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October 31, 2009

How’s your Windows 7 coming along?

We seem to be getting some excitement in our forum about Windows 7. I guess this is reflective of interest in the greater PC community. So, how’s it going? Decided on getting it yet? Found a way to buy it? Thinking of installing it? Let’s see….

Buying it – choosing a purchase method and an edition.

• You could simply buy a new machine. That’s an easy way to get Windows 7 of some edition. That way, you’ll know the hardware is compatible, for sure. In fact, if you bought a new machine pretty recently, you should have got an upgrade-for-free offer.
• You could be a University IT nerd and hop on the MSDN Academic Alliance (thanks gto-pontiac for the tip)
• You could be a University / TAFE student or staff member with a relevant email address. This will allow you to purchase Windows 7 Pro Upgrade edition through ItsNotCheating for the princely sum of AUD 49.95.
• You could suddenly discover the wonders of OEM Windows licensing. The Ultimate OEM edition that can be sold with new machines appears to be discounted to AUD 259.
• You could pretend to be an IT nerd and subscribe to a Technet Plus subscription (thanks AussieBoykie for the tip).

But what edition does one need?

There is a comprehensive Windows 7 Product Guide available for free download from Microsoft. The feature matrix is an appendix in the back pages. Ultimate and Enterprise editions allow Windows 7 to install to and boot from a .vhd. Pro edition allows Windows 7 to act as Remote Desktop Host.

What are the Upgrade options?

Ed Bott made sense of a confusing Upgrade matrix in his Ultimate Upgrade FAQ

Contingencies

What should you do in case the install doesn’t “take” and you want to “roll back”?

• Check out whether you will experience major difficulties – run the Upgrade Advisor
• In particular check whether some existing or legacy hardware will be in the “bye bye” heap. Reconcile yourself to that.
• Backup your data to a separate volume or hard disk
• Image your Windows System onto an external hard disk.
• Make sure you have a bootable Hard Disk Recovery CD and that this CD works and can “see” your backup medium / external hard disk.

Have we missed anything? Got anything to add? Tell us about your experiences. Come to the Forum and participate.

Posted by Anandasim at 12:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 22, 2009

Microsoft: “Ve Don’t Shush Here!”

“Were not about big events any more. We are about listening to what users have got to say," said James DeBragga, general manager of Windows consumer product marketing.

It so reminded me of Siegfried and Shtarker as they bumbled along with Max(well) Smart and Agent 99. The media keeps repeating how Microsoft wants to distance itself from Vista – maybe that’s the reason behind the different style of Microsoft marketing. Or maybe Ballmer is playing low key… No, that can’t be it.

 

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Meanwhile, Long Zheng has compiled a list of new style “Totally My Idea” Windows ads. They’re still very unnerving to me, almost as unnerving as those personal launch party ads we wrote about.

Anyway, what’s with Windows 7? Is it any good?

There’s a resounding “Yes”, but it’s sort of deafeningly silent. Windows 7 RC has been on the web, downloadable for sooo long and even a month or two ago, enclosed in freebie DVDs that come with mags. It can run inside a .vhd so we didn’t even need to hack our partitions or creak out the Virtualisation Machine to give it a try. It just ran, it just worked. It’s even worked on 512Mb PCs. Check the Upgrade Advisor.

Word Veteran Woody Leonhard (is he still sunning himself in Thailand?) wrote on the pros and cons of switching to Windows 7 in the regular Windows Secrets that “Windows 7 is easier on the eyes”. And it is. I first noticed it in the V thing (sshussh, don’t mention the V word!) – finally those spanking new slim, energy efficient LCD monitors now have something to shine for – Windows 7 in screen rendition of fonts, icons, everything, looks heaps sharper and clearer for those baby boomer, multi-focal-wearing eyes.

“Hew Mech Is It?”, you say? Well, uh, not cheap. Did you expect it to be? C’mon! This is Microsoft, not some pansy Linux holding hands in a circle party. RRP is AUD 199 for Home Premium Upgrade, AUD 399 for Pro Upgrade. Hanging out for Ultimate? What comes in that box again? Uh. Like the previous V Ultimate? Uh. Ok.

But you can take the attitude of “Ve don’t pay RRP”. There are several approaches.

New machines usually have discounted OEM Windows, at lower than RRP price. And with the global financial crisis (one retailer staffer was heard saying that notebooks and stuff was so un-exciting compared to say, digital cameras, mobile phones and GPS units) and the urge by Notebook companies to fill volume, you might even get a good deal on last year’s model notebook, with free Windows 7 upgrade option at a bargain.

There’s the student and teacher option. Staff at Australian Universities and TAFEs who have a university email address can buy a downloadable Windows 7 (optionally with CD) for AUD 49.95 (extra for the CD) from It’s Not Cheating – a Digital River online shopping cart selling Microsoft product.

And then, there’s the Technet and MSDN subscriptions.

Just don’t expect to get Windows 7 RRP for the Aussie equivalent of 399 yuan – oh wait, the Google conversion says that is AUD 63…. Wonder what the European price will be? Knowing them, they would want to pay more and be spanked as well by taking out the big blue E from the pack.

Anyways, if you’re one of those who’re already converted, maybe you can just relax and get some Very Bright kids to whip up something for you using that mysterious thing called the Windows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework. And tell them not to dwadle and hurry up. I mean, if they don’t hurry up Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 will be upon us.

For bits and pieces on Windows 7 as we find out, keep an eye on our Forum – the kind regulars are always there to help.

Posted by Anandasim at 08:12 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack