Windows 7 BETA [Updated Regularly]

[Darren1981]

I am beta testing Windows 7 and i must say it feels so much cleaner and a lot more responsive than windows xp & also windows vista.

I am an article writer for the community based Windows 7 website (http://windows7info.net/): http://windows7info.net/

I know that not everyone has access to Windows 7 beta as of yet and may not wish to make the move as soon as windows 7 comes out, So if you have any questions or even opinions about windows 7 please yell out and i'll do my best to answer them.

So I would like to ask the PC enthusiasts here at XS what they want from the new OS.. besides the obvious (NO BSOD).

Today i will be looking at Windows 7 ultimate and writing a review on that over the coming days, Previous builds (Before 7000) have not been complete or for that matter close to 100% stable, so the latest build is 7004 but the official beta is labeled 7000 seems strange but MS assure us that this is the most stable and full featured Windows 7 to date, So keep an eye on this thread and i will update with my experiences of Windows 7 as it progresses to a full retail release.

Again dont be shy, the more questions the better, I left Windows vista to late as i was put off by all the negative comments i heard about it, Microsoft actually takes user feedback and idea's very seriously these days so your thoughts will be addressed. Microsoft is giving us an exclusive detailed Q&A session at the end of January so the more questions / idea's we can throw at them will help shape the future of the next gen OS.

[luie]

Great to hear. :-)

Suggestion/question:
I would like positioning of opened windows to bind to shortcut keys.
I'm aware they already have something like that in Windows 7 (dragging the window to the left or right or top edge of the monitor) but using keyboards are much faster. Maybe they have this 'key-binding' feature already but I never saw an article about it?

Something like (for Vista/XP):
GridMove (http://jgpaiva.donationcoders.com/gridmove.html)
or
WinSplit Revolution (http://www.winsplit-revolution.com/)


Comment:
Anyway, from the youtube videos, I really like the 'peek' feature where you can have the mouse over the taskbar to see where the opened window is underneath all the other opened windows. lol.


Question:
When is this new OS ready for sale? haha

[gillll]

well i have specific question,
why ain't ms give us os who can read most audio and video files ?

why i always have to install k lite codec pack ? xp and vista (hadn't tried to install it on win7 but i have a feeling :P)
it's not that there are too many codecs ... i'm talking about the most used codecs like xvid,divx,h264,ac3, and only few more.
it's not that those codec haven't got open source projects.

most people will only benefit from having build in support for the most useable codecs nowadays.

another thing is almost been done by ms it self but not fully implemented (it's kind of a linux feature)
make a different partition for user data .

what is so bad about it ? it's free us users from some accidental formats and will help data recovery.

i have more .... i'll try to add later.

[firebane]

What I want from the OS won't happen. Because it won't happen simplify for the fact that Microsoft is trying to cater more to the simplified user of a computer I remain with Windows XP.

I used Vista and have tried this beta and will simply say for the most part Win7 is nothing more than a prettier Aero to sucker people into having to buy another OS.

I'll be interested in what you have to say tho.

[gillll]

it's not quite like what you say firebane.

vista came out too early for the hardware that was on the market. if it's ms fault that's another issue
especially in terms of gfx. x-server and windows manager in vista are new ones compared to all ms os before.

u can say for sure that win7 is like 2gen vista and the code is better compiled while hardware on the market even mid range can run the os easily .
compared to the time when vista came out.

u can also see that on linux only in the past year or 2 took out also improved gfx like beril.
you can sum it up saying that gfx went up to a new level but it's not due to software but to hardware.
and the hardware software dance is and will continue always.

[Warboy]

What I want from the OS won't happen. Because it won't happen simplify for the fact that Microsoft is trying to cater more to the simplified user of a computer I remain with Windows XP.

I used Vista and have tried this beta and will simply say for the most part Win7 is nothing more than a prettier Aero to sucker people into having to buy another OS.

I'll be interested in what you have to say tho.

