The Windows 7 Blog

Windows 7 UI. Photo by arstechnica.com

It cannot be said that Microsoft does not listen to its consumers. They listened to the complaints that Vista received and tried to incorporate the improvements into the next release of their shiny new OS. When people started to switch over from Windows XP over to the Mac, one of the chief reasons why was because of the user interface of the machine. It was cited as being prettier and easier to use than Windows XP. Microsoft listened and tried to deliver the visual eye candy in their next release, Windows Vista. Unfortunately the job was only half way done and needed a lot of adjustments. Again Microsoft listened and delivered Windows 7. Their cleanest most visually appealing operating system yet.
When you look at Windows 7 you can tell by your first glance that it is going to be a better experience. Gone are the dark overtones that permeated with Windows Vista.  With Windows 7 the desktop is somehow more cheery than before. All without having a cheesy or kiddie look to it. You can tell that this is a modern operating system full of technical goodness. The task bar at the bottom not only is visually appealing but it also is very functional as well. It is not just there for design purposes. It allows you to place  icons on it so that you can access your programs easier. Unlike in Windows past where you would have to keep the program open for them to be on the task bar they now will stay there if you choose to pin them. This not only makes the design more pleasant to the eye but it makes it more useful as well.

The start button and functionality is not very different from Windows Vista but it seems a little less cluttered. It gives you easy access to the programs that you want while being a little quicker than it was on Vista. The control panel did not see much of an upgrade either. Again the changes are noticeable but they are little ones. Nothing much to get excited over.

Windows 7 has made big user interface changes compared to the last couple of releases of Windows. If you are coming over to Windows 7 from Windows XP then you are in for a big surprise. The interface is a huge difference between the two systems. if you are coming over from Windows Vista then you will notice a difference but a little more subtle. It is everything that you wished was better in Vista realized.

Years ago, Windows XP Media Center Edition was curiously sold – and billed – as a unique operating system. That may struck some people as odd due to the fact that Media Center is just a program that works on top of Windows XP just like, Windows Media Player or Internet Explorer.  Media Center is available in Windows 7 Home Premium edition and above. Chances are, it is already installed on any desktop and notebook you are going to buy – perhaps not in some netbooks.  A lot of other features – may seem less sexy but certainly every bit as practical – Windows 7 is certainly head and shoulders above Windows XP. These Windows 7 features may prove useful for XP users:

• Backup: In Windows XP, backup was a bad joke. Windows Vista did it better, but Windows 7 makes it very easy.
• Support for second monitor: Although a few graphic card manufacturers managed to cleverly jury-rig multiple monitors support into the Windows XP, you still need Windows 7 to get native and smooth multiple monitors support
• Simple wireless networking: All sorts of annoyances and traps lurk inside the Windows XP wireless support, now Windows 7 does it better
• Search feature: In Windows XP, searching for files other than by filename involved a tremendous kludge of add-ons that can literally sucked up computer resources and overwhelmed your system. In Windows 7, search is better designed and faster.

Search in Windows 7

Many have railed against the displeasing inconsistencies within Windows Search. Luckily, Search feature in Windows 7 actually works and it works well. With big difference! Now, Windows 7 allows you to search data outside your PC using OpenSearch and Federated Search standard. It can create libraries -just like the Vista Media Player libraries but it is now extended to all types of files – makes searching and organizing simpler. Sometimes, getting the hang of Windows Search is a little difficult, but if you spend ten to fifteen minutes figuring it out, surely the capabilities found in Search feature can repay your investments over and over again.

Security improvements

In Windows 7, the User Account Control has gone through substantial changes. If you don’t change any original settings, it prompts you with those ‘darken your screen and pray’ prompts that previously bugged many Vista users. Even so, the prompts show up rarely, and only when there is a genuine cause for concern.  While under the hoods, Windows 7 has a number of improved security features, however the ones you can see – like HomeGroups and the revamped BitLocker drive encryption – simply bundle old Vista security ideas differently and make them fully usable.

Media Center

The Media Center gets a facelift in Windows 7; it supports different types of graphic and video files and also has integrated capabilities to clear QAM tuners and connect to CableCARD.  While those small, tired and old (very old) Windows applications – Calculator, WordPad, Paint – sport new looks and interfaces. Windows 7 has a more useful troubleshooting support and better networking features particularly for wireless networks, and dozens of other small improvements.

However, on the flip side, a few features found in Windows Vista are removed in Windows 7. That old Sidebar finally bit the dust – Microsoft decided that you no longer need it. The Defender Software Explorer which gives you some controls over which applications start automatically on your PC, disappeared, without doubt the victim of enormous quantity of tech-support phone calls. Even so, you can find other better and free alternatives.  Several Windows Vista programs (Movie Maker, Windows Mail, Photo Gallery, Messenger) have been removed