Windows 7: A Solid and Intuitive Operating System
Author: Mehboob Ahmad, for CDW
July 2010
Upgrade to Microsoft's latest desktop operating system to gain stability, performance, and ease of use
Windows users have had to wait for a long time to see a contemporary desktop operating system that not only looks pretty, but is also easy to work with, and provides a stable computing experience. The good news is that this latest incarnation of the Windows desktop from Microsoft has exceeded expectations, based on the feedback from the industry and technical press.
There are a host of new and improved features in Windows 7 that make the investment in an upgrade worthwhile;we will look at just a few of those in this article:
BitLocker to Go: This feature allows users to protect data on their removable drives such as USB sticks and thumb drives so that in case they are misplaced, the information cannot be retrieved without a password. Further, IT administrators can set policies on corporate desktops so that only BitLocker-enabled drives with a pre-defined encryption key are allowed to be written on, thereby eliminating the risk of an intruder walking a USB stick to a machine to steal data.
Integrated Windows Search, with Federation: The Start button is your one-stop-shop for launching programs, as well as searching the computer for any kind of content, including data files, media, or email. Further, by virtue of ‘Search Federation’, one can set up connectors to internet sites such as Flickr,TechNet, or to a corporate SharePoint portal so that one can search in a seamless manner from within Windows explorer without having to launch a browser session. Windows 7 ‘Libraries’ allow a user to create links to folders that may exist on other networked devices, such as in a home network, group such locations in a ‘library’, and search for the kinds of data that is meaningful to a user, be it spreadsheets, pictures or music.
Improved Media Center: With the version of Media Center included in Windows 7, users can watch Internet TV other streaming content such as movies from Netflix without a TV tuner.
Problem Step Recorder: This feature allows a user to record the various steps being carried out on the computer in the form of an HTML archive that can be shared with another user; such as a cousin that is helping you diagnose a thorny browser issue, a help desk technician assisting you with a nagging Excel issue, or a colleague that you need to train on a new procedure. Type “psr.exe” on your start button, and explore for yourself what you can do with this nifty feature.
Preview your program Windows: The task bar in Windows 7 provides amazing flexibility and nimbleness for interacting with your open program window; a user can simply hover over a an icon on the task bar, and it will show previews of any open Windows – the user can then click the window they desire to interact with. Similarly, often used programs can be pinned to the taskbar with ease.
The above are just a few of the numerous features in Windows 7. The references below will provide you further information on the functionality of this excellent operating system.
References:
77 Windows 7 Tips: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.10.77windows.aspx
Windows 7 Search Connectors: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/canux/archive/2009/03/17/windows- 7-search-connectors.aspx
Some of the features referred to in this article may require Ultimate (or Enterprise in case of corporate users) editions of Windows 7.Follow this link to compare editions; http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx
CDW, drawing on strategic partnerships with Cisco, IBM,Microsoft and many others, and the farreaching experience of its hundreds of engineers, has assisted clients with a full range of technology solutions. For other information, please contact CDW, Larry Wischer at 513-677-4114 or visit www.cdw.com
