Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 impressions, insights, and expectations
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted April 30th 2009 9:00AM
posted April 30th 2009 9:00AM
Look and feel
When you get RC1 in your hands, it's not going to feel drastically different than the previous beta. There are UI tweaks and tucks, and some functionality added, but mostly it's more of the same -- which is to say a really cleaned up, streamlined, nicer looking version of Vista. One thing we can say for sure is that it felt snappier and less buggy than the earlier versions (duh), and it's clear that Microsoft has taken a lot of the feedback it's gotten to heart. RC1 shows off definite attention to detail; things like the jump lists are now stacked with options, and since new applications won't auto-add to the taskbar, they hang out in the Start menu for a little while. We're talking the kind of little adjustments that don't immediately stand out, but you find yourself turning to all the time.
Strangely, though, the most interesting new component here might just be some of the wallpaper the company is including with this release: colorful, artsy, psychedelic... pretty much like nothing you've ever seen from Microsoft in its flagship software. Combined with the slightly more polished UI, you get the distinct impression that Redmond's gotten a jolt of new blood -- if not in staff, then certainly in mindset.
Remote Media Streaming
Windows XP emulation
Sure, there's a lot of noise about this right now, but as has been previously speculated on, unless you're an enterprise user, Microsoft didn't really intend this feature for you. There are two main things worth noting: firstly, if you happen to have a full release license for XP that you haven't used for some reason, you can hit this up on your rig no matter what level of Windows 7 you've got. Second, again: this isn't at all intended for you. Basically, the XP emulation is really there to help coax businesses over to 7 who've been reluctant to touch Vista -- Microsoft really don't want you trying to recreate your 2002 PC experience on it. We're not going to say we agree with this line of thinking -- if the company really wanted to entice a wider audience with Windows 7, it would not only include XP virtualization with all versions (sans license), but tout the feature heavily, just like Apple did with Classic.
Netbooks
One thing that became clear when we were talking to reps is that the Starter Edition (which we've been hearing will be loaded onto most netbooks) isn't the end of the road for low-end users. Apparently, it's not so much of a power issue as a money issue that cheaper systems will have the 3-apps-at-a-time-only version of the OS. Because Redmond is still doing its "in-place" upgrades, you can boost your crappy, neutered OS to your heart's content... for a price. In fact, Microsoft says that Windows 7 scales lower and higher much better than Vista, and felt confident that if you wanted to load up Ultimate on a netbook, you'd be just fine (to some degree -- the people we talked to did expect that you'd max out the memory pretty quickly). Just in case you're wondering about the base specs, it's a 1GHz x86 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of available hard drive space, and a DirectX 9 graphics device.
Partners
This is probably mostly pre-launch hyperbole, but the reps we spoke with claim that the big M's partners have never been so excited about a release in all their lives. That's probably due more to the fact that all the hardware and software they've designed to be Vista compatible will get a second chance with the launch of 7, but it's also possible that they're legitimately happy to see Microsoft coming out of the gate with a positively revamped OS. Regardless, a strong showing with its new OS means lots of green for Microsoft and its friends -- so why shouldn't they be happy?
Release date
Microsoft is obviously still tight lipped about an official release for 7, but during our chat with the company, they seemed particularly excited about being "ahead of schedule" on the software, and gave us more than just a small wink that this may slide in under the January 2010 anniversary of Vista.
Wrap up
The mood at Microsoft seems (understandably) high about this release. It's clear that lots of folks see this as the big, shiny band-aid for many of the Vista woes that people have been experiencing -- and in many ways, that's exactly what it is. If you're at all curious about what Microsoft has been up to, you should absolutely grab this install and take it for a spin (when you can); there is a metric ton going on here, and it's certainly worth taking a second look at. Bottom line, though? This is still Windows, and it's still got a lot of Vista in it. If you weren't feeling it the first time around, there may not be enough here to convince you otherwise. However, this is a valiant effort from Microsoft and it shows that the company does understand it's burned some bridges throughout the last three years -- this is a big step for them both in technique and tone, and that's certainly not lost on us.
Sax25 got a point, The UI nothing that impressed me for 2yrs but a new theme, i was expecting that Windows 7 would better than Ubuntu 9.04 Compiz Fusion 0.8.2 but i was wrong i am totally disappointed that they were planing to add extra eye candy in Aero but ignore the users around the world, I am dissatisfy with Aero UI, Apple has been the first with the changes on the UI, Now Snow Leopard will have a better advantage than Microsoft it will be the same story since vista launch, Linux will grow more and faster when the kernel starting to support more hardware and wine will have a better shot on DX10!!! Microsoft will make their move to launch Halo 3 for win 7 to improve sales on win 7.
