Windows7 Evangelist

Windows 7 64-bit will soon take over desktop computers.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Consumers have had the option of 64-bit Windows computing since the release of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition in May 2005, four years after the release of Windows XP 32-bit. At the end of 2006, Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit versions were released simultaneously. Yet chances are you’re currently using a machine that runs the 32-bit version of Windows.

This is about to change. Windows 64-bit has started to gain a significant foothold in the past two years as more systems ship with 3GB or more of memory. However, with Windows 7, 64-bit computing is likely to become even more common.

What’s the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit computing? In a nutshell, the numbers refer to the amount of bits a computer can process in one computation. They also translate into the amount of random access memory (RAM) a computer can address. A 32-bit Windows computer can address a maximum of 4GB of RAM, while a 64-bit Windows machine can address up to 128GB and even more (64-bit applications can address theoretically up to 16 billion gigabytes of memory). So the higher number of bit means better computing, both in terms of precision and capability.

Despite the potential, the transition to the new platform has been slow. This is because of the high price of RAM and the lack of device drivers and 64-bit software applications. (Drivers are a special type of software that make hardware components work with the operating system. Without the sound driver, for example, your computer wouldn’t be able to play music.)

Back when Windows Vista was released, 2GB of RAM, which is the recommended amount to make Vista run properly, could easily cost a couple hundred dollars. (This is one of the reasons Vista failed so badly as a new OS release.) There was virtually no 64-bit application then, either, other than a few game demos, and most hardware vendors didn’t provide the 64-bit version of the drivers. Apart from this, 32-bit computers have been able to satisfy most of our daily computing needs.

It’s been more than four years since then and things have changed a lot. Windows Vista, while it wasn’t exactly celebrated, has helped make 64-bit drivers become more readily available. The fact that Windows 7 uses the same driver architecture as Vista will make it the most 64-bit-ready OS when it’s officially released come October. On top of that RAM is now about four times more affordable than it used to be back in 2005.

(Currently, if you buy a computer from Dell or HP or any other vendors and choose to have 4GB of RAM or more, the computer will come with Windows Vista 64-bit.)

I just finished testing the 64-bit version of Windows 7 for the review of the OS and can confirm that most of the critical hardware components, including networking, sound, and video, now have 64-bit drivers ready. By the time Windows 7 is officially released, you’ll probably have no problem finding 64-bit drivers for most components.

That said, despite the fact there are not yet many 64-bit applications, here are the compelling reasons to move to the 64-bit platform:

Larger memory: As RAM gets cheaper, new computers come with more RAM, and the only way to make this useful is to use a 64-bit version of Windows. It’s safe to say all computers equipped with 4GB of RAM or more will be pre-installed with Windows 64-bit. In short, you might just get a Windows 64-bit computer whether you are aware of that. This is probably the main reason for the 64-bit platform to take off.

(RAM, or system memory, is the place where information is being processed. This is not to be confused with hard drive, the place where information is stored. The more RAM a computer has, the faster it can get things done.)

Backward compatibility: Most, if not all, 32-bit software applications (except for drivers) can operate in Windows 64-bit the way they do in Windows 32-bit. In other words, Windows 64-bit can run all what Windows 32-bit runs plus 64-bit applications.

Nvidia is one of many hardware vendors that offer 64-bit drivers for their products.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Better experience: Together with the 64-bit Windows, Microsoft enforces the digital signature of the drivers. This means there will be less badly developed device drivers, which are one of the main causes of crashes. Also, 64-bit versions of software, especially games and graphics/multimedia programs, will offer much better overall performance.

However, there are still a couple of reasons to expect some hiccups during this transition. First off, drivers are still issues, as many legacy peripheral devices, such as printers or scanners, will never work with 64-bit Windows. Secondly, 16-bit software applications, those designed for Windows 3.1 or DOS, will not be supported anymore. Lastly, I personally have found out that codecs for many types of compressed video formats, such as MKV or DiVx, for now, are not working well with Windows 64-bit, especially with the Media Center application.

Also, we can’t ignore the fact that as a 32-bit application can run on both platforms, developers are now still more enticed to make them than the 64-bit versions.

Nonetheless, together with Windows 7, the 64-bit platform will definitely be taking over desktops and high-performance laptops, leaving the 32-bit primarily for Netbooks and low-power, low-performance applications.

Apple is also moving in the same direction with the upcoming release of Snow Leopard, whose accompanying applications (including Finder, Mail, Safari, iCal, iChat, and so on) will be 64-bit.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10302050-1.html

Apple’s upcoming Snow Leopard upgrade currently occupies two of the three top spots on Amazon’s software top seller list. The pre-sale prices are $29 for a single computer and $49 for a 5-user family pack.

Microsoft occupied the same two spots last month when it was pre-selling the Windows 7 Home Premium edition upgrade for $50 and the Professional edition for $100.

