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
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