Windows 7: The Taskbar

If you read my earlier post about the Windows 7 desktop and looked at the picture it probably looked very similar to Windows Vista. But if you happened to look at the bottom of the screenshot you would notice that the taskbar seems wider and sports a totally redesigned look. Well that’s exactly what Microsoft did with Windows 7. They completely changed how we interact and operate with the taskbar.

Windows Taskbar

The taskbar is one of the most familiar aspects of Windows. When you open files and programs, their icons show up on the taskbar so you can switch between them. Previous versions of Windows, however, automatically decide where on the taskbar to place each item, and the locations sometimes change with new sessions.

In Windows 7, the taskbar puts what you want to do at your fingertips. You decide where each program goes so you know precisely where to click. When you install a new program, its icon is temporarily placed at the bottom of the Start menu so you can drag it to the taskbar for convenient access in the future. You can pin frequently used programs to the taskbar or even pin a specific document to a program. For example, if you are working on a large document over the course of a week, you might want to pin your word processing program to the taskbar and the document to that program. That way, you’ll always have a fast way to launch the document and continue working.

You’ll see live taskbar thumbnails of each open window so you can keep track of the files and programs you’re using and select them more easily. Rest your cursor on the thumbnail, and Aero Peek brings the full size window into focus. You can also close a window directly from the thumbnail preview window.

When you have a large number of windows open for a program, the open windows for that program are displayed as a list. We’ve enhanced this list view by adding the ability to peek at a highlighted window or even close a window directly from the list. Programs use the new taskbar to provide more information in more intuitive ways. For example, you can see progress bars on a taskbar icon, so that you can stay aware of progress without keeping the window visible.

The redesign of the Windows taskbar in Windows 7 is one of the best features. It does make getting things done much easier than before. The ability to drag and drop your taskbar items to the exact place you want them makes things so much easier. I can keep everything I am working on much more organized than before.

Desktop Enhancements

One of the biggest changes that Microsoft has made between Windows Vista and Windows 7 is how users interact with the desktop. They have added various enhancements to allow users to get things done faster and more efficiently. Over roughly the next week I will be looking at many different things that you could pertain to the desktop. The Windows 7 Product Guide does a great job at explaining these enhancements:

Desktop Enhancements

One of the many benefits of Windows is the ability to work with large numbers of documents and programs at the same time. But have you ever had to wade through a dozen open windows to get to the right document? Or had to minimize a number of windows to view a gadget on your desktop? Or do you often line up two windows so that you can easily compare their contents?

With desktop enhancements in Windows 7, working with multiple windows on your desktop is easier than ever. For instance, you can use Aero Peek to get a quick look at your desktop. Simply hover your cursor over the far-right side of the taskbar and all your open windows will become transparent. You can also peek at a specific window to see exactly where it is by either using the live thumbnail previews or by using Windows Flip (ALT + TAB) to quickly cycle through running windows. Pausing on a thumbnail will bring the highlighted window into full size view.

Want to get all but one window out of the way? Try Aero Shake. Grab the top of that window and shake it, and all the other windows on your screen will minimize to the taskbar. Shake the window again to restore the windows to their original sizes.

You can also snap open windows to screen borders, so you’ll no longer have to click tiny objects in the corner of a window to change the window size. Maximize a window by dragging its border to the top of the screen. To return the window to its original size, drag the top of the window away from the top of the screen. To expand a window vertically, drag its bottom border to the bottom of the screen.

Do you sometimes compare the contents of two different windows? That’s easy too. When you drag the top of each window to opposite sides of the screen, as your cursor touches the edge, the window will resize to fill that half of the screen.

As you can see there are many improvements to be seen in Windows 7. The aero snap feature that it describes was something that I just learned about. Microsoft has definitely decided to put the needs of its customers first again by fixing the problems that Windows Vista was plagued with. Overall the appearance of the desktop with Windows Vista looks very similar. The real changes lie in the added features with the desktop.