Is that really your professional opinion? Because if that's the only thing you see, You need to look harder.

[firebane]

Is that really your professional opinion? Because if that's the only thing you see, You need to look harder.

So why did they pull things like classic logon? or classic start menu? There wasn't a need to at all.. just microsoft felt it wasn't needed so get rid of it, but what about all of us who like using it? Don't matter we don't count.

Yes it seems memory usage has gone done in Win7 which is nice and that things like Windows Defender isn't annoying you and the firewall got reworked to actually be useful.. the OS itself to me is just more prettier overall.

[RazzleUltra]

What have they done to the firewall for Win7 then?

I was surprised when I found out that Vista had outbound security but only through an MMC snap-in lurking behind the scenes.

Have they put together a proper GUI for it now?

[firebane]

What have they done to the firewall for Win7 then?

I was surprised when I found out that Vista had outbound security but only through an MMC snap-in lurking behind the scenes.

Have they put together a proper GUI for it now?

Yes and something I was quite pleased about.. but for average people it could be a bit overwhelming so I assume they set it up default for a good average user..

http://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/windows_firewall.png

[HuffPCair]

What I want from the OS won't happen. Because it won't happen simplify for the fact that Microsoft is trying to cater more to the simplified user of a computer I remain with Windows XP.

I used Vista and have tried this beta and will simply say for the most part Win7 is nothing more than a prettier Aero to sucker people into having to buy another OS.

I'll be interested in what you have to say tho.

You have not obviously used Windows 7 fully I have the latest beta 7000 and it is much better then Vista using hardware. They have improved a few things that I can see so far I am still messing with it a little, so I wont say to much because I do not want to look like an idiot yet, but so far Windows 7 is impressing me.

[dan7777]

im useing windows 7 and i got to say its much smoother than vista and xp been useing it for 3 weeks now no problems, only thing i dont like is UAC so turned off from day 1 :)

[HuffPCair]

On the latest beta I did find a bug. I have my Q6600 clocked to 3.5GHz and it shows on the system info that I am clocked at 3.95GHz, but everything else is showing ok

[Papu]

running the 7000build and everything is sweet so far , got gadgets working , Xfi drivers installed , gonna do soem gaming ;0

[dan7777]

running the 7000build and everything is sweet so far , got gadgets working , Xfi drivers installed , gonna do soem gaming ;0

plzzzz plzzzz cud you test GTA4 cuz i cudnt get it working on my windows7 6801 every other game fine apart from that 1 cheers in advance.:up:

[Papu]

ha sry mate , i dont have GTA 4 , If i bought it now , I'd be sure to fail my exams in February

Css , Tf2 and l4D all play great , on par if not better than vista but I havent gone into detailed tests , they play I'm happy

The new UI is GAWJUS , i mean
<3
Link (http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/Dtop.JPG)

sidebar was a bit iffy to get working , but theres a thread about it on mydigitallife , you just need to replace the sidebar folder with that of vista or a previous win7 build ;0

[Speederlander]

it feels a lot more responsive than windows xp & also windows vista.

Please put numbers on this. "More responsive" means what? Please be very specific with claims like that. Practically everything I do on my comp is instantaneous. How would W7 improve on that?

[Mav451]

Are you guys just using Vista drivers? I wasn't aware there were W7 driver releases yet...

[Papu]

Are you guys just using Vista drivers? I wasn't aware there were W7 driver releases yet...

you can sue the drivers in compatability mode works every time i've tried

ATI have win7 drivers out , dunno bout nvidia

[Papu]

Please put numbers on this. "More responsive" means what? Please be very specific with claims like that. Practically everything I do on my comp is instantaneous. How would W7 improve on that?

it comes out of sleep faster than vista , boots faster , having allot of programs open doesnt seem to bother it , i have 4 gigs o ram tho.
Give it a week or 2 of programs and junk it might slow down , we'll see :D

[Speederlander]

it comes out of sleep faster than vista , boots faster , having allot of programs open doesnt seem to bother it , i have 4 gigs o ram tho.
Give it a week or 2 of programs and junk it might slow down , we'll see :D

Yeah most of that is just dependent on it being a new clean install for an OS I would think.

