NOTE: To return to the Homepage
.. Click on the House Button above
Windows 7 is Here!
Written by Robert Nisbet, a member of the Asbury Computer Club, MD
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by
APCUG member groups
This article will answer several basic questions about Windows 7. Future articles will cover aspects
of the operating system of interest to most users.
Q: What is Windows 7?
A: Windows 7 is the next generation of operating system for PCs from Microsoft. It will replace
Windows Vista – and Windows XP as it is phased out.
Q: Is Windows 7 the official name?
A: Yes. Microsoft considers this version the seventh version of Windows and has dropped the
“fancy” (i.e. XP, Vista) names for now.
Q: Is Windows 7 a major change from Windows Vista?
A: Not relative to what you see, though there are some nice new user features which are
addressed in future installments. Many improvements are “under the hood.” Some pundits have
characterized Windows 7 as “Windows Vista the way it should have been.”
Q: I have a Windows Vista computer. Can I upgrade to Windows 7?
A: Yes. The upgrade will be easy and preserve all your files and settings. All your hardware that
works with Windows Vista will work with Windows 7.
Q: I have a Windows XP computer. Can I upgrade to Windows 7.
A: Possibly, but… This is not so easy. You first have to make sure your computer will run
Windows 7. Then, you have to decide if it is worth it. You will have to save all your data files and
then reformat your hard drive and start all over with the Windows 7 installation.
Getting Windows 7
There will be both upgrade and full editions of Windows 7. The version that will be available for
U.S. use is Windows 7 Home Premium. There will be no “Basic” version of Windows 7 as there
was for Vista. The upgrade version will cost about $120 and the full version will cost about $200.
Most people will be obtaining the upgrade version, if bought in a store. If you buy a new computer
between now and October 22, you receive a voucher from the manufacturer for a free upgrade to
Windows 7 when it is available. You will have to install the upgrade yourself or obtain assistance. If
you buy a new computer after October 22, your new computer will come with Windows 7 Home
Premium already installed. It pays to wait if you can.
Upgrading from Windows Vista
If you are a Windows Vista user now and are contemplating upgrading to Windows 7 (I do
recommend it), you should download and run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (Beta)
utility. It will tell you if your computer hardware meets the minimum requirements for running
Windows 7 and will identify anything that needs to be uninstalled or upgraded before the upgrade.
It is available for download at Web address: tinyurl.com/mnmj8u. The Advisor is simple to use and
will give you a printed report. Be aware you must have a DVD drive on your computer and not just
a CD drive to install the upgrade. Windows 7 only comes on DVD discs.
Upgrading from Windows XP
If you are a Window XP user, you must now have a “high-end” computer to meet the minimum
hardware requirements for Windows 7. If you bought an “inexpensive” XP computer originally,
forget about upgrading. If you do upgrade you will have to do a “clean” installation where all your
existing files are erased before installation. You will need to back-up all your data files prior to
starting and reinstall all your applications afterward. All your peripherals (printer, scanner, etc.) will
require new “driver” software, if they are not too old. The windows 7 disc comes with many drivers
on it. Usually, a new computer is by far the best route for XP users.
Will I have trouble learning to use Windows 7?
If you are a Vista user now, you should catch on to Windows 7 easily. They look very similar. There
are some new features, which I will start covering in the next article. If you are a Windows XP user
and buy a new Windows 7 computer, you will notice some differences on the Start menu and when
you view and work in folder windows. However, Windows is still Windows and most things work
essentially the same.
So far we have covered some general questions about Windows 7 (May) and obtaining and
installing Windows 7 (September.) This month I will start to cover some of the new features of
Windows 7.
Caveat for upgrading from Vista
Something I forgot to address in the last issue is for Vista users upgrading to Windows 7. In your
upgrade box you will find two DVDs. One is for 32 bit Windows and one is for 64 bit Windows.
Choose the 32 bit disc for your upgrade. Don’t worry about the difference for basic computing.
Now, one of the two choices you have when you start the upgrade disc is the option called
Upgrade. This is called an “in place” upgrade where the new operating system replaces the old
operating system, but (hopefully) leaves everything else in place – your data files, settings, etc.
NEVER, ever, ever start this process without first backing up all your data files to an external
medium. Nine hundred ninety eight times out of a thousand everything will go fine, but you don’t
want to end up among those few where it does not and lose all your data. The Windows 7 DVD
contains a Windows Easy Transfer Wizard tool that will backup all your files and settings for you
and put them back on the Windows 7 computer. If you are not computer savvy, you may need
technical assistance to accomplish all this. Just to reiterate for XP users, Windows 7 ONLY comes
on DVD, so if your XP computer only has a CD drive, forget about investing in the upgrade.
