By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
October 22, 2009
Microsoft Thursday released its long awaited operating system upgrade, Windows 7, promising a better experience than the one that greeted many consumers when it released Windows Vista.
At a Best Buy in Louisville, Ky., Thursday, consumers were huddled around display computers with the new system as sales associates hovered nearby, ready to answer questions. A demonstration video of the new system played on a nearby big screen TV.
From an appearance standpoint, Windows 7 looks much like Vista, but Chris, a Best Buy associate who said he tested a beta version of the system, says it runs much more smoothly than previous Windows operating systems.
"Besides the new nifty features, it doesn't seem to use as much of the computer's resources," he said.
Taking it slow
Computer experts have been playing with the beta version for months, and the reviews for the most part have been positive. Even so, Rick Broida of PC World says he isn't rushing to upgrade his own Vista-based PCs. He writes that he plans to keep his Vista systems operational as he slowly transitions to Windows 7.
"For one thing, I don't want any driver- or software-related surprises," he writes. "An all-at-once move could leave me with programs that don't run or even a system that won't boot."
He says he'll do that by partitioning his hard drive, which has more than enough room to hold both Vista and 7. He'll load 7 into the new partition and gradually add programs and data.
At CNET, a technology Website, the Editor's Review said Windows 7 is a big improvement over Vista.
"It's stable, smooth, and highly polished, introducing new graphical features, a new taskbar that can compete handily with the Mac OS X dock, and device management and security enhancements that make it both easier to use and safer," the editors said. "Importantly, it won't require the hardware upgrades that Vista demanded, partially because the hardware has caught up, and partially because Microsoft has gone to great lengths to make Windows 7 accessible to as many people as possible."
The editors also note that there was a big difference in the beta releases for Vista and for 7. Where Vista was buggy and irritating, they said, 7 doesn't display those problems. They describe it more as an upgrade of Windows XP than of Vista.
Early security concern
Meanwhile, Elinor Mills of CNET says some security experts have expressed concerns about a change in the new operating system. Vista's User Account Control feature was designed to prevent malware downloads by third party users by issuing a warning anytime a change was made to the system.
Windows 7 users will be able to choose how often they want to be notified of changes to the system, including the UAC. As a result, she says experts worry that hackers will be able to bypass the UAC altogether and take control of the machine.
Yobie Benjamin,technology writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and frequent Microsoft critic, says Microsoft has come a long way in redeeming itself from Vista.
"In a phrase, Windows 7 is darn good - very good. A huge congratulations to the [development] team in Redmond! Well done! In fact, very well done!" he writes.
Benjamin said he was able to crack 7's security armor but says the company issued patches before Thursday's release that effectively plugged the security holes.
Some trial users have complained that upgrading to Window 7 is a tedious process, so one way to upgrade is to purchase a new computer with the system already installed. And one thing to note; if you are currently running Windows Vista, you may purchase the lower cost "upgrade" version of Windows 7. However, for those who resisted Vista and are still running XP, they'll have to purchase the full version, at full price.
