Windows 7 build 7000 (Beta 1) QnA!

[Sem XL]

We tend to call the feature "Federated Search" ("Search Federation" is obviously just a variation of that).

OpenSearch 1.1 is the protocol that the feature uses, along with RSS and/or Atom.

In Vista and earlier they would remeber their size and position based on the folder you were viewing when you closed the window. So if you opened an Explorer window, browsed to Computer, resized it to 500x200 and closed it - the next time you click Computer in the Start menu, it would be 500x200. But if you clicked Documents it would be a different size.

In Win7 Beta the behavior has changed such that all Explorer windows, no matter what folder you open them to, will open at the size of the last closed window, regardless of whether they were in different folders. I do not know if this is final behavior but I am certain the guys that own that stuff will be watching for feedback to see how people like the change.

Control Panel windows are still treated separately from folder windows.

this is good and bad

for example i like to have my recycle bin window a different shape and size compared to other windows but with this bug or intended feature? that wont be possible ive noticed it does this for the game browser window too and most probably all windows which are "special" :(

but then again im happy that if i create a new folder or click on one on the desktop it will open the same size as the my computer window

there must be a way we can have both?

maybe if you open my computer and close it that becomes the default but if you open another window separately and resize then close it. it stays that size

:(

[Brandon Live Veteran]

this is good and bad

for example i like to have my recycle bin window a different shape and size compared to other windows but with this bug or intended feature? that wont be possible ive noticed it does this for the game browser window too and most probably all windows which are "special" :(

Right now the Games folder is treated just like any other folder.

but then again im happy that if i create a new folder or click on one on the desktop it will open the same size as the my computer window

there must be a way we can have both?

Not really. Not with out making the UI terribly complicated, anyway. So far I think I like the current Win7 behavior.

[Calum Veteran]

In Vista and earlier they would remeber their size and position based on the folder you were viewing when you closed the window. So if you opened an Explorer window, browsed to Computer, resized it to 500x200 and closed it - the next time you click Computer in the Start menu, it would be 500x200. But if you clicked Documents it would be a different size.

In Win7 Beta the behavior has changed such that all Explorer windows, no matter what folder you open them to, will open at the size of the last closed window, regardless of whether they were in different folders. I do not know if this is final behavior but I am certain the guys that own that stuff will be watching for feedback to see how people like the change.

That's fantastic to hear! Thank you Brandon. I have all of my windows a certain size, all the same size and position, as I love the see the glass in Windows Vista and have them nicely arranged with two of my main gadgets at the side. I rarely maximise because I like this configuration best and I love the glass. With Windows Explorer windows re-sizing back to their original state (unless I change it for each individual folder - which I did not realise, so thank you for informing me), it annoys me to no end as they are the only Windows which are not the same size as the rest of my windows.

I really hope this behaviour stays the same in Windows 7 when it hits final! :)

this is good and bad

for example i like to have my recycle bin window a different shape and size compared to other windows but with this bug or intended feature? that wont be possible ive noticed it does this for the game browser window too and most probably all windows which are "special" :(

but then again im happy that if i create a new folder or click on one on the desktop it will open the same size as the my computer window

there must be a way we can have both?

If there was a possible way to have both (maybe an option in the folder options, Brandon?) then that would be ideal for people who feel the same as you, however, they will have to go with the majority (on the feedback they get in the beta). As I said above, I love all my windows to be the same size (and position), so I hope this stays :)

[Sem XL]

im like you i like to have all my windows the same shape and size with the exception of the recycle bin and one or two other folders but never mind its a small price to pay for the greater good

also i cant seem to be able to drag folders and files around to rearrange them how i want

everything seems permanently sorted in alphabetical order no matter what view i have

is that a bug or intended

i really hope its a bug

[Denis W. Veteran]

I ran across a bug in Windows Media Center in build 7000. This occurs to a XviD encoded video file.

I let this particular movie playback for about 56 minutes, then I stopped the video, opened up the Media Center Start menu, then put the system to sleep. Upon waking the system up the next day (was watching the video last night), I resumed the video. However, if I were to pause the video anytime using the Pause button on my remote, then press Pause or Play to resume, it'll jump back to 56 minutes instead of simply resuming from its current playback point.

