Windows 7 - The Show So Far

So, I've had s couple of months living with Windows 7 RC as my main operating system, and I can happily say the good points far outweight the bad.

Actually, 'bad' is not the word as I have found no features I can't live with. Boot times are a vast improvement on XP. Similarly shutdown time is speedier. And I love being able to click the Shutdown button without having to confirm I really do want to shut down.

I recently upgraded my Adobe Photoshop CS to CS4 with no problems. In fact CS4 seems to run quicker than CS did.

So, what are my remaining problems in Windows 7?

Well, my accounts program still occasionally fails to display a button or two, though these reappear when I mouse over them. I admit I still use Quicken 98 so it's not surprising to find the odd glitch. Other than that, here's my list of outstanding problems:

- Winpatrol occasionally stops working (with a warning that Scottie is no longer on patrol). Not a biggie as it I can restart immediately, but something I must look up in the forums.

- WhoLockMe, a file utility I sometimes need for troubleshooting, should install to the right click context menu, but doesn't. Again, I need to browse the forums for a solution.

And that's it.

I was a keen XP fan before I installed Windows 7. Now, when I'm at work using XP I find myself wishing for Win 7 - it makes life easier in ways I don't notice until I swap over. Given the history of late and flawed offerings from Microsoft, I was skeptical (to say the least) of this one. It really is good. It makes life easy when I don't want to fiddle about yet it can be tweaked and altered when desired. Most drