Windows7 Evangelist

As interest in virtualization on the desktop continues to rise there naturally has been a lot of discussion about running Windows, Linux and Apple Macintosh operating systems side by side on machines running multi-core processors.

This can be accomplished most efficiently using Type 1 hypervisor client software that allows hardware systems to run multiple instances of various operating systems, as opposed to other approaches that require users to install one operating system as a virtual guest on top of another system. The issue with Type 1 hypervisor approaches is how to integrate the multiple operating systems sharing the same underlying hardware.

To solve that problem, Neocleus has released NeoSphere, which not only gives IT administrators a centralized approach to managing multiple operating systems running on the same client, but also creates a framework that allows those operating systems to share data and even applications.

Up until now, running multiple operating systems on the same client has primarily appealed to geeks and IT organizations with particular requirements. But with the advent of Windows 7, you can’t help but wonder if more IT organizations are going to be interested in an approach that allows them to run Windows 7 and Windows XP side by side.

While it’s true that Windows 7, like Windows Vista before it, will include an Windows XP application compatibility option, chances are good that a lot of IT organizations are going to want to take a measured approach to migrating to Windows 7. Given that requirement, the ability to effectively integrate Windows XP and Windows 7 through a common layer of virtualization software might prove to be a pretty compelling approach.

With the rise of virtualization and multicore processors, we now live in the most interesting of IT times. And when it comes to developing future Windows migration strategies, those two technologies should factor very heavily into the future plans of every enterprise IT organization.

Stable and completed code for Windows 7 will be released to early adopters during the coming week, with mass availability planned for the following Tuesday.

The eagerly awaited Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 will be posted to members of Microsoft’s Developer Network and TechNet for download on April 30. RC1 will be made generally available on May 5, Microsoft said late Friday.

Microsoft confirmed the dates after the RC leaked to four torrent sites, causing excitement and frustration that Microsoft didn’t appear to be offering a date for release.

This is expected to be the last code cut before Windows 7 is delivered as final product, unless major bugs or faults are uncovered. Microsoft pointedly did not give a date for Windows 7’s release to manufacturing when it announced the RC and has been clinging to a 2010 time frame.

The smart money, though, is on release to manufacturing and OEMs this year, as early as this summer. Consumers are expected to get Windows 7 on new PCs and as boxed product in time for the back-to-school shopping window starting in September and October or the holiday shopping season a little later.

Businesses on Microsoft’s enterprise accounts are likely to get a slightly earlier lead-time on the new operating system.

Windows XP, the predecessor to Windows Vista, officially launched in October 2001 – in good time for the holiday shopping season – while Windows Vista was delivered to consumers in the fallow, post-holiday shopping period of a February – a fact that meant a disappointing start to sales.

Windows 7 has been pretty much completed from a usability perspective for a while, with people already using the operating system at work.

Windows Experience blogger Brandon LeBlanc said changes since January’s beta included bug fixes and improvements to the overall “experience,” He pointed to refinements in the new taskbar, the behavior of Aero Peek, Touch, and Windows Media Player.

Microsoft has said that any version of Windows 7 will run on a netbook. We try it with Windows 7 Ultimate.

(Computerworld) Microsoft made headlines recently when The Wall Street Journal reported that the company planned to equip netbooks with the Starter edition of Windows 7, a semi-crippled version that only lets users run up to three applications at a time.

This is puzzling, considering that Microsoft really needs Windows 7 to be on the netbook. Netbooks are the one segment of the PC market that’s actually growing, even in the current economy. For now, Microsoft is offering Windows XP on netbooks because Vista simply won’t run on a netbook’s limited hardware, but it’s going to need to move them to Windows 7 once that operating system hits the market.

(It’s worth noting that while Microsoft claims any version of Windows 7 will run on current netbooks, Intel is not making such claims. In fact, Anand Chandrasekher, Intel’s head of Ultra Mobility, recently said that Intel will be releasing new Atom processors in the second half of 2009 that will support Windows 7 Starter and Basic editions.)

Which brings up the question: Is there anything wrong with running a full version of Windows 7 on a netbook? To test this out, I decided to install the Windows 7 Ultimate beta (because of frequent updates, I worked with builds 7000 to 7077) on a Dell Mini 9 netbook. How well would it run?
What Windows 7 needs

Microsoft states that Windows 7 requires a 1-GHz processor, 1GB of main memory and support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface). The company recommends that you have at least 16GB of available disk space for the installation; Windows 7 actually takes up about 5GB.

