Should you upgrade to Windows 7?

1
Should you upgrade to Windows 7?

• Presented by
• David F. Soll
• Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
• Omicron Consulting

2
Agenda

• Background
• Whats New
• A Users Point of View
• Some Nice Stuff
• Frustrations
• What Choice Do You Have
• The Bottom Line

3
Introduction

• Presenter David Soll
• Vice President CTO, Omicron Consulting
• Working in computing for 30 years
• Experience with Windows dating back to 1989
• Windows 2 and Windows 3 beta
• Email dsoll_at_omicron.com
• This presentation can be downloaded at
• http//home.comcast.net/soll/

4
Background

• Windows 7 is Microsofts newest desktop operating
  system
• Built on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
• Retail Release due out October 22, 2009
• Dont Confuse Windows 7 with Office 2007
• Office 2007 runs fine on Windows Vista, Windows
  XP Windows 2000
• Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 run fine on
  Windows 7

5
Office 2007 on XP and 7
This is Word 2007 on Windows XP
This is Word 2007 on Windows 7
6
Quick History of Windows

• Windows 1.x, 2.x, /286, /386
• Never a commercial hit
• Windows 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11
• 16 bit, ran on top of MS-DOS
• Windows NT 3.1 and 3.5
• First 32 bit Windows not reliant on MS-DOS
• Runs utilizing protected mode of the processor
• Windows 95, 98, and ME
• 16 bit, still reliant on MS-DOS
• Windows 2000
• Next generation of Windows NT
• Windows XP
• Built from Windows 2000

• Windows Server 2003
• Server only platform built with Windows XP 2000
  base
• Windows Vista
• Built from Windows XP Server 2003
• Major security changes from XP and Server 2003
• Many Look and Feel Changes
• Windows Server 2008
• Server only platform built from Windows Server
  2003 and Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Built from Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
• Improvements to UAC and other security mechanisms

7
Major New Features of Windows 7

• Accessibility
• BitLocker Drive Encryption
• Built-in Diagnostics
• DirectX 10
• Encrypting File System
• Explorers
• Fast Sleep and Resume
• Flip and Flip 3D
• Games Explorer
• Instant Search

• Internet Explorer 8
• Internet Explorer Dynamic Security Protection
• Internet Explorer Parental Controls
• Internet Explorer Protected Mode
• Live Icons
• Microsoft Phishing Filter in Internet Explorer
• Network and Sharing Center
• Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

8
Flip 3D
9
Thumbnail Task Selection
10
New Thumbnail Task Capability in Win 7
Notice the controls at the bottom
thumbnail (i.e. the Pause button)
11
Enhancements Found In Vista/Win 7

• Find, fix, and share photos
• Organize, edit, and share your favorite photos
  with family and friends using Windows Photo
  Gallery.
• Find almost anything
• Find documents, e-mail, photos, and more in a
  snap through Instant Search.
• Turn any room into a media room
• Manage and enjoy digital photos, music, TV shows,
  and movies in your living room with Windows Media
  Center.
• Play the way you want
• Easily install, organize, and play games using
  Windows Game Explorer.
• Make movie magic
• Retain high-definition quality as you capture,
  edit, and publish movies from a video camcorder
  with Windows Movie

12
Enhancements Found In Vista/Win 7

• Help your kids stay safer
• Help keep your children safer online with
  customizable Parental Controls.
• Back up and restore files
• Get improved backup and restore functions,
  including automatically scheduled backups, with
  Windows Backup and Restore Center.
• Help safeguard sensitive data
• Better protect your data against loss or theft if
  your mobile PC is ever lost or stolen with
  Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption.
• Guard against external threats
• Help protect your PC from external threats with
  Windows Firewall.
• Find and remove spyware
• Help protect your PC by regularly scanning your
  computer for spyware with Windows Defender.

13
Lets Get Real

• Most enhancements or new features in Vista and
  Windows 7 are available to XP
• Some as free downloads
• Some as extra cost, third party products
• The biggest enhancements are
• Security
• Look and Feel

14
A Users Point of View

• New Start Menu
• Search for programs
• In-place expansion

15
Some Nice Stuff

• Gadgets
• Hundreds of free gadgets are available

16
Some Nice Stuff

• Aero
• Provides a very attractive display
• Provides infrastructure for
• Translucent title bars
• Flip
• Flip 3D (task switch)
• Thumbnail Previews
• Uses GPU to offload CPU and improve performance

17
The Mixed Bag

• Microsoft enhanced the security of Windows Vista
  and Windows 7 over all previous versions of
  Windows
• This makes it harder for viruses and malware to
  install or spread
• It also makes it harder for legitimate software
• Lots of software will have to be upgraded
• Every time you install something, you presented
  with annoying prompts (User Access Control)
• In Vista, UAC can be disabled, but you are
  reminded of it every time that you log in
• In Windows 7, UAC can be configured to be less
  obtrusive

18
Frustrations

• Oh where, oh where did my options go
• Cant find Add Remove Programs
• Now its Programs and Features
• Wireless Networking configuration has changed
• Supposed to be easier
• I find it harder it tries to read my mind and
  fails
• But it worked in XP
• Many applications will have to be updated for
  Vista/Windows 7

19
Frustrations

• Most Windows XP drivers wont work
• Fortunately, Windows 7 uses the same drivers as
  Vista
• Finding Vista/Windows 7 drivers for older
  hardware may be difficult

20
Frustrations

• Resource Utilization
• Vista uses more memory than XP
• Vista runs slower than XP (i.e. it needs more
  CPU)
• Aero Glass requires better video than XP
• Fortunately
• Windows 7 runs faster than Vista
• Windows 7 is better on resources than Vista
• You will still need modern hardware

21
What Choice Do You Have?

• Windows XP officially went off the market on June
  30, 2008
• Some computer manufactures supplied XP until
  January 31, 2009
• Some ultra-low cost machines will be available
  with XP until June 2010
• Mainstream support (i.e. free) for XP was
  terminated April 2009
• Extended support for XP (free for security fixes
  and paid for other help) ends in 2014
• New hardware will likely have drivers for
  Vista/Win7, but not for Windows XP

22
The Bottom Line

• Windows 7 does provide a more secure, better
  looking user experience than XP
• Windows 7 requires more up-to-date hardware than
  XP
• Windows 7 requires more memory than XP
• Windows 7 may require upgrading applications
• Support for XP has already started to fade

23
Windows 7

• Windows 7 has been called the O/S that Vista
  should have been
• It Windows 7 is an improvement over Vista
• But does not have the huge internal changes from
  Vista that Vista has from XP
• Recommendation Look into Windows 7
• You may not have a choice

24
Questions
?
25
Versions of Windows 7
26
Windows 7 Version Features

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Aero Glass advanced Window navigation
• Windows Touch (Multi-touch and handwriting
  support)
• Windows Media Center
• Internet Explorer 8 Web slices, accelerators,
  InPrivate Browsing
• Windows 7 Professional
• Domain Join
• Group Policy Controls
• Location Aware Printing
• Encrypting File System
• Advanced Backup
• Offline Folders
• transparent caching, background sync for offline
  files
• Remote Desktop Host
• Windows Mobility Center
• Windows 7 Enterprise
• DirectAccess keeps mobile users connected on the
  go
• BranchCache makes file access faster
• Search information on the PC, mail or SharePoint