Posted by Shoshana Roller on 5/30/09 6:30pm
Msg #290536

FWIW: Don't rush out and buy Windows 7

My computer guy has a beta copy. He says it's not too different from Vista. He recommends going with XP.

Reply by notaryinmo on 5/30/09 6:46pm
Msg #290537

good to know Shoshana! Whern I was in market to get a laptop, I made sure it had XP because of all the problems with Vista I've heard about.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 5/30/09 7:14pm
Msg #290540

Recently had to get new 'puter - and don't like Vista at

all -

My biggest gripe was how Vista didn't understand the scanner (HP ScanJet 8250). Until yesterdy, when Dad spent the day trying everything under the sun to get back the PDF. capability. Seems Vista thinks everything scanned is a photo, and doesn't give options for any other extentions than bmp, jpg, tif, etc...I just couldn't do a scan and email docs in pdf anymore. Turns out, if you push the "save to file" button on the scanner, rather than the "email" button, you can save to file, then compose a GMail email, attach the file, you can get the darned thing sent. For some reason, I can't get the (new) Windows Mail (not Outlook Express anymore) to work with the 'email' like XP did, but at least I dan scan/email a pdf. file now.

If I had it to do again, I'd stick with XP, and say Hasta, Vista!

Reply by PAW on 5/30/09 7:52pm
Msg #290541

Way too early to even think about Windows 7

The alpha tests actually went pretty good. The first beta is just that ... a beta. MS has already stated that Win7 won't be available until at least late fall. There's a lot of time between now and then. I certainly am not passing any judgment on Win7 based on the first beta release. Having gone through many alpha and beta releases of previous versions of Windows, this beta release is in much better shape. But again, I'll withhold any remarks for now. Maybe when RC1 (Release Candidate 1) comes out, things will be different, and I'm sure they will be.

If you're looking for a new computer, I suggest getting one that says "Vista/XP" or "XP Downgrade" and has XP installed. That means that you will get Vista with the computer but XP will be the installed OS. It also means that the computer is capable of supporting Vista and 64-bit, which implies that it will also support Vienna, now called Windows 7.

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 5/30/09 8:52pm
Msg #290546

Re: Way too early to even think about Windows 7

It's so weird... I am now on my second laptop with Vista and I so prefer it over XP, it's ridiculous. It took some adjusting, but now when I sit at an XP machine, I get annoyed.

Reply by Dennis D Broadbooks on 5/30/09 9:00pm
Msg #290549

I'm Using Windows 7 RC1...

...as I type this message. It's set up on the 2nd hard drive with a dual boot configuration. I like the speed & so far, the reliability. What was amazing to me was the setup. Once I downloaded the OS, from start to finish it only took 20 minutes to load Windows 7 on the hard drive & start using it. I just play with it on weekends for the time being. Been using Vista Ultimate for over 2 years now with no major issues.

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 5/31/09 11:31am
Msg #290582

Re: Way too early to even think about Windows 7

I am having my laptop built this yime. I have always bought my computers off the shelf. I can't wait too much longer. My 5 year old laptop is running outoif space on the hard drive.

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/30/09 10:38pm
Msg #290556

If you want to test it yourself...it's available.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx.

Reply by PAW on 5/31/09 7:03am
Msg #290565

Re: If you want to test it yourself...it's available.

That's the place alright, but before going there, make sure you can install it.

The following is an excerpt from the MS site:

Here's what you need to have:

* Internet access (to download Windows 7 RC and get updates)
* A PC with these system requirements:
o 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
o 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
o 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
o DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Please note these specifications could change. And, some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of "touch," may require advanced or additional hardware.


Here's what you need to know:

This is pre-release software, so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you try the RC.

* You don't need to rush to get the RC. The RC will be available at least through July 2009 and we're not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.

* Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use.