In the previous episodes (you can read Part One or Part Two here) of this series, I gave you an overview of my experiences in upgrading to Windows 7, including thoughts on if an upgrade made sense, and what to look for as you considered an upgrade. In this final installment, I want to pass along what I think are the best new features of Windows 7, so that you can decide for yourself if an upgrade is worth it or not.
Here in the blog itself, I’m going to give you just a brief list of new features, but I‘ve put together a 12 minute video overview of what you see with Windows 7, that you can view by clicking here.
First of all, you might find a basic comparison of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 helpful. Microsoft has provided us with a simple chart you can see by clicking here. Keep in mind that this chart really ONLY highlights the new features in Windows 7, and basically just shows you that the other versions of Windows don’ t have these features. Duh!
Ok, so what really IS new? Here’s a bullet list of my favorite new features (Remember, you can see all this stuff in a video, by clicking here):
- On the Desktop:
- Live Preview, Pinning, and Jump Lists
- The taskbar has bigger buttons and live previews (hover over a button to see a large thumbnail live preview)
- Hover over a live preview to see a full-screen version of the document
- Click preview to choose that document
- Drag the buttons into order on the taskbar
- Pin an icon to the taskbar, as a one-click shortcut. Do this by right-clicking the icon and choosing PIN to taskbar.
- Right click a taskbar icon to see a Jump List (list of recently viewed/opened documents)
- You can pin favorites to the taskbar by dragging them to an icon. They then become part of IE’s jump list
- The taskbar has bigger buttons and live previews (hover over a button to see a large thumbnail live preview)
- Aero Peak
- Hoover over the button at the lower right corner of the desktop, all windows become transparent so you can see the desktop
- Click the button to minimize all windows, and click again to restore all windows
- Aero Shake
- Drag a windows taskbar and give it a wiggle, all other windows are minimized. Shake again and all are restored.
- Aero Snap
- Drag two windows to opposite sides of screen to resize them automatically (note, they resize when your mouse cursor touches the edge)
- Drag window to top of screen to maximize
- Drag maximized window down to restore
- Drag the top/bottom border down to dock the entire window at the top and bottom
- NOTE: I’ve discovered that the Aero Snap feature does NOT work with ALL programs. Example: Photoshop Elements does not let you drag it up and down from the screen top to maximize or restore.
- Gadgets
- You can now move and resize them anywhere on desktop
- RIGHT click the desktop and choose Gadgets
- Live Preview, Pinning, and Jump Lists
- Search
- Start button / Search Programs and Files text box
- Type in the beginning of what you are looking for and the search starts.
- Programs and files are listed in groups, with programs at the top
- You won’t ever have to search through the program menu again, just start typing it’s name
- I LOVE THIS FEATURE!
- In a folder window, use the search box in the upper right corner.
- You can also use filters and options
- Click on a found document, and click the preview pane button at the upper right corner.
- Start button / Search Programs and Files text box
- Libraries
- You can see related files together in one place, no matter where they are stored
- Comes with 4 pre-created libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos
- RIGHT click a folder or device to add it to a Library
- You can also create your own libraries.
- Choose Library on the folder tree
- Choose FILE / NEW / LIBRARY
- Give it a name
- Add folders to it
- Action Center
- Displays a flag in tray area to alert you to system error messages
- Shows any system messages or actions you need to take
- Open the Action Center window to see current security settings
- Backup and Restore
- Start / Search for Backup
- Backup allows you to setup an automatic routine backup of any set of folders to any device you want.
- Backup also includes doing an image copy of your entire hard drive.
- Other Fun Utilities
- Sticky Notes: Allow you to add post-it notes of various colors to the screen
- Snipping Tool: Select part of the screen for a screenshot (I LOVE THIS TOO!)
- Calculator: Now you have multiple variations to choose from
- Math Input Panel: draw mathematical equations and insert them into documents (My math-teacher wife loves this!)
- Windows XP Mode: A special program that runs with Virtual PC to give you a way to run older Windows XP programs that don’t run in Windows 7. The program runs in a Virtual PC window on the screen. Windows XP Mode is only available for Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate.
Ok, so now you’ve seen a long list of new features, some of which ARE really cool. BUT, the question is…. are these new features worth the upgrade price? I’d have to say….
No… well…. maybe Yes…. it depends.
How about that for a direct, no nonsense answer? The fact is, those of us who love to mess with the latest technology are going to upgrade with no questions asked. As are those who are having technical problems with Vista, or even with Windows XP. But if you are currently happy with Windows XP, or even Windows Vista, then it’s a much tougher call. I am certainly NOT going to be the one who tells you that you HAVE TO UPGRADE! If something works, why fix it?
But when all is said and done… I will say that I think Windows 7 is going to be the best version of Windows ever released. I’m not sure what that means, but as a geek, I’m having a great time messing around with it… and I think you will too…. well, maybe.
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