There’s a profound difference between the $29 Apple is charging, and Microsoft’s $50 offer: Apple’s price won’t expire.

That same Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade will now set you back a solid $120. While one might ask why Microsoft would need to lower its prices when its current prices are more aggressive than what they asked for Vista. I have the answer; Consumer’s expectations have changed.

People now expect to be able to buy netbooks for $300, notebooks for $500 and premium desktops for a few hundred more.

For the person running XP on a $300 netbook, spending an additional $120 for Windows 7 is exorbitant. Ditto for the person who bought a laptop running Vista two years ago. Many people would rather put that money toward their next computer purchase that will be much more powerful than they already have.

A person could argue that regardless of whether people buy Windows 7 upgrade or just buy a new computer, Microsoft sells an OS. This is technically true, but MS has to be much more aggressive with its pricing for OEMs than consumers. It is much happier to sell you an upgrade to your existing computer where they pocket more cash.

Microsoft is smart to sell a family pack for $150. This allows users to update up to three computers to Windows 7 Home Premium. This makes sense for households and small businesses that actually own three computers. However, there is a huge market for people that only own a single computer that is powerful enough to run Windows 7.

For the chunk of change that Microsoft is asking, these folks might just continue using XP or Vista, which still work fine for the overwhelming majority of computing tasks.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/169899/microsoft_should_follow_apples_lead_on_windows_7_pricing.html

Microsoft has recently announced their latest keyboard and mouse set—the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000.  Just to begin with, the new set is wireless, with both the keyboard and mouse using a shared USB 2.4GHz transceiver.

They keyboard itself, aside from being Windows 7 ready, has a Comfort Curve layout with a soft-touch palm rest and low-profile quiet touch keys. The mouse offers an ambidextrous friendly shape along with rubber side grips and uses Microsoft BlueTrack technology for tracking.

Now, getting back to the Windows 7 ready features, the keyboard has a feature called Taskbar Favorites that will give users an easy way to access and open their applications.  Other features specific for Windows 7 include Device Stage which gives the user easy access to common tasks as well as Windows Flip which will allow users to easily see a thumbnail preview of all open windows by pressing a single button.

The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 will retail for $80 when it hits stores later this month.  However, if for some reason you feel the need to rush out and purchase this now, it is currently available for pre-order though Amazon.

Microsoft’s newest operating system for PCs will launch in late October, but it won’t boost PC sales enough to help the global DRAM memory chip market until the second quarter of next year, executives in Taiwan said Thursday.

More DRAM goes into computers than any other kind of chip, making the DRAM industry largely dependant on PC sales. The trouble is the global recession hit PC sales when DRAM makers were already wrestling with a chip glut that had sent DRAM prices into a tailspin. Most DRAM makers had posted consecutive losses for nearly two years due to the chip glut, but the recession added to the pain, sending Qimonda AG into bankruptcy while leaving others teetering on the edge.

The launch of Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS on October 22 has raised hopes for a PC sales rebound, but some Taiwanese DRAM makers believe Windows 7 will have a limited impact this year.

“We don’t think Windows 7 will have a big impact on DRAM until the second quarter of next year,” said Pai Pei-lin, a vice president at Nanya Technology, at a news conference. “Most corporate customers probably won’t buy Windows 7 until service pack 1 (SP1) comes out,” he said. Corporations are also putting off purchases until more signs of an improvement in the economy emerge.

Charles Kau, president of Inotera Memories, a joint venture run by Nanya and U.S. partner Micron Technology, agreed with Pai’s assessment. The trends most likely to boost DRAM makers now are the increased use of DDR3 (double data rate, third generation) DRAM chips, a newer form of DRAM, as well as new production technology that will allow chip makers to produce more DRAM on each silicon wafer. Thousands of chips can be made on a single 12-inch round silicon wafer.

“Currently, there is a shortage of DDR3,” said Kau, because demand for the chips in new notebook computers has spiked. “DDR3 is more energy efficient, giving you longer battery life in mobile computers,” he said.

The DRAM industry showed marked improvement in the second quarter over the first. Production cuts at some DRAM makers as well as a move by PC vendors to replenish inventories boosted DRAM revenue to US$4.04 billion in the second quarter, 27.1 percent higher than the recession-gripped first quarter, according to DRAMeXchange Technology, which provides DRAM market intelligence.

Despite the increase, DRAM makers continue to post losses.

Nanya Technology said revenue dropped 15 percent year-on-year to NT$8.09 billion (US$246.65 million) in the second quarter, but rose 31 percent compared to the first quarter’s NT$6.17 billion. The company’s net loss narrowed slightly to NT$6.55 billion from NT$7.29 billion last year. It also shrank from a first quarter net loss of NT$10.51 billion.