[SteveLord]

Good stuff. Keep it coming.

[Papu]

i see myself just flying through windows , its really nice that the taskbar isn't cluttered , ive 9 or 10 different programs open and its still less than half the task bar used up.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/taskbar.JPG

i also found this
http://windows7info.net/files/windows-7-circle-dock/
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/circle%20dock.JPG
can be used in vista , don;t know about XP , its really really useful ;0

i also found this funny

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/1337%20ram%21.JPG

not bad on ram usage

[dan7777]

i see myself just flying through windows , its really nice that the taskbar isn't cluttered , ive 9 or 10 different programs open and its still less than half the task bar used up.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/taskbar.JPG

i also found this
http://windows7info.net/files/windows-7-circle-dock/
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/circle%20dock.JPG
can be used in vista , don;t know about XP , its really really useful ;0

i also found this funny

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/55419/1337%20ram%21.JPG

not bad on ram usage
i use similar program mate called...http://rocketdock.com/ :up: good luck and happy new year.

[Warboy]

So why did they pull things like classic logon? or classic start menu? There wasn't a need to at all.. just microsoft felt it wasn't needed so get rid of it, but what about all of us who like using it? Don't matter we don't count.

Yes it seems memory usage has gone done in Win7 which is nice and that things like Windows Defender isn't annoying you and the firewall got reworked to actually be useful.. the OS itself to me is just more prettier overall.

It's called out with the old, in with the new. You can still have all the classic stuff if you really know what your doing.


Win7 build 6956/7000 performs better then WinVistaSP2,WinXP-SP3.

Here is a source. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=3187)

[scottc19]

Can you run both ati and nvidia drivers at the same time, meaning both an ati card and nvidia card at the same time like you can in xp?

[Boogerlad]

does windows 7 perform better than windows xp x64?

[Soulburner]

does windows 7 perform better than windows xp x64?
It absolutely should, given that Vista with the right setup/hardware outperforms XP.

[STEvil]

Seconded for multiple video cards from multiple vendors here, its the only reason i'm still on XP-64 ;)

Also, is networking less of a mess than Vista and more XP-Like? I found the Vista setup to be horrendous for navigation.

Navigating to your hard drives isnt exactly butter-smooth like it was in XP either..

[Warboy]

Can you run both ati and nvidia drivers at the same time, meaning both an ati card and nvidia card at the same time like you can in xp?

Yes, that what WDDM 1.1 enables that.


You can mix and match driver versions and vendors now. But both drivers need to be WDDM 1.1 Enabled.

[Soulburner]

Also, is networking less of a mess than Vista and more XP-Like? I found the Vista setup to be horrendous for navigation.
I agree with this, I have a heck of a time figuring out how to navigate Vista's networking.

[MAS]

Did anybody manage to install daemon tools (lite) on Win 7? I didn't, daemon cannot install virtual dvd and always offers to reboot :(

[Macadamia]

Seconded for multiple video cards from multiple vendors here, its the only reason i'm still on XP-64 ;)

Also, is networking less of a mess than Vista and more XP-Like? I found the Vista setup to be horrendous for navigation.

Navigating to your hard drives isnt exactly butter-smooth like it was in XP either..

You have to wait until both vendors offer WDDM 1.1 compliant drivers. So far only ATI has offered experimental WDDM 1.1 support if I remember.

On the other hand, there's a setting in the taskbar that's absolutely amazing...

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/8208/orsumej7.jpg

[Demo]

Seconded for multiple video cards from multiple vendors here, its the only reason i'm still on XP-64 ;)


Doesnt vista already allow that?

