14 DAY TRIAL // On October 22, 2009 Microsoft reached the final milestone of the Windows 7 release schedule, namely general availability. Customers worldwide have already started embracing the product, buying 234% more boxed retail copies of Windows 7 since the official launch compared to the first few days after Windows Vista GA. The NPD Group took into consideration only sales of Windows 7 through the retail channel in the US in order to note that Windows 7 retail sales were outpacing those of Vista, but it’s likely that actual sold licenses of the latest Windows client are more than reported by NPD, taking into account the fact that the platform is available pre-installed on OEM computers, as well as offered for download through online outlets such as Microsoft Store.
Windows 7 guarantees a completely revolutionary UX for users upgrading from Windows XP, and evolutionary, as Microsoft itself has put it, for those that migrate from Vista. Either way, the latest edition of Windows brings a consistent range of enhancements that set Windows 7 apart from its predecessors. Assessing the value associated with the innovations introduced in Windows 7 certainly leads to recommendation lists with more than seven items.
Users will find that some of the new Windows 7 features and capabilities will come into focus more than others. Without having this aspect become a representation of the value they will bring to end users, there are things that customers will want to try ahead of anything else. Below is a list with seven of them, although in all fairness, users that will actually keep count will find that the limit of seven items “might” not have been respected entirely.
1. Windows 7 editions
As was the case with Windows 7’s precursor, Microsoft has bundled all editions of the operating system on the same installation media. This offers customers a chance to test drive other editions of the operating system, in addition to the SKU they actually acquired. The Windows 7 deployment process no longer requires the introduction of a product key, permitting the installation of any edition. This is an excellent change for end users to try additional releases of Windows 7, perhaps even on a secondary computer in their home. Windows 7 comes with an initial trial period of 30 days, which can be prolonged, if necessary.
At the time of writing this article, Microsoft continues to offer for download a free, trial release of Windows 7 Enterprise. Time-bombed to last for no less than 90 days, the Windows 7 Enterprise trial represents a chance to run the equivalent of the Ultimate SKU – the high-end edition of the operating system.
2. SLMGR-rearm
Of course, in certain scenarios, the initial grace period of 30 days offered by every edition of Windows 7 might be insufficient for end users to decide whether they want to buy the platform or not. In this case, the Redmond-based company provided a perfectly legal method to prolong the trial period to 120 days.
Simply enter “cmd” into the search box under the Start menu and right click the highlighted result selecting “Run as administrator.” In the cmd window, enter the following command: slmgr. This will open the Windows Software Licensing Management Tool with a list of commands that can be run. Windows 7 users will be interested in running slmgr /rearm, a command, which resets the initial grace period back to zero. If slmgr /rearm is used on the 30th day of the trail period, it will offer another month of free trial. Users will only be able to rearm Windows 7 a total of three times.
3. Windows Aero Windows 7 comes with an overhauled graphical user interface that boosts the eye candy previously available in Vista to a new level. But it’s not all about the enhancements to translucency effects, it is also about the overhaul in terms of functionality. The new Taskbar (Superbar) introduces a new way to combine hosting icons designed to launch programs with applications already running. Thumbnail Previews along with Jumplists (mini Start menus for each app pinned to the Taskbar) make it easier for users to find and launch an application. But, of course, there’s more.
“Snap to it! Need to compare two documents side-by-side? Snap, a new feature in Windows 7, is a quick (and fun) way to increase your productivity. Snap allows you to resize open windows simply by dragging them to the edges of your screen – left or right. Then, the window will expand vertically and fill the screen, so you can easily position windows side-by-side,” Microsoft revealed.
“Shake away the clutter: Need to cut through a crowded desktop and quickly focus on a single window? With Windows 7, you can click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Voila! Every window except that one disappears. Jiggle again, and your Windows are back,” the company noted.
The Aero Shake, Aero Peek and Aero Snap features make organizing and managing opened programs, files, folders on the desktop a simple process. Overall, Windows 7 is less cluttered, and more user-friendly.
