by wildcherry on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | News, Tech/Gadget | 1 Comment

The new Microsoft online storefront features some new categories including ‘Computers’, so you can now go there to buy Windows 7 PCs as well as accessoriesand even third-party software like Adobe Photoshop and Nero 9.

So far, the new look and fresh categories are only reserved for the U.S. online store. The online Microsoft Store opened for business last November. The online store was a replacement for Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace site. When it opened, the online store only allowed users to purchase Microsoft hardware and software — games, keyboards, games and gaming consoles, Windows (client and server versions), Office and development tools. The electronic distribution capability of the online store made it an ideal complement to netbooks, Microsoft executives said.

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by wildcherry on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | Deals, Products Review | 1 Comment

Microsoft has analysed the data from millions of user computing sessions to find out exactly what people do with their computers, then attacked the “pain points” to make Windows 7 quicker and smoother. (About 15m people used the Windows 7 beta.) Get your version at Windows 7 Download Center

The most obvious difference is that Windows 7 doesn’t keep annoying you with prompts — though it’s also true that the latest version of Vista is much less annoying than the original. In fact, you can set the degree of annoyance on a sliding scale, though reducing it increases the risk of security breaches. However, Windows 7 is vastly more secure than XP and, in any case, the threat landscape has changed since XP was trashed by worms such as Blaster and Slammer. Today, the more important security changes are in the Internet Explorer 8 browser which, uniquely, defends against cross-site scripting.

Another obvious difference is that Windows 7 uses fewer resources.

Where Vista really needed 2GB of memory, Windows 7 will run quite happily in 1GB on a slow dual-core Intel processor, though I’d still recommend 2GB or, for preference, 4GB with the speedy 64-bit version of Windows 7.

The reduced footprint and some optimisation means Windows 7 sleeps and wakes up faster (though it’s still not in the same class as Mac OS X).

And laptop batteries should last longer. I’ve been running Windows 7 on an Asus UL30 laptop with a claimed battery life of around 11 hours with Vista: it now does more than 12 hours.

Any PC that currently runs Vista will be better at running Windows 7 – a first for Microsoft – and it should also run on most PCs that will run XP SP2. (Search YouTube and you will find users showing off by loading it on unsuitable systems, including antiques with Pentium III chips.) The catch is that upgrading a PC running Windows XP requires a clean installation of Windows 7: you can’t do an in-place upgrade. This has been a source of complaints, because it means reinstalling all your applications as well.

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by wildcherry on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 | Deals, Products Review | No Comments

Microsoft Corp is to sell the standard home-user version of its new Windows 7 operating system for 8 percent less than the comparable version of its Vista system, as the global downturn hits spending on technology.

The world’s largest software company, whose recent ads champion low-priced PCs against more expensive Apple Inc computers, said the new system will be available at even lower prices for a short time, as it looks to tempt buyers ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The new operating system, which Microsoft hopes will be a bigger hit than the poorly received Vista, will be generally released on October 22. It will be available on pre-order from U.S. stores such as Best Buy , online retailer Amazon.com and the company’s own website from Friday.

Microsoft said it would sell the Home Premium upgrade version of Windows 7 — which most non-business customers already using Windows will want — for $49.99 from Friday until July 11 in the United States. The discs would be shipped after general release.

After July 11, the pre-order price will be $119.99, 8 percent less than the current $129.99 price tag for the comparable version of Vista, which cost $159.99 at launch in early 2007.

The Professional upgrade version of Windows 7 — aimed at small companies using multiple computers — will be on sale until July 11 at $99.99, then at $199.99 afterwards. The comparable Vista version is the same price.

Prices for the full retail versions of the software — for customers who want to install the system from scratch rather than upgrade their existing Windows system — are also being reduced or held.

Microsoft will sell the full Home Premium version of Windows 7 for $199.99, 17 percent less than the comparable Vista version. Full versions of the more advanced Professional and Ultimate editions will be unchanged at $299.99 and $319.99 respectively.

To further tempt buyers, Microsoft said it was making a free upgrade option available to computer makers, meaning that customers who buy a PC or laptop with all but the most basic Vista versions from Friday should be able to get a free upgrade to the equivalent Windows 7 version.

How that offer is made available to customers is up to the individual PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co , Dell Inc and Acer <2353.TW>.

Microsoft and the manufacturers are hoping such an offer will avoid a sudden drop-off in already falling PC sales by persuading customers not to hold off on purchases until Windows 7 is launched.

In contrast to the Vista operating system, which was released in different language versions over several months, Microsoft said Windows 7 would be available in 14 languages on October 22 and a further 21 on October 31.

Versions for sale in Europe will not have Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 web browser included, due to the company’s recent decision to detach it in the face of a pending European Commission antitrust ruling on charges that Microsoft does not allow fair competition among browsers by including its own on its operating systems.

However, Microsoft said it will make IE8 available as a separate package for no extra charge. Customers can also install a competing browser.

Microsoft said on Thursday it will only offer full versions of Windows 7 in Europe rather than both full and upgrade versions. For a short time it is offering the Home Premium version for 49 euros ($68) and the Professional version for 99 euros ($138).

Microsoft also said the packaging of discs for the operating system was being reduced and would use recyclable plastic.

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by wildcherry on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 | Deals, Hot, Products Review | 1 Comment

Coming straight from the download page, here are Microsoft’s notes for the release candidate:

• You don’t need to rush to get the RC. The RC will be available at least through July 2009 and we’re not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.
• Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use. (Learn more about installing Windows.)
• Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test the RC on your primary home or business PC.
• Tech details/updates: Before installing the RC, please read the Release Notes and Things to Know for important information about the release.
• Keep up with the news. You can keep up with general technical information and news by following the team blog. And, you can get non-technical news, tips, and offers by subscribing to the monthly Exploring Windows newsletter.
• Keep your PC updated: Be sure to turn on automatic updates.
• Installation: You can install the Windows 7 RC on a PC running Windows Vista without backing up the PC—but we encourage you to make a backup for safe keeping. If you’re running Windows XP
  

  or the Windows 7 Beta, you’ll need to backup your data, then do a clean installation of the RC, then reinstall your applications and restore your data. If you need to do a backup, please see How to back up your PC for more details and a suggestion for how to backup a PC running Windows 7 Beta or Windows Vista.

So without further a-do folks, click here to go to Microsoft’s download center and download the Windows 7 RC.

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