New "Windows" Has been released for all New and Used Computer Users

With its advanced features, Microsoft’s Windows 7 comes off better than Vista and the last generation Windows XP

If you have been holding off buying a new computer, then Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from Microsoft, will give you a good excuse to buy one. Windows 7, or Win 7, is largely believed to be better than Microsoft’s previous OS Windows Vista and way more advanced than the last generation Windows XP. But is it really all that?

My First impressions

While it is easy to get infatuated with a new design and swanky features, the viability of an OS is only determined when you begin using it eight hours a day. I used a copy of Win 7 Ultimate for over 4 months and I have to admit that I do prefer it over Vista because it’s more stable and did not crash out even once.

Win 7’s minimum hardware requirements are roughly similar to those of Vista Home Basics — both require a 1 GHz processor and 15-16GB of hard-drive space, although Win 7 demands a minimum of 1GB memory, while Vista Home Basics needs 512MB memory.

Let’s be honest here. Win 7 is both a sigh of relief and breath of fresh air, after Vista. Built with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Win 7 is poised to succeed where Vista couldn’t.

Why is it better than Windows Vista?

Haunted by sluggish performance issues, from playing games to complicated disk access, programming to poor networking features, Vista was undoubtedly Microsoft’s biggest failure. (Trying hard to not mention Win ME here.) Win 7, by contrast, will run fine on most of the existing netbooks as well as older PCs. You will find some small and mainly minor problems with compatibility on some hardware on older PCs.

Win 7 delivers a completely revamped user interface and some brand-new features designed to make organizing and sharing your files easier. Simply put, the user gets much more than new wallpaper and a different color taskbar.

The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.

Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximize a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimize it by dragging it to the bottom, maximize to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimizing all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.

Is it really more secure and easier than Windows XP?

In one word — yes, Win 7 is way more secure than Windows XP and a step ahead of Vista too. Even though it is eight years old, Windows XP still remains the world’s most widely used operating system and almost completely dominates the netbook market. Until now it didn’t have any competition.

But Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Win 7. Vista had introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, which, of course, are present in Win 7 too. Such features will be quite an attraction for users who haven’t yet used them on their Windows XP machines.

What type of PCs and laptops can run Windows 7?

The basic requirements of a PC to run Win 7 are a 1 GHz processor, minimum 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive space. In simple words, any hardware that worked with Vista will work for Win 7 too. Not to mention a wide array of Win XP machines as well.

Since Microsoft is targeting future generation of casual users who use computers for mainly emails, office documents, Internet and video among other things, Win 7 could be an ideal choice for future PCs.

Should you get ready to pay for the upgrade?

That’s a million-dollar question, if you are a Windows XP user. Will Windows XP users pay a bit to get the new features in Win 7? Probably yes, as a superior OS also means a more secure and functional PC. But this is not necessarily a must-have upgrade for all the existing Windows XP users.

The upgrade versions of Win 7 cost $119.99 Home, $199.99 Professional, $219.99 Ultimate. Keep in mind that this is just the Upgrade.

Although those users who will be upgrading from Vista will find it easier (and cheaper) to adopt Win 7, those who are migrating from Windows XP might want to completely wipe their hard drives and re-install their applications, this of course will be easier on you in the long run. You can find all major copies of Win 7 Versions not only in upgrade but in full stand alone copies as well in all major department stores.