4. Windows Live Essentials
Don’t forget to stretch Windows 7 into the Cloud. With the advent of Windows 7, Microsoft is no longer including otherwise traditional Windows programs into the operating system. Vista’s successor no longer comes with an instant messaging client or a mail app. But via Windows Live Essentials, Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and Toolbar are just a download away.
“Download Windows Live Essentials – the killer apps for Windows 7: Once you have Windows 7 installed, go to download.live.com to download free programs for email, IM, movie-making, photos and more,” Microsoft revealed.
Windows Live Essentials components are all offered as free downloads. And, in fact, as soon as they try to update Windows 7, users will find that Windows Live Essentials will be offered as an update. Through the clients packaged under the Windows Live Essentials brand umbrella, the software giant is simply offering basic apps that are key to performing mundane tasks.
Microsoft stated that Windows 7 and Windows Live Essential users can: “Organize your multiple email accounts in one place: Organize your multiple email accounts using Window Live Mail (including Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail Plus and Gmail) so you can receive email in one place, organized into separate folders. You can even add RSS feeds to stay up on your favorite sites and blogs. Import and organize your photos: Your new operating system is a great excuse to finally organize the thousands of digital photos you’ve accumulated over the years. Windows Live Photo Gallery allows you to sort your photos easily by tags, folders or dates, then clean them up with easy editing features, including auto-fix, sharpen image, panoramic stitch, and more. Make a movie in less than five minutes: Now that you have your favorite photo and video memories on your Windows 7 PC, make them into movies and slideshows that you can share on the web (including easy publishing to YouTube and Facebook) or burn onto a DVD in high definition (if your camera supports it). Windows Live Movie Maker features the simple-to-navigate Windows 7 ribbon, and time-saving features like AutoMovie that automatically turn your photos, videos and music into an impressive movie – complete with titles and transitions.”
5. Microsoft Security Essentials
Users should make sure to run security software in order to protect their machines against an ever evolving threat environment. Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 is a free security solution from the Redmond-based company that will work with both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) flavors of Windows 7.
But for users that might want to go with other security vendors, there are additional security solutions available for download, also for free, including: PC Tools, BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition, AVG Antivirus 9.0, Avira Antivir Personal and Avast Antivirus.
6. Free Themes
“Personalize your PC: Make your Windows 7 PC your own by pinning your favorite programs to the enhanced Windows Taskbar, to easily preview and switch between Windows. Then, customize your desktop with one of the many new themes available in Windows 7 (or easily download a new one that suits your personality), and drag your favorite gadgets where you want them on your desktop,” Microsoft noted.
But of course that personalization goes much further than the simple customization of the taskbar. In this regard, the software giant has put together the Windows 7 Personalization Gallery, offering free themes and wallpapers for the operating system, on top of the content already included by default into the platform.
7. Windows Touch
Users looking to buy a new computer should consider machines with touch capabilities. Windows 7 is the first Microsoft operating system with native multitouch support, and a platform that will usher in a new era of pervasive Natural User Interfaces. A critical aspect of Windows 7 Multitouch is that Microsoft is not only offering a feature, but also a platform, which third-party developers can take advantage of with their own products.
“Multitouch in Windows Touch is a whole new world compared to single touch because you can do things that are of course single touch, but you can also include a new mode of interacting with your computer that is based on gestures. Typical examples of that are being able to zoom in to a picture, site, or page; or rotating things; or doing power taps with two fingers that let you define a whole new bunch of interactions you can have with your computer. It actually lets you, with your fingers, control things that would take either several clicks of the mouse or several clicks on the keyboard and do it in a more intuitive manner,” revealed Yves Neyrand, the director of test for the Windows Developer Experience team, ahead of the Windows 7 GA.
Microsoft Windows 7 90-Day Eval VHD is available for download here.
Another Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.
Windows 7 RTM Starter Edition, 100-Screenshot Gallery
Windows 7 RTM Home Basic 110-Screenshot Gallery
Windows 7 RTM Home Premium 120-Screenshot Gallery
Windows 7 RTM Professional 110-Screenshot Gallery
Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 100-Screenshot Gallery