The Dell Mini 9 is powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor running at 1.6 GHz. The test machine had 1GB of RAM and an 8GB SSD. The 8.9-in. display is powered by the processor’s built-in 945GSE graphics. The default resolution, which is typical for a netbook, is 1024 by 600. The Mini 9 also has three USB ports, an Ethernet port, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and an SD card reader.

What it doesn’t have, as is the case with almost all netbooks, is an optical drive for the installation disk. To get around this, I used a Sony DRX-710UL external DVD drive.
Smooth installation, slow performance

The installation, from start to finish, took about an hour and there wasn’t a single glitch. Once in place, Windows 7 was slow to boot up. Because of a netbook’s lowered graphics capacity, you can forget about running the Aero interface, but even Windows 7’s low-end non-Aero desktop took a while to load on the Mini 9.

To provide a comparison, I also loaded Windows 7 on an HP EliteBook 2530p, a 3-lb. ultralight notebook that comes with a 1.86-GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM. I tested both machines using Microsoft’s Windows Experience Index, the performance benchmark that’s included in both Vista and Windows 7. On a scale running from 1.0 to 7.9, the Dell Mini 9 came in at a 2.0, while the EliteBook showed a 3.1 result. (In contrast, a high-end system with DX10 graphics is expected to score somewhere around 6.0 or higher.)

Performance wasn’t the only problem I came across. For example, I was unable to perform two network-related tasks at once. For example, if I copied a file from a network server or watched a YouTube video, life was fine. But if I tried to do both things at once, I ended up with a frozen system.

Read more @ http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9132041

After two weeks of leak drought, we finally have Windows 7 RC download leaked on April 24 at 12:57AM EST. The torrent can be found on all popular major torrent sites. The leak came just two days after Microsoft issued the RC to TAP Gold partners and OEMs as reported by Neowin yesterday. We’ve received confirmation from one of our forum members, wguimb, that this image is indeed real and being seeded by him. File image details below:

Confirmed by David our forum moderator.

More info @ http://windows7center.com/news/windows-7-rc-download-build-7100-x86-and-x64-leaked/

In a recent study from Forrester Research, analysts found that Dell and Hewlett-Packard provided customer experiences that were well below par, while Apple came out on top.

According to the study, which asked 4,500 U.S. consumers to rate the usefulness and enjoyability of products, Dell received a “poor” rating in overall customer experience. The company mustered a “very poor” when it came to the customer’s enjoyment using Dell products. HP’s experience was rated as “poor,” while Apple led the way for computer manufacturers with an overall “good” experience.

Bruce Temkin, the study’s author, wrote that while PC manufacturers have some work to do to enhance the consumer’s experience, Windows also contributed to the low marks.

“I do think Microsoft’s software has a bit to do with it,” Temkin wrote. “Consumers don’t distinguish problems with the operating system from problems with the PC manufacturer. Bottom line, the Windows ecosystem needs an extreme customer experience makeover.”

I agree with Temkin. But I also believe that Windows 7 is the single Windows OS that can improve the consumer’s experience.

Aside from compatibility issues, one of my biggest complaints with Windows Vista was its design. Microsoft tried to be too fancy with the look and feel of the OS instead of focusing more on its ease of use. It wasn’t an improvement over XP and it ruined my experience.

But Windows 7 is different.

The Windows 7 experience

Windows 7’s taskbar is a game-changer. When you roll your mouse over an icon in the taskbar, thumbnails of every open instance of the application will be displayed. If you’re unsure which window you want to open, you can hover your mouse over a specific thumbnail and it will be brought to the front in full size. It’s a simple addition, but it makes finding open windows much easier. More importantly, it enhances the consumer experience.

Whenever you perform a clean install of an operating system, it’s fast. Windows XP was snappy when I installed it on my machine and so was Vista. But after using Windows 7 and comparing it to a clean install of Vista, I found that Windows 7 booted faster than Vista. It also opened applications quicker than its predecessor. The difference wasn’t major, but it was noticeable. So noticeable, in fact, that I think consumers will be happy with what they find.