Windows 7: The Desktop

If you happened to walk by a computer that was running Windows 7 with just a view of the desktop at quick glance you would think that it was Windows Vista. As you can see with the screenshot the view of the desktop shows that Microsoft did make some changes to the operating system but at the same time tried to leave some looks similar to Windows Vista. The most logical reason for doing this would probably be so users don’t get upset over a bunch of unnecessary changes. The Windows Vista desktop works and looks good. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Free Windows 7 Upgrade for Vista Users

Something that is worth mentioning is for some Vista users they are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7. I know there is a time range on when you would have had to purchase your computer and if I’m correct it usually is within a two month time period before the release of Windows 7. There is an article that cnet.com has written about how you can get your free copy of Windows 7. If you just recently upgraded to a new computer and it contains Windows Vista then you definitely need to check out this article. You just might qualify for a free upgrade. And trust me, you won’t miss Vista if you do.

Link: I just bought a Vista PC. How do I get my Free Windows 7 Upgrade? (cnet.com)

Dual Boot Windows Vista and Windows 7

When it comes down to installing the new Windows 7 onto an existing computer you have three ways that you can do this.

1. Perform a clean install and completely get rid of your current operating system. Of course if you have Windows XP then this will need to be done.
2. Perform an "in-place" install where Windows 7 will be placed on top of your current version of Windows Vista.
3. Partition your hard drive and install Windows 7 in a new and separate partition. By doing this you will leave your old operating system intact with no changes to it.

The third option on the list is called dual booting a PC. I know a lot of people that do a similar thing with Linux where they will have some version of Windows installed (normally Windows XP) and then some version of Linux installed (most popularly Ubuntu) all on the same computer. I have done this before in the past and works rather nicely but it can be kind of tricky. Now this does not mean you run both operating systems at the same time because that would be impossible. You cannot boot up both operating systems on startup.

Well for those of you who might be wanting to have the option of trying out Windows 7 without completely getting rid of your old operating system Computer Shopper has put together a nice article that explains how to dual boot Windows Vista and Windows 7. Probably about the only reason someone would want to do this is if they were not sure if they wanted to switch to Windows 7. By dual booting if you decided to switch back all of your old programs and settings are still where you left them. You also don’t have to perform the usual reinstalling of all of your applications. The link to the article is below. Go ahead and check it out for yourself.

Link: How to Set Up a Windows 7 and Vista Dual-Boot System

Will Windows 7 Change Our Minds About Microsoft?

If you didn’t catch my earlier post today I am mentioning two articles that PC World presented to me around the time Windows 7 was released during the end of October. The second article covers the question "Will Windows 7 change our minds about Microsoft"? I think it definitely will and is a much better and more stable operating system compared to Windows Vista. If you got time then check out the article and leave some feedback below. What do you think?

Link: Will Windows 7 Change Our Minds About Microsoft?

Falling Back in Love with Microsoft — And Windows 7

When Windows 7 first came out PC World had a huge email sent to me with many different articles, product reviews, and the like listed inside of it. So for today I will have two articles in my posts. The first one is called Falling Back in Love with Microsoft — And Windows 7. Go ahead and check it out. It will only take a few minutes to read and is quite interesting.

Link: Falling Back in Love with Microsoft — And Windows 7 (PC World)

Which Windows 7 is Right For You?

If you haven’t already noticed there are many different versions of Windows 7 available to choose from. You might be wondering which version is the right one for you? Well as a lot of answers to computer questions are answered: It depends. On what you may ask? Well on what you will be using it for.

To help me answer that question for you I have provided two different resources that you can use. One is from cnet.com and the other came straight from the Windows 7 Product Guide published by Microsoft. Some of you have probably already read my post from Thanksgiving with the link to the guide. Between these two resources I think you should be able to answer your questions.

But if it does seem like a lot and are still kind of lost by it all most home users should be fine with Windows 7 Home Premium. There is even a multiuser license with Home Premium as well. You can get licenses for up to three PCs for one price of $150 MSRP. Go ahead and check them out. Hopefully these can clear up some questions you may have about the different versions.

Link: Which Windows 7 is Right For You?

