Windows 7

Window 7

Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is an upcoming version of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs andmedia center PCs

Some applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, will not be included in Windows 7; some will instead be offered separately as part of the freewareWindows Live Essentials suite.

The first external release to select Microsoft partners came in January 2008 with Milestone 1, build 6519. At PDC 2008, Microsoft demonstrated Windows 7 with its reworked taskbar. Copies of Windows 7 build 6801 were distributed out at the end of the conference, but the demonstrated taskbar was disabled in this build.

On December 27, 2008, Windows 7 Beta was leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent. On January 7, 2009, the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) was leaked onto the web, with some torrents being infected with a trojan.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the Windows 7 Beta, build 7000, had been made available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers in the format of an ISO image. t has also been leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent.The release candidate is available in five languages and will expire on June 1, 2010, with shutdowns every two hours starting March 1, 2010. According to Microsoft, the final release is planned in time for the 2009 holiday shopping season. On June 2, 2009, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 7 will be released on October 22, 2009. The release of Windows 7 will coincide with the release of Windows Server 2008 R2.

According to a performance test by ZDNet, Windows 7 Beta beat both Windows XP and Vista in several key areas, including boot and shut down time, working with files and loading documents; other areas, including PC Pro benchmarks for typical office activities and video-editing, remain identical to Vista and slower than XP.

New and changed features

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, DirectAccess, and kernel improvements.The new Action Center which replaces Windows Security Center.

Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media Center,a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack and Windows PowerShell being included, and a redesignedCalculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion. Many new items have been added to theControl Panel, including ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display.Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds) which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with pinning applications to the taskbar. Buttons for pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons. To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button that serves as the Show desktop icon. This button is part of the new feature in Windows 7 called Aero Peek. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop. In touch-enabled displays such as touch screens, tablet PCs, etc., this button is slightly wider to accommodate being pressed with a finger. Clicking this button minimizes all windows, and clicking it a second time restores them. Additionally, there is a feature named Aero Snap, that automatically maximizes a window when it is dragged to either the top or left/right edges of the screen. This also allows users to snap documents or files on either side of the screen to compare them. When a user moves windows that are maximized, the system restores their previous state automatically. This functionality is also accomplished with keyboard shortcuts. Unlike in Windows Vista, window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized with Windows Aero applied. Instead, they remain transparent.

Editions

Windows 7 will be available in six different editions, but only Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate will be available for retail in most countries. The other editions are focused at other markets, such as the developing world or enterprise use.Each edition of Windows 7 will include all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it.With the exception of Windows 7 Starter, all editions will support both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x86-64) processor architectures.[61] According to Microsoft, the features for all editions of Windows 7 will be stored on the machine, regardless of what edition is in use. Users who wish to upgrade to an edition of Windows 7 with more features can then use Windows Anytime Upgrade to purchase the upgrade, and unlock the features of those editions.

Minimum Hardware Requirement

• Architecture 32-bit 64-bit
• Processor Speed 1 GHZ Processor
• Memory 1 GB RAM 2 GB RAM
• Graphics card Support for DirectX 9 graphics device with 128MB graphics memory
• HDD 16 GB free disk space 20 GB free disk space
• Optical drive DVD-R/W drive

What you need to know before you begin

If you’ve installed Windows 7 Beta on your PC, you’ll need to back up your data, and do a clean installation of the RC. Then you’ll need to reinstall your programs and restore the files, settings, and other information you want to use for testing.

While we consider this a stable and high-quality pre-release version of Windows, the RC is not the finished product. It could crash yourcomputer or cause you to lose important files or information.

IMPORTANT: The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to rebuild your test machine using a valid version of Windows before the software expires. You’ll need to rebuild your test PC to replace the OS and reinstall all your programs and data.

Things you need to have before you start

Dedicated test PC: Please don’t test the RC on your primary home or business PC.

Data backup: The information on your PC will not be saved during installation. Back up your PC before you start, and frequently during testing. You can back up files to an external hard disk, a DVD or CD, or a network folder. If you’re running Windows 7 Beta on the PC you’ll use for test, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to create a backup on an external drive. To find and launch Windows Easy Transfer, just type “easy” in the Start search box.

Recovery disc: A recovery disc restores your computer to its out-of-the-box state. Most computers come with one. If yours didn’t, contact your PC maker.

Antivirus program: Make sure your antivirus program is up-to-date, run it, then disable it before installing Windows 7 RC. When you finish the installation, remember to re-enable theantivirus program.

Internet connection: Be sure to connect to the Internet after you finish the installation. Being connected helps make sure you get useful security and hardware updates. We recommend you keep your PC set to automatically check for updates through Windows Update.

Getting ready to install the Release Candidate

What you’ll need

• A blank DVD
• A PC with a DVD burner
• A PC for testing with these system requirements:
• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver