Windows 7 Hits The Market

[bkk_mike]

Already installed the release candidate on mine, and my kids computers.

I would say avoid upgrading the OS on NForce or NForce 2 motherboards (can't get the sound working, even with beta drivers).

Everything else went OK.

What I am wondering... - is the $150 3-pack available in Thailand? since I've got multiple PCs to install it on.

[juehoe]

I don't upgrade because I use a Macintosh...

Just upgraded to MacOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and I am very happy with it!

[phetaroi]

...I've often found it strange that evangelists slagging Windows claim to be so smart and yet find Windows to be so difficult. If they were that smart (as opposed to being mere rigid and condescending) they wouldn't have so much trouble with it. Particularly in the case of Linux the evanglism is absurd - to try to portray it as being more suited for non-expert users and having less hardware compatibility issues is just plain daffy.

I quite agree about the type of which you are speaking. Although my SO uses Windows, it's an illegal copy (as is all the software) on a Thai slapped together computer. A few days ago he loaded a legal copy of Windows 7. Screwed up his computer completely. Including, connecting to the internet.

So what does he say to me? "You have an odd computer that is preventing me from connecting to the internet." I have an odd computer...an HP desktop, new, totally legal software? No problems since day 1 in any way...but I have the odd computer.

Nerds. Can't live with them. Can't live without them.

[phil2]

Windows 7 hits the market

NEW YORK: -- Although the official U.S. launch event is still some hours away, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system has hit the market, going on sale in a number of countries across the globe.

Executives from Microsoft have fanned out to celebrate the launch of the company's core product upon which the rest of Redmond's empire has been built. The software giant is counting on favorable reviews and new features to help Windows rebuilt its image in the face of a disappointing response to Windows Vista.

Microsoft is touting the value of Windows in the face of a resurgent Apple. As part of the launch, Microsoft is celebrating seven days of deals in a number of key markets, including the United States. Among the specials is a $1,200 package from Hewlett-Packard and Best Buy that includes a Netbook, laptop, desktop, monitor and router as well as in-home installation.

"The Best Buy offer is a home makeover," Microsoft Vice President Tami Reller told CNET News. "For the price of a Mac you have a new notebook, a new Netbook, a new desktop, and a new router to bring it together with the help of the Geek Squad."

In addition to landing on new PCs, Microsoft will also sell stand-alone versions of Windows 7 that can be used to upgrade an existing PC. Although Microsoft still offers a half-dozen different flavors of the operating system in all, Redmond is focusing its energies around two versions--the Home Premium and Professional versions.

It will sell both a full version of the operating system that can be used on any hardware as well as an upgrade version to be used on existing PCs. Although both Windows XP and Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7, only Vista can be done without backing up and reinstalling both programs and data.

A huge marketing blitz will accompany the debut of Windows 7, with Microsoft continuing its "I'm a PC" campaign, by featuring average users who point to various aspects of the new operating system as representing their idea.

Microsoft plans to formalize the launch with an event here with CEO Steve Ballmer (CNET News will cover the 11 a.m. ET event live). The software maker is also opening its first retail store, in Scottsdale, Ariz., as well as a "Windows Cafe" in Paris.

Steven Sinofsky, the divisional president who has spearheaded the development of Windows 7, is presiding over the Japanese launch of the product, while designer Julie Larson-Green is at an event in London.

Microsoft employees in Redmond's Building 37 plan to remotely ring the bell to open Nasdaq trading on Thursday, while Microsoft and its computer maker partners will ring the closing bell.

The product has already gone on sale in Australia.

-- CNET 2009-10-22

I've been running it since March, and I just want to say it's really great.

[t.s]

if you use your machine for work, the stability, boot and shutdown times alone make the upgrade worthwhile. the usability is an added bonus.

the 64 bit version has been rock solid in my experience. love it.

[Arkady]

There seems to be a promotion going on in Thailand offering the Home Premium edition for B3,777 and at B2,777 for the first 777 people who register from 16 October. There is no mention of the what the prices of the other editions are or whether they are offering cheaper upgrade versions for those with Vista. Seems like the marketing is a complete mess in Thailand. Perhaps Microsoft Thailand's senior staff are all involved in the bootleg business themselves and deliberately sabotage their marketing.

[walt]

I just ran the Windows 7 upgrade Home Premium version on my 64 bit HP desktop with lots of memory running a 64 bit Microsoft Home Premium VISTA operating system. I was optimistically looking forward to having this new operating sytem that even the Wall Street Journal praised.

