Windows 7

[Jester]

I need to buy a new laptop and was wondering if anybody has used Windows 7 for any length of time yet?

Using a Dell Inspiron 9400 at the moment with XP Media Centre Edition and after 5 years, it's now acting up big-time(hard disk/memory/parity check errors etc, resulting in the BSOD on a regular basis), so i thought the kids could have it to themselves and treat myself for Xmas.

Never upgraded to Vista(thank God)so Windows 7 would be a totally new experience for me. Considered going for a Mac but totally priced myself out them!

Anybody using it now?

First impressions?

I know that there has already been a couple of "glitches" resulting in a BLACK Screen Of Death?

Anyway, your comments, as usual, would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Mr Darn]

The "black screen of death" is actually turning out to be a malware issue on machines using Prevx, and Prevx was quick to blame it on a microsoft update. (see here for Wiki entry and see here for ZDNet article)

As for the Windows 7 experience, i've used it for a little while now, and apart from a few driver issues that are now sorted (the manufacturers have since released drivers) its running great!

Windows 7, in my eyes, is the same to vista, as XP was to windows milenium.

98se was a good operating system for its time, followed roughly by milenium, which was dead in the water.

The same has been said for vista. XP was a stable OS, and was followed by vista, which was ill thought out, but had the potential to be a great OS, with a few good ideas.

In Short, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, had it been thought through and tested properly.

I recommend it.

[Monsta®]

I need to buy a new laptop and was wondering if anybody has used Windows 7 for any length of time yet?

Using a Dell Inspiron 9400 at the moment with XP Media Centre Edition and after 5 years, it's now acting up big-time(hard disk/memory/parity check errors etc, resulting in the BSOD on a regular basis), so i thought the kids could have it to themselves and treat myself for Xmas.

Never upgraded to Vista(thank God)so Windows 7 would be a totally new experience for me. Considered going for a Mac but totally priced myself out them!

Anybody using it now?

First impressions?

I know that there has already been a couple of "glitches" resulting in a BLACK Screen Of Death?

Anyway, your comments, as usual, would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Ah! Been using windows 7 now since it was released in beta format and can safely say it's one of the best OS's I've used. I personally have never had the black screen of death! But as the reports say it is caused by malware so as long as you install decent antivirus (i use the free one Microsoft offer, see my other topic "Microsoft gives away I.Sâ€) you shouldn't have any problems.

[Monsta®]

Windows 7, in my eyes, is the same to vista, as XP was to windows milenium.

they may look similar but thats were it stops! and xp had nothing to do with millenium? your thinking of windows 2000, millenium was just tarted up 98!

98se was a good operating system for its time

no it wasn't it was terrible!

[threegee]

Have to agree with Mr D here Mons! His operative words were "for its time".

Microsoft Good - Microsoft Bad... goes back far further than W98. Back to plain "Microsoft Windows" and before.

It's part of the never take their money once when you can take it twice business plan that got M$ to where it is today.

[Mr Darn]

they may look similar but thats were it stops! and xp had nothing to do with millenium? your thinking of windows 2000, millenium was just tarted up 98!

I was actually refering to the evolution, not a direct comparrison.

to be clear, i ment Vista is as bad an upgrade from XP as melenium was a bad upgrade from '98. i.e. both millenium and vista were poor operating systems.

Most users kept Win'98 untill XP was released, and many have done the same this time, completly missing out Vista. I only used it because i was forced too when i got the laptop, and they did not have drivers for XP. That machine is now Win7, even though drivers 'could' have still been an issue. i have found it was, but is now not.

As soon as i have the cash together, my next project will be a gaming Win 7 desktop. No hesitation.

[Andy Millne]

I've also been using Windows 7 since the first release candidate. The grouped taskbar icons take some getting used to though. I also have a weird indexing issue sometimes when viewing the new "My Computer" interface. Takes an age to show the available drives etc. Probably an RC bug though and not something that exists in the Final.

[Monsta®]

I was actually refering to the evolution, not a direct comparrison.

to be clear, i ment Vista is as bad an upgrade from XP as melenium was a bad upgrade from '98. i.e. both millenium and vista were poor operating systems.

