Windows 7 Beta Discussion

[Chalex4]

To avoid the discussions in the shoutbox, post your Windows 7 banter in here!

If you want to download the beta, simply go here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx) and make sure you read it all carefully. Note that minimum recommended specs call for:


1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 GB of system memory
16 GB of available disk space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
DVD-R/W Drive
Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

I have 2x 500GB HDDS, with XP on one, and W7 on the other. This required making a partition to seperate W7 from all my data that was also on the drive, but you could always try some virtualisations software like VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/) if you want to try it within your current OS.

Personally, I am really liking Windows 7, and am finding it a nice step up from XP Pro.

I am going to withhold my final judgement though until I have played all of my favoirite games, to see if they play decently.

How are you finding it?

[Colonel Mitch]

Actually will partition manager allow me to resize the sysetm partition while its running (or have microsoft finally added a proper partitioning program to their installer? - that or im gunna ahve to break out linux install so i can partition it)

Update: Yay i can resize my system partition :D - I shrunk it by 30GB

[Calneon]

I might rummage around for a spare HDD so I can try this out. Interested on how different it is to Vista.

[Colonel Mitch]

Erm what can I say. I know this is beta but from what i'd heard i was expecting it to function well. I put it on my 2 year old performance laptop. It has a 7900GS that vista can auto install and a standard HD audio system. 7 decided the sound couldnt be installed, or my sd or bluetooth - and i didnt expect it to do teh fingerprint reader. but what really baffled me is that i went into decive manager told it id select the driver for the graphics, i selected the pre installed driver it needed THAT IT CAME WITH. And it said this drive si not compatible with this version of window... THEN WHY THE HELL IS IT THERE??? also i noticed that it wouldnt let me click on the network icon for some reason and thats where i decided its not worth my time at this point.
Ill download the Release Candidate but untill then its staying out of use.

[Vicious Horizon]

Windows 7 Is rather quicker

[VoX]

Mitch, it's beta software so you can't expect companies to make their drivers/software support it, it's to much extra work and it will change a lot.

Edit: Has anyone else noticed that if you drag a window to the top of the screen it maximises, and if you drag it to the left/right it fills only that half of the screen? Useful.

[Colonel Mitch]

I no its only a beta but from the buzz around it and from what various people had been saying they were giving the impression it was a near finished build. Im not interested in it really till i can actually use it properly which i cant without sound and gfx drivers. im not annoyed that there arent any coz its beta - but why does it include drivers that are incomparible?? The downlaod could be smaller if they excluded the pointless incompatible drivers.

[Target]

As mitch says there no much point tryin to use it till its nearer completion.