Windows 7: faster or just smarter?

Features
After experimenting with a series of operating system form Microsoft and others, I have concluded that there is no alternative for Windows 7 Professional in the present date. Once, I had installed it I took a sigh of relief as it is much stable and user-friendly and miles away from software conflictions. I am pretty much sure that its features, like JumpList, Aero, HomeGroup, Domain Join and XP Mode are enough to challenge any OS.

Usability
Windows 7 Professional has simplified my task. Now, I can easily connect my PCs at home to share files, music, video and even my printer without any hassle. Earlier, it was never possible without help of technicians. In addition, I can maintain my privacy too with the password protection feature. I don’t face difficulty while working with multiple Windows because Aero Shake minimizes unessential applications within an eye blink by just shaking them with the mouse. I can access file located in remote section of my computer network easily and quickly with smart search of Windows Search option. When I just enter an alphabet in the search box, it gives a list of relevant files. It was never so easy with Windows Vista’s “Instant Search.” With the Tab Group feature in Internet Explorer you can easily manage multiple tabs, which was not possible in earlier versions of IE. Hence, it’s a totally a never-before experience with Windows 7 Professional.

Limitation
Although, I have a good experience with Windows 7 Professional, but I think Microsoft should have been a bit liberal with the users on the compatibility front. I faced issues while doing custom install on one of my old computer. It showed software conflicts a number of times, when I had to do install device drivers.

Conclusion:
Above and all, Windows 7 professional is a good presentation from Microsoft. There are some new features, which will be soon adaptable for me. I liked it mostly on account of its enhanced performance with least of software conflicts and strong security features, which were tough challenge in earlier versions.

Windows 7 Microsoft-A Way To Success

Microsoft’s Windows 7, which was introduced on 22nd October, 2009, has climbed the new charts of popularity. Try this new Windows operating system to experience a new level of computing.
Performance accelerator

With latest Windows 7 loaded on your computer, managing your files and folders gets pretty easier. You can keep your frequently required files on your finger tips, with the help of JumpList and Aero Pin features of Microsoft’s Windows 7. Windows Search will help you to quickly access files, photos and other important documents which are occasionally used. Aero Snap will make your job easier, if you have to do work related to reading, organizing, and comparing windows.

Easy networking
Microsoft’s Windows 7 has introduced Home Group, which will simplify your home network, so that you can easily share your files and peripheral devices with a single click. Moreover you can customize your sharing job.

If you have a requirement to share your office or home network, you can make use of Direct Access. To maintain the security of your data you can implement BitLocker encryption feature.

Security and Maintenance
A lot of improvement has been done on the security front with the introduction of Multiple Active Firewall Policies, DirectAccess, BranchCache, BitLocker To Go, AppLocker and Biometric enhancement. Windows 7 Action Center is a user-friendly feature, because it offers a common platform to system maintenance information, security information and computer troubleshooting.

So, don’t wait and install Microsoft’s Windows 7 on your computer to get the best computing experience.

How to backup in windows 7

Create copies of data files and system image which includes system settings, programs and files with Windows Backup. Choose custom location in Windows 7 for data backup. You can check for this option under System and Security in your Control Panel and can also access it through Action Center.

Some vital functionality was missing in Windows Vista which Microsoft has tried to cover up in Windows 7. Windows 7 has build on the new features in Windows Vista Backup. Windows 7 provides you with in-built tool to back up your data. Microsoft has introduced consolidated Backup and restore Center in Windows Vista but Windows 7 has in-built backup center. It’s in-built “Shadow Copy” feature restores the previous versions of files and folders and makes repetitious backups when required, if certain part of the file has been changed then it only transfer that part and copy it over.

Backup and Restore Center will show you the backup device you have selected, the space left on it, the space occupied by windows Backup and how far you are into the process if you are currently running a backup. Windows 7 backup facilitates you by providing access to your previous system image files for deletion, it also displays how much space is being used by each of its backup components.

Try the following steps to create backup:

1 Start the process of creating a backup from the Backup and restore center in the Control Panel.

2 Choose the location where you want to create your backup.

3 Network location can be selected to create backup. Add your network path by clicking Add New Location.

4 Choose what to backup, once you have chosen the location.

5 You can choose your own files as well as Windows chosen file.

6 Start backup process. the Backup and Restore center notifies that backup is in progress.

7 Restore the files once backup process is over.


But it is far more easier to backup your files over the network, if you are using Professional or Ultimate edition of Windows 7 then you need not keep the drives as you also have the option of backing up your files to a network.

