The Unbiased Comprehensive Windows 7 Beta review

Windows 7 Beta 1. One of the most polished Beta ever. I though I was running the RTM of 7. It was that stable. Anyways Windows 7 like all operating systems had it’s ups and lows. Click more to read the review:

Installation:

The Windows 7 installation took about 30 minutes on a average performance desktop. On a high end desktop it took 20 minutes while on a old desktop  it took 45 minutes. The Windows 7 installation was a great improvement over the Vista’s setup process. I’ve had one error message during Setup but found out it was due to a improperly burned DVD. Overall the Windows 7 installation was streamlined and easy to use.

User Interface

The most noticeable thing about Windows 7 is the taskbar. While it isn’t the most polished feature of Windows 7 it is still great. At first use I found the taskbar to be confusing because I couldn’t differentiate Quick Launch icons from open windows but I found out that open windows have a border behind it while quick launch icons do not. Opening programs using the quick launch icons were as speedy as maximising an already open window. At first glance the taskbar might seem confusing but after a while it is very easy to use. They added a new feature called Aero Snap. You can move a window to the upper part of the screen it will maximize, move it to the right, it will pin to the right and so on. The start menu hasn’t been changed much from Vista’s but includes a feature that when you mouse over a program with an arrow beside, a list of tasks associated with the program will appear. I’ve found Aero to be more responsive than on a same specs Vista PC. The Aero theme has changed to be more light blue than the green found it Vista. Wordpad and Paint now have a ribbon UI which makes them more of a compelling program. Windows Media Center now has larger text but no radical features. Calculator has had more features added which makes it a calculator worth using. Control Panel has a blue aurora at the left of it and gadgets can be put anywhere on the desktop. 3 Internet games have been added, Internet Checkers, Internet Backgammon and Internet Spades. Overall if you upgrade from Vista it will be easy to get used to but from XP it is a radical departure.

Reliability

Windows 7 was reliable but I did experience some problems. Once in Internet Explorer I had a frozen tab and Word 2007 froze while I was typing. Windows Media Center seemed a bit sluggish when I used the mouse but when I used the arrow pad it was speedy. Overall Windows 7 was more reliable than Vista and lightyears away from XP (good thing).

Security

Security in Windows 7 was improved a lot. When I first booted up Windows 7 I was told by Action Center, formerly called Security Center that I need an antimalware program. I downloaded AVG Antivirus and downloaded a few driver updates. I’ve seen UAC prompts only twice so far which is much less than what I seen in Windows Vista at first. There has been a lot of behind the scenes tweaks that improve the security of the system. Overall Windows 7 is the most secure Windows OS to date.

Device Stage And Other New Things

Device Stage is one of my favourite features of Windows 7. Since I had a Sansa Clip I tried it. It was great and I hope other manufacters enable their device in Device Stage. Sticky Notes was improved greatly from the old WIndows XP style program. There has been a number of other minor changes that are too much to name.

Overall

Overall Windows 7 Beta 1 is very reliable. It is a great OS and I hope Microsoft releases more polished betas like this with future Windows operating systems. I give Windows 7 Beta 1………… 4.4 out of 5 stars. Great, but could be more polished.

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Update: Windows 7 Beta 7048 is even more stable than 7000.