Why did I want to upgrade from XP Sp3 again?
I predict that Windows 7 will bomb, and bomb hard. The writing is on the wall and the blind disciples of St. Bill and Brother Ballmer simply refuse to read it. The GUI is almost universally disliked by everyone except Microsoft fanboys. Configuration and customization is even more convoluted than Vista - truly, a feat in its own right. The taskbar and start menu mechanics are utterly nonsensical, overcomplicated and useless to an average user. To put it bluntly, Win7's desktop looks like Gnome and OSX had an ugly baby. Unfortunately for Microsoft, XP mode is not the savior of this product, but rather the ultimate expression of its shortcomings. Why would I buy an unfriendly and ugly OS just so I can run a reliable and highly usable OS inside it?? As hungry as we are for a better desktop, most of us are going to be running XP for a looong time to come, I'm afraid.
Windows fanboys... Oh you mean 90% of the world population that has a computer?
Bite me...
Win7 is awesome, and you only hate to disguise it (for yourself) as bad when it really is good. I've only seen fanboys not like Win7...
@Chris
You're right in saying that the average user, and certainly the below average user (The type that prefers "AOL's internet" over "Internet Explorer's internet" because "it has more websites and googles") are definitely not going to use this feature, but there is always a case where a user who works from home on a Home Premium (I assume that's the name, correct me if I'm wrong) may need the feature. Aside from that, I believe they're saying its BYOXP, which is 95% or more of the space anyway, so it's not a big deal. Then again, I may be wrong on some of this.
you can upgrade from 7000 to 7100, there's a file you need to change. I believe there's a post about it on the win7 teams blog.
The Journey of Microsoft from Beta to RC
It is not surprising that MSDN or TechNet subscribers cannot download Windows 7 RC at the moment. After the page about Windows 7 RC information was pulled down few users contacted Microsoft Online Concierge about details on the same. In response, the following quote was available from Microsoft Online Concierge Chat: "Currently the Windows 7 RC has not been available through the TechNet subscription yet, only the Microsoft OEM partners such as Dell, Siemens are taking part in the RC's this period of test." So, only OEM partners would be participating in the RC testing process.
Some updates:
http://techunits.com/content/list_all/36/windows7
Being an XP lover over the 9x series I thought vista would of been the dogs b****ks. HOW WRONG I WAS!
It was like a typical american stereotype. FAT BLOATED AND NOT NEEDED!
So having downloaded the 7000 build of windows 7 I thought i'd give them another chance to move me off of XP.
Well what can I say I was blown away.
Smaller memory footprint
Smaller hard disk footprint
And yet runs faster.
So having got my RC1 7100 build I thought right whack this baby on my toshiba NB100 netbook and see how it peforms.
OH MY GOD!!!! After installing the os, antivirus, office 2007, windows live mail and messenger, bbc iplayer (im in the uk) and other stuff she still flies.
Now bear in mind the Toshiba NB100 is a NETBOOK and not a notebook running a 16Ghz Atom processor and a 80GB SATA drive I would of thought that like vista before it, it would be slower to run than xp, how wrong i was.
Well RC1 will be staying on my netbook untill the timebomb and after that will probably obtain the full version for her.
Now as for my other pcs, my gaming rig and my media center they're getting the x64 rc1 treatment tonight.
I'm converted!
Windows 7 just the job
I'm staying out of the mac vs PC argument, I just wanna know where you guys got the desktop wallpapers?
Hello Windows 7 Guys
I am a regular Joe 49 years old, I got a copy of Windows 7 32 & 64. This OS has been nothing but impresive to me. I build computers for a hobby. This OS make my job easy. I can't say I like everything about it, but I can say I will buy this as soon as it come available
Is Win 7 really windows coding or they stole Linux coding, Linux is the only one that is stable and has a windows emulator. So ask your self did they steal Linux, and in turn ruined SCO, So they would not have to pay for Unix licensing.
This is the first OS I will actually buy - NOT in the form "pre-installed".
Congrats, Microsoft! I got my faith back in you after reading about those 2000 things you would adress based on feedback from testers.
