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Windows 7

Windows 7: A Pain-Free Upgrade

Most small business owners feel software upgrades are about as fun as having a tooth pulled: Not really that much fun at all. But an upgrade to Windows 7 can actually be pain-free. Here’s why:

XP mode
Windows Vista had plenty of compatibility issues. That’s not the case with Windows 7, due to a new feature called XP compatibility Mode. XP Mode allows you to run older programs in Windows XP and simultaneously run every-thing else in Windows 7.

If your main business software runs well now in Windows XP it should run just fine in XP Mode in Windows 7.

For even more peace of mind, as part of the upgrade process, we will contact your business software vendor and get their approval before beginning an upgrade. You can also try this on a “test” PC before rolling it out on your network.

Installation time
The Windows 7 set-up process is significantly faster than Vista or XP installation, which saves your business money on the upgrade project. Windows 7 also offers some automated setup options that weren’t previously available – again, reducing your investment in an upgrade project. Start up time is significantly – and noticably – faster, which gets your staff to work that much faster at the start of the day.

More drivers and easier setup
When you plug in a new scanner, camera or other device into your computer, you don’t want to fight with pop-up messages that tell you to search for drivers.

You just want it to work the way it’s supposed to. With Windows 7 that’s what you get. No hassle. No fear.

Windows 7 – Microsoft Wins With New Operating System

Microsoft has had everybody from family and friends, to clients and colleagues talking about the newly released operating system Windows 7. So what is the big deal, and what is all this hype about?

If you’re one of the many that didn’t make the upgrade from Windows XP to the Windows Vista, then Windows 7 is for you!

I’ve been running Windows 7 Enterprise for a couple months now, and hands down, this has been the best operating system I’ve used, making my entire computer experience more enjoyable. With that said, here are some of the key points and new features that have really got me on the Windows 7 bandwagon.

Overall System Performance
I saw a tremendous increase in overall processing time, running the same hardware as what I was before. Less processes running in taskmanager, more available memory due to programs not requiring as much memory as in XP or Vista, and an increase in my laptops battery life due to less power consumption.

The Shake Down
This is a fun feature. If you have a few different windows open like email, web pages, some pictures, and maybe some music playing, by simply clicking and holding the click anywhere on the title bar, all other windows will minimize, leaving only the window you “shook” up.

Windows XP Mode
If you have a program that is picky, possibly old, or simply works only in Windows XP. You can run that type of program from a virtual machine right inside Windows 7. The only requirement: A free additional download from Microsoft.

Problem Recorder
This application simply records your screen as you perform various steps you take to complete a task. For example, if you need to know how to set up your Outlook for a Yahoo, Gmail, or other free email account you can simply have the tech do it on his machine, with problem recording running, and then send you the file as an MHTML document. This type of document can be opened with any web browser, and will show you a break down with pictures, graphics, text, and even custom messages you can insert to demonstrate a common configuration or setup. This is great for training.

New Taskbar
This caught my eye right away, as I always have numerous applications running. The Aero theme really sets off the task bar, and you can now drag your minimized apps around, and pin your favorite programs to
start up automatically. You can now minimize/maximize all yourapplications with the click of a button located right next to the clock.

Windows Media Center
Again the Aero theme sets off the entire look and feel, but now you can finally play DVD and even Blu-Ray discs without any additional software or applications.You can even read/write with the appropriate hardware.

Personalization
The personalization center now offers over 20 different colors, several new dual screen compatible screen savers, rotating desktop backgrounds, and over a dozen new sound themes. You can even create your own personalized theme, making the system look and feel exactly like you want!

These are just a few of the user friendly additions that I have been found to be my favorite, but there is a laundry list of other features that just continue to amaze me. The manageability additions for IT professionals are quite impressive and extensive as well.

Overall, I would highly recommend Windows 7 to any user who is still running XP looking to finally make that leap, and even to the Vista users’ who might be skeptical. It has totally changed and made my entire computer experience a better, faster, more efficient, and less stressful activity.

At the end of the day, we just want our computers to run smooth, and do what we want, and Microsoft really hit the nail on the head with this one.

Great Reasons To Consider A Windows 7 Upgrade

Are you one of the computer users who didn’t want to risk the Vista upgrade? While we didn’t really experience any problems with clients who upgraded to Vista, many companies have decided to skip Vista and move right to Windows 7.

Windows 7 is available now to business users under the Microsoft licensing program, and will be in general availability at the end of the month.Microsoft says it will run as well as Windows XP, and have the enhanced look and feel of Windows Vista.

Here are a few of my favorite features in Windows 7 that might make you want to look into upgrading to Microsoft’s newest operating system.

User Account Control
Many users found the enhanced user account control (UAC) function in Windows Vista difficult to work with. If you are not sure what UAC is, it is the dialogue box that will pop up when you run an unknown application. It asks, “Are you sure you want to open this?” Microsoft has greatly improved the options for fine tuning this security feature, so that you don’t have to turn it completely off.

Windows Shake
Windows 7 has a great new feature that helps you keep your desktop organized when you have several programs open at the same time. When you have multiple windows open you are able to click and shake the window you want to keep open and then all the other windows will minimize making it easier to sort through them. Then, if you want them back up you can just shake it again and all the windows come back up again. This, I would say, is one of the best features of Windows 7.

Very Quick Startup
Microsoft has finally solved the slow startup issues many users experienced in Windows XP and Windows Vista. It can be time consuming to just sit and wait for the computer to startup. Sometimes we have clients tell us their computer takes so long to startup that they simply leave it on all the time. Now with Windows 7, Microsoft has made the startup time about twice as fast as a comparable system running Windows Vista or Windows XP.

Auto Window Sizing
If you like the windows shake feature you might also like this windows feature. By moving your window to the top of the desktop the window will automatically maximize. Now if you move the window to the left or the right of the desktop then the window will be maximized, but only on fifty percent of the screen.

Customizing the System Tray
There have always been a lot of options for customizing the Windows system tray in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Windows 7 includes a feature for fine tuning the yellow popup balloon you always see by the clock on the system tray.

In Windows 7 you have the ability to customize which applications are allowed to notify you using the yellow popup bubble by the clock. In Windows XP and Windows Vista the only thing you could do to remove those notifications was to find a Windows registry hack to turn them off.

These are just a few of the many new features that make an upgrade to Windows 7 compelling. If you’ve just purchased a new computer, more than likely you’re entitled to a free copy of Windows 7 (you may have to pay shipping for the actual CD).

We have several systems running Windows 7 in our office, and have found very few compatibility issues. If you’d like to see it in action, feel free to stop by or call our office.