Windows 7 Release Candidate – Microsoft getting their act together?
I’ve jumped onto the bandwagon and have been using the new Windows 7 RC x64 the past few days. I was using Vista 64 Ultimate previously and upgraded to Windows 7 using the upgrade option when you pop the Windows 7 DVD into the DVD drive. A clean install is the best, but I couldn’t be bothered reinstalling all my programs again, seeing that I plan to upgrade my computer come June and will need to do a clean install then.
After about 2 hrs of waiting for the damm OS to install, wala! The new start up logo screen. Pretty cool.
I reckon you can call Windows 7 the slicker and faster version of Vista. Or rather what Vista should have been when it was first released. Windows Explorer opens up much faster and everything else seems that much snappier. The new taskbar gets some getting used to, but you can always configure it back to what you are used to in Vista or XP. There are too many nice new changes to mention, and you can search for reviews online which go thru them. For me, the upgrade from Vista was seamless. I’ve tested out my movies and games on Windows 7 and so far so good. I’m now using the Windows 7 RC as my main OS and will definitely get the proper OS when it comes out.
One of the nice new things about Windows 7 are the new themes and wallpapers. You get a sense that Microsoft is trying to emulate the Mac OSX. There’s a long way to go, but it’s a start in the right direction. The new themes and wallpapers are separated into categories. You can see some of the cool new wallpapers below.
Windows 7 RC is a great OS to use and Microsoft is constantly updating it during this period, making it that much better. I pretty much disliked Vista, but Windows 7 is a great change. You can go download it here for free. Microsoft allows you to use it until March next year when it will start shutting down every 2 hrs and prompt you that it is expiring and to get the new version. That is a pretty long time to enjoy the new OS and it is likely Windows 7 will be officially released by the end of this year, so you can grab the final copy then.