[HuffPCair]

So far 7000 build is working great with me. I love it so far. Every game BF2 TF2 and some others I have thrown at it work fine. Graphic drivers work fine. Got Firefox of course and Digsby going good. Love the taskbar at first I hated it but as I work more and more and have stuff open I find it very useful. Also love how it is using my RAM I have noticed with the gadgets it uses less RAM since it is not going through the sidebar. on start up I am only using 600 some MB out of 4gb that is pretty dang good so far but I am sure they will add crap to the final product.

[Soulburner]

So far 7000 build is working great with me. I love it so far. Every game BF2 TF2 and some others I have thrown at it work fine. Graphic drivers work fine. Got Firefox of course and Digsby going good. Love the taskbar at first I hated it but as I work more and more and have stuff open I find it very useful. Also love how it is using my RAM I have noticed with the gadgets it uses less RAM since it is not going through the sidebar. on start up I am only using 600 some MB out of 4gb that is pretty dang good so far but I am sure they will add crap to the final product.
I don't know about you, but I paid for 4GB to use it, not sit empty.

[billdavis]

can anyone hook me up with a W7 install

[newls1]

Can I get this BETA somewhere? buy it????

[Knight]

Do you think we will ever have control of super-fetch?

[HuffPCair]

I don't know about you, but I paid for 4GB to use it, not sit empty.

Yes I got four gigs to use it but not for the OS to hog it all. So I really dont see your point here. I was stating the OS does not seem to use as much RAM as Vista.

Also is anyone having probelms with gadgets not working. For some reason I can not get them to work. I click for gadgets to start and nothing happens. It may just be another bug I have along with the system info not reading the right GHz for my CPU

[HuffPCair]

Can I get this BETA somewhere? buy it????

If you pay for the beta you are crazy. I will never pay for a beta.

[Papu]

Did anybody manage to install daemon tools (lite) on Win 7? I didn't, daemon cannot install virtual dvd and always offers to reboot :(

erm poweriso works

[Warboy]

Yes I got four gigs to use it but not for the OS to hog it all. So I really dont see your point here. I was stating the OS does not seem to use as much RAM as Vista.

Also is anyone having probelms with gadgets not working. For some reason I can not get them to work. I click for gadgets to start and nothing happens. It may just be another bug I have along with the system info not reading the right GHz for my CPU

If your using Build 6956, If you totally disable UAC. Gadgets won't work. I haven't tested this in build 6936/7000 yet, But I don't use Gadgets much either.

[Papu]

here , this should fix your gadget problem , it fixed mine.
Link (http://forums.mydigitallife.info/showthread.php?t=3756)

[jetjaguar]

so there is no 64bit yet ? cuz i have 8gb of ram

[HuffPCair]

No right now the only one out is 32 bit for the 7000beta. Which it got released early somehow and many people have downloaded it. So when I load into windows 7 I am only getting a little over 2 gbs reading when I have four.

[HuffPCair]

If your using Build 6956, If you totally disable UAC. Gadgets won't work. I haven't tested this in build 6936/7000 yet, But I don't use Gadgets much either.

No its 7000 and I havent disable UAC so I do not know why it was doing that. Also Papu thank you for that link, but I am just going to try and fix it without copying any files it isnt really a big deal I am just wanting to try it so I can write about it on my other website.

[dan7777]

anyone know wen the x64bit will be leaked ???

[HuffPCair]

I think later this month someone was saying or it may be next month, but soon the REAL WINDOWS RELEASE will come out. This 7000 build wasnt supposed to be out yet but somehow it did. So hopefully this month the release will come so I can get my hands on the 64 bit and get rid of this stupid 32 bit.

[jetjaguar]

if a 64bit version gets released i might switch from vista and just run that as my main

[HuffPCair]

Im going to keep my Vista as main till it is a final release. I just dont trust myself or Windows enough to get rid of something I already have setup how I want till I get windows7 how I want it. Plus I believe the beta will only last for so long.