You can set up your network to save the copies of critical files. It will surely proved to be a worthwhile investment as a Home Network backup can easily maintain the copies of the electronic data files thus securing the data in case of theft, disaster and computer failures. You have the option to choose from online service or Home Network backup. There are different methods using which you can set your data on Home Computer Network such as backups to CD-ROM or DVD-ROM discs, network backups to a local server and online backups to a remote hosting service.

In network backup to a local server you don’t require to burn several disks considering setting up a backup server on your home network. A backup server has a large hard disk drive and network to receive other home network files. In Network backup to a Remote Hosting Service many Internet sites offer backup hosting services which results in automatic network backups.

All these features help the user to have the full control over the flies which are backed up and you can have automatic backup capability with suitable software in Local Servers Backup. In Remote Hosted Backup your data is saved with lower risk from theft.

Deployments of Multilingual User Interface for Windows 7

Based on your company's current geographic and IT infrastructure, you need to determine your language and country/region requirements, as well as your hardware requirements and limitations to deploy the appropriate language configurations of Windows 7 and configure country/region support.

You will also need to:

* Determine the roaming user needs in your organization.
* Evaluate the hardware requirements for multilingual support.
* Determine whether your organization will need to deploy a single global image or specific country/region builds for different offices in your organization.

Assessing hardware requirements for multilingual support
Supporting multiple languages can impact your hardware requirements in two areas:
Hard disk space: Some languages require more hard-disk storage space than others. The more languages installed on a computer, the more hard-disk space consumed.
Specialized hardware devices: Some languages or users require special keyboards, IMEs, or alternative input devices.

Determining the requirement of language and country/region
If you have polyglot office environments or you do business in multiple languages then you need to know which languages or bids your organization requires. Also you need to know that whether these languages require input devices or input method editors (IMEs).

You must determine whether currency, time zone, or calendar formats vary between the different countries/regions if you do business on international level. Additionally, you must determine which line-of-business applications you have that must accommodate such country/region differences.

A four-column planning table can help you determine your language and country/region needs. You can organize the table as follows:

* In column one, list your offices or divisions.

* In column two, list the languages or dialects used in those offices or divisions.

* In column three, note the corresponding Windows 7 language collections and locales that support those languages or dialects. For tables listing Windows 7 language packs and settings, see Supported Language Packs and Default Settings.

* In column four, note special standards and format settings, input language support, or default languages for non-Unicode programs required for your offices or divisions.

So, as release date of Windows 7 is close, we find ourselves with revolutionary and new Microsoft OS: Windows 7. Windows 7 seems poised to succeed where Vista couldn’t as it is built on the latest technologies introduced with Vista, but with a renewed focus on performance and compatibility. We’ve finally received a final build of Windows 7 and have run it through the wringer in both the Lab and in the real-world. Here’s what we found.

Questions To Be Consider When Going for Windows 7 upgrade

Whether you’re keen to upgrade to Windows 7 or you just wish to know what to expect if and when you do, there are lots of things to keep in mind.
Can I upgrade directly from XP?
Many users who are still running Windows XP want to know whether they can upgrade to Windows 7 without losing all their data and settings. The answer is, well, sort of. Microsoft doesn’t provide a direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. An in-place upgrade is available only if you’re running Vista SP1 or later. If you have Windows XP, even if your hardware is compatible, you’ll have to perform a clean installation of Windows 7. However, you can use the Microsoft Deployment Tool, which includes the User State Migration Tool, to transfer your user settings for the desktop and applications to the new Windows 7 installation.

Can I do a Vista in-place upgrade?
If you have Windows Vista, remember that you must install SP1 or SP2 before you can perform an in-place upgrade to Windows 7. If you try to upgrade a Vista computer that doesn’t have a service pack installed, you will get a message informing you that to upgrade to Windows 7, the computer needs to be running Vista with Service Pack 1.

Will there be driver compatibility issues?
A big problem in Windows Vista was driver incompatibility. Too many users upgraded their Windows from XP to Vista only to find that a favorite peripheral, such as a printer or scanner, would no longer work. Vista also introduced a new display driver model, WDDM, which required video card vendors to write completely different display and video miniport drivers. And security enhancements in Vista affected how the OS handles drivers. Even though Vista was in development for few years, many hardware vendors did not have Vista drivers ready for all of their products when the OS was released.

Now that Vista has been out for more than two years, most hardware vendors have updated their drivers to work with it. Because Windows 7 uses the same driver models as Vista, the vast majority of hardware devices that work with Vista will work with Windows 7. For Vista drivers that won’t install on Windows 7, you can usually solve the problem by installing in Compatibility Mode. To do this, right-click the driver’s setup file, select Properties, click the Compatibility tab, enable compatibility mode, and select the appropriate operating system from the drop-down box.