When I used Windows Vista, one of my biggest complaints was the almost constant annoyance from User Account Control. It was everywhere. “Do you really want to open this application?” “Do you really want to download this program?” “Do you really want to sit that way? It might hurt your back.” It ruined my experience.

But in Windows 7, the UAC popped up just once or twice over the course of a week. The annoyance was gone. And, once again, it improved my experience.

There are countless other areas where Windows 7 provides an improved experience over Windows Vista. But those three examples illustrate something we can’t lose sight of: using Windows 7 is more enjoyable than using its predecessors.

And isn’t that all Dell and HP really need? If Temkin is right and most consumers cannot distinguish between the software and the hardware, won’t an improved Windows help enhance their overall experience? And won’t that, in turn, help PC manufacturers score higher on the survey?

How much higher is the question. Improving a consumer’s experience goes beyond installing better software. The hardware needs to follow suit. Though the specs in most PCs are on-par with competing products from Apple, PC manufacturers need to be aware that part of Apple’s appeal is in the design of the product. And although HP and Dell have tried to improve the design of their PCs, Macs are still the most attractive computers on the market.

But as these companies try to figure out how to turn things around, it’s Windows, that very OS that’s currently bringing them down, that will help them break out of their decline.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10223400-17.html

Despite the end-of-May projection, according to Microsoft’s Partner Program website, the highly anticipated Windows 7 release candidate should be presently available for subscribers of MSDN and TechNet, with an expected public release date of May 5th, or is it?

In an attempt to verify this information, Ars Technica checked both sites for the supposed RC and failed to discover anything but the same tired beta of Windows 7. With inkling that the posting was just another slip up, Ars turned to their readers who managed to obtain a quote from Microsoft’s Online Concierge substantiating the theory with a confirmation that the RC has not been made available via TechNet or MSDN, and is only presently available to Microsoft OEM partners, such as Dell.

Although the confusion surrounding the Windows 7 RC’s current availability to TechNet and MSDN subscribers has been solved, the stated public release of May 5th has yet to be addressed.

A few days ago, we wrote an article about the bright future Windows 7 Adoption has ahead, contrary to many other news sites claiming the same survey results show that IT admins are wary of Windows 7 and prefer to use XP. Ed Bott at ZDNet agrees with me and was able to find further evidence to back his claim that “Windows 7 is on track to be Microsoft’s most successful business OS release ever.”

When the results were shown in pie charts and bar graphs, many were misled that Windows 7 Enterprise Adoption would be another miss for Microsoft.

Perhaps this chart showing the same results in a different format will surprise a few of you:

According to the results of the KACE survey, more than 80% of IT Pros plan to upgrade to Windows 7 by 36 months, which is phenomenal compared to the 30-40% adoption rate of XP. A similar study was also conducted by an investment bank that focuses on technology, called Pacific Crest Securities. 80 IT decision makers working at enterprises of over 1000 employees were surveyed. The results show a much brighter future for Windows 7 Enterprise adoption than the KACE results:

• 50% plan to upgrade to Windows 7 as soon as it is available
• 46% expect to start the upgrade before the end of 2009, within months of Windows 7’s release
• 55% of respondents expect to do system-wide upgrades, rather than upgrading as new PCs are purchased.

It’s also worth noting that 96% of the surveyees like Windows 7 compared to the 88% satisfaction rate of the same group in January. Most of us tend to forget that most businessess need to spend at least a year to test for compatibility and work on implementing a good migration strategy. Ed Bott has also written an analytical post on the history of Windows adoption rates that is worth reading for those interested.

Source: http://windows7center.com/news/windows-7-adoption-rate-to-be-faster-than-xps/

With Windows 7 release candidate just around the corner, the other day I was asked to spec out a high performance PC suitable for Windows 7 64-bit, This system would also be a great Vista system.

Note: Just to clarify that this is a “high performance” PC, and not a “sky’s the limit, money no object” system. I am therefore choosing parts that offer the best bang for the buck at the high end, and not the very best, bleeding edge components.

Here’s the spec I came up with:

CPU

Choosing an Intel CPU is a no-brainer when it comes to high performance PCs. Intel’s current Core i7 silicon offer the very best performance going. However, if you go for the top of the line 965 Extreme Edition then you are going to be spending a thousand dollars on the CPU alone. While some people are happy to spend such sums on just the CPU, I feel that the cost outweighs the performance gains and that the cheapest Core i7, the2.66GHz 920, which retails at a more reasonable $290 is a better option.