What’s New in Windows 7?
There is no way in a few short paragraphs to describe in-depth all the new or improved features in
Windows 7. For these articles I will just give you a basic overview of several of the most obvious
so you better know what to expect when you see your own desktop and start using your new (or
upgraded) computer.
While Windows 7 initially looks and acts a lot like Windows Vista from the user standpoint, there
are a number of new and improved features designed to make using the computer easier and to
improve productivity. I will cover some in this article and more in the next edition. Some are things
you will not use every day, but it is good to know they exist – and understanding them will help you
use Windows 7 more effectively.
Windows Aero
Aero is the “glassy” transparent look of windows that was introduced in Windows Vista. Things
look even glassier in Windows 7. The idea is to deemphasize the windows itself and bring the
focus onto the contents of the windows. The Aero effect also is seen on the taskbar and in several
neat window management features carry the Aero label.
Windows 7 Taskbar
One of the first things you notice on the Windows 7 desktop is that the taskbar along the bottom of
the screen still is there, but looks different. The icons on it are bigger and there are three icons
already on it. Normally, the taskbar has only displayed icons for applications, folders, and files you
had “opened.” Also, just to the right of the Start button (or orb) there was a small area with a few
icons on it. This was called the “Quick Launch Toolbar.” Now, those two areas have been more or
less combined. You can have both “shortcuts” to frequently used things on the taskbar (which you
can “pin” there) as well as having it reflect the things you have opened. How do you tell one from
the other? It can be confusing at first until you note that the “open” items each have a “glassy” box
around them whereas the shortcuts do not.
You also notice a new button on the far right end of the toolbar. This is the Aero Peek button. Say
you have several open windows covering the desktop and want to see your analog clock or
weather bug gadget (described below) on the desktop. Just rest you mouse cursor on the Aero
Peek button and the open windows become transparent allowing you to see the desktop. Move
away and the windows return. Not the greatest advancement since sliced bread, but pretty neat
nonetheless.
You also notice that if you open multiple files using the same application – say, Microsoft Word –
there is only one Word icon on the taskbar, not one for each document. Hover your mouse over
the Word button and you see live thumbnails of each document over the button, similar to what
you see in Windows Vista. However, move the cursor up to one of the thumbnails and a full screen
live preview appears. Once you find the file you want to work on, click that thumbnail and the
document is on the screen.
Desktop Gadgets
What are gadgets anyway? They are handy little utilities that do something (hopefully) useful for
you. There are analog clocks, weather bugs, slide shows, stock monitors, and literally hundreds of
others to choose from in all types of categories. Gadgets were introduced in Windows Vista and
resided in a reserved area along the right side of the screen called the Sidebar. Users complained
that the sidebar ate up too much screen, so in Windows 7 gadgets have been moved to the
desktop. You can place them anywhere you want or not have any at all. It’s up to you. Since they
are on the desktop, they often are hidden behind windows, hence Aero Peek described above.
Libraries
I am going to end this edition with another significant change in Windows 7. That is the introduction
of the library concept for file management. You will see them, but may never fully use them. Still
you need to understand what they are. Since the earliest days of Windows, we have had folders to
keep our files in – the Documents folder being a prime example. All these folders resided on our
computer. Well, the concept of personal computing has drastically changed over the last few
years. Many homes have networks of several computers; some homes have home servers –
essentially a basic computer with a huge hard drive to store files you want on it. In business, the
file a person may need to use daily could be located on a far distant computer.
This is where libraries come in. Not to get too technical, but libraries do not exist physically. They
are just a way to aggregate the folders and files you use and need to access in one handy place.
You still have a Documents link on your Start menu just as you did in Vista. Now when you open it
you see “Document Library” and the folders and files you have created. You also still have a
default folder on your computer where Windows can store the things you create. This is called “My
Documents.” (Sound familiar? Déjà vu all over again.) However, you also can “store” – and
access in your Documents library – files which exist on another computer on your home network
or even in another location over a network or the Web.
Many of you may never find the need to take full advantage of the library concept. However, it is a
significant step forward in file access and management that does not tie the user to just one
computer any more. Good job Microsoft, for a change.
The Random Access newsletter is a Publication of “The Computer Users Group of Greeley, Colorado” USA
This page is all about: Computer Operating Systems .. Software .. Tips & Tricks