Which Windows 7 version shall I choose?
Windows 7 is also comes both Home Basic and Home Premium editions. There is also a Starter edition, which comes with low-powered netbooks.

What if I have applications that won’t run on Windows 7, even in Compatibility Mode?
There may be some XP programs that you can’t get to run on Windows 7, even using Compatibility Mode. However, you may still be able to enjoy all the benefits of Windows 7 without giving up your favorite applications, thanks to a new compatibility tool called XP Mode. XPM is a host-based virtualization solution that will reportedly be made available at no cost to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.

Windows 7 Guide- Changes To Security in Windows 7

Microsoft launched Windows 7 with few enhancements such as HomeGroup, Aero, etc. However, there are several of new and enhanced security features as well. Here’s a rundown of key changes you must know about.

Everyone’s talking about the interface changes, the new taskbar, omission of the sidebar, a new look for Windows Explorer. Under the hood, there are few more changes, including latest and enhanced security features. Let’s look at some security features that have been changed or added in Windows 7.
Action Center- In Vista, security configurations can be access from the Security Center in Control Panel. In Windows 7, you won’t find a Security Center. That’s because it’s been replaced by a new Action Center. The Action Center offers security configurations as well as options for other administrative tasks, such as Backup, Troubleshooting And Diagnostics, and Windows Update.

Windows 7 UAC- User Account Control (UAC) was introduced with Vista, made to provide better protection from malware. It makes all user accounts run as standard users, even administrator accounts. If you need to perform something that requires administrative rights, it asks for permission. And asks. And asks. This in-your-face aspect of UAC has caused numerous complaints and has led some users to turn it off completely, thus exposing themselves to threats.
In Windows 7, UAC is still there, but now you can set up how vocal it will be. There are four settings you configure from the UAC settings in the Action Center. You can set UAC to:
• Always notify you when you install software or make any changes to Windows settings (as Vista does now).

• Notify you when programs make changes but not if you make changes to Windows settings (default Setting).

• Notify you only when programs make changes but turn off Secure Desktop, which dims the desktop while the UAC prompt is displayed. ( Preferred setting.)

• Never notify you. ( Not recommended.)
BitLocker- Windows 7 comes through and allows you to encrypt removable storage drives. And it’s easy to do. Just open the BitLocker applet in Control Panel, choose the drive you want to encrypt, and click Turn On BitLocker.

Windows Filtering Platform- Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) is a set of APIs introduced in Vista. In Windows 7, developers can use it to iinclude some parts of the Windows Firewall into their own programs. This will allow a third-party program to turn off certain parts of the Windows Firewall selectively if need be.

DNSSec- Windows 7 supports for DNSSec (Domain Name System Security), which is a group of extensions to the DNS platform that improved security. With DNSSec, a DNS zone can take advantage of digital signature technology so that you can validate the authenticity of data that’s received.

Microsoft Pulls Windows 7 for Netbooks Tool

In a significant development, software giant, Microsoft, has made a decision to pull its Windows 7 for Netbooks downloading tool. This will be enabled from an online store. This step is touted by some analysts in response to accusations that code for the tool was ripped off from a CodePlex-hosted open-source project. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT), which was the original program, came into being with an intention to help Microsoft make the most out of netbooks' perennial popularity among consumers. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT) was pulled off from the online Microsoft Store since the program had a code from the GPLv2-licensed ImageMaster project. The USB/DVD Download Tool was earlier brought into being as a method for netbook users, without DVD drives on some of them on their devices, in order to install their machines with Windows 7.

The ImageMaster project is has been intensely described as a .Net C# application for reading and writing disc images. Microsoft decided to pull the WUDT from the offerings on the Microsoft Store, even though the "Windows 7 for Netbooks" page still tends to be active without an "Add to Cart" link. It can be recalled that WUDT was initially targeted to make porting Windows 7 onto netbooks a simple process. Netbook users sans DVD drivers can be in a tricky situation. For them the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool will click an ISO image and then make a bootable UDB device which can be used to install Windows. Also, users have to configure their netbook’s BIOS before it can be booted off that USB device or external DVD player. Even though netbooks are popular Redmond said in public that "ultra-thins" have the potential to do a lot more better and can run higher-margin versions of Windows. It has decided to start introducing ultra-thin PCs although a little expensive than netbooks around the time when the year comes to an end.