Windows 7 release date announced

[1cooldude]

Windows 7, the next major release of the world's most popular operating system, will be officially available to the public on 22 October.

Microsoft is hoping it can avoid the negative press that surrounded the launch of Vista, the last major Windows release, almost three years ago.

Windows 7 has been designed to be compatible with Vista so users do not have to invest in new hardware.

Customers who buy a new PC with Vista will be offered upgrades to Windows 7.

At the Computex 2009 trade show in Taipei, Microsoft's Steve Guggenheimer said: "We've received great feedback from our partners who are looking forward to offering Windows 7 to their customers in time for the holidays."

Mr Guggenheimer said that Microsoft will make an upgrade option available, so PC makers and retail partners can offer customers the ability to purchase a Windows Vista-based PC and install Windows 7 when it is released.

When Vista was launched many users expressed frustration that the operating system did not work with all types of existing hardware and peripherals, or programs used commonly on PCs.

And a Vista compatibility programme for hardware proved to be confusing and, in some cases, somewhat misleading.

# Windows 7 features Windows XP mode - a virtual PC that can run older applications that might not run on Windows 7
# Remote Media Streaming - access your home digital media over the net
# Aero Peek - full screen previews of applications
# Windows Touch: Support for multi-touch devices
# Gadgets: Widgets now appear on the desktop and not in a sidebar

Windows 7 will also have "comparable system requirements" to Vista, which should mean that if your PC is capable of running Vista it will also run the new version.

Windows 7 promises a major usability improvement on Vista, and a simplification of security measures which caused frustration for many users.

Beta testers of Windows 7 have reported that it is faster than Vista, especially in terms of start-up and shutdown sequence of the computer.

Source...

[drtoker]

Side Note: XP mode requires that your chip supports that function, not all do.

Loving windows 7 here, been using it as my primary OS since the RC came out, and MS mailed me about it.

I've had 0 trouble with it, all drivers, software, and games I've tried so far work great.
Running x64 here.

[1cooldude]

Side Note: XP mode requires that your chip supports that function, not all do.

Loving windows 7 here, been using it as my primary OS since the RC came out, and MS mailed me about it.

I've had 0 trouble with it, all drivers, software, and games I've tried so far work great.
Running x64 here.

I was testing pre-build 7000 and it was alright. I'm in the process of building a new pc and will probably try Windows 7.It's definitely a lot better than Vista. That was a pure crap shoot when it came to hardware.

[drtoker]

I was testing pre-build 7000 and it was alright. I'm in the process of building a new pc and will probably try Windows 7.It's definitely a lot better than Vista. That was a pure crap shoot when it came to hardware.

That was the beta. The RC is much much more stable. I has some issues with the beta, none with the RC (7100)
Theres even a few more updated builds around the net, but 7100 was the one I got from MS, so I'm sticking with it till the final release.

I highly suggest not judging till you try the final build. Beta's are just that, not finished, and buggy.

[Signa]

I'm certainly buying into the hype on Windows 7. I'm planning to have my new PC running it.

[w31n3r]

yeah, all that bitching and whining seems to have finally paid off, since they look to have finally done it right.

but i wonder how many potential customers MS have lost out on while they put this together. i for one was dabbing in linux while debate raged about the good qualities (or lack thereof) of Vista. i was surprised at how easy it actually is once you get the mental blocks out of the way, and compiz on KDE gives me far more eye candy than what comes out of redmond.

i still use XP most of the time, but i build my own systems and i'm unlikely to buy another OS when i can get a perfectly good one for free legally. i can leave the gaming to my xbox.