Maybe it's the cautious tech in me, but I usually tend to wait until something has been out for a while before I buy it. I did, however, get a low/mid end laptop from gateway right about the time vista came out. After running XP on my other high-end laptop for about 3 years, I was fairly scarred as to how slow it ran in comparison. Granted, the laptop wasn't a high-end running vista... but the one running XP was quite a few years older and about the same in specifications. In other words, I didn't like vista (ended up giving the laptop to the wife). I'm sure that vista (with SP1 and a laptop with a stronger backbone) has gotten better, but it still keeps me from rushing to the W7 bandwagon anytime soon...
I'll wait until SP1, kind of like what I did for XP (and never looked back at 98 :D).
I'm running Build 7077 and it also has remote media streaming as far as I can tell.
Is there a no-reinstall upgrade path from RC1 to RTM? Can I just buy the retail license from within the OS when it is finally released, so I dont have to clean install when the final version is available?
Hey guys,
I've been trying to DL the RC from the MSDN download section, but all the links are greyed out and I can't download nor get a key. I have an MSDN account and even when I log in, the links are still greyed. I did participate in the beta, but it's no longer on either of my computers(running [1] xp 32x and [2] vista 64x). Do I have to be using a beta build to download the RC? Am I missing something here?
Thanks
The RC download is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx
The MSDN downloads are available only for subscribers (people who've paid for Visual Studio or other dev tools), which I found kind of irritating but I guess that if it was available to anyone with an MSDN account people would just sign up for MSDN in order to download the RC and there would be no point having a restriction at all.
This might finally be the thing that can save microsoft's rep.
The idea that this operating system comes in many flavors is still dumb. I didn't know that the Starter Edition only allowed three programs to run in the background. That's monumentally neutered and a damn ass backward thing to do to an OS.
Having said that I look forward to grabbing my copy of RC. I used build 7000 for a long while and it performed very decently. I received many bugs and crashes and tried my best to submit reports. Since I was running 7000 on my Mac Book Pro though I constantly felt like I was taking a breath of fresh air every time I Boot Camped over to Leopard. This was a good comparison and if anyone really wants to have an OS showdown just try working your daily life one operating system to the other. Trying to live in the Windows world after using Mac OS for three years was not easy for me and ultimately I would never switch back because of the power of Leopard, organization, clean UI, and ultimately yes it's ease of use.
Windows 7 is a very large band aid but I look forward to putting my games back on it.
Price?
I just got a new PC with Vista 2 weeks ago. I hope I get Windows 7 for free.
FREE!?!?!? AHAHAHAHAH
In all seriousness no you wont get it for free though, even if you bought it a day before 7 came out.
link?
tried it, still didn't convert me.
i'll stick with OS X.
Vista over time made by quad core 4g RAID array system run like a 486 running XP. This OS has finally gave me the computer I deserve! It is really fast and aestheticaly pleasing. I'm digging the new wallpapers. Using a 1080p screen the auto-window resize function is awsome. XP application is great. I know, I know VMWare do it faster but maybe not as well integrated, but at least this is a valid license that didnt cost any extra.
I am in love all over again
Although it's obvious it is only a minor upgrade from Vista, it's still a very welcome one. The UI is finally well polished, compatibility is great, especially with the new XP VM addition, and overall, it performs better than Vista on the laptop I have both of them loaded on to. Much faster logon time, it's about 15 seconds until everything is loaded up and I can start clicking things. The only thing I see a lack of is options on the pullout menus on the taskbar for most third party apps. Mozilla Firefox is one that I use a lot, and if a list of my bookmarks came up on the list when I pulled it up, that would be awesome, but I don't know whether this is 7 or if it's Mozilla having not caught up. Plus the tabs don't show up like they do in IE as windows on the taskbar, which is a neat feature. Overall though, I definitely love this release, and I will be purchasing it when it becomes available :)
My favourite feature about Windows 7 (coming from XP) so far is that having shinier DirectX means GTA4 is actually playable. With the default settings it gave me under XP, I was running like 15-20fps average on the benchmark. With DX11 I'm hitting 50(!).
There're also a lot of features that I thought I'd never use when I read about them but are actually really helpful, like being able to dock documents to either side of the screen and the Preview Pane 'peek' feature (handy for checking up on installs). Boot times have also improved a bit, which is always nice.
I have had one or two hardware compatibility issues though. The most irritating one is that, even though my sound settings are set to 5.1, and the rear speakers work fine when tested, I can't get any music to play out of them :-/. I've tried the default Windows 7 drivers, ASUS specific drivers, and manufacturer (SoundMax) drivers and none of them seem to do the job, although out of all three the Win7 drivers are probably actually the best, correctly detecting my independent front headphones and mic and playing/recording audio from them correctly (the other drivers failed at either detecting or playing, even when specifically set to 'Independent Front Sockets' mode).