The 920 still offers plenty of performance and if combined with the right parts you can always overclock the system to get even more horsepower.

Price: $290

Motherboard

With the Core i7 processor in the bag, we now need a compatible motherboard. A Core i7 CPU needs a socket LGA 1366 motherboard sporting an X58 chipset, and fortunately there are plenty to choose from.

For this build I went for the ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 board. There are three reasons to like this board:

• Support for 24GB of DDR3 RAM
• Triple PCIe 2.0 x16 slots
• Excellent overclocker

Price: $290

RAM

While the ASUS P6T can support up to 24GB of RAM, that much memory is overkill and a waste of money. A good compromise for a Core i7 system is 12GB.

For this build I went for 12GB (in the form of 6 x 2GB modules) of OCZ DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) high performance RAM.

Price: $220

Graphics card

While this system can take three NVIDIA graphics cards in a triple-SLI setup, I’m only adding one card to the initial build.

The card I’m adding to this system is NVIDIA’s excellent EVGA GeForce GTX 285 GTX 1GB GDDR3. This is an excellent card and is a solid performer at a reasonable price (for a high-end card). It’s also quiet and the cooler is very effective.

Price: $340

Hard drives

A high performance system needs lots of fast storage. Unfortunately, solid-state drives (SSDs) haven’t fallen to a price point where you can get a decent amount of storage at a decent price.

I’m picking two drives for this system:

1. 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black ($110)
2. 2TB Western Digital ($300)

Plenty of fast storage!

Price: $410

Sound card

This is a pretty simple pick – it has to be the Creative X-Fi Titanium PCIe card.

Price: $135

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

While I don’ see the point of over-spending on a crazy PSU, a system like this does need a power supply that has enough overhead to cater for both future upgrades and the demands of any overclocking.

With that in mind I’ve chosen a 700W SeaSonic M12 SS-700HM. This is an 80 PLUS certified unit that makes use of modular cabling to help you keep the cables under control. All SeaSonic units I’ve handles are also well made and very reliable.

Price: $160

Miscellaneous

A few final bits and pieces:

• Sony BWU-300S Blu-ray drive – $360
• Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler – $75
• Case (up to the individual, so I’ll set a price limit) – $200

Total price: $2,480

Nothing here we haven’t heard rumored before, but given just how concrete this data is compared to theoretical assertions of the past, we figured it prudent to pass along. A study that polled over 1,100 IT professionals recently found that a staggering majority of companies are likely to skip right over Windows 7 — just like so many did with Windows Vista.

In fact, the results showed that an incredible 83% of enterprises plan to skip on over Windows 7 during its first year out, presumably to let those more courageous early adopters deal with the early bugs and security holes. The significance here is that if this proves true, a staggering amount of major companies will still be using Windows XP far, far after Microsoft expected. As it stands, Windows XP support is already looking to be shut off soon (save for on those netbooks that can’t run anything more demanding), and now it remains to be seen if the suits in Redmond will keep on supporting or simply cut things off and force people to upgrade.

Looking further into the numbers, we also find that only 42% of these enterprises plan to shift to Win7 during its second year on the market, while 24% suggested that they’d probably wait until the third year. Of course, the current economy could be blamed for companies reeling back on software spending, but we honestly don’t think that’s the case. Ever since Vista hit the scene, companies have been increasingly wary about changing something that’s not broken. If WinXP continues to drive their business efficiently, there’s really no incentive to risk catastrophe by upgrading.

Early reports of Windows 7 have been far more positive than even late reviews of Vista, though, so we suppose hearts could change if the vibe from Microsoft gets even more positive in the run-up to the operating system’s release. Analysts are wondering if a corporate hold-out on Windows 7 will further degrade Microsoft’s market share, and frankly, we have our doubts. Companies ingrained in the Windows ecosystem aren’t about to just switch to OS X or Linux willy-nilly. The worst case scenario in our view? Microsoft loses a few sales thanks to its own product, and the shift into Win7 is delayed a bit longer than Ballmer and Company would like. In other words, it’s far from the end of Microsoft’s world.