Neowin's top 5 Windows 7 Features
We've all been playing with Windows 7 for quite some time now, and now that general availability has passed we recently asked the community what their favorite feature of Windows 7 was. We've tallied the results, and just in case you haven't explored these features yet here's an in depth overview of our community's favorite features:
#5 Libraries
Since the days of Windows XP, Microsoft has continued to simplify the way users can store their data on a PC. Windows 7 has introduced users to a new way of file organization by adding a new structure called libraries. What exactly is a library? By default Windows 7 has four separate libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos.
Most users store data in different folders across their PC in a somewhat unified manner. Libraries organize all of your data into one view, while leaving the physical location of your files in the folders in which you saved them in. In other words, Libraries monitor the folders you select and provide a single access point to all of your selected data (Music, Pictures, Video, and Documents).
Confused? Let's take another look at my music library. By default the library will monitor the following folders:
Like most people, I use various applications to download music. These programs will normally store music in a designated folder instead of the actual "Music" folder that Windows provides (Unless specified). To include these files in your library, click the "X locations" link underneath the navigation bar.
Then navigate to the folder you want the library to monitor and add the folder. It's as simple as that, now all of your music can be viewed in one library instead of opening multiple windows.
#4 Aero Peek
The addition of the new improved thumbnail previews to the taskbar has led to a new feature called Aero Peek. This feature allows you to simply hover over the thumbnail previews on your taskbar, and easily switch to that application. All other programs fade away into glass sheets.
#3 Jumplists
Jump lists are a fantastic feature that allows users to quickly access application options by right clicking an open application in the taskbar. Internet Explorer's jump list features your most frequently visited websites, the ability to open a new tab, and access your options. A few programs have already started taking advantage of this feature include: Internet Explorer, Zune, Windows Live Messenger, Office 2010, Paint, Windows Media Player, and so on. Check it out:
But they don't stop there; jump lists are also available in your start menu. Applications that opens specific files will have an arrow next to it and when hovered over will show a list of your most recent documents allowing you to quickly launch files.
Image courtesy of TechRepublic.com
#2 Superbar
One of the most simplistic yet widely liked features in Windows 7 is the ‘Superbar' (A.K.A. the taskbar), as Microsoft likes to call it. Applications that are running will appear in the form of an icon with a gentle glowing gradient as shown below:
Applications with multiple windows open will have extra overlays:
One of the cooler features of the Superbar is if an application is in the process of downloading or copying a file. The Superbar provides a progress bar throughout the icon of the program:
#1 Aero Snap
The number one feature that Neowinians like in Windows 7 is undoubtedly Aero Snap. Aero Snap is a very simple feature that allows you to quickly organize open windows. The feature allows you to simply drag windows to the top, bottom, left, or right side of your screen.
There is also hotkeys that allow you to quickly use Aero Snap: Windows Key+Left/Right/Up/Down.
Discover other features in Windows 7 by viewing our other feature overviews:
- Windows 7: HomeGroup Overview
- Windows 7: BitLocker To Go & Biometric improvements overview
- Windows 7: Easy Connect
- Windows 7: Problem Steps Recorder
- Windows 7: Action Center Overview
- Windows 7: User Account Control (UAC) Overview
- Windows 7: Calibate Your Display
- Windows 7: Federated Search
- Windows 7: Device Stage
- Windows 7: Internet Explorer 8 Overview
- Windows 7: Explorer Search Overview
- Windows 7: Windows Backup Overview
Windows 7 surpasses Snow Leopard in under two weeks
In only two weeks since the official commercial launch of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7 has managed to surpass Apple's Snow Leopard market share. Snow Leopard has been on the market for three months while Windows 7 has only been on the market for two weeks.
Microsoft still stands dominant in the market share, holding strong at 92.52% of all computers in October, compared to Mac OS X with 5.27%, Linux with 0.96% and 1.25% with other operating systems.
Windows 7 managed to surpass Snow Leopard's market share (1.17%); Windows 7 managed to grab 2.15% of the market share, where Vista shows 18.83% and Windows XP with 70.48%.