The result, however, was not exactly wonderful in that afterwards I could no longer get either Firefox or Internet Explorer to open any pages on the Internet. In other words, I got completely cut off from accessing anything on the web. After about an hour and a half talking with the kind MS people in India, their conclusion was that it was either the fault of an incompatible version of Norton Utilities or the fault of my ISP (AT&T). In other words, it wasn't their fault, and I should take my problem elsewhere. Thank you, Microsoft.

So I did that. I talked with the Norton folks who helped me get rid of my old Norton and replace it with a 2010 Windows 7 compatible version, but I still couldn't connect with any internet pages. So, after hearing my sad story, they also suggested I talk with my ISP.

So I did that too, and as a result of that discussion and a modem reset that didn't work, I ended up with the single option of a broadband manual connection (needs to be established at each bootup) - hardly satisfying to say the least. They also suggested that perhaps the install did not go well, and that I could try it again. Aha, ... try it again.

So I did a reinstall of Windows 7. But since the broadband connection had to be established at each bootup and the installation requires several automatic restarts, the install could only be done as a "custom" install instead of the standard automatic install.

For you folks who have not yet had the pleasure, a custom install treats the machine as if it were running Windows XP, that is, all files and programs, ALL PROGRAMS, will be wiped out and replaced by a bare-bones Windows 7 OS. So I lost all my personal files along with applications like WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, ACCESS and any other program. I was finally able to reset the modem and reestablish a regular DSL connection, but I had lost everything else.

I went back to Microsoft to plead with them, and I was put on hold by some jerk for an hour and a half. I gave up on that guy and started over with Microsoft. I was looking for a replacement of my lost Microsoft applications. I was informed that unless I had the original disks, there was nothing they could do. Since my setup was done by an OEM, Hewlert Packard, I did not have those disks. So sorry, they said. Go away. Eight hours of suffering, so far.

So I contacted HP. They listened to my story and said they could help with the lost programs. They are sending me a disk (for $29) to put my machine back to where it was two years ago. Better than nothing, I think. Then I can have pleasure of trying a Windows 7 install again (this next time without an outdated Norton package installed).

My clouded conclusions: The Norton Utilities people were helpful, the AT&T people were helpful, and the HP people were helpful, but I want to shout that the Microsoft people WERE NOT HELPFUL, and they have caused me to have bad feelings about them. Too bad they are not withing spitting distance.

So, take what you can from this story, but in any case, be prepared and backup all your files if you go the Windows 7 route, even starting with VISTA.

Walt

[endure]

So, take what you can from this story, but in any case, be prepared and backup all your files if you go the Windows 7 route, even starting with VISTA.

Walt

You ought to be doing this regularly - not just when you're installing new operating systems. Hard drives fail. Systems crash. The cost of buying an external hard disk or some other form of backup device is never going to be as much as the cost of losing your files.

[Deksan]

Good luck PC

For all fairness it s faster than vista on my wife's comp ... Be sure though to make up to date backup before you upgrade.

[Crushdepth]

Make an image of your hard disk before you attempt to upgrade. If it doesn't work you can just roll back and restore your system to 'pre-upgrade' state without having to reinstall everything again.

[rotorbreeze]

Windows 7 hits the market

NEW YORK: -- Although the official U.S. launch event is still some hours away, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system has hit the market, going on sale in a number of countries across the globe.

Executives from Microsoft have fanned out to celebrate the launch of the company's core product upon which the rest of Redmond's empire has been built. The software giant is counting on favorable reviews and new features to help Windows rebuilt its image in the face of a disappointing response to Windows Vista.

Microsoft is touting the value of Windows in the face of a resurgent Apple. As part of the launch, Microsoft is celebrating seven days of deals in a number of key markets, including the United States. Among the specials is a $1,200 package from Hewlett-Packard and Best Buy that includes a Netbook, laptop, desktop, monitor and router as well as in-home installation.

"The Best Buy offer is a home makeover," Microsoft Vice President Tami Reller told CNET News. "For the price of a Mac you have a new notebook, a new Netbook, a new desktop, and a new router to bring it together with the help of the Geek Squad."

In addition to landing on new PCs, Microsoft will also sell stand-alone versions of Windows 7 that can be used to upgrade an existing PC. Although Microsoft still offers a half-dozen different flavors of the operating system in all, Redmond is focusing its energies around two versions--the Home Premium and Professional versions.

It will sell both a full version of the operating system that can be used on any hardware as well as an upgrade version to be used on existing PCs. Although both Windows XP and Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7, only Vista can be done without backing up and reinstalling both programs and data.

A huge marketing blitz will accompany the debut of Windows 7, with Microsoft continuing its "I'm a PC" campaign, by featuring average users who point to various aspects of the new operating system as representing their idea.

