by Mike Stanley

Created on: July 02, 2009   Last Updated: July 18, 2009

I have been using Windows 7 since the first beta was officially released. So far, I have had mostly positive reactions to the operating system. While it isn't revolutionary in design or function, it does everything an operating system should do, and does it well. As I look around the web, I see that a lot of people in general have good things to say about Windows 7, and while some of it may be a bit over-hyped, much of it is well deserved. The only real issue, is that while the operating system is very solid, and looks great, it is only a minor release, and many feel the operating system is basically a Vista service pack being released as a stand alone operating system. From Microsoft's own mouth, this isn't far fetched thinking, as they have mentioned several times that Windows 7 is mostly a vastly improved version of Vista, and that any software that runs on Vista should run on Windows 7. Recent price releases from Microsoft suggests they have caught wind of these criticisms, and have reduced the price for certain upgrades, and for early adopters, in what is obviously an attempt to win over the skeptics.

I now have Windows 7 Release Candidate installed on my Gateway desktop in the 64-bit version, and on my Compaq R3000 laptop in 32-bit. First I'll start with the desktop, as it has the power to puch then new OS to its limits. The gateway GT5628 has an Intel G35 motherboard, with an Intel Q6600 Core2 Quad running at 2.48Ghz, 6Gb of 677Mhz RAM, and two 500Gb hard drives. For video, I have installed an nVidia 9600GT 512Mb card (couldn't get a hold of a 9800GT at the time due to availability), and displayed on a Samsung SyncMaster 19 wide-screen. This setup really lets Windows 7 strut its advanced eye candy desktop, and allows me to play with the nice new Aero shake and other features. On this desktop, Windows 7 runs extremely well, and so far, since installing the first beta in January, have had no crashes on either the beta or the release candidate.

I have only two complaints against Windows 7 so far, and only one of them is for the OS itself. One, I cannot install Windows 7 from the DVD, and had to copy the contents to a USB drive and start the install from within Vista. I'm not sure what this issue is, but it did allow me to try out the new feature of actually being able to begin the install from within Windows already running on a PC. This is something new for Windows, and can be useful in some situations, such as mine obviously. The second issue, isn't so

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