Windows 7 after 6 months of personal use

Tags: microsoft, operating system, windows Categories: Software

It’s been almost six months now since I’m running Windows 7 on my main machine. I wouldn’t go back to Vista, let alone XP even if you’d pay me for that? But let’s see why, why did Windows 7 made such a good impression on me that I’ve installed it on my desktop and my laptop.

Let’s start with the beginning: I knew some infos about Windows 7 since last year, but that was what Microsoft had released to general public, nothing more. When the first beta build came in January, first on some torrent sites then officially from Microsoft I had a few friends installing and recommend it to me.

Windows 7 Ultimate retail box on Amazon

I was a little bit skeptical at first, but as I love new stuff related to IT it is no surprise that I’ve installed it on my desktop first, to see how it handles on a beefed up configuration.

After a few days of running the beta version of Windows 7 I concluded that it was a pretty solid build and did installed it on my laptop with Intel integrated graphics. It ran there very satisfactory, with all eye candy on. Drivers were fine and general feel on both systems was that Windows 7 runs smoother than Windows Vista using the same programs.

Even better than my expectations was the fact that after Windows 7 RC1 appeared, I did an upgrade that worked like a charm on both systems.

Now, after 6 months my general feel is that both installations perform like in the first day, even after upgrades, new drivers and a lot of software installs. I expect it to get worse on some point in time, as Microsoft hasn’t ditched the whole registry thing, but for now it’s more than ok.

So, let’s break it down in bullets: why should you get Windows 7 in Autumn?

It’s way faster than Vista on old and actual hardware
There are no compatibility issues with software and drivers, or at least nothing major
It increases functionality, especially in the task bar area
It’s easier for new computer users, while experienced users will get a hold on it quickly
It’s cheaper than Vista if you buy a new system
Old OSes will not be supported long time after Winsows 7 hits the shelves, plus we all know support for old software is crappy
It’s safer than XP and possibly than Vista. I haven’t got any malware and viruses problems in past months, but I don’t browse stupid/porn/untrusted websites