I am currently running RC1 and OSX on a dual-boot using bootcamp and I am LOVING every second of it. I never upgraded to vista, but this OS is brilliant. For once, Microsoft aren't rushing to get the OS out, but instead taking their time to work out all of the bugs. HOORAY FOR W7 RC1!!!
I tried out 7, and I feel that it's a marked improvement over Vista in nearly every way. The UI is especially nice. I'm a designer, I appreciate things like that even more than most people. But it's still a stupidly resource-heavy OS, and, as I use it exclusively for work, I value performance over everything else.
I use Windows XP x64 edition, and I don't expect that's going to change. It is, by far, the fastest Windows OS I have ever used, even if it isn't the most attractive interface in the world.
Ok, I've used windows 7 on a macbook 2.4 ghz 4gb ram, other than starting up, the computer still feels a little laggy, I deleted the partition, as I couldn't deal with the bad drivers. I have a vista desktop and this is a step in the right direction but once you go mac you dont go back. I may consider having it around just for windows only applications, but it doesn't seem like a good main os. Microsoft is there on looks, they just need to bring back the speed of XP.
Windows Vista was the Modern Day Windows ME, will Windows 7 be ME #2?
http://www.smbnology.com/2009/05/windows-vista-was-the-modern-day-windows-me-will-windows-7-be-me-2.html
Since when can anybody build realistic expectations of an operating system based on beta and RC uses? Those users who just happen to fall into the category of systems which have configs similar to tested spec get a decent ride, those who don't have poor performance and hardware issues.
If you are one of those unlucky users, post your problems and stand wayyy back until RTM hits. Better yet, stay way back until RTM SP1 hits. If you're using xp, there's really no reason to upgrade at the moment anyway. Vista users who have builds at least as good as the vista recommends from RTM1 should have no problem. Why not wait until the first generation of Win7 hardware hits the shelves? Like those users who bought barely functional systems with vista on it just to have vista, this new generation of users will face similar dissapointment.
I run a multi-boot system on my xps 1730 with SLI nvidia 9800GTX's.
Daily driver, Ubuntu 8.10 x64
Weekend warrior, Windows XP SP3 x32
DX10 Gaming, Windows Vista Ultimate x32
New for testing: Win7 ver 7100
My personal experience so far is that my xps features several hardware additions that function well in xp, smoothly in vista, some incapable in both ubuntu and 7. I expected that. That aside, my SLI performance is highest in XP and 7. My 52 inch output monitor has some minor technical issues in 7 vs Vista. * I'm assuming that nvidia will have proper drivers soon* Load times are almost dead even between ubuntu and 7 (xp 3rd, vista like the 3 legged horse in 4th)
I agree that it seems more and more that the windows development team is if not blatantly that at least not ignorantly "Borrowing" features that have gained large community support from other OS makers. Like Aero borrowed several Compiz/Emerald/Ruby Features, and some of OSX's effects, 7 feels like it's trying more to add what others offer to keep users from wanting to experiment with alternatives.
I wait with baited breath for the fully RTM version to see if windows can make good on the incentive of a new OS with the speed and staying power of XP before I could in good conscience make a full switch. That and for someone at redmond to do a cost analysis for the cost of some programmer's salaries to help migrate software and hardware vs potential new sales figures for users who bypassed vista entirely.
"Windows wouldn't have enjoyed the success it did without software piracy" - Bill Gates
You know, a lot of people piss and moan about Vista, but I really haven't had many issues with it. A lot of it is people who complained because they heard other people moan about it, and they never even touched it. A lot of the negative attitude is from people who were "early adopters" and their previously purchased software hadn't been patched to work with Vista, and they didn't want to pay for the new version, so it was Microsoft's fault.
I have both a XP and a Vista machine, and I have more problems (error messages, slowdowns, etc.) with the XP machine. I'm very interested in Windows 7, just gonna have to decide if it's worth the scratch to upgrade for upgrading's sake.
Several things...
Using RC1 feels a lot more gesture-based as there are fewer and fewer clicks to navigate. Full-screening and application switching, while not instantaneous, can be done with only a single mouse click and no use of the keyboard. No use of any buttons on the keyboard or anything complex. In the same general 'area' of the frontend, veiwing any window/application, and its contents, is very simple and requires no clicking of the mouse - only simple motions with a second's pause.