[tom5]

I have 5.3 with an old IDE Maxtor HDD

:D

...which makes this new HDD assessment tool everything but reliable for me. Yeah, I know, it's a beta.

Edited January 5, 2009 by tom5

[MuffloN]

...which makes this new HDD assessment tool everything but reliable for me. Yeah, I know, it's a beta.

I think the reason that many discs now gain low score in the regards of harddrive is that it now also tests random access time, thus making it MORE accurate than earlier.

[soulburner]

I think the reason that many discs now gain low score in the regards of harddrive is that it now also tests random access time, thus making it MORE accurate than earlier.

Yes, and it seems newer and bigger hard drives have worse random access times than older, louder and a lot smaller ones. The race for bigger capacities and sequential read/write speeds, and the manufacturers forgot about access time.

[tom5]

I think the reason that many discs now gain low score in the regards of harddrive is that it now also tests random access time, thus making it MORE accurate than earlier.

OK, but even test results in Win7 are quite suspicious. But maybe the tool's right - I'm far from a conspiracy theories here :)

[RoyalShape]

I'm using Windows 7 as my main OS, and I'm not woring about my data, because all important things are stored on drive D:.

Apparently W7 is very fast and it has some things that make everyday use real easier. As NEVER before, I'm excited about a new coming version of Windows. I just can't wait for it to be released.

Really, Microsoft this time seems to be doing a good work.

I miss a few things cut out from Vista, which are the rating system INSIDE the image viewer and the file filter from windows explorer, that allowed us to show only 5-star-rated photos, for example. Nothing else I miss.

As I said, apparently W7 runs faster. HOWEVER all results and scores from Everest benchmark except one (called PhotoWorks or something like this) are worse in W7 and very similar to Vista scores. The difference in pontuation is at max at about 5% worse. Photoworks got 2% better.

Indeed, this results show little difference in everyday use. And I know, Everest benchmark is not a very comprehensive test.

In AquaMark I see a more pronounced change.

My humble notebook (Acer 3100, semprom 3400+, 2.5GB, radeon xpress 1100) scored in

XP: 11,946;

Vista: 11,089;

W7: 10,096, which means 18% less than XP. It's a great disadvantage.

I used the program called AMD Fusion that promisses increase graphics performance by unabling some unuseful fancy things in windows, and the score got 10,935. It really did its job!

I didn't use Amd Fusion on XP or Vista.

After all I'm still very excited about the new windows, and I hope it really comes out in Summer!

[Ambroos]

Microsoft is making changes. The system IS faster but in ways that aren't really benchmarked yet. I guess game performance is dependant on drivers more, and they might need some finishing for Windows 7.

[FloatingFatMan]

Having spent a couple of hours playing with the leaked build in VirtualBox last night (year I know, I'm a bad boy, so sue me! :p ), I'm actually astonished by the improvement to performance.

Bearing in mind that this is a virtual machine, so isn't going to be as fast as native, yet it still managed to install in about 15 minutes, boots in 10-20 seconds, and shutsdown in under 5. Actually USING it is lovely, even without Aero (Silly v-machines). Windows are fast to open, and are very responsive. I'm really looking forward to the public beta so I can try it out properly, as I didn't really want to do a proper install of the leaked build. :p

From what I've seen so far though, Microsoft have actually gotten it right this time. Don't get me wrong, I like Vista and it's my main OS; but I cannot deny, Win 7 is BETTER, even at this beta stage.

[Belarathon]

Vista RTM consistently benchmarks higher than Vista SP1. Yet is there anyone who would argue that RTM "feels" faster than SP1? I'd doubt it. I tend to trust my "seat-of-the-pants" intution in these matters. To me Windows 7 feels like the 800lb gorilla lost a good deal of weight.

[mikeyakagod]

All Windows are storing their previous dimensions with the exception of the MMC window for Comp. Management WMI. It keeps defaulting back to original window position / dimensions, I've already sent feedback regarding this but mentioning it can't go astray.

Other little bug I've noticed is items in the start menu I remove from the list magically come back after I've run them a few times! Event Viewer is a big offender here!

Slightly off topic following.