In the weeks leadng up to this holiday season, sales for Windows 7 are sure to climb higher; Windows 7 has already exceeded Windows Vista in the first two weeks of their launch by 234%.
Image Credit: Arstechnica... Read on »
How the default Windows 7 wallpaper evolved
Gizmodo tracked down Chuck Anderson, the creator of Windows 7's box art, default wallpaper and login screen.
In an exclusive overview of the evolution of the Windows 7 wallpaper and login screen, the gadget lovers managed to secure some rare development shots of how Microsoft decided on the wallpaper that is now used worldwide. Chuck Anderson is a 20 something digital media artist living in the US. Both the login screen and wallpapers took approximately four months, start to finish according to Gizmodo. They were achieved by a mix of pen and paper, wacom tablet and Photoshop.
It's extremely unusual for Microsoft to share concept designs or early design work of its products so watching the evolution of the wallpapers is a glimpse into how Microsoft wanted to create a unique style for Windows 7. It's worth noting that there are also seven leaves, seven branches, and seven flower petals in the Windows logo.
Image Credits: Gizmodo.com... Read on »
Bing aiming to win this Christmas
The holiday season is nearly upon us and Microsoft has signaled it wants to be the search engine for Christmas this year.
A new commercial, released earlier this week and spotted first by the folks at LiveSide, highlights the familiar "search overload syndrome" that Microsoft referred to in its first Bing commercials in June when Bing officially launched to the world. Since the launch of Bing, Microsoft has managed to snatch 10.7% market share with 1.1 billion searches in August alone.
The advert has a holiday season feel as a young child visits Santa to explain his wish list for Christmas. The boy wants an Xbox 360 and the immediate response from Santa and his helpers is a mix of facts and non-helpful information. The tag-line is "what has search overload done to the holidays? Find a cure at Bing.com". Microsoft is clearly sending out a message that it wants people to try Bing for the holiday season this year.
Bing is Microsoft's overhauled Live Search, now with a range of new features that warrants it the description 'decision engine', as opposed to the regular 'search engine'. You can easily search videos, websites and filter them to show reviews or other links. You can also use it to compare things such as flight information, maps or different shopping websites. If you're interested in all the various search options you can perform, check out Neowin's hands on from earlier this year.
... Read on »
Windows 7 sales exceed Vista sales by 234%
Consumer Market Research firm NPD has confirmed that initial sales of Windows 7 have surpassed those of the Windows Vista launch.
According to NPD's weekly tracking service, Windows 7 software unit sales in the U.S. were 234 percent higher than Vista's first few days of sales. The most popular choice for consumers was the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade followed by the Pro upgrade and Home Premium Family Pack. According to NPD, software sales of Windows 7 were strong compared to Vista's sales partly due to early discounts on pre-sales and a wide range of promotions. Although software sales were strong, PC hardware sales had more of an uphill battle, sales weren't as strong as growth during the Vista launch.
"A combination of factors impacted Windows 7 PC sales at the outset, but the trajectory of overall PC sales is very strong leading into the holiday season," said Stephen Baker at NPD. Baker went on to confirm inventory prep before the Windows 7 launch had "been spectacular". Working with retail stores, Microsoft prepared for the launch of 7 and customers were aware that the software would be available on October 22. Baker also said adverts had been "well-thought out and innovative". A combination of upgrade offers and promotions from several retailers helped with sales. Baker also praised the work done with OEMs, "never before has the industry launched such a variety of new form factors, price points, technology upgrades, and design innovations at one time."
Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc also said "it has been quite amazing to watch the global excitement build around Windows 7." With only the first few weeks since the launch of Windows 7, NDP projects higher sales over the next two months for Windows 7, even during this tough economic climate. Windows 7 was launched just two weeks ago.
Neowin reporter Andrew Lyle also contributed to this report... Read on »
Patch Tuesday for November
Microsoft is set to release six security bulletin patches this coming Tuesday. Three of the six have been labeled as Critical, Microsoft's highest security rating, and three more patches labeled as Important, the second highest security rating.
The patches are due to release on November 10 and will focus on patching Remote Code Executions and DoS (Denial of Service) flaws in the Windows operating system. Four of the patches will be released for Windows, while two will patch Remote Code Executions in Microsoft Office.