Progress indicators for file downloads and other similar operations are now shown as a progressing bar in an icon on the taskbar. Seeing as how I download files regularly and perform bulk file operations on my machine, being able to get an overview of the entire picture of operations by simply looking at the bottom of my screen is rather nice. Granted, it doesn't give me information galore, but it does what any analog meter does - gives me a quick, general idea.
If you have certain applications on the start menu, RC1 automatically expands sub-options native to that program. I've noted this on IE-64 and Word/Office. Nice touches.
Looks: Visually, RC1 looks extremely similar to Vista. However, if you observe the two running side-by-side, you'll note that the gloss/shine effect of Vista has been removed in favor of a more subtle, clean glass apperance. I've noticed that people comment that it's "disctracting'". I offer you my deepest sympathy as you seem to be living in life's slow lane (forget the middle lane or the passing lane). Many of us deal with far more complex and dynamic things while driving and playing games or other activities. Most of us don't have issues sorting out one moving car from another or focusing on a target while explosions are going on and people are trying to gun us down. If you're sooo insistent on using an interface style that's from the late 1990's / early 2000's, use the matching hardware. Don't buy a 3.6GHz i7 to run an interface that's from days gone by. I have a 486-based system solely for the use of running Windows 3.1. I have a Pentium II for Windows 98 and I have a Pentium 4 for XP.
"Just another patch that costs": Which revision of Windows is this? Siete, Shichi, Seven, 7. One, two, thre, four, five, six, seven. Which revision is Apple's Mac on? OSX as in Diez, juu, ten, 10. Last time I checked, 10 meant more than 7. Seems to me that MS doesn't have to make changes to their OS as often as Apple. Besides, I'm only paying for substantial upgrades, not questionable ten-point-this to ten-point-that.
Costs: Yeah, I don't like how this is going to cost me more money to upgrade, but at least I know it's for a philanthropic company. Hell, Google(Apple Philanthropy) gets me only results about how Microsoft is tops on the philanthropy. That, and considering that the money is what most people make in a few hours of work. Why complain? I'd be more willing to dish out money on Apple's products if they turned around and tried to make a difference in the world around them.
Stability: I hear many claims of "instability". Last time I checked the date against multiple sources, the year was 2009. Last time I saw more than one BSOD in a month was back in 1998. I've had drivers fail on me and programs crash in the middle of running Vista and RC1. The system picks up the dropped pieces, gets it back in order, and keeps on trucking along. I *have* indeed seen BSOD's in Vista, but only because I overclocked my machine more than 1.5x it's factory specs. I have nothing againt classicalists and people who like to reminisce, but please be knowledgeable enough to keep your past and present events distinct and seperate.
Ease-of-Use: Some people say that they have to go all over the place to make changes to stuff. Okay, so I'm not entirely pleased about the whole display options/preferences/personalize thing. Do I have to take a cross-country drive to make the change? No. Am I and should I be making changes to that stuff often? No. It's a one-shot item that's been revised. Now if I had to run up to the nearest military post/base and get clearance to click the Start button, I'd see reason to complain.
Performance: After confering with several friends and other users, there is generally a substantial increase in performance for computers across the board. On my system, I'm noting a slightly increased load time and all indicators point to my display drivers. Laptops are booting faster and loading games faster with better performance in-game. I'm referring to my friend's E1500-series laptop. I've noticed a very substantial increase in the performance of my 1.8GHz 1.5GB tablet PC. RC1 scales very nicely. As for the resource usage, I've gone to the liberty of charting the resource usage of my system in Vista and RC1 while using different applications and at idle. I've noticed that in general, RC1 uses fewer system resources than Vista on my primary machine. I suspect it may have to do with the abundance of resources available that the OS doesn't have to worry about throttling back. On my tablet, it uses substantially fewer resources and seems to throttle back nicely.
Conclusion: While not an entire overhaul of the system like the 98 -> XP -> Vista upgrade lines, RC1 is shaping up to offer numerous changes which should make the overall computing experience easier and smother for many people. Many of the changes focus on the functionality of the system such as the revised taskbar and scalable User Access Control (UAC). While the overall experience hasn't been changed, enough of the system has changed that the release of Windows 7 warrants a price tag. Considering that XP was doing fine at the time of release and that Windows 7 is substantially better than Vista, I think that Microsoft should have not released Vista and just stayed with Windows 7.
Windows awesome? Does that mean IE was left off? YAAAYYY
Are those debian swirls on the desktop??? :o)