Windows 8 Developer Preview Available
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The Microsoft
BUILD Windows conference kicked off Tuesday (09/13/2011)
with the Windows 8 Developer Preview version as the
focus and hot topic. Over the past months Microsoft has put
forth dribs and drabs of information regarding the future of
the Windows operating system, but that changed yesterday as
media and developers were handed tablets with the Windows 8
Developer Preview installed and ready for inspection.
I'm sure you probably want to know where you can download a
copy of the Developer Preview. I'll get to that in a minute,
but first let me address a point or two that are causing
some confusion. First and foremost, the Developer Preview is
not what is commonly called a 'beta' version of upcoming
operating system or application software. This release is
intended for developers and is far from being a completed
operating system or even a beta which companies use to get
feedback from users.
Again, this is not a ready for prime time release and under
no circumstances should you try and use it as your primary
operating system. Unless you are extremely knowledgeable and
have 100% bulletproof images and backups of your
system, don't even consider installing this on your
primary system unless it's in a virtual machine
program like Virtual Box or VMware Workstation.
I've
added a Windows 8 section
to the website and will be adding a separate
Windows 8 section to the forum in the next few days.
There's a long journey ahead as the latest version
comes to life, so if you're interested stop by and
see what others have to say about the changes that
are more drastic than we've seen in years. The
Windows 8 info is located
here.
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Windows Service Pack
1 Released
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| Microsoft has recently
released Service Pack 1 for Windows 7. I'll go on
the record right off the top and say there really
isn't anything new, exciting, or compelling that
makes me want to rush ahead and get it installed. I
keep up with updates and patches as they are
released monthly. If you do the same, SP1 offers
little more than a compilation of the updates and
hot-fixes that have been published since Windows 7
hit the market. |
| So far there haven't
been any widespread reports of problems with SP1
breaking systems or applications, but it's still
early in the release and as the user base becomes
larger there is always a possibility new issues
arise. Computer manufacturers are going to start
shipping SP1 systems in early to mid April and that
will go a long way toward identifying any issues or
problems. In the meantime, unless you are
reinstalling the operating system and want to
slipstream SP1 or install it as a way to avoid all
the individual updates, I'd hold off and let the
early adopters and software developers work out any
kinks.If you're hell-bent on getting SP1 right away,
visit the Service Pack Center or obtain it via
Windows Update. |
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Slipstream
[Image] Windows 7 SP1 into Windows 7
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| With the release of
Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 it's time to look at
how to slipstream it into a Gold or RTM version you
already own. Some of the gurus out there call this
imaging, others slipstreaming, but frankly I don't
give a damn what it's called. The point is, you end
up with a Windows 7 version that includes Windows 7
Service Pack 1 along with some selected
applications, drivers, and to have that image
available in three different formats; a USB Flash
Disk (UFB), an .iso file, and a DVD. |
| With XP you integrated
or 'slipped' the Service Pack into the original XP
files. With Vista you created an 'image' of Vista
that was updated with the new service pack. Now it's
time for the Windows 7 Service Packs and the
situation is fairly similar to what it was with
Vista. You still have to create an updated image and
use it for the Windows 7 installation. There are a
number of programs available that automate the
process, and as far as I know, some may well do an
excellent job of creating an updated image. I
haven't tested them and can't say if they work or
what changes they make to your system. I do know
I've received a substantial number of e-mails asking
for troubleshooting help when users have experienced
unexpected results or failures while trying to
create a slipstreamed image. So, I'm going to take a
different path and show you how to manually create a
standard slipstreamed image of Windows 7, basically
from scratch. |
| I'm not going to tell
you this is a quick and simple procedure. It isn't.
At the same time, it isn't overly difficult either.
There are a lot of steps involved, you have to work
carefully, and there are numerous opportunities to
screw up and have to start over from the beginning.
However, if you're willing to spend the time and
carefully work through the process you'll actually
learn something about the 'images' that are used to
install Windows 7 and you'll be able to customize
that image specifically to your taste. |
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Two
Different Versions of the Tutorial |
| The first
version of the tutorial is for users that
have two computers and at least one of them
is bootable from a USB Flash Disk (UFD).
It's easier, doesn't involve quite as many
steps, and you end up with a bootable UFD
containing the slipstreamed Windows 7
operating system. |
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Windows 7 SP1 Slipstream - Two Computer UFD
Bootable Version |
| The second version of the tutorial is
for users who find yourselves with only one
computer and that computer isn't capable of
being booted from a USB Flash Disk (UFD).
The procedure isn't nearly as convenient as
having two computers, but it's possible.