[jetjaguar]

Im going to keep my Vista as main till it is a final release. I just dont trust myself or Windows enough to get rid of something I already have setup how I want till I get windows7 how I want it. Plus I believe the beta will only last for so long.

yea but by the time the beta 1 runs out beta 2 will be out

[Papu]

I've completely switched over and no problems so far , this beta is supposed to end july 09 or something , but it isnt exactly a legimate version , so ima roll with it untill i get a reatil copy of W7.

[Mav451]

Isn't retail coming out basically Q4/Holiday though? I'm guessing they'd probably let beta users just keep using until then though, cuz it'd be weird if Beta ended without an overlapping retail release.

[HuffPCair]

It is Windows so you never know with them, but so far I love the beta and cant wait for the 64 bit OS to come out so I can totally switch over from Vista.

[RAYTTK]

Hi, Can anyone tell me if there will be an official public beta released by MS

[HuffPCair]

The official release is suppose to be later this month I believe.

[dan7777]

Hi, Can anyone tell me if there will be an official public beta released by MS it is 13th jan :up:

[RAYTTK]

Thanks, I will just hang on for that version , then give it a go.

[HuffPCair]

I got the 32 bit one that just got released on accident or whatever and I love it if onlyit was 64 bit i would of switched over already

[kodiak kid]

I have been running the 64bit version for a few weeks now...Winders 7 Ultimate 64.

[billdavis]

crap i was hoping win 7 would ditch 32 bit and just be a 64 bit os

[HuffPCair]

But is that the 7000 beta or the 6 series beta

[kodiak kid]

Ahhh....good point.... Its the 6K series....Only flaw I have found with this series is I can't reboot or logout without opening the task manager .....

[Easybeat]

crap i was hoping win 7 would ditch 32 bit and just be a 64 bit os

Apparently the next iteration of Windows could well be 64bit only.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Exploring-Windows-8-Exclusively-64-Bit-Scenario-98641.shtml

[rypt]

Apparently the next iteration of Windows could well be 64bit only.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Exploring-Windows-8-Exclusively-64-Bit-Scenario-98641.shtml

Question is, why is it only "next" version.
Almost all new processors are 64bit, infact the only processors sold in the past 2-3 years that are not x86_64 compliant have been the Intel Core Duo / Solo - which are bargain basement as it is.
AMD have had x86_64 CPUs since 2003 I think, and have not sold a 32bit one since 2005.
Even the Atom is x86_64, so I think Windows 7 would have been a perfect time to dump 32bit (to be fair Vista would have also been a perfect time).


[EDIT]
Having said all that, there is no reason why 32bit version should not be released, afterall look at Linux, it manages perfectly fine to have a 32 bit, and 64bit, and PPC and ARM and <insert another processor type> version.
The only reason for MS to dump 32bit version is to force evolution in the software market place, forcing companies to create products that work with 64bit (for instance SolidWorks 08 had plenty of issues with 64bit and Vista, as did Autocad).

[SIOUX]

I cant install any chipset INf drivers on this windows 7 beta...how are you guys doing it ?? is there one out that support win 7..if so...where can i find it ?:)

[BenchZowner]

I cant install any INf drivers on this windows 7 beta...how are you guys doing it ?? is there one out that support win 7..if so...where can i find it ?:)

If you're looking for nVIDIA VGA drivers, go to Windows Update @ Control Panel ;)

[SIOUX]

If you're looking for nVIDIA VGA drivers, go to Windows Update @ Control Panel ;)


No..i am looking for "Intel/ASUS x58 INF chipset" driver that support win 7.....what are you guys using ?? i cant realy run an OS without it :(


no problem instaling vga drivers:)

[BenchZowner]

I'm tired and can't say that I'm following you mate, sorry :p:
What do you mean "Intel/ASUS INF chipset" ? The X58 chipset drivers ?

[SIOUX]

I'm tired and can't say that I'm following you mate, sorry :p:
What do you mean "Intel/ASUS INF chipset" ? The X58 chipset drivers ?


hehe..sorry man...i just need at chiset driver that support win 7:D you guys must be using a chipset driver ?