The patches will fix security holes in:
- Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
- Windows XP Service Pack 2 & 3 *
- Windows Vista Service Pack 1 & 2 *
- Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 *
- Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 *
- Microsoft Office XP
- Microsoft Office 2003
- Microsoft Office 2007
- Microsoft Office 2004 (Mac)
- Microsoft Office 2008 (Mac)
* Both 32bit and 64bit architecture
No updates for Windows 7 will be released. Currently, Windows 7 only has one officially released security patch, released on October 8, 2009.
Some of the updates may require a restart.... Read on »
Walmart: Xbox Arcade and $100 gift card for $199 on Nov. 7
Rumors have been going around recently regarding a supposedly upcoming Walmart deal, in which an Xbox 360 Arcade will be up for offer, along with a $100 gift voucher, for $199. All of a sudden this morning, the retailer has confirmed the deal, scheduled to hit on Saturday, November 7.
According to Kotaku, the deal will last for just one day, and is part of what will be regularly weekly deals leading up to the retail bonanza that is Black Friday. As noted by Walmart, the sale will begin at 8:00 AM, and will (as mentioned) last for just one day. Kotaku stated, "We're told that this is Walmart's attempt at pulling a little of the focus off that huge shopping day and trying to spread the wealth over the entire month," suggesting that more gaming related deals could be on the way.
If you're planning on picking up an Xbox 360 Arcade at any point, this Saturday is the time to do so. Of course, there are other offers going at the same time on the same day, so have a look at the Walmart page for those.
... Read on »
Microsoft cuts 800 more jobs
Microsoft has confirmed that it will be cutting 800 jobs effective today. The jobs will be cut across many different product groups and about a quarter of them will come from the Seattle area.
The final 800 cuts complete the announcement in January that the company would terminate 5000 employees over the following 18 months. Employees who are affected will be notified today.
"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had said in May that the company was almost, but not quite completely, finished with the planned 5,000 job cuts at that point. Microsoft has continued to hire in some areas even as it has cut back in others, reducing the net effect of the job reductions."
As the ugly side of the economy continues to show its head, we can only hope that the company will right itself and not need to reduce its work staff in the future.... Read on »
Sophos: Windows 7 vulnerable to 8/10 viruses, FUD alert
FUD - Fear, uncertainty and doubt
Yesterday, a senior security advisor at Sophos, who is responsible for working with the security community and communicating information on security threats to IT professionals, posted an entry on his blog entitled "Windows 7 vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses". Given the bad publicity that surrounded the launch of Windows Vista, is this yet another failing on the part of Microsoft that will lead to poor adoption of the Windows 7 platform? Fortunately for Microsoft, if you take the time to read the entry, it turns out that the tests are not even close to stringent enough to make claims that many will interpret to mean Windows 7 is vulnerable to 80% of the infections in the wild.
The first known computer virus was created in the early 1970's, and since then literally millions more have been written, with more being created daily for various nefarious reasons. Sophos, in its test of Windows 7 security in late October, tested a clean install of the operating system against ten of these potential infections. Out of the ten, seven infected the machine successfully, with a further one being able to infect the machine once UAC was manually disabled. The viruses chosen for the test were picked from the top of the SophosLab feed, where researchers from around the globe work to identify known and emerging malware spreading across computer systems all over the world.
If the top ten items in the feed had been mac viruses, that are unable to run on Windows, would their headline have been "Windows 7 invulnerable to viruses"? Somehow I think not. This is yet another case of a high profile company publishing results without making it clear exactly what they represent, many people who do not take the time to read the article would assume this means Windows 7 has an 80% chance of becoming infected, when in reality, this is only true if the only ten viruses in the world were the ones with which Sophos conducted the tests. At the end of the day, the only way to truly know the risk of infection of running a Windows 7 machine is to conduct this test with a far larger (and statistically sound) number of viruses, randomly chosen from a pool of all the viruses currently in the wild, as any high school maths student who has studied statistics will tell you.
