Top deals on CNET here
Windows 7: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why?
- 1/16/09 12:34 PM
Some needed help
by GUARDIANANGEL822 - 1/28/09 7:15 PM In reply to: re xp machine by HJBartzTwo things you must try! Access your Compatibility mode, You will be surprised that this will make 98% of your programs perform as they did in XP and Vista. You can access this feature at the bottom of your window pane in the task bar. The icon looks like a flag on a pole, secondly, Internet explorer is still under construction, wheather it be the beta 2 edition...Try Fire fox 3, you will have no problems and it has great speed and performance and will not crash or hang up. Remember, All Beta version are for testing and Since Microsoft was generous to let us computer geeks have the Beta version for free, Well, what more can I say..Hang in there, It will only get better..
I'm not sure how I feel yet
by rgfitz - 1/16/09 6:38 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I really haven't been able to get it installed properly. I thought my DVD was bad but I can install it to Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1 so the DVD must be good. It looks interesting.
I tried to install to an external SATA hard drive (Vista upgrade mode first and then clean install mode the second time) and it gets all the way to "Completing Installation..." and apparently hangs up about two-thirds of the way through. I let it sit there an hour until my cursor hangs and there is no activity showing on my HD indicator. Then I give up and roll back the install.
I had the same problem my first try...
by Striker - 1/16/09 8:40 PM In reply to: I'm not sure how I feel yet by rgfitz...what seemed to work was uninstalling Virus scanner (Clamwin) and Daemon tools. Daemon tools was for sure causing problems, and I just thought the AV might interfere too.
Basically I used msconfig to shut down all my 'likely' problem programs and the install went fine (upgrade from Vista). Then just start 'reactivating' startup programs one at a time). It took about 2 hours (this is not a fast machine...lenovo C200), but then was fine. In terms of AV, there are 3 approved. I had no luck with AVG (initially worked fine, but following an update, it started crashing windows). Norton 360 is working, but it kind of sucks (AVG was fast when it was working). I might try a newer version of daemon tools (was using 4.5 lite), though I don't really need it on this machine.
Microsoft Got it Right!!!
by iceman55 - 1/16/09 8:12 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I upgraded from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Beta. Figured I would lose software and hardware. I lost absolutely nothing. Everything worked. Totally opposite from when I upgraded to Vista.
Some of the highlights:
- Control Panel is easier to work with. No more 3 or 4 clicks to get where you want. It is all right there after you click Control Panel
- CPU temperature is about 3 to 4 degrees cooler
- Taskbar displays programs with just an icon and easier to preview what is open in each program
- Network and wireless setup is easier
I like W7
by SlamX - 1/16/09 8:18 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I like it for two reasons. Networking and sharing are easier than Vista. I also found it easier to navigate than Vista which saves time learning a new OS. It looks very similar to Vista but somehow is just easier to use.
Has a few bugs but that's normal for a beta.
Windows7 ...Not convinced as yet
by bakgeo - 1/16/09 8:37 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Great graphics, cool gadgets, Installed in jig time....BUT.The install didn't give me the option of setting up my network. Had a devil of a time trying to find where to change the 'workgroup'. I installed on a gigabyte k8nnxp m/b. No drivers for the gigabit ethernet on board, no drivers for the RAID controller, no drivers, unknown device. Tried running the setup for these from the m/b CD....Setup crashed each time.
I concur with control panel settings...it's all there. I don't like windows explorer, though, I find it really cumbersome. Much the same as Vista. What's operating so far is really fast. So the upshot of it all..Still working on it. Oh yes, one other thing, whenever I tried to send feedback, I couldn't get to the web site, and it always came up with the standard window, nothing tied to the errors that I had gotten, so that I had to retype the errors/codes manually.
I think it does give you that option
by 7aji88 - 1/17/09 10:50 AM In reply to: Windows7 ...Not convinced as yet by bakgeoAt the final stages of the setup, it will prompt you to create a library sharing or something like that. I'm not sure if that's the new network workgroup thing. It worked fine with my Vista running laptop, but not with my other XP machines.
can't stop using it
by nate625 - 1/16/09 8:39 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I decided to install win7 on my laptop which is a Hp Presario C500, 1.8GHz, with 512 Ram, thinking the OS wouldn't even run on it. Vista ran really slow on it so I used xp. Windows 7 installed quickly and no additional drivers were needed. (Never had that happen before!) IE8 is very fast. Installed some apps, games, firewall, and anti-virus from my xp desktop with no issues either.
Very impressive!
Couldn't tested it
by lizardo_manson - 1/16/09 8:43 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I tried to test Vista 7 but in the middle of the installation a BSOD appears, and that's every time i try to do a clean installation or in Windows installation., couldn't find help yet about the problem, too bad :/.