Inotera reported its revenue declined 23 percent year-on-year to NT$7.46 billion in the second quarter, but that figure showed a 17 percent improvement over first quarter revenue of NT$6.36 billion. The company’s net loss widened to NT$4.11 billion from NT$3.23 billion last year.

DRAM makers Hynix Semiconductor of South Korea and Elpida Memory of Japan both recently reported their seventh straight quarterly losses, though they showed improvement over the previous quarter. Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker, was the only DRAM provider to see its chip operations return to profitability in the second quarter.

Nanya’s Pai believes the first quarter of this year marked the bottom for DRAM industry revenue.

“The market is already returning to health, albeit slowly,” he said. “We expect to see improvement month to month as time progresses.”

My dad have an old computer which is loaded with WinXp. It had had a memory problem. After it is fixed, I then download both Fedora 11 live CD and Windows 7 RC install DVD and do some quick tests.

Machine Spec

I didn’t bother to dig the detail. Nevertheless, that machine has two special devices:
a multi-purpose build-in card-and-usb reader, and a LCD TV monitor.

Download

Fedora 11: Using BT download, no drama.

Windows 7: It has a downloader. Unlike other downloaders which are obviously independent programs, it seems like windows 7 downloader depends on IE. The download was reasonable fast. However, after I upgrade to IE 8 and reboot, the downloader refused to continue downloading until I removed some incompatible plug-ins and granted some permissions.

Boot and Install

I tried live USB, but it was not working on that machine. It works with two other laptops though. Luckily, my dad has plenty of blank CD and DVD.

Fedora 11: Kind of work-out-of-the-box. One thing did bother me is that the screen skewed to the upper left. I haven’t test the networking and other stuff, because I didn’t want to mock with ADSL.

Windows 7: After boot, the screen went blank and with some words that read “Not supported“. That LCD TV supported up to 1024×768.

Conclusion

Just some simple quick test, so no need to exaggerate.

Fedora 11: Need some final fine tune to put the screen in the middle.

Windows 7: Unable to perform the further test. Maybe they should be more conservative on video mode or provide a easy-to-spot text mode installation.

Skytap is scheduled to flip the switch today on the widgetry that will let developers and enterprise IT departments compatibility-test their Windows 7 applications in its cloud lab.

Users will be able to spin up a virtual sandbox, see if their apps run right on the new operating system and iron out any kinks ahead of 7 hitting the broad market at the end of October.

For a limited time the widgetry will cost $250 a month for 1,000 hours of testing time, a price that includes team access to Skytap’s Virtual Lab SaaS application and Windows 7 virtual machine templates.

The thousand hours might be enough for a single app of relative complexity, senior director of product marketing Ian Knox ventured.

Skytap expects to be alone in such an offering. Other clouds like Amazon aren’t set up to handle the client side, Knox said.

Microsoft, which wants to avoid any of the compatibility screw-ups that marred Vista at all costs, is expected to tout the Skytap service to its developer base.

Netflix has been growing its presence across various consumer devices. The service has been picking up steam making it more accessible with the Roku box and also via several Blu-ray players. It seems like Microsoft will also be integrating Netflix into the latest version of Windows soon.

Netflix was integrated on Vista Media Center previously, but many were surprised to see the service glaringly missing from Windows 7. According to AppScout, it seems Microsoft is working together with Netflix to bring the service to Windows 7 soon. The Netflix Watch Instantly service allows a user to queue up a selection of movies and watch them over IP.

This feature has opened up a new market segment dealing with streaming movies over IP. There are devices on the market such as the Roku box, and Blu-ray players from LG and Samsung that are capable of streaming Netflix HD movies as well. During the Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting in Seattle, Mike Ybarra, GM of Windows Product Management demonstrated the new integration with Netflix with Windows 7. Apparently, the Netflix feature will be completely touch capable for those with a touchscreen and Windows 7.

This is great to hear but considering the fact that Media Center still remains largely unpopular mainstream, it will be interesting to see how many people will take advantage of this feature. Living room dedicated media computers have come a long way, but its still far from becoming the norm. Devices such as the dedicated Roku box or even the Blu-ray players with Netflix HD streaming capabilities have been gaining popularity.

Ybarra also teased that Microsoft will not be stopping with Netflix integration for Windows 7 and that other features are currently in the works. It will be interesting to see what other similar features will be offered via Windows 7 Media Center besides Netflix.

On October 22, Microsoft will finally release a new version of Windows that will be as good as the deeply disappointing Windows Vista should have been when it came out in January 2007. The new edition, called Windows 7, is a big improvement over both Vista and the sturdy, 2001-vintage Windows XP still widely in use. It will give Apple’s long-superior Mac OS X operating system a run for its money (though Apple might maintain its edge with a new version, called Snow Leopard, due in September).

But how will Windows users transition their current computers to the new Windows 7? While this latest operating system stresses simplicity, the upgrade process will be anything but simple for the huge base of average consumers still using XP, who likely outnumber Vista users. It will be frustrating, tedious and labor-intensive.