Microsoft plans to formalize the launch with an event here with CEO Steve Ballmer (CNET News will cover the 11 a.m. ET event live). The software maker is also opening its first retail store, in Scottsdale, Ariz., as well as a "Windows Cafe" in Paris.

Steven Sinofsky, the divisional president who has spearheaded the development of Windows 7, is presiding over the Japanese launch of the product, while designer Julie Larson-Green is at an event in London.

Microsoft employees in Redmond's Building 37 plan to remotely ring the bell to open Nasdaq trading on Thursday, while Microsoft and its computer maker partners will ring the closing bell.

The product has already gone on sale in Australia.

-- CNET 2009-10-22

mac_attack.rtf

[bapak]

Any prices available on upgrade from Vista Business?

[d0ndela]

Upgrade versions are not available in Thailand, not yet at least.

[nikster]

if you use your machine for work, the stability, boot and shutdown times alone make the upgrade worthwhile. the usability is an added bonus.

Why boot?! I reboot my Mac maybe, don't know, once a month? Whenever security upgrades require a reboot... so time savings from boot/shutdown are pretty irrelevant. All other times I just sleep the machine, and it can stay in sleep state for weeks on battery so power use wouldn't be a reason to shut it down either... wake from sleep takes less than a second. I'd imagine the sleep mode works now in Windows too?!

[lucky2103]

but I want to shout that the Microsoft people WERE NOT HELPFUL, and they have caused me to have bad feelings about them. Too bad they are not withing spitting distance.

Walt

Although i dont use an M$ OS, I still have an hotmail account with them...if running into trouble, I never consider contacting "customer support" cos I understand that M$ has no such department..."support" spelled by Microsoft just means forcing something over the head of the user.

Its just like "1984"...no thanks

Edited October 27, 2009 by lucky2103

[ingvar]

It is at times like this that I am so happy I am using Linux, its free and its better!

[Gary A]

The Linux users are happy and the Apple users are happy. So why bad mouth the happy Windows users? I am happy with Windows XP Pro but I have tried the RC Windows 7 and think it is great. I am no techie and had no problem installing the Windows 7 download. I do intend to buy it. People with an axe to grind can continue to berate Windows but that is up to the Microsoft haters. I too have no great love for Microsoft but when they offer a better system, I'm willing to pay for it.

[Silurian]

I upgraded the wife's HP laptop from 64-bit Vista Home Premium to 64-Bit Windows 7 Home Premium. I got in on the $50 USD upgrade deal that Microsoft had back in late June. I knew then that Microsoft was pretty much going to shovel Vista under the rug and I didn't want to have an OS that was being passed by. The upgrade took about 2 hours to perform and worked out well. I had to remove Skype and the HP Quick Launch programs as Win7 said that they were incompatible. No big deal. I reinstalled the HP Quick launch buttons after the upgrade. Granted the wife didn't have very much on her laptop but I didn't want to reinstall the few programs she uses. Plus I wanted to see if just an upgrade would work. If the system starts to have issues, I will do a clean install later on. But so far, it works fine. I can't say I notice any performance differences between Vista and Win7 but there are a few operating differences...some better...some just different...nothing worse.

My recommendation is if you have Vista, you should upgrade to Win7 just so you are not "left behind". Does anyone remember the Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me)? Yeah, talk about left behind. Most likely, so too will Vista be a bad memory. I read that after Oct 22, no one will order Vista anymore just Win7 or downgrade to XP so you can read the writing on the wall.

[Abrak]

I am not an expert so this is purely user experience.

Windows 7 is much faster than Vista by a mile. It (for Mac owners) takes approximately as long to shut down and restart W7 as it does my Iphone. About 45 seconds. Also when I plugged in my printer it was up and running in under 10 seconds as opposed to about a minute under Vista when you install a new device.

I did go for a clean install even though I had Vista and I suspect that makes a lot difference.

Obviously noone actually needs this but if you use a PC daily I would have thought you have to upgrade.

[balo]

I have to agree.

I had my first experience with Win 7 this week and its faster than Vista , but you need a fast processor and a lot of RAM before you do the upgrade.

Dont think about upgrading an old XP machine from 2002, it will be very slow.....

[Pib]

On Thursday/29 Oct I rec'd my Win 7 Home Premium from NewEgg. That night I did the upgrade from Vista Home Premium on my 3 year old Toshiba laptop. Counting 30-40 minutes in downloading a couple of updated drivers/utilities I needed, the total upgrade time took approx 3 hours, with about 2.5 hours of that just being the time of Win 7 moving into computer...there were a few times I thought Win 7 has hung-up but it hadn't...it just takes time to move-in. It did about a half dozen reboots during this time and it tells you it will reboot several times during the upgrade.