You'll have to incorporate some workarounds
into the procedure and do some extra
software installations as well as create a
bootable CD to restart the computer instead
of booting from a UFD. |
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Windows 7 SP1 Slipstream - One Computer Not
UFD Bootable |
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| The Windows 7
Edition Lineup |
| If you remember back
to the days of XP, there were two choices available;
Home and Professional. Along came Vista and the
number of editions ballooned. Suddenly there was
Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and
Enterprise as well as a couple of other editions
that most have never even heard of, much less seen.
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| Even with the limited
choices available with XP there was confusion about
what features were included in the different
editions and which edition was right for individual
scenarios. The confusion was exacerbated with Vista.
One camp felt the broader choices were a good thing,
making it easier to obtain just the needed features.
Another group thought the additional choices were
confusing and added nothing over the XP naming
conventions. Now it's time to
look at the Windows 7 lineup. |
| XP, Vista, or
Windows 7 - Does It Really Matter ? |
| With Windows 7 on the
horizon, the 'which is better' debate this time
around is going to focus on the merits of Windows
XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. There is little
doubt in the consumer end that what operating system
is currently in use is determined by what was on the
system when it was purchased. Business and
enthusiast users are a whole different ballgame, but
truthfully, a very small percentage of home users
ever upgrade or change their current operating
system unless they are buying a new computer. They
could care less whether the splash screen says XP,
Vista, or 7 - they just want to get on the internet,
check their e-mail, and listen to their music or
head for one of the social networking sites. |
| Then there are the
rest of us; the ones that do care what operating
system is running. We want to know how fast, stable,
and secure it is and explore ways it can be tuned
and tweaked. The danger we face as being members of
this group is becoming so focused on the process we
lose sight of the overall goal of usability. Far too
often we find fault with an operating system where
in fact it isn't a fault; rather it's something we
would simply prefer to be different. |
| In the end it really
doesn't matter if you are running XP, Vista, or
Windows 7. XP and Vista are still supported
operating systems to some degree and are being
provided with, at the minimum, security updates. As
long as you are happy with your system and it is
capable of running the software and performing the
tasks you find important, that's what matters. |
| [
Click For Full Article ] |
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Windows 7
Released
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| Back in 2001 I was
excited about the release of Windows XP. Although
some will argue the point, XP was very different
from any of the preceding Windows versions. It got a
lot of bad publicity because of the cartoonish user
interface, but under the hood there were a lot of
changes. It's true the original XP release fell prey
to a never ending stream of security exploits that
threatened to bring it down to its knees. When
Service Pack 2 was released the majority of security
issues that plagued the initial two years vanished. |
| There was a lot of
talk during the ensuing years about Longhorn, which
was going to be the successor to XP, and all the
great new technologies that were going to be
implemented. Those intermediate years truly were a
great time to be involved with IT and computers as
the changes and developments were coming at a fast
and furious pace. Sadly, for whatever reason (there
are a ton of theories about what actually went
wrong), instead of ending up with a great new XP
replacement, Vista was brought to market. If ever
there was a reason not to switch or upgrade
operating systems, Vista was the poster child for
sticking with the tried and true XP. Downgrading
from Vista to XP was arguably the most popular
option going, with major computer builders and
sellers promoting a Vista to XP downgrade as a
selling point to bolster sales. |
| All the problems
associated with Vista do not fall squarely on the
shoulders of Microsoft. Hardware manufacturers and
software developers were equally to blame with the
release of products and drivers that were absolutely
horrendous, while support for legacy applications
and hardware was equally as bad if not worse. Still,
Vista carried the Microsoft name, and no matter how
you divvy up the blame, as far as public perception
goes, it was, and remains, a colossal failure that
has tarnished the Microsoft name. |
| I tend to take a very
skeptical viewpoint on new releases of anything,
especially operating systems, but as bad as Vista
was and as great as I still think XP is to this day,
Windows 7 is a fine operating system that deserves
your attention. When you get right down to the
bottom line, security, stability, and ease of use
are the keystones of what makes a good operating
system. Windows 7 has those qualities in spades.
Don't get me wrong, there are areas for improvement
and customization to tailor it to your specific
needs and preferences, but the basic Windows 7 is a
solid operating system and a pleasure to use. It
more than reverses the downward spiral Windows
experienced after the Vista debacle. |
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Windows 7 One Year Anniversary
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| Today is the one year
anniversary since Windows 7 was officially launched.