Windows 7 is not perfect by any means, if it were, anti-virus companies would go out of business, but it is a highly secure operating system. As long as UAC is enabled, and the system is kept patched, and safe computing is practised, the chance of getting infected is minimal. Running an anti-virus package will further decrease the likelihood, but as always, no system is 100% secure.... Read on »
HTC HD2 available in Europe today, US 2010
HTC has officially confirmed that the HTC HD2 will be available today in the UK, Europe and Asia.
The HTC HD2 is HTC's latest Windows Phone which includes the latest operating system Windows Mobile 6.5. The HD2 also comes with HTC's latest user experience, HTC Sense. Sense is based on the TouchFLO 3D interface found on older HTC models. Sense sits on top of Windows Mobile and provides extra functionality and an improved user interface for accessing common applications.
According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: "Working with HTC, we've delivered great phones that help customers connect to the people and information they care about, wherever they are," said Ballmer. "The HTC HD2 shows what's possible through our close partnership with HTC and it breaks new ground for Windows phones by delivering a beautiful multi-touch screen that people will love."
The HTC HD2 includes a capacitive touchscreen, Digital Compass, FM Radio and 5MP Camera. The device is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with 448MB. (Full list of specifications).
The HTC HD2 is available from Expansys in UK priced at £499. HTC and Microsoft also announced that the HD2 would be available in the United States with a major US carrier in early 2010.
... Read on »
MSN Music Downloads beta service launches today [UK]
Microsoft was originally planning to roll out MSN Music Downloads (beta) back in July this year but due to some quality issues it has finally launched today.
Microsoft has penned deals with the four major music labels: EMI, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Sony BMG. The software giant expects to offer approximately one million tracks for download at launch. Tracks, on average, cost 79p but in order to purchase tracks or albums customers have to purchase credits. A package of 10 credits costs £7.99. One credit will buy one single the full 10 credits will purchase most of the albums available. Tracks are encoded to 192 kbps and are available in MP3 and WMA formats without DRM protection.
Microsoft is also planning to offer tracks streamed via a service similar to Spotify. According to a Microsoft spokesperson who spoke to TechRadar "as part of the service, free music streaming will be tested on a limited basis. MSN will be running a series of promotions on the MSN website enabling a limited number of users to gain access to this aspect of the beta."
View: MSN Music Downloads... Read on »
MSN unveils new-look home page
Microsoft's MSN.com has undergone a clean up, focusing on a cleaner look and access to essential information.
MSN has also unveiled a new logo to complement the fresh looking web portal. The new site also allows Windows Live, Twitter, and Facebook users to easily update those services from the home page. MSN will also be offering inline high-quality streaming video, employing Silverlight technology, from more than 300 sources including Hulu, National Geographic and FOX Entertainment Group.
Microsoft is using the latest web technologies to power MSN.com to ensure the site loads seamlessly. An array of tabs are available for users to flick between content such as Sport, Finance and Games. The new layout is a radical shift from how MSN.com used to look when it first launched in 1995:
According to a Microsoft spokesperson the MSN home page receives 600 million customers worldwide every month, nearly 100 million in the U.S. alone. The new home page has 50 percent fewer links, and is focused on providing access to the information and services people care about most.
A preview of the new MSN look is available now and the new homepage will begin rolling out tomorrow and become widely available to over 100 million U.S. customers early next year.
... Read on »
DirectX 11 coming to Vista
As with Windows Vista, the newest version of Windows brings with it a newer version of Microsoft's DirectX. Windows 7 was released with Direct X 11 support, and it was initially thought that Direct X 11 support would remain a 7-only technology.
Reports indicate that a platform update is being pushed via Windows Update that will enable DirectX 11 support on Vista PC's. With an impressive lineup of Direct X 11 games announced which includes Crysis 2 and The Lord of the Rings Online, Vista users will be happy to know that they can go out and purchase a Radeon 5870 and use it to its full potential.
Windows XP users cannot use any DirectX version above 9.0c, as their OS does not support WDDM.