In fact, the process will be so painful that, for many XP users, the easiest solution may be to buy a new PC preloaded with Windows 7, if they can afford such a purchase in these dire economic times. In fact, that’s the option Microsoft recommends for XP users. (Conveniently, this option also helps Microsoft’s partners that make PCs.)

By contrast, if you’re using Vista, the upgrade to Windows 7 should be a fairly easy, straightforward process. Because the new version shares most of the underlying guts of Vista, it installs itself on your current machine relatively quickly and smoothly, preserving all your files, folders, settings and programs. In a test of this process earlier this year, using a pre-release version of Windows 7, I upgraded a Vista laptop with no problems and little effort in about an hour.

But Windows XP users, including the millions who have recently snapped up cheap, XP-powered netbooks, will first have to wipe out everything on their hard disks in order to install Windows 7. on their current machines. In fact, Microsoft doesn’t even call migrating to Windows 7 from XP an “upgrade.” It refers to it as a “clean install,” or a “custom installation.” This disk wipeout can be performed manually, or automatically during the Windows 7 installation process.

If you’re an XP user, the disk-wiping will cause you to lose your current file and folder organization, and all your programs, though not necessarily your personal data files themselves.

However, in order to preserve these personal files, like documents and photos, you will have to undertake a long, multi-step process, typically requiring the use of an external hard disk, to which all these files will have to be temporarily moved and then moved back.

That means you’ll have to buy or borrow an external hard disk, or clean out enough room on one you already own, to hold all your files.

And the pain doesn’t end there. If you’re an XP user, moving to Windows 7 on your current computer means you will also have to re-install all your programs and restore all the software drivers for your printers and other add-on hardware. That could require locating the original program disks, or downloaded program installers, and then re-downloading and re-installing the numerous updates that have been issued since these original disks or installers came out.

And, there’s another problem: XP hardware drivers won’t work in Windows 7. Microsoft says it can automatically replace thousands of common older drivers with newer Windows 7-compatible versions, but admits that there may be some for which it doesn’t have replacements. The company specifically warns that some netbooks may include obsolete drivers.

Netbook owners face another problem. Even though Microsoft says Windows 7 will work fine on netbooks, most of them lack a DVD drive, which is needed to run the Windows 7 installation disk. So they’ll have to buy or borrow an external DVD drive.

Microsoft has taken some steps to make this easier. It plans to offer a free “Easy Transfer” program that will automate the process of moving your personal files to an external drive, and then restoring them to your computer after Windows 7 is installed. But this program won’t transfer your programs, only your personal data.

Also, if you don’t want to use an external hard disk to temporarily store your files, you can transfer them over a cable or network to another computer. The company even has an alternative where it will stow your personal data in a special folder called windows.old, on the transformed PC. But you’ll then have to manually move all of these files back to their normal locations.

Finally, Microsoft officials point out that this XP migration issue may be moot for many owners of older XP computers, because their ancient machines lack enough memory, hard disk space, or graphics power to accommodate Windows 7 anyway.

And, even if a really old machine is marginally capable of running Windows 7, it’s a mistake to try and cram a new OS into it and expect a great experience.

But if you do own an otherwise capable computer that happens to be running Windows XP, you’re likely facing a painful process should you choose to transition it to Windows 7.

Microsoft’s Windows Anytime Upgrade program lets users migrate to a premium version of the OS with a mouse click.

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) said Friday that its new Windows 7 computer operating system will include a tool that allows users to upgrade from a basic version of the OS to one of its more feature-rich cousins at the touch of a button.

Through the program, which Microsoft is calling Windows Anytime Upgrade, users can launch a screen from within Windows 7 that lets them purchase a product key for a pricier version of the software. Users can also enter a product key for an upgrade previously purchased at retail.

After purchasing or entering the product key, buyers can upgrade to whichever version of Windows 7 they choose with just a few clicks.

Consumers can upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium for $79.99. Moving from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional costs $89.99. Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $139.99.

Microsoft officials said Windows Anytime Upgrade could appeal to consumers under a number of scenarios. “A customer may purchase a netbook thinking they would use it primarily for e-mail,” said Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft’s in-house Windows blogger, in a post Friday. “Over time, they find they are using that netbook as their primary everyday PC,” wrote LeBlanc.

“WAU makes it super easy to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium,” LeBlanc added.

The program could help Microsoft’s battered top line, as it would allow the company to extract additional client revenue from its installed base of Windows customers. WAU could also help the software maker sell more premium versions of Windows.

Microsoft cited an unfavorable mix of basic-to-premium sales as a factor when it reported that Windows sales plunged 29% in the most recent quarter. Windows 7 has been released to computer makers and will be available to the general public on Oct. 22nd.