanc gives us an over of how it works:

When a new version of Windows is released, people either upgrade their existing PC or purchase a new PC with the latest version of Windows already pre-installed. For the people who want to upgrade their existing PC, they are often faced with the question of whether their PC can run the new Windows version or not. As we announced last week, Microsoft plans to offer a tool that can be used to determine if a PC is able to run Windows 7– Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

A beta of Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is now available to help people analyze their PC in preparation for a Windows 7 upgrade. Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a free tool that people can download as of today to help them determine if their PC is able to upgrade to and run Windows 7. The beta can be downloaded here (English only at this time).

Learn more here

Hey folks, I just wanted to do an update concerning a recent post I did with Windows Easy Transfer in Windows 7. Yesterday I finally installed the 32-bit platform for Windows 7 on a old trusty Dell, although the clean install went smooth, I wanted to transfer back my personal files and settings that I had transferred to my Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit RC install on another computer from Windows 7 32 bit beta, since this is my main PC I like using most of time. But, it turned out that it was not going to be so easy. What I have discovered is that although Windows 7 64 bit will allow an Easy Transfer of personal files and settings from 32 bit Windows to 64 bit Windows, it will not do a vice-versa, see the proof below.

Oh really? I didn't know that!

Interesting huh? I thought so too, but it brings up the question, is this a sign of the final hurrah for 32-bit Windows? Microsoft has not stopped development of 32-bit applications or operating systems, since Windows 7 will be available in both 32 and 64 bit flavors when its released to manufacturing. It does however bring up the issue of supporting 32-bit technology going forward where Windows is concerned. I asked a trusted colleague Bryant Zedegan, editor of popular Windows enthusiast community AeroXP.org why Microsoft would prevent Easy Transfer from 64 bit to 32 bit computers, here is what he had to say:

In strictly logical terms, blocking migration from 64bit to 32bit Windows likely exists in order to discourage rolling back to an old instruction set. Based on what Windows Easy Transfer is able to migrate, I doubt that there would be any significant issues with allowing for migrating data in the 64-to-32bit direction; it's just one of those things where Microsoft wants to ensure that migration to x64 happens without users rolling back.

BryantZ

In a sense, the industry has been going through a transition from the old architecture for quite some time. Its something that happens every now and then as advances occur, examples include the transition from 16 to 32 bit instruction set during the the 90's. 64-bit has been much slower because of early lack in available device drivers and programs that can natively harness the full benefits of what 64 bit has to offer such as a larger memory address space, meaning the ability to utilize 4 GBs or more of RAM, increased performance and stability. The release of Windows XP Professional x64 in April of 2005 and Windows Vista x64 in fall of 2006 help to boost the transition, a vast majority of Windows based desktops and notebooks now come with 64 bit processors built in and large amounts of memory. Windows Vista 64 bit has also seen greater adoption in recent times. But this does not mitigate the fact that there is still a large deployment of existing 32 bit only systems out there such as my Dell Dimension 8300 purchased back in March of 2004 that I have upgraded over the years and runs even Windows 7 32-bit well with full functionality such as advanced Aero window management effects.

Conclusion and Recommendations

My primary aim was to at least maintain some consistency between both desktops where personal files and settings are concerned. Although I learned a hard lesson, I was able to transfer back some of my personal files and settings manually from the User folder and AppData directory in Windows 7 RC 64 bit to Windows 7 RC 32 bit, I still lost some personalized settings along the way though. My recommendations for persons in a situation similar to mine is to use the create an Windows Easy Transfer file method and keep a copy of the file if you plan to continue using 32 bit Windows on that same computer, especially when moving to the final release of Windows 7. This creates a safety net for restoring your personal files and settings, although a lot of available space will be needed for storing this information during the transition.

Related:

Windows Easy Transfer: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate

Resources:

Upgrading: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
Installation: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
The Complete Guide On How To Install Windows 7 RC by AboKevin

Originally posted on Teching It Easy April 7th 2009.

Last month Microsoft talked about preparing for the Windows 7 Release Candidate. The Windows Team confirmed that build-to-build upgrades will not be supported for the RC. This means, technical testers and customers running the Beta (build 7000) released back in January will not be able to do an in-place upgrade to Release Candidate. This is quite a chore for some persons who have probably standardized on the beta and are using it in production environments, but its the reality of beta testing. Microsoft wants to ensure the smoothest upgrade possible, and that means testing against a commercially released copy of Windows Vista to Windows 7, especially for feedback purposes.