Microsoft has previously assured Vista users that they would not be left in the cold, this move is indicative of such a commitment.... Read on »
Inside Windows Azure's data center, one of world's largest
CNet was able to get an exclusive look inside one of the largest data centers in the world, owned by Microsoft to help power cloud-computing with Windows Azure. The secret location of the data center, located somewhere in Chicago, is not your ordinary data center setup, they're in shipping containers.
The new data centers are brought in by shipping containers, housing anywhere between 1,800 and 2,500 servers each. Once the shipping containers arrive, the team can install each of the server groups in under a day, where it would normally take months to setup and install servers. The servers remain inside the shipping containers inside the facility, where they are placed side by side and stacked two high.
The new water cooled facility, which runs 7.5 miles of piping, is roughly 700,000 square feet, where each shipping container occupies roughly 12,000 square feet each and consumes three megawatts of power, on average.
(Image courtesy of CNet.com)
The general manager of infrastructure services for Microsoft's data center operations, Arne Josefsber said, "I think, I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think this could be the largest data center in the world."
Microsoft plans to talk about the commercial launch of Windows Azure at this year's Professional Developers Conference (PDC), in Los Angeles, where Neowin will be reporting live.
View: CNet.com data center gallery... Read on »
MS: Clean installs from "upgrade media" could be pirating
Late last week, Microsoft published a post on the Microsoft SMB community blog announcing that using any "hack" to install Windows 7 from upgrade media is not necessarily "legal" - and that users do not own the rights to perform such installs from upgrade media using this process.
If you're an owner of upgrade media, then you've probably experienced the painful migration process that the upgrade process tries to force you through - if you're using XP it requires you to boot to an existing Windows installation, use Windows easy transfer to backup your information, then will allow you to complete a "clean install" if it detects a partition with a previous, licensed copy of Windows installed. If you own Windows Vista you can also perform an in-place upgrade - which is often a slow, painstaking process.
The blog post, published by Eric Ligman appears to target Paul Thurrott's attempt to help confused users (that Microsoft has neglected) outlines that you must own a "qualifying full license to upgrade from in order to use the Upgrade license" and that by performing a clean install by using a hack you do not own a licensed copy of Windows. Eric Ligman also posted an image to demonstrate proper Windows upgrade licensing:
Eric goes on to point out that" ..when these posts and write-ups state that you can install clean from an Upgrade piece of software and they fail to mention that you need to own a qualifying software license to be legal to use the Upgrade software for the installation, they give the impression that because it is technically possible, it is legal to do."
The problem Microsoft has created is for customers that potentially do not have previous versions of Windows installed or on hand - a few years ago, you could boot to the setup, insert the older Windows media into the CD drive and it would detect that it was a legitimate copy. Now, Microsoft no longer offer this feature and forces users to have Windows already installed to prove that they have it licensed to them. Interestingly enough, this hack has actually been available since Vista was released in 2006 and was commonly used back then to perform clean installs from upgrade media too.
Eric goes on to point out that if you do own a full license to a qualifying previous version of Windows, then you own the rights to perform a clean install, as per the image above. A qualifying license is a full version of Windows XP or Windows Vista, not an upgrade edition.
Eric has also posted stating that he will answer further questions on Monday - Neowin will provide updates as more details are available.
Edit: Title corrected... Read on »
Windows 7 SP1 details begin to surface
With Windows 7 out the door we already know Microsoft immediately starts work on the servicing of Windows 7. Engineers are now hard at work at creating hot fixes for application compatibility and ironing out any bug reports they receive. The same process occurs for every version of Windows once it has been classed released to manufacturing (RTM).
Notorious for leaking Windows 7 builds during the beta phase, Wzor has provided some early information on the Windows 7 SP1 beta. According to Wzor a beta of Windows 7 SP1 will be released in January 2010 and the schedule is two beta releases and two release candidate releases. Wzor believes SP1 will be ready for OEMs during the Summer months (June/July/August) of 2010 with end users applying the update in the Autumn (September/October/November).
Wzor has released an image of what it claims to be an internal folder structure for the SP1 builds of Windows 7. If Wzor's reports are accurate then we could see a beta of Windows 7 SP1 debut to the public around the same time as CES next year.
Image credit: Wzor. Thanks to Shayla for the news tip.... Read on »