Most users kept Win'98 untill XP was released, and many have done the same this time, completly missing out Vista. I only used it because i was forced too when i got the laptop, and they did not have drivers for XP. That machine is now Win7, even though drivers 'could' have still been an issue. i have found it was, but is now not.

As soon as i have the cash together, my next project will be a gaming Win 7 desktop. No hesitation.

so if millenium is such as bad os and millenium is tarted up 98, how can you say 98 was a good os and millenium wasn't? please explain

Have to agree with Mr D here Mons! His operative words were "for its time".

ok for it's time it was acceptable but you didn't have much other choice, apple was nasty, linux was for scientists and 95 and *windows nt were rubbish!

*taking exception to the fact that xp, vista and 7 were based on the ntfs format first created for windows nt!

[Mr Darn]

so if millenium is such as bad os and millenium is tarted up 98, how can you say 98 was a good os and millenium wasn't? please explain

Not so much a "tarted up '98" as a replacement that couldn't cut the cheese. It just was not good enough, tested enough or thought out well enough.

Vista, however, had a lot of great ideas, they just rushed it out because XP had been out so long. An XP Second Edition, with all the current updates finalised and released as a stable OS (like they did with '98 SE) would have been a much better move, and would have saved hours of downloading updates for the XP user, while they took the time to develop and test Vista properly. Instead they released a half ***** attempt that was full of good ideas, and let themselves down.

Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, just like XP was what Millenium should have been.

Does that make more sense?

[Jester]

Gutted...!!!

Been looking at a Dell laptop with Windows 7 and the spec i needed(wanted ) in one of those leaflets that falls out of a magazine when you turn it upside down.

Well, it wasn't until i tried to order it online and realised the offer ended 18th November! It's now almost double the price! Needless to say, i did a speedy exit from the order process! Dell obviously cashing in on the Xmas surge in orders...Bah Humbug!

Need it fairly fast but you think i should wait until Dell decides to release the New Year offers?....those crafty bu*****!

[Monsta®]

why only dell?

[Andy Brown]

they may look similar but thats were it stops! and xp had nothing to do with millenium? your thinking of windows 2000, millenium was just tarted up 98!

no it wasn't it was terrible!

Have to disagree, Win98 was bad, 98SE was miles better, Millenium was a poor attempt at an April fools joke, Windows 2000 was the launchpad to get people off 16 bit software and onto meatier systems and taking responsibility for permissions, then in the background a pesky little penguin was gaining ground in the free legal market although diversified into different distros, some were popular some weren't.

Have used desktop OS's from Dos up to WIndows 7 with MS, and have tried almost every flavour of Linux (anyone else used to order from polo.demon.co.uk/emporium ?) Suse was ok, Mandrake was resource hungry (although could have been my machine) and then Ubuntu came from nowhere and now lives happily as my main OS of choice, I rarely boot into MS unless I am testing something for work.

/end of pointless post

[Mr Darn]

Pointless post? not a chance!

A Good set of points there!

[Andy Brown]

Pointless post? not a chance!

A Good set of points there!

Just goes to show alcohol can sway my brain when drank in the right quantities

[threegee]

Gutted...!!!

Been looking at a Dell laptop with Windows 7 and the spec i needed(wanted ) in one of those leaflets that falls out of a magazine when you turn it upside down.

Well, it wasn't until i tried to order it online and realised the offer ended Th November! It's now almost double the price! Needless to say, i did a speedy exit from the order process! Dell obviously cashing in on the Xmas surge in orders...Bah Humbug!

Need it fairly fast but you think i should wait until Dell decides to release the New Year offers?....those crafty bu*****!

Yes, those bargains I alerted about here some while back are now evaporating fast. But it isn't the season, it's the falling value of sterling combined with low inventory.

I'd advise you to avoid Dell though. There are better machines to be had elsewhere, and Dell is just a little bit too 'proprietary' for their own good. I'd recount a few experiences, but it's easier to say look at just about any other brand (with the exception of Elonex!).