The Future of Windows
What s New: Taskbar The quick launch area is gone Application icons can be docked You can drag-and-drop application icons to this area but running apps will appear here as well. Functions much like the MAC OSX dock
What s New: Jump Lists Jump Lists is a new feature that groups related tasks surrounding an application In the taskbar, a right-click to display this list
What s New: Jump Lists Here, you ll find common tasks, recently opened files, favorites, or whatever else may be relevant to that particular app
What s New: Jump Lists Jump lists are found in the Start Menu, too.
What s New: Desktop Features You can maximize a window by dragging the title bar to the top of the screen Shake window to minimize all open windows
What s New: Desktop Features Snap to docking : This new feature will automatically resize the windows for you as you drag them to the sides of your screen Your Windows Sidebar Gadgets can now be placed anywhere
What s New: Peek When you peek at a window you can turn the other windows to glass to make it easier to see the window you re viewing. You can peek at the desktop
What s New: Wi-Fi Connection When Wi-Fi is available, the wireless icon lights up in the system tray. Click it to display a popup list of wireless networks then click the one you want to connect to. If you have to enter a passphrase, you ll be prompted to do so, otherwise, you re connected immediately.
What s New: Wi-Fi Connection Windows 7 switches your default printer depending on where you are work or home, etc.
Network And Sharing Center Remains the same as Vista layout
What s New: XP Mode Ability to install applications that will only run in XP Applications run in Windows 7 as if they were installed natively
What s New: XP Mode XP mode: requires CPU virtualization Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions Requires 2GB of RAM
What s New: Various UAC is less annoying! Now there s a new slider control that lets you adjust how much the UAC pop-up is allowed to bug you. Adjusting the UAC settings no longer requires a reboot
Problem Steps Recorder Great help tool when dealing with user issues Allows user to take screenshots with the option to add comments When finished, Windows 7 automatically zips the file Easy to send email or share with helpdesk
What s New: Various Overall, the system is faster. The boot time has also been reduced The new Action Center lets you control the messages delivered through things like Windows Firewall, Windows Updates, etc
What s New: Various System Tray: You have complete control over your system tray. You can remove, change, and even move around the different applications that reside there Better power management in Windows 7 means longer battery life for notebooks
Start Menu Search Extremely fast search of indexed locations Will find most user created files and system files/programs Huge improvement over Windows XP search
Windows 7 Versions 3 versions that ITS will most likely encounter are: Windows 7 Home Premium Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming, including Play To, multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition Windows 7 Professional Ability to join a managed network with Domain Join, data protection with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System, and print to the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing
Windows 7 Versions Windows 7 Ultimate BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives, DirectAccess for seamless connectivity to corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2, and lock unauthorized software from running with AppLocker.
System Health Good collection of tools to monitor and report on various system state System Health Report, disk defragmenter, task manager, performance/resource monitor, event log
System Restore System restore is not only available from inside Windows but from the OS CD as well Startup repair, memory test and command prompt are accessible as well
Windows Backup Ability to select where, when and type of backup Can create a system image for easy backup Fast as well as excellent compression Allows you to work on machine while it s running
Remote Assistance Ability to share your Windows 7 Desktop with another user Allows user to chat with helpdesk Invite help through email or with the use of a file Remote Assistance makes the troubleshooting experience on the PC seamless
University Software Most of our standard software runs without problems in Windows 7 1 OfficeScan issue is that it will not run with UAC turned on Internet Security crashed when loading, will not work at all All Windows Vista compatible software should run without concern
Wireless USB Adapter The current adapter suggestion to students operates without issues
Recommended Requirements 1 GHz processor (32- or 64-bit) 1 GB of RAM (32-bit); 2 GB of RAM (64-bit) 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit); 20 GB of avaiable disk space (64-bit) DirectX 9 graphics device Though in reality I would recommend no less then 2GB of RAM and a 2GHZ processor
64 Bit Vs. 32 Bit As with earlier versions of Windows, the 32 bit version can only access around 3.23GB of RAM 64 bit can access a vast amount of memory If application is not written for the 64 bit architecture, it is not fully taking advantage of the hardware. 64 Bit did run noticeably faster during my tests on identical hardware
Industry Adoption A survey conducted by ScriptLogic has stated that 6 in 10 companies will skip Windows 7 43% state the reason is due to lack of funds and resources, compatibility was the next biggest issue The rest are waiting until next year, mainly for the arrival of Service Pack 1 before deploying
Waterloo University Only Canadian university to acknowledge Windows 7 Have begun testing using the RC build Track successes and problems that have been discovered thus far Have stated they most likely will not deploy Windows 7 until Service Pack 1 is released.
Penn State One US school to acknowledge Windows 7 Have begun testing using the RC build Store an online log of successes and problems that have been discovered thus far Have stated they most likely will not deploy Windows 7 until Service Pack 1 is released.