Brandon,

Is it possible to custom map winkey shortcut combinations? And if so can they be mapped to a drop down menu item in a program, ie Windows explorer New folder (if they have a clsid or some other kind of identifier publicly accessible of course?)

Edited January 7, 2009 by mikeyakagod

[Sem XL]

All Windows are storing their previous dimensions with the exception of the MMC window for Comp. Management WMI. It keeps defaulting back to original window position / dimensions, I've already sent feedback regarding this but mentioning it can't go astray.

type mmc.exe in run

and then use mmc to open the msc file in windows\system32

when its opened go to options and change it to "user mode full access" then

resize it to what you want then save it replacing the original and it should reopen at the same size you saved it at

[Beta Master]

Nice. So the new Atoms are more powerful than the venerable Pentium 4's of yore, lol. Maybe I should retire this machine.

I installed the old Mobility Radeon XP driver; I was surprised when Win7 took it. Now I can play Chess Titans with a some good ol' video acceleration. CPU usage has reduced; it idles at approx. 25% instead of 30-40% previously. Unfortunately, trying to play WMV (in the player or in a browser via the plugin) freezes the machine. No sleep support either. I've also had a few random freezes and restarts after I installed the driver.

Any suggestions? :) Someone working on a similar setup?

HAve you managed to figure this problem out? You are not alone. I am unable to play any video files, the dislay freezes. CPU and HD keep working but display locks. Think it is a compatability issue with older GPU and DirectX 11.

I have a Mobility Radeon 9200. Here is a thread with other people having the same issue. Please let me and the others know if you figure this out or have more information.

Thread: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?show...15242&st=15

thanks

[brontus]

Wouldn't it be possible to simply browse for the external network drive after connecting to it and then add the location to the Libraries? I was able to index another partition on your computer or other external drives through this option without any hassle.

You got a networked drive to work in this manner? When I try it, I ge the error "This folder cannot be included because it is on a share that is not indexed."

[Denis W. Veteran]

Whoops. This is a bit of a dumb bug.

In the public 7000 x64 build, if the option "Hide file extensions for known file types" is checked, a file folder such as "myemailaddress@hotmail.com" shows up in Explorer as "myemailaddress@hotmail".

[khalsa]

Cant get Quickcam 11.8 to install even with compatibility set to Vista. Keep getting an error that is was not designed for my OS. I went in to temp and installed the drivers manually but my Pro 9000 will not work on 7000 x64. I keep getting an error that something else is using the device (I have rebooted). Its strange because everything worked fine in 6801 & 6936 x64.

[mad_onion]

You got a networked drive to work in this manner? When I try it, I ge the error "This folder cannot be included because it is on a share that is not indexed."

well I can't even get removable drives to work apparently you can't use them either.

but according to microsoft network and removable locations can be used right?

so which is it?

[B1gDaddy87]

Just installed Windows 7 on a fairly old Sony Vaio VGN-FS790. Everything works, the display drivers where found through Windows Update. Unfortunately Wireless doesn't work. Tried installed the Vista driver for it, but it says this version is not supported. So currently stuck with the option of using an ethernet cable.

Maybe someone knows a solution? The wireless adapter is an integrated Intel Pro one, so kinda odd that it's not supported.

Also did anyone have an issue Win7 not recognizing it's running on battery power? On my MacBook it always says plugged in, but when on battery -- it says plugged in but not charging. Hope this gets fixed in the future.

[Roger H. Veteran]

using my thinkpad it works just fine. As for your wifi card:

Integrated Wireless LAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (802.11b/g)

it should be more than supported even if it's only from Windows update? Did you go to Intel.com and download the driver there or manually install it from the device manager? EVen Vista had drivers (in the box) for that as far as i remember.

[B1gDaddy87]

using my thinkpad it works just fine. As for your wifi card:

Integrated Wireless LAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (802.11b/g)

it should be more than supported even if it's only from Windows update? Did you go to Intel.com and download the driver there or manually install it from the device manager? EVen Vista had drivers (in the box) for that as far as i remember.

Not sure you specified the correct Wireless Lan model. Searching through Windows Update didn't return any results. And as I mentioned before, the driver downloaded from Sony's page didn't install.

Maybe you can give me a link from intel.com so I can try those drivers? I would very much appreciate it.