Posted on 09/26/2009 2:36:22 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Microsoft has given small system builders the green light to start selling new Windows 7 PCs more than a week before the general launch date of October 22, a Seattle-area computer maker said today.
According to Jon Bach, the president of Puget Systems, several Microsoft representatives have told him that his company, which sells custom PCs nationally out of its Auburn, Wash. facility, can install Windows 7 on new machines, then sell and ship them to customers on October 13.
That date is nine days before the worldwide October 22 launch Microsoft has touted, when Windows 7 upgrades are to go on sale at retail -- and when large computer manufacturers, such as HP and Dell, will start selling systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
I am actually looking forward to upgrading to 7 on my laptop. I must say that the Vista Premium 32 bit on one laptop seems to run better than Vista Premium 64 bit on the other one. They are both Toshibas with comparable CPU’s and both have 4G of memory.
I’ve used it for a while now and love it. Mind you I must admit I’ve not been faithful. :-)
Do they have a release date for Win7 SP2 yet?
That’s when I’ll start thinking about 7.
Until then, I want to see how the reviews go for the initial release.
Relax and enjoy -- Win7 is simply Vista SP3.
Seriously. Check the NT codebase level -- Vista was 6.0, Win7 is 6.1, not 7.0
It's Vista the way it should have been years ago. It's actually quite good, and I'm recommending it to my Windows-using friends, family, and professional contacts.
I expect I'll switch my business users over from XP within a few months (I'm a system administrator).
I'm typing this on one of my three Macs, by the way. I'm not a Windows fanboy.
Anyway, don't let Microsoft's hype get to you. Win7 is not a new thing.
It plays well with drivers and other programs, starts up quickly and uses minimal resources compared to Vista. I don't think I've seen it hang on start up/shut down or deliver even one BSOD.
I have it installed in 64 bit versions on my desktop and laptop. The 32 bit version is on my dinky little netbook that could never handle Vista.
I will buy the Windows 7 Home Family pack which provides licenses for three machines for $150 the moment it is released.
People with .edu email addresses can preorder Windows 7 for just $30.
I'm no big Microsoft fan, but I'm becoming one. I think people are going to like this operating system big time.
Does it run DOS programs?
I have a collective of nearly 20 years of various programs. Some I cannot do without, and many of those are no longer released for various Windows versions.
I know MS said they were doing away with DOS (that was after Win98, IIRC), but XP runs DOS programs.
When I finally upgraded to XP, most of my peripherals (scanner, printer, etc.) wouldn’t work and the companies were either defunct or not releasing new (XP) drivers for their old equipment.
I currently have XP SP2 with 1.5Gb memory. I don’t want to upgrade computers just for a fancier menuing OS.
What does Win7 have that is MUST HAVE for someone retired and only doing home computing?
Windows 7, at its last beta and first release candidate version, had already reached "good" status. At full release, Windows 7 will be "great". For those who care, I rank the last release candidate of Win7 at the polish and stability level of WinXP Pro SP2 . . . and, after WinME and the initial release version of Vista, that's saying a LOT.
Microsoft, my hat's off to you on Win7.
Like this (note version of Windows is 6.1 = Win7, build 7600 = RTM)?:
More seriously, I suspect that any of your programs that run under XP-SP2 will run under Win7. I have yet to find any (including some old 1990's DOS programs of mine) that don't run the same or better under Win7.
Microsoft never "did away with DOS". What they did was kill off the old forms of Windows (1-4) that REQUIRED an underlying DOS. And the NT forms have some limits with regard to DOS compatibility. But XP and Win7 share the same NT codebase. I would bet your programs that run under XP will run same or better under Win7.
> I currently have XP SP2 with 1.5Gb memory. I don’t want to upgrade computers just for a fancier menuing OS. What does Win7 have that is MUST HAVE for someone retired and only doing home computing?
Not much. It'll run smoother in general, have fewer security holes. But for your situation, I'd say stick with XP until you can't stand it any longer. That may take another 5 years. ;-)
This reminds me of all the hoopla that surrounded the release of Windows ‘95...
i had some problems with the 64 bit on my laptop and had to reinstall it.
1. leo laporte on kfi am says that one should not upgrade from vista to win 7. that’s an additional expense.
2. windows only licenses for one (1) computer? one cannot share the same software with two pcs?
Have you ever heard of Dosbox? It will allow you to run Dos programs on any windows program and I imagine you can get a version for Win7 since there is one for Vista and I have used it, I use on XP all the time. I love my old Sierra On Line games and this program allows me to run them, full screen if I wish. Do a google on it and I am sure you will find it. It is free, or it was last time I looked.
Such has always been the way with MS, no sharing, plus they would really like you to rent their software even if you pay to buy it. They tried that in EU and received such a sh** storm that they gave it up. That was back with XP.
Wasn't that a real disaster? I got one of the first copies and I had to re-install it 15 times the first month. Luckily they persevered and finally came out with a decent version of it.
According to an article in the links one should upgrade if you are getting it free like I am for one of my laptops.
2. windows only licenses for one (1) computer? one cannot share the same software with two pcs?
True. I am getting one free and hopefully the 64bit will be pretty cheap as I am a student and hope to get the student deal which is $30.
I’ve never owned a laptop, and I’m thinking about buying a small one in Oct. that is around 13 in. What do you recommend? This would be strictly for Freeping, E-mail, reading news, etc.
Thanks for any suggestions...
Well, it would be hard to get a 13 inch laptop, most are 14 or bigger, with the new small ones being 8 to 10 inches. They are handy for certain things but lack a DVD/CD drive and other things. I would look at Dell or HP. I saw an HP at Wal-Mart several days ago for under 500 bucks and it had a 15 inch screen, Dell frequently has sales on line. I would not want to recommend any certain brand because if you buy one and it goes to he** then I would feel bad. So, the thing is most modern brands are pretty equal, it is up to you to decide which one fits your needs.
For that sort of light use, almost anything will do, frankly. You might even get away with the under-$500 netbooks, though I don't have any specific recommendations there because I've not bought one myself.
I use MacBooks for laptops, but that's mainly because Apple's OS-X is Unix underneath and I'm a Unix-head. In your case it sounds like that's superfluous. Since you only need a low-end machine, my normal recommendation of a Mac isn't ideal, because Apple doesn't have products in the low end.
Wait a little while until Windows 7 is available, and look at something in the $500-$700 range from (here come the vendor suggestions, always good for an argument): Fujitsu, Toshiba, maybe Sony. I'm not fond of HP, Dell. I don't have direct recent experience with others.
Visit your local BestBuy or Staples or similar, and play with a few to get a feel for the features that matter the most to you (I can't tell you that, of course).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.