I test drive the Windows 7 Beta

by Rick Castellini Special to PRIME I installed the Windows 7 Beta version released by Microsoft earlier this month on my Toshiba laptop running an Intel dual-core processor with 4 GB of RAM. Previously I was running Windows Vista on it, which took more than 4 minutes to fully boot (I consider the boot-up process to be finished when the hard drive stops spinning and I don't have to compete with a still booting computer to do what I want to do), and running any applications was like walking through molasses. Thus, I can say that my expectations for Windows 7 were pretty low, but I am pleasantly surprised...so far. It took exactly 21 minutes from when I inserted the install DVD until I reached a workable desktop. Very impressive! The setup was painless and required very little input. In fact, it was so easy, I think that the folks at Microsoft must have taken a page out of the Linux/Ubuntu installs. It was easily the fastest and easiest install of any version of Windows. I hope it doesn't change much with the final version. Bootup time is faster than Vista too. With my fresh install of Windows 7 and no security software, boot time was just under 2 minutes. Overall, the new Windows OS feels snappy and clean. I haven't seen any User Account Control (UAC) pop-ups yet. On my Toshiba laptop, like Linux, I didn't have to install a single driver. Once the quick install finished, my wireless, Ethernet, sound, video, SD card, and web cam all worked perfectly. Microsoft has revamped and simplified the wireless connectivity...again very Ubuntuish in my opinion. This beta version of Windows 7 also includes the new Internet Explorer 8, which doesn't feel much different than 7, but is supposed to be more compatible and flexible than 7. I will test it a little, but still prefer Firefox. I will probably install Google Chrome as well to see how it runs in Windows 7. The revamped Start menu has a new feature that when you hover on a recently used program it will also present to you your most recently used documents for that program. Nice. The taskbar has also been changed, but I need to work with it some more before deciding exactly how those features affect usability and productivity. I plan on installing AVG or Avast antivirus and OpenOffice to test them and will report more about speed and usability. Stay tuned for more articles about Windows 7 leading up to its release later this year, or early next year. If there are questions you have about Windows 7, visit www.HlepMeRick.com and leave a comment. If you are thinking of buying a new computer this year, you may want to wait for Windows 7. Rick Castellini is an author, computer consultant, and hosts a nationally syndicated computer radio show from Colorado. Visit his web site at www.HlepMeRick.com for new tips every week and sign up for his free weekly email newsletter.