After Win 7 completed its upgrade the only two issues I had were I couldn't get my Toshiba laptop-specific ATI video driver to load properly although Win 7 and Toshiba said it should work fine---but it didn't work fine...it seemed to load no problem but it just would operate; instead the Win 7 ATI driver that came with Win 7 was the driver that loaded/installed with no problem. I had problems in the Win 7 video driver correctly display with two monitor/dual display (i.e., my laptop screen and my separate monitor), but I got the Win 7 driver to work properly after approx 30 minutes of playing with the settings. Also, I initially had no wireless connectivity...after resetting the computer a few times I got to the stage of intermittent connectivity, but would lose the connectivity when ever the Windows Internet Browser 8 seemed to hang-up on reaching website XYZ. I tried both the Win 7 provided driver and the Toshiba laptop specific driver...and even reset the wireless router. I didn't attempt to troubleshoot this wireless problem too much on Thursday night...preferred to watch TV and drink some Beer Chang. But on Friday the connectivity seemed to hang in there better without me doing anything and by Friday night I wasn't losing connectivity to the router...and after using the computer for about 3 hours today/Saturday I haven't lost connectivity. I thinking (hoping) the wireless connectivity problem was my firewall (Norton 360) automatically training itself to work with the new operation system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the wireless problem has fixed itself.

I will have to say this upgrade from Vista to Win 7 was about 50 times less problem laden/frustrating that my upgrade from XP to Vista. All my programs still worked after upgrading to Win 7...great feeling not have to reload a ton of programs and spend all that time setting them up again. Bill G. really blew it with Vista when it comes to software compatibility and speed; maybe he learned his lesson and that is why Win 7 seems to be getting ton less bad press/hate mail than Vista.

Edited October 31, 2009 by Pib

[JetsetBkk]

I'll be sticking to XP for the time being. I'm getting a new PC soon and will load XP on it. I did the same to my g/f's new PC that came with linux.

I've tried the Windows 7 RTM and found that I can't configure it to look and feel the way I want because a few features that I use all the time are not available. If they ever make it as configurable as XP I'll probably use it, but not now.

Also, I know where everything is in XP, but when M$ bring out new operating systems, they do like to move things around for no obvious reason and give things different names which really puts me off wanting to use them.

[Crushdepth]

I just picked up a copy of Windows 7 Professional for about B1,500. If you're studying, check if your uni is part of the student deal.

[tracer]

Windows 7 hits the market

NEW YORK: -- Although the official U.S. launch event is still some hours away, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system has hit the market, going on sale in a number of countries across the globe.

Boy -- here we go again. There is no direct upgrade path for users of Windows XP, which is the Microsoft operating system of choice of most corporations and computer-savvy home users. That means that most end-users will need to understand how to completely rebuild their own computer from scratch -- and for the average user -- that's gonna be a major challenge.

Well, I think it is a much bigger problem then MS thinks as if you add hours of work together, its no problem for new systems

but I havent got the time to update most of the customers.... AND sort their problems out...

[Wolfie]

I just picked up a copy of Windows 7 Professional for about B1,500. If you're studying, check if your uni is part of the student deal.

Can you get me a few copies as well?

[Vinspire]

am using win7 beta for months now and am luvin' it. upgrading it to the full win7 version is my wish

[kayo]

Within the next 6-12 months I will switch to Win7.

This is the first time I'm considering moving on from XP(pro) since, well... I swtiched from Win98 to XP.

I ran a scan of my system from the WIN 7 site, and my machine is up to scratch.

Win7 professional would be my preferred, as I can then still use a lot of XP platform programs I like.

[sbk]

I just picked up a copy of Windows 7 Professional for about B1,500. If you're studying, check if your uni is part of the student deal.

Can you get me a few copies as well?

I could use one too, bought a Vista laptop and not so happy with it.

If you want to upgrade from XP can you do it without having to make the vista upgrade? Oops, see my question answered above. So, what about just formatting and installing?

[tracer]

I just picked up a copy of Windows 7 Professional for about B1,500. If you're studying, check if your uni is part of the student deal.

Can you get me a few copies as well?

I could use one too, bought a Vista laptop and not so happy with it.

If you want to upgrade from XP can you do it without having to make the vista upgrade? Oops, see my question answered above. So, what about just formatting and installing?

I have a few daughters in a uni and I asked them if they had heard of this offer. It seems the university said to buy real windows was quite expensive... Microsoft isn't pushing a prime opportunity to sell windows??

[bazmlb]

http://www.inquisitr.com/45600/apple-ad-bo...ws-7-on-google/

Love it!