Windows 7 -- feels good.
by donwyner - 1/16/09 8:47 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I really didn't have enough time to test all the features of Win 7. But, for a user like me, advanced home and IT consulting work, it feels good. I never really adjusted to Vista. I loaded 7 in MIcrosoft Virtual PC and everything worked right the first time. I just found the GUI to be very natural for me.
On the other hand, would I switch from XP? No. I don't see 7 doing anything that I need that would incentivate me to take the risk of an upgrade. I can be happy with XP for a long time.
OK, but hesitant
by cps - 1/17/09 5:35 AM In reply to: Windows 7 -- feels good. by donwynerLike Donwyner, I tested Win7 and found it nice. I installed clean on a spare 3Ghz system with 1G RAM and no problems with installation or drivers. It appears smoother than Vista, which after 7 months, I still despise. I would like to think that Microsoft finally did something right, but history dictates I feel otherwise. XP has finally become very stable. If history proves to be true, Win7 will be as stable as XP when XP released; and that ain't good!
I'll stick with XPP for now. Maybe in a couple years and let someone else do the bleeding for a change, and then switch.
so far...love it.
by Striker - 1/16/09 9:04 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
running much faster than Vista on my lenovo 3000 C200 (1.73MHz Celeron M430,1GB DDR2 ram; i945GM video - which does allow Aero).
although it takes a bit of getting used to, the new task bar is awesome. being able to pin to it (and there is a hack for those who want to add quickstart - but the new bar has that beat). It can be placed on any edge (not new) and it works like it was supposed to be there (which is new, it usually ended up looking and acting weird on the sides).
of course there are a few nits to pick. my Canon MP160 printer can't be recognized, but a really old HP printer (PSC1200) on the network can be. this is a driver issue and should have been working fine...still trouble shooting it. part of the problem is the way that W7 adds USB printers (auto upon connection - or power on, I suppose). Ah, the joys of beta testing.
I think that Morro should have been released or at least a 'trial' of OneCare - though that isn't one of the 'approved for W7' antivirus solutions (AVG, Kaspersky and Norton 360 are). You would need to buy one if you didn't already have a license.
AVG worked fine for a couple of days, then started crashing Windows after it updated yesterday. I then installed 360 v3Beta (a 30 day trial? for a beta AV on a beta OS - they should be giving it away until August...like W7).
I will probably go back to winclam after 360 as I have no need to beta test antivirus while I beta test an OS.
Overall...as much better than Vista as XP was better than W3.1. If you can, skip Vista and go straight to W7; you won't regret it.
beta
by midniteslice - 1/16/09 10:16 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Okay, I don't use windows. I haven't used windows since XP first came out. I do however, run virtual machines with both XP and Vista (I find it's easier to fix an issue when i'm at least familiar with the OS). I was recently given a laptop, I don't need it, so i decided to play with various aspects of windows. First I used Vista (yes, the laptop is very vista capable), and when the 7 beta came out, I installed it. Thus far, i have decided that Vista is trash. Windows 7, although Vista on the inside, has some very neat new features, and runs a sight better than Vista on the same laptop. In my very humble opinion, Microsoft did a decent job of streamlining the OS itself, they did a decent job with the UI but, again, in my opinion I feel that the biggest holdback is NTFS. Instead of trying to fix Vista and calling it Windows 7, I think they should have started at the bottom and revamped their file system.
This is just my opinion. heh
Windows 7...So-So
by Nomadica - 1/16/09 11:17 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Having downloaded Windows 7 and installed it on my D drive a week ago my first impressions was a clean but similar boot screen to Vista. For those thinking on Windows 7 be patient. At the present time there is not really too much to get excited about.
I must admit there does not seem to be as many conflicts with drivers etc. as there was when I tested Vista before its official release. This was a big draw back for Vista Beta Testers. In this respect it is good to see MS has addressed this problem before Beta testing 7.
I love it.
by lvance2009 - 1/16/09 11:18 PM In reply to: Windows 7 beta testers, how do you like it and why? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have a hp450 n computer about 4 years old,with 2 gigs of ram. A ati x1300 258 meg video card. A 3.0 ghz ht processor. And I used xp never Vista. I downloaded the beta and fell in love. It is running my games great. (I am a avid gamer) I totally love the interface.
The ease of use is awesome.
The only problem i have had so far is Had to install from inside of xp. It wouldn't do a clean install no matter what. So i formated did a clean xp then put on windows 7.0 and it takes your old operating system and sticks it as bak and then u can delete it. \
I love the bottom bar no more maximizing web pages you got minimized to find the one you was working on.
I love the sticky notes you can put on screan.
I even enjoy internet explore 8.0 pinning favorite web sites saves me alot of time.
I do not know a thing about Vista , so no clue what was part of it or not.
But i definately will be buying Windows 7.0 when it releases.
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