We’ve also learned that many of you (millions) are running Windows 7 Beta full time. You’re anxious for a refresh. You’ve installed all your applications. You’ve configured and customized the system. You would love to get the RC and quickly upgrade to it from Beta. The RC, however, is about getting breadth coverage to validate the product in real-world scenarios. As a result, we want to encourage you to revert to a Vista image and upgrade or to do a clean install, rather than upgrade the existing Beta.  We know that means reinstalling, recustomizing, reconfiguring, and so on.  That is a real pain.  The reality is that upgrading from one pre-release build to another is not a scenario we want to focus on because it is not something real-world customers will experience. During development we introduce changes in the product (under the hood) that aren’t always compatible with what we call “build-to-build” upgrade.  The supported upgrade scenario is from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Before you go jump to the comment section, we want to say we are going to provide a mechanism for you to use if you absolutely require this upgrade.  As an extended member of the development team and a participant in the Beta program that has helped us so much, we want to ask that you experience real-world setup and provide us real-world telemetry.

Read the entire article here

I have decided to put together a little quick tutorial on how to prepare your system for the move from the BETA to the RC. Particularly, preparing your partition that you might have Windows 7 beta currently installed on. If you have a lot of data stored in Windows 7 build 7000, I recommend you do a Backup using the Back up tool included with Windows 7 Ultimate before formatting, this will allow you to do a restore at a later date. You can learn more in this introduction about Backup in Windows 7 I did a few months back here.

Like many persons who are testing Windows 7, I am sure we have it installed on another hard disk or logical partition. Preparing that volume is a simple process! Boot your computer in Windows Vista and lets begin.

1. Click Start > right click ‘Computer’ > click ‘Manage’. This will load the Computer Management MMC (Microsoft Management Console) snap-in.

2. In the left pane under ‘Computer Management (Local)’, expand ‘Storage’ and select ‘Disk Management’. Here you will see a collection of volumes, the amount will vary depending on how many you created, you might also see a volume created by the manufacturer of your computer. That volume will most likely have tools to reinstall the operating system and return it to its factory state. In my case, I have two partitions:

1. (C:)
2. WIN7 (G:)

I want to format the WIN7 partition, since I backed up any critical data I might have stored on it to the Vista (system drive) or moved data to an external drive, I am ready to format.

3. Select the logical partition on which Windows 7 is installed, right click the volume, on the contextual menu, click the ‘Format’, option. You will receive a Warning dialog, click OK to continue.

4. The next step is to select your file system option, in this case, go with the default which is NTFS.

5. The formatting process will now begin. The time it will take to format will vary depending on resources such as processor, memory and the size of the partition itself. My 50 GB partition on which I have Windows 7 installed, took approximately 35 minutes to complete.

6. Once complete, the drive will be displayed as a ‘Logical Drive’ in Disk Management.

Lets take it a step further. I would like to merge back that free space with my system drive, since I want to do an upgrade from Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 RC on this particular system instead of installing Windows 7 on a logical drive. Here is what you do.

1. Right click the ‘Logical Drive’ in Disk Management, on the contextual menu, click the ‘Delete Volume’ option. Click ‘Yes’ when the warning dialog appears.

2. The Volume you deleted will now appear as ‘Free space’, you will also notice that the disk icon no longer appears in the list of volumes.

3. Right click the Free space partition, and click Delete, click Yes on the Disk Management warning that appears.

4. The volume will now appear as Unallocated. (good stuff). Our next step is to merge back that unallocated free space with the system partition. Right click the System volume and click the ‘Extend Volume’ option on the contextual menu, click ‘Yes’ when the warning appears.

5. A wizard will now begin that will guide through the steps to merge back the unallocated space with your system partition.

Extending your volume wizard (click image to enlarge) 

The above wizard provides a simple procedure to merge back the unallocated space in second screenshot above with system drive. Once you have selected the space, click Next, at the end of the wizard, you will see the amount allocated.

The partition will now be displayed as a single drive.

Resources:

Speaking of Recovery Tools - Windows Vista Backup Center
A Look at Windows Backup and Windows Update in 7
How to successfully burn or write an ISO-image to cd or dvd
Getting your PC ready for Windows 7 Release Candidate
Upgrading: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
Installation: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
Windows Easy Transfer: Starting the Move to Windows 7 Release Candidate
The Complete Guide On How To Install Windows 7 RC by AboKevin

If you are a current user of Virtual PC 2007 SP1, you will encounter compatibility issues on the Windows 7 Release Candidate. Not to worry, Microsoft has released a successor called Windows Virtual PC providing an enhanced level of compatibility for customers still running applications designed for Windows XP. Clubhouse member Auri Rahimzadeh recently did an in depth look at installing and using the technology here

"Windows Virtual PC provides the capability to run multiple Windows environments such as Windows XP Mode from your Windows 7 desktop. To download Windows Virtual PC and the Windows XP Mode environment, please follow the steps below. For information on how to set up Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, check out Running Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode in the Documentation section."

Download here

Resources:

In Depth: Installing and Running Windows 7’s “XP Mode”
More information about Windows XP Mode for Windows 7