Windows 7 Upgrade Problems

On a few web sites across the Internet there have been stories about people having some problems upgrading to Windows 7. Just to make it clear that the number of people experiencing problems is a relatively low number compared to when Windows Vista was released. Just about all of these problems are considered low priority by Microsoft and involve a handful of users for each problem.

Now does this mean that you should hold off on upgrading to Windows 7 just because there are a few users experiencing difficulties? Absolutely not. Just because there are some known problems with upgrading does not mean that you should just completely wait until every known problem will be solved. In reality there will never be a time when all the problems with a particular operating system are completely solved. It just cannot happen.

Don’t tell me that Windows XP is the greatest operating system and is completely flawless because in reality there are problems. Mostly on the security front these days but there are problems. I used to have one computer that would not accept the Windows XP Service Pack 3. When you would install it my wireless drivers would stop working. I was using the same wireless adapter on another computer with Service Pack 3 and had no problems with the driver whatsoever.

The same can apply to Mac owners. Macs are not perfect as they claim to be. They also have problems just like PCs running Windows or Linux. Apple claims that Macs are impervious to viruses but this is not the case. A while back ago a test was run to see how easily a Mac could be infected with a virus. It had an infection in less than two minutes of being connected with the Internet.

So anyway if your planning on upgrading to Windows 7 but are afraid of running into troubles, go ahead and upgrade without worry. You should probably have no problems. If you still don’t believe me Rich over at PCMech.com had sent out in the weekly newsletter about his success he had with upgrading to Windows 7:

New Windows 7 driver software offerings make for easier transitions. This is a small personal news story by yours truly. I recently upgraded from Windows 7 Release Candidate to the full Windows 7 Home Premium. As such I had to reinstall some stuff, including software drivers. These drivers included some brand new offerings by Logitech for a webcam, Realtek for my sound card and Microsoft for my mouse. All of them were specifically tailored for the Windows 7 operating system, and said very honestly, they’ve never run better. It’s all really, really good stuff. If you plan on taking the plunge and move from XP to 7, I can said with full confidence that yes, the companies are ready with their new, fully functional and improved driver software. This is absolutely not a repeat of the debacle that happened with Vista.

As a bonus I have also included a few links that discuss the upgrade problems. One of them is from PC World and the other one is from CNet.com. If you are concerned about some of the problems still check out these articles and see what a small portion of some users are experiencing.

Link: Two Snags to Watch for When Upgrading to Windows 7 (Cnet.com)

Link: Windows 7 Upgrade Woes Mount: Endless Reboots and Product Key Problems (PC World)

Windows Easy Transfer

If you read yesterdays post and the link to the article if gave you the steps needed to upgrade your operating system to Windows 7. Whether that may be from Windows XP or Windows Vista. But something that you probably noticed is the fact that you are unable to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7. Now this does not mean that the upgrade copy you purchased or you are thinking about buying will not work for you but it will. You will just have to perform a clean install.

Now most people have been irritated with the fact that you cannot just upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 but this has been done on purpose. Not to make you mad but to prevent you from encountering errors later on. Microsoft has assumed that most of the computers going to upgrade to Windows 7 are older computers that have been running Windows XP for awhile. By just installing Windows 7 over your pervious version of Windows XP it could actually make your computer run slower instead of giving it a performance boost. Yeah you will have new feature but what’s the point of new features if your computer is running slower than before?

Anyway to make this upgrade much easier Microsoft has created a free tool called Windows Easy Transfer. It is the same tool that was mentioned in the link to the article I posted yesterday. It said that the tool is on the Windows 7 install CD but I also believe that you can download this tool as well.

Microsoft has created an article that discusses the Windows Easy Transfer tool and how it can be used. It also talks about what kind of devices you can use to backup your data with this tool and what can be backed up. You can even purchase a easy transfer cable to use if you are migrating from an old computer to a new one. Take a look at the short informational article about the tool. It covers Vista with more detail but it’s pretty much the same thing. At the top there is a link to the Windows 7 version.

Link: Exploring the Features: Windows Easy Transfer