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So what do the UHM computer experts think of Windows 7 ?

Been using it on a laptop for about 4 months and I like it more than Vista. It's like comparing XP to ME.

It runs much better. Vista is sluggish whereas 7 is quite lightweight and is responsive.

The taskbar previews are good. When you have several applications running, you move the mouse over one and a preview pops up like in Vista. If you have several tabs open in your browser it opens them all, allowing you to click on a particular tab.

It makes life easier setting up wireless networks and sharing files on a small network. Perhaps not so good for me as I like people phoning me up for help with these things.

If you curently use XP and you're thinking of getting a new PC then it's worth considering.

I've been using XP since 2005, are there any benefits in upgrading.

I mainly use my PC to surf the net and online banking, keep all my digi photos on and a few spreadsheets and letter writing.

About 8 hours a week average.

John

I have a Samsung NC10 Netbook and the first thing I did when I bought it was to upgrade to 2GB RAM and replace the supplied XP with the RC1 (release candidate) build of Win7 (release 7000 I think it was) and then later upgraded to the final RC build (7100).
On the Netbook which has a slow processor compared to new "big" systems, it has been great, never crashed and looks great.

I installed the same build on my old Desktop PC - which is running a Pentium M (again with 2GB RAM), which is what you find mainly in laptops such as the IBM T41 - For some reason, that became REALLY sluggish. I put back the original MCE (Media Center Edition) OS - which is basically XP with a few bells on and it went back to normal.

Not sure why such a difference as the two systems are similar power CPU wise

I got my copy of Windows 7 yesterday from Amazon and intend installing it on my BIG desktop that is used as a Freeview PVR.
Gonna install the 64-Bit version and get the full potential of the Quad-Core processor and 4GB RAM and 4 TV Tuners


That is what I am doing. in terms of general "should I update", I reckon this .....

If you have a system that is a few years old and you are happy with XP, then it is probably better to stick with XP for a number of reasons:

1) Windows 7 IS a lot better then Vista BUT still needs more resources then XP, so the difference could tip your system over the edge. And upgrading old PCs can often be cost-inefficient and not get the result you want.

2) Windows 7 will not support everything that XP will in terms of the old applications and older hardware. You may have a printer that has an XP driver but does not have a Vista Driver for example (and therefore unlikely to have a Win7 driver)
There are often ways round this, but you have to be a bit of a geek to do the workrounds

3) If you have a dated PC, then you could be looking at a new PC in the nearish future - if so, then buying a new PC with Win7 supplied will be better value then getting Win7 now and then buying a new PC later on (which will have Win7 with it almost certainly anyway)

Not sure if it is possible to install the 'free' RC versions of Windows now the Release is officially out, but if it was, that would be a good way to have a play.

I have the NC10. Brilliant little laptop.

How easy is it to upgrade the memory on this? I have never looked into it.

I too am going to upgrade to Windows 7 on all my PC's and NC10, probably the Pro edition.

What was it like having to do a clean install on the NC10 from XP to 7?

Unless you have any old hardware you cant do without like my Cannon film scanner, which has no drivers after XP and you have 4Gig of ram then 7 is well worth the upgrade

gas4you wrote:I have the NC10. Brilliant little laptop.

How easy is it to upgrade the memory on this? I have never looked into it.

I too am going to upgrade to Windows 7 on all my PC's and NC10, probably the Pro edition.

What was it like having to do a clean install on the NC10 from XP to 7?

Memory Upgrade: Dead easy. there is a door underneath secured by a single screw. undo that, plug in module, job done. I always get my memory from offtek.co.uk - generally near enough the cheapest and lifetime warranty - which I have tried after a module failed after 2 years. sent me another one next day no problems.

Installing Win7: I bought a nice external DVD-RW unit that runs off the USB for signal and power and used that to boot up Win7. Got it off amazon for something like £25.

Only thing I needed to add for hardware was driver for webcam (Win7 RC didn't have driver. release version might? never actually used webcam anyway ).
Only issue I get is the touchpad 'stalls' sometimes but I near always use a mouse so not worried about it as assumed Win7 release version will fix it.

Word is MS is making a "Netbook Special" Win7 release which will be crippled and only be able to open 3 Apps at a time to encourage buyers who want more to buy bigger (pricier) systems.

Oh, I have installed Win7 on my TV PVR system and the Win7 MCE (7CE) part is WAY BETTER then XP MCE

due to a bug in the USB Tuner Driver or Win7 MCE for the Hauppauge Nova-TD stick , I have lost a tuner (so it thinks I have 3 instead of 4) but the interface of 7CE is so much better, I don't mind too much - gonna try and find a DVB-S tuner (Freesat) instead to make up the 4th one and record off sat as well as freeview

Thanks for the detailed reply. Very helpful.

gas4you wrote:Thanks for the detailed reply. Very helpful.

NP. I should have said that there is only one memory slot, so you will find a 1GB SODIMM already fitted, but you just unclip this one and remove, then install the new 2GB SODIMM.

FYI, I am sure there are other makes, etc out there, but the one I fitted is as follows:
Make - Crucial Technology
P/n - CT25664AC667
Description - 2GB 200 PIN DDR2 SODIMM 256Mx64 PC2 - 5300

When you start up again, expect an error/info message saying the memory amount has changed, go into BIOS, then save and exit, restart and job done

Again many thanks.

I have always ordered my memory from Crucial and found their prices and service excellent to date

Just put Win 7 Pro on my office comp.

It flies now

Put Home Premium 7 on two others, both excellent so far

I put it on a couple of pcs that are not high spec. One will be mostly for surfing only so went for this as its meant to be faster.

Another i put on for the multimedia capabilities as i am planning to use this in the front room as an htpc i am building. Pc is ready but front room is not. So far pretty impressed with the streaming/hd side of it.

My main pc is xp, which i will keep as there are things that i know won't run on W7 and i have some online games etc. which will take a lot of running in different modes to get running.

I like the look and running of w7 but still struggle to find some things, techie things. But for my stepdad who wants a new pc i will probably make sure he uses w7.

I don't yet use 7 but am intending to start upgrading at least some of the PCs here shortly. Avoided Vista entirely - all the PCs here run XP - so would be interested in people's experiences in running 7 and XP together on a LAN.