Like this here :


http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/8522/52526480ua2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/52526480ua2.jpg/1/w1024.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img114/52526480ua2.jpg/1/)

[RPGWiZaRD]

Just run the setup in compability mode for Vista, problem solved.

[BenchZowner]

I think the "latest" chipset drivers available from Intel ( 9.0.0.1008 ) worked for me in the 6xxx builds.

[SIOUX]

Just run the setup in compability mode for Vista, problem solved.

ok..thx..but in compatility mode for what windows ?? i can choose between win 05, 98 ,xp , winserver 03 ,win2000 & win NT .

[Heretic]

Just saw this at Ars: http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2009/01/05/warning-wmp12-beta-could-corrupt-your-mp3s
Cliffs: The code that writes metadata (tags) to MP3 files is broken in Explorer and WMP12. It will corrupt your files if you use it. It can also happen if WMP12 automatically grabs tags from the net to fill in missing fields when you play a song. Hope that helps those that are using Win7.

[stasio]

I think the "latest" chipset drivers available from Intel ( 9.0.0.1008 ) worked for me in the 6xxx builds.
:rofl:
Intel® Chipset 9.0.0.1008
06.Feb 2008

Intel® Chipset 9.1.0.1012 WHQL (http://files.laptopvideo2go.com/chipset/intel_chipset_9.1.0.1012.exe)
04.Dec 2008

[SIOUX]

:rofl:
Intel® Chipset 9.0.0.1008
06.Feb 2008

Intel® Chipset 9.1.0.1012 WHQL (http://files.laptopvideo2go.com/chipset/intel_chipset_9.1.0.1012.exe)
04.Dec 2008

Thx for that:)


But be nice :)

[BenchZowner]

:rofl:
Intel® Chipset 9.0.0.1008
06.Feb 2008

Intel® Chipset 9.1.0.1012 WHQL (http://files.laptopvideo2go.com/chipset/intel_chipset_9.1.0.1012.exe)
04.Dec 2008

Don't be a jackass.

By the way, there's a reason why I put the word latest in quotes ( " )

[SIOUX]

It does not work with the latest driver...not even in compatility mode :(

EDIT: problem solved...just went to the device manager, and updated the devices from there one by one, by browsing the chipset folder manualy :)

[halo112358]

So why did they pull things like classic logon? or classic start menu? There wasn't a need to at all.. just microsoft felt it wasn't needed so get rid of it, but what about all of us who like using it? Don't matter we don't count.

Yes it seems memory usage has gone done in Win7 which is nice and that things like Windows Defender isn't annoying you and the firewall got reworked to actually be useful.. the OS itself to me is just more prettier overall.

More old features = more code paths = more maintenance cost = more chances for security failures.

[Jamesrt2004]

Just saw this at Ars: http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2009/01/05/warning-wmp12-beta-could-corrupt-your-mp3s
Cliffs: The code that writes metadata (tags) to MP3 files is broken in Explorer and WMP12. It will corrupt your files if you use it. It can also happen if WMP12 automatically grabs tags from the net to fill in missing fields when you play a song. Hope that helps those that are using Win7.

update for it came with the beta version so doesn't matter now :)

[Techie]

On the latest beta I did find a bug. I have my Q6600 clocked to 3.5GHz and it shows on the system info that I am clocked at 3.95GHz, but everything else is showing ok

i don't think it's a bug. Have you changed your multiplier ? because windows detects your cpu, and knows the Q6600 has a multiplier of 9 .. so:

Your bios settings : 439 FSB x 8 = 3512 Mhz
Windows detects: 439 FSB x 9 = 3950 Mhz

[RealTelstar]

Just run the setup in compability mode for Vista, problem solved.

9.1.00.1012 works natively in windows7 (for 4 series chipsets). I also had problems with the previous ones.
Get them from intel.