Any Windows 7 beta testers?

[poman]

So is Windows 7 gonna be the next new OS. Are they ditching Vista already? I still have XP and like it better than my father-in-law's Vista system.

[The Unknown Gomer]

People are calling Windows 7 "Re-Vista", because the two are so similar and that 7 is essentially the "new and improved" version of Vista.

And if you've got Vista installed, you'll be able to install Windows 7 right over the top of where Vista is installed, but if you've still got XP, you'll have to do a clean install of Windows 7 in place of XP, and then reinstall all your files and programs again. I still don't trust it to run enough of my old stuff that I'd do that though. I'd probably STILL go ahead and dual boot the two OS, and use Win 7 as the primary OS, with XP as the backup to use for things that just don't play nice with Windows 7.

[danbos]

Honestly, I don't know what people's big problem was with Vista. I have it and like it a lot. I've used XP for around 6 years, and Vista now for 1, and I'd have to say that I would easily take Vista over XP. The only time I would choose XP is if the computer had less than 2GB or RAM.

[The Unknown Gomer]

Originally Posted by danbos

Honestly, I don't know what people's big problem was with Vista. I have it and like it a lot. I've used XP for around 6 years, and Vista now for 1, and I'd have to say that I would easily take Vista over XP. The only time I would choose XP is if the computer had less than 2GB or RAM.

I regularly use XP on my computer at work, and it's my primary OS here at the house, but we do have one office desktop PC and one office laptop that came with Vista preinstalled, as well as my mother's new PC at the house, also with Vista preinstalled. My boss disliked Vista enough that he actually bought a new XP Pro package and completely gave Vista the boot on the laptop and installed XP as the OS on that machine instead. He's leaving it on the desktop PC since there are some Epson scanner drivers that only work with Vista that they like better than the XP Epson drivers when it comes to scanning in photos. But other than that, XP is the preferred OS at the office.

So far as my mother's Vista machine at the house, anytime I have to help her out with anything on it, it's a sure bet that I'll be cussing at its user unfriendliness by the end of the first 10 or 15 minutes I spend with it. Definitely don't care for it.

Windows 7, while very similar, seems more user friendly to me, although that could be because I keep disregarding where IT wants to save my files (like in the My Photos, My Videos, My Documents folders), and save them in the same places where I save them when I boot to XP. Otherwise I'll NEVER know where they are when I switch between the OSes. This way I know where they are regardless of which OS I use.

I've started booting into XP most times I turn my PC on at home, just because it seems kind of silly to install any more software onto the Windows 7 side, when Win 7 is going to stop working in August. As soon as they release a standard version of Windows 7, I'm sure I'll be making that the primary OS at that point though. I really like it.

[Sam!]

Microsoft has usually come out with a new Windows version every 2-3 years.
1995 - Windows 95 (4.0)
1998 - Windows 98 (4.1)
1999/2000 - Windows Millennium Edition (4.x?)
2000 - Windows 2000 (5.0)
2002 - Windows XP (5.1)
2007 - Windows Vista (6.0)
2009 - Windows 7

The exception was the long delay between XP and Vista. I am guessing this will be not quite the same as the jump from Win95 to Win98, but bigger than, say, 98 to 98-Second Edition.

I like it enough that I may buy an upgrade license when it's released...something I have never done (I've always just waited to buy a new computer, or else I received the upgrade for free through some legal means).

[The Unknown Gomer]

Just installed Windows 7 RC in place of the Windows 7 Beta. Took about 2 hours from start to finish, but am finally typing this in Win7 as we speak.

Seems to work okay so far. Internet works, at least.

Still has it's betta fish desktop wallpaper.

[rossid]

Here is the first Google hit when you search Windows 7

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscente...r_vista.htm l
Five Ways Windows Could Become Another Vista

$120 to move up from Vista? Not right now.

Thunderbird would sound good if I didn't have all of these FireFox issues - I think it is actually facebook stinking up and shutting down the browser.

I have now decided to reboot every morning. Before I could not get in at 6 am when my filter "opened" for business if FF was left open the night before.

[lilmikey]

I have not used 7 entensivly but I have used it on occaion with Sun Virtualbox and I have to tell you that from the little bit I saw it will make people forget about Vista

I out Vista on the same level as that failure called ME

[mcgreen311]

Originally Posted by The Unknown Gomer

So far as my mother's Vista machine at the house, anytime I have to help her out with anything on it, it's a sure bet that I'll be cussing at its user unfriendliness by the end of the first 10 or 15 minutes I spend with it. Definitely don't care for it.

Too right. When our new computers at work were installed (which are 2007 rather than just Vista), it was a learning curve to figure out all the less than intuitive changes. Some changes were great, others were, "Really? You think that's an improvement when everyone is used to something else?" e.g. the same standard cell, text, or highlighting colors are no longer easily accessible in the Office suite. Everything was color coded for a reason man! Grrr...

[The Unknown Gomer]

I've pretty much decided to upgrade my OS the way I always do, wait until it's time to buy a new machine, then get whatever OS comes included on the new PC.

Windows 7 was kind of cool the first bunch of times I used it, but I got tired of having to install new software in two different places every time (knowing that Win7 was temporary, I installed there to see if it worked, then had to go back and reinstall in XP to make sure I didn't lose it), so went back to XP exclusively again.

Not in any hurry to go out and buy a new OS, especially when it means having to do a clean install in place of XP then having to reinstall everything I want to keep.

My PC is pretty old, and has for the most part been upgraded as much as it can be. So I may be in the market for a new PC sooner rather than later, but not in any rush, since everything still works on it.

[Musicdude]

Originally Posted by lilmikey

I have not used 7 entensivly but I have used it on occaion with Sun Virtualbox and I have to tell you that from the little bit I saw it will make people forget about Vista

I out Vista on the same level as that failure called ME

You know everyone says that, but I used ME for a couple of years, and the same with Vista, and I've never had an ounce of trouble out of either of them.

Windows 7 looks just like all the others since Win-95. Why can't they just revamp the whole thing for once?

Vista was not different enough from XP to be worth upgrading, and I don't think 7 is different enough from XP or Vista to be worth upgrading. Maybe there is behind the scenes stuff going on there, but as far as the UI is concerned they all look the same to me.

The start menu was creative back in 95, as was the taskbar. Where are the new creative ideas like this nowadays? Widgets? Puhleeze.

I've been using XP at work for about 6 years. They are replacing all computers by the end of this year, I don't know what OS will be on my new laptop. I don't think it really matters though, since they are all the same to me.