Windows 7 Redux

Have installed Windows 7 Enterprise on my computer and used it for a couple of days.

Installation was a complete breeze. I have never installed Windows on a computer with so very little effort before. My previous experiences usually involved installing Windows XP, which would format the hard drive into at most a 160GB block, since it couldn't recognise any hard drive bigger than that. This usually screws up the partition drive, and if you have done a previous partition, it would destroy information on the other hard drive.

After that, one needs to slowly install all my hardware drivers (e.g. Motherboard, soundcard, videocard, bluetooth keyboard set, etc), update the drivers, install SP1, SP2, SP3... Extremely tedious and slow process. After that, since I use WPA2 wireless authentication, I couldn't access my home wireless network without installing a XP hotfix that enabled the authentication. But to download the hotfix, I needed to get internet access. Then follows the tons and tons of security fixes. Usually it's like a full-day/ multi-day affair excluding the other applications...

Windows 7 worked like a breeze. I installed it, and when it started, I thought it wasn't working, but somehow the login page default to show on my secondary output (HDMI TV), instead of my normal screen. I actually restarted it a couple of times before I realised it.

Next, it recognised and installed ALL my hardware and my wireless worked, at least at that moment. I had a fully functional Operating System in about an half hour! That's a miracle, literally after almost 8 years of tedium. Application installations were mostly ok, although my copy of Modern Combat failed to work. I believe that most older applications might have compatibility issues. Although there's a XP-Compatibility mode, I'm not entirely sure how to activate it.

Another major issue was with my wireless. My joy with the wireless was short-lived, and my wireless connection kept dropping continuously after that! It annoyed the heck out of me. Even though it could detect my network (two bars out of five), it just couldn't connect. Previously with XP, usually the solution is to "Repair" the connection, where XP disables the wireless receiver and restarts it again. Usually it works.

But Windows 7 doesn't have that option to "Repair the Connection", instead I had to disconnect manually, and restart the network adapter again. NOT THAT IT WORKS. Years of trained XP behaviour dictates that I repeat that action almost daily, at least 5-10 times before I realise it wasn't working. And the trouble-shooting feature clearly wasn't helpful (It kept telling me that I needed to reset and restart my router, which I knew wasn't the answer, as my iPhone next to me kept a strong wireless connection. My final solution was to rotate my CPU, such that the network adapter faced the general direction of the router, thereby increasing the signal strength to 4 bars.) It works nows, but I'm not sure if it's a consistently, replicate-able solution. We shall see. Wireless connectivity is an issue that can make-or-break an OS.

I love the variable wallpaper feature, which changes the wallpaper every XX mins with any pictures. Have previously tried Vista before, so was already familiar with the Aero feature. One minor annoyance was that the CPU only outputs to 1 line-out jack and 1 headphone jack. Previously, my CPU connected to my legacy stereo system and my LCD TV, so I could watch movies on my computer screen and output sound on my stereo, or watch on my LCD TV and the accompanying sound system. I like options. But perhaps I need to update my Asus motherboard drivers to get back my full features, since I hadn't installed any drivers on my own yet.

Performance-wise, I was pleasantly surprised that even with Aero features on, Windows 7 actually works faster than XP! Shut-down, start-up also ran much faster than my previous XP installation. That's amazing, since I have heard that Vista drastically reduced performance, and was hoping that the drop-off would not be too marked. Perhaps the Vista failure was actually a marketing campaign for Windows 7! ;)

Overall, I'm quite happy about Windows 7. I'm impressed that Microsoft was open enough to allow a free 90-day trial of the Enterprise Edition. Good to be able to test it out first on all compatibility issues, and examine what exactly I am upgrading to. I'm unlikely to need the additional features of Enterprise vis-a-vis the Professional Edition (i.e. Bitlocker and something else).

Windows is no longer a joke. That's great for us long-running windows users. Windows 7 finally gives us a reason to have our heads held high when listening to the dribble of MacOS fanatics. Great!