According to the Microsoft public relations machine,
240 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold in
that one year period. When you stop and think about
it, that's a lot of licenses. Granted, I don't know
what the breakdown is of how the licenses were sold
or who bought them, but still, there are a lot of
licensed copies out there in the business and
consumer marketplace. I can't even hazard a guess
how many old cracked beta versions and pirated
copies are also being used, but my guess is a
substantial number. |
| I've been using
Windows 7 on my primary system for just about the
entire year since it was launched. Truthfully, I'm
as pleased with it now as I have ever been with any
operating system. Perhaps part of that is because
I'm realistic enough to realize there are always
going to be glitches and annoyances in any operating
system. Don't mistake that realism as accepting
something sub-par, but simply recognizing there is a
maturation cycle in any new product while the kinks
are worked out. In past Windows versions there was
good reason to be wary until the first Service Pack
appeared, but this time the show stoppers so
prevalent in past versions were essentially
eliminated. I said a year ago I felt Windows 7 was
deserving of your attention. I stand by that
statement one year later. |
| Testing Operating
Systems On A Primary System |
| Quite a few years ago
I wrote an
article about hard drives, the different types
of partitions available, and ways you can set up
hard drives to suit different styles or work. While
it has consistently been among one of the most
visited areas of the TEG website, the series spiked
to an all time high when Vista was released. The
reason is pretty simple. A lot of users were either
upgrading their system or purchasing new systems,
and what better time is there to pause and rethink
our setup to see if it can be organized more
efficiently. Hard drives have continued to increase
in size over the years while dropping to
ridiculously low prices, but bigger isn't always
better, especially when securing and protecting our
data is of primary importance. Now that Win 7 has
been released, traffic to the hard drive article is
picking up again. |
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| Windows 7 is readily
available now and a lot of users are eager to take
it for a spin. The downside to this eagerness is
that inevitably a lot of users will just go ahead
and upgrade their system with the new release,
thinking it will be fine and later finding out it
was a hasty decision. That's unfortunate, because
although Windows 7 is no longer a beta product, in
many ways you are essentially running a beta test.
You're basically beta testing it to see if it's
suitable for your system, the software you run, and
your style of work. Chances are you're going to run
into glitches that can cause serious problems, up to
and including hosing an entire system. When that
happens, and chances are pretty good it will happen
if you're using your primary system as a test bed
without any way of recovering your previous install
or having your data backed up and easily restorable,
you're in deep -- well, you know. |
| I'm no different from
other users in that when a new version of Windows is
released I want to take it for a spin on the newest,
fastest, and most current system I own.
Unfortunately, that system is almost assuredly going
to be the primary system I use daily. So what can
you do if you find yourself in that same situation.
One option is a virtual machine. Not a bad option at
all and a very safe one because it's isolated from
the primary system, but unfortunately you don't get
the full experience because of virtual machine
limitations, especially in the area of graphics
performance. I use many different operating systems
on many different systems, but if you only have one
primary system and want to test out Windows 7 before
making a final commitment, take a look at
Testing A New Operating System On A Primary System
for one way I use that has served me well
through a lot of operating system releases. |
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Single versus
Multi Function Programs
Have you ever seen a
news story where someone passes away and they
discover 50 years worth of daily newspapers stacked
neatly in the attic? I suspect I may be one of those
news sidebars one day, but instead of newspapers,
old shoes or empty coffee cans, the story will be
about software. I was looking for something the
other day and stumbled onto the area where dead
software packages go when they are no longer active
on any of my systems.
I got sidetracked and started browsing
through the boxes. A number of things struck me. One
was the amount of floppy disks, both 5.25 and 3.5
inch. Another was the manuals that were included
with each product. Personally, I miss the manuals,
but I'm also glad to see the digital manuals
supplied today cutting down on the number of trees
destroyed to produce them.
What really struck me though was the number of
programs that were single purpose; programs designed
to do one thing and do it very well. They weren't
'suites' or programs designed to do everything under
the sun, a be all and end all for every user. I miss
that. I see far too many programs being rolled out
today that claim to do more than they are possibly
capable of delivering. Or if they do deliver one
aspect of what they promise with a high degree of
efficiency, almost invariably they fail miserably in
the other areas.
When I got back to my desk I sat down and looked at
the programs I have installed. Not surprisingly, the
majority of the programs I work with are single
purpose applications. They don't have a ton of bells
and whistles, fancy toolbars, or cute little sounds,
and they are designed to address one or two
functions. They do what they say they will and they
do it with tight, lean code that allows them to work
quickly and efficiently. Another benefit I find with
the majority of the programs I use is they don't
pester the crap out of me with annoying dialog boxes
or by trying to second guess my intentions.
Here's a suggestion for all the companies planning
to bring a software product to market. Take a step
back and focus on what you really do well. Identify
your strength and hone it to perfection. Don't
assume I'd rather have three or five mediocre
functions than a single function that works
flawlessly. And more than anything, stop assuming
you know what is best for an installation. Create an
installer that lists every function your product
provides - but - give me the option to manually
select each function I want installed. Oh, and one
more thing -- if the installer asks me if I want to
install a toolbar like 'Yahoo" or 'Ask", chances are
I'll cancel the install and find a different
program. If installing the toolbar is selected as
the default option and I have to uncheck it to avoid
the toolbar installing, your program will never see
the light of day on any system I use. |
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