menu home menu services menu help menu radio menu youtube video menu news menu friends menu search menu directions menu end cap

Click Here to Return to the 2010 Article List.

Click Here for the 2007-2009 Article List.

Click Here for the 2005-2006 Article List.

Click Here for the 2003-2004 Article List.


Windows 7 Observations

Now that Windows 7 is out and I have been using it since its October release, I can give an unbiased report on its usefulness to you. What will moving to Windows 7 do for you personally?

When you buy a new PC you are moving to Windows 7 – like it or not. If you have Vista that is misbehaving and giving you high blood pressure and ulcers, then you may consider anteing up the money to move to Windows 7. If you are using XP, it is working well, and you know how to use it to do what you wish, there should be no rush to move to Windows 7.

The value of Windows is in the displays pictures, video, and new ways of working with touch screen computers. The video of Windows 7 is stunning. It starts with the wall papers and moves on from there. Such stunning graphics require an outstanding graphics card, great displays, and use of the DVI digital interface not the older VGA analog interface. Windows 7 has an acceptable speech to text feature.

Windows 7 (and Vista) provides a Windows Experience Index. This number ranges from 1 to 8. It is based upon the slowest PC performing part – processor chip (CPU), RAM Memory, Graphics adapter, and hard disk drive. When Windows 7 was installed my PC first scored 2.0. This stunk for a multi-thousand dollar PC. Laptops score in the 3’s. My low score was due to the graphics – three graphics adapters and three displays all connected to the PC at 8X speed. Reconfiguring to use two adapters and four displays changed the performance to 2.9 because they connected at a 16X speed. The details are not important here, just that bigger numbers are better. Changing to a new higher performance graphics adapters brought up the number to 5.9 due to a slow fixed disk drive. The graphics increased to 6.8

XP systems converted to Windows 7 will perform around 2.0 unless upgraded. New Windows 7 systems have moderate performance in the 3 to 5 range. So just buy a new PC to convert to Windows 7.

Windows 7 Professional does not come with solitaire – a real bummer for me. However, Windows XP solitaire (sol.exe and cards.dll) can be installed on Windows 7, if you are an addict like me.

Windows 7 does not upgrade directly from Windows XP. Microsoft provides migration programs that essentially copy the Documents and Settings folder to your Windows 7 PC. The Windows 7 folder layout is similar to Windows XP, and the same as Vista. Documents and settings are now replaced with a Users folder and some subfolders. It seems like Microsoft has done this to confuse the bad guys and their programs as an added security feature.

Windows 7 runs solidly, Vista hardware drivers work when there are no Windows 7 drivers, most programs work (Acronis needed to be Version 11 to run, the Brother printer’s scanning and printing programs needed Windows 7 versions but the Vista drivers permitted printing, Nero 8 and up work, and most all older programs), and performance and reliability are better than Vista (how could it be worse?). When installing Windows 7, please make sure that you system has only a single disk drive. More than one disk drive confuses Windows 7 installation and recovery functions. Once it is installed you can work with multiple drives.

Windows 7 (and Vista) represents the next step in PC evolution to a new visual and speaking interaction with your PC environment. No more Scotty picking up a MAC’s mouse and saying “Computer”. There are still a few more generations of PCs to go before they become a cheap and indispensible part of our lives. Oh yes, I have crashed Windows 7 a couple of times. Nothing is perfect including this humble nerd.


Link to Microsoft Windows 7

P. D. Moulton and Dial A Nerd, a local Columbia, Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland(MD) PC repair, computer repair, laptop computer repair, Wi-Fi network and wired LAN network configuration & repair, Windows XP repair, Windows Vista repair, Windows 7 repair, network server computer support, and virus & spyware removal. Dial-A-Nerd repairs PC (s), computers, networks, removes viruses & spyware and upgrades slow computers 24 hours a day 7 days a week. DialANerd provides immediate remote access as well as fixed price computer repair, network repair, virus & spyware removal services at its local Columbia, Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland(MD) repair shop. Repair completion is typically 24-hours to 48-hours. Dial A Nerd recovers hard disk data and saves your data. Each hard disk is tested for errors for free. Dial A Nerd makes a fixed disk image, recovers and saves your data for about a 90% of the desktop computer, laptop computer, and netbook PC (s) serviced. Dial A Nerd, a local Columbia, Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland(MD) repair business provides fast PC repair, computer repair, desktop computer repair, laptop computer repair, Wi-Fi network and wired LAN network configuration & repair, Windows XP repair, Windows Vista repair, Windows 7 repair, network server support, and virus & spyware removal services with a warranty. Dial A Nerd works on many PCs including Sony computers, Gateway computers, Hewlett Packard computers, Compaq computers, Toshiba computers, Emachines computers, Clone PCs, and Dell computers in the local Columbia, Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland(MD). The Dial A Nerd mission is delivering the best quality, affordable cost effective PC repair, computer repair, laptop computer repair, desktop computer repair, Wi-Fi network and wired LAN network configuration & repair, Windows XP repair, Windows Vista repair, Windows 7 repair, network server support, virus & spyware removal, home PC repair, printer configuration, PC - desktop computer - laptop computer - netbook computer performance optimization & speed up service. Homes and small businesses with limited IT service and IT support budgets in the local Columbia, Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland(MD) hire Dial A Nerd.


© 2000-2013 P. D. Moulton
DialANerd
7146 Rivers Edge Road Columbia, MD 21044 US
Phone: 410-531-5890 Website: dialanerd.com