The most interested users has nevertheless already downloaded the beta version, which has been off the record available through, among other things, Bit Torrent network since then. The preliminary impression is that the beta version is unusually stable and without major errors. At the same time, many believe that Windows 7 does not seem to be more than what Windows Vista should have been from the beginning, with some extra functions as well.
Perhaps the most important news is reduced performance requirements. Windows 7 to run smoothly on the current net books with 1 gigabyte of memory and 1 GHz processor.
- We deliver Windows 7-beta earlier than people had expected, and with higher quality than people had expected. It is a very stable platform and a complete release. It will be the foundation for what we will deliver on the PC, "said Microsoft general manager for Windows, Mike Ybarra, in a press release.
The increasing number of questions now is whether Microsoft will launch Windows 7 before summer. Officially, Microsoft said that Windows 7 will be released towards the end of the year or early in 2010.
One should be careful to use the media that comes with the Windows 7-beta.
Beta version of Windows 7 which is now in circulation (build 7000), after it was leaked in then, is perceived by many as a very stable and without major errors.
But several inform that the Windows Media Player 12, which is the default player for media files in Windows 7, could find to handle MP3 files on a somewhat unfortunate manner. The result is that the first two to three seconds of music on the file will be removed.
According to a posting purportedly from a Microsoft employee in the debate at the forum site Neowin, the problem is related to the editing of meta data to certain MP3 files, specifically those with a header in more than 16 kilobytes.
The problem is made worse by the dog that it also affected the auto-update and fill in the metadata. In Windows Media Player, this feature is enabled by default.
According to Beta News Microsoft is aware of the problem and will make an update available via Windows Update service, when the beta release is to be made officially available, which will happen within a few weeks.
They just make this soooo hard.
I am what would be called a PC power user. I typically have 8 or 9 applications running, I'm constantly downloading files from the web, have spyware and virus detection up, have a firewall going and may be on VPN (for work) at any give time.
Since I beta test as well, I have separate computers to experiment on.
THANK GOD.
My beef is now with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3. I had downloaded and installed Beta 1 and subsequently Beta 2. They weren't too solid but you could start to see light at the end of the tunnel.
The install for beta3 is pretty straightforward. You can get the beta from either Microsoft or download.com. You download the file, run it and it asks you to validate your copy of Windows.
After the validation, installation is pretty smooth and quick and you are prompted to restart before you're in business.
For those who haven't seen it, IE7 is pretty cool. It has tabbed browsing, a cleaner interface, support for RSS and a pretty nippy response time for downloading pages (compared to IE6 anyway).
For a comprehensive review of IE7, go here.
Because my IE7 Beta 3 icon was located conveniently on the desktop (and the quick launch bar), I found myself starting to use it as much as (or more than) Firefox. I was actually pretty impressed with the features and the only negative thing about using it was that it would crash if I had 6 or more tabs open.
While this is extremely annoying, my attitude was, this is a BETA, get over it, it'll get better.
After a while, I was over it and decided to UNINSTALL.
OH MY GOSH.
First of all, the uninstaller wouldn't work normally. I used Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs> and it wasn't there!! I made sure I looked for it with the "show updates" tab on and off. No IE 7 icon.
I went on the web and found a great link for uninstalling IE7 (from Microsoft no less), followed all the potential recommendations.
Nothing.
I installed Winsettings Pro and Advanced Uninstaller Pro and tried to remove it. Winsettings didn't even see it. Advanced uninstaller found it but couldn't remove it.
So here's the current status of my test PC.
I have a browser that has worn out it's welcome and now, won't leave.
Some of you would say, "hey dude, chill out, its Beta software, You knew what you were signing up for."
True but here's my response.
This is just a friggin BROWSER. I am not trying to install ZoneAlarm or some complicated piece of software!! This is just a browser!! This is where Microsoft drive me bananas!!
Microsoft would probably try to justify this level of integration with the response "we're trying to make sure that the user takes FULL advantage of Windows functionality"
Here's my response. A browser should be simple software. Software with a straight forward uninstall program that does a simple uninstall routine.
This is the same type of nonsense that got them into antitrust/monopoly territory.
I'll say it again, A browser should be simple software. Software with a straight forward uninstall program that does a simple uninstall routine.
Here's my bottom line. IE7 Beta 3 is still dangerous!! It's a beta!! Do not install on a PC that means something to you.
I am left in the crazy position of wanting IE6 and being unable to roll back to it.
As of the time of writing this article, I'm still trying to get this program off my PC.
Both Bradly & Onuora Amobi are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Bradly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Dating and Romance and Computers and The Internet. At the MarcetPlace Forum you can buy and sell websites, Domains, Software, Services and much more.... Start trading and earn money - Visit. Bradly's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
Onuora Amobi has sinced written about articles on various topics from Software, Software. Onuora Amobi is the CEO of Nnigma Inc. He has about a decade of PeopleSoft/ERP experience and he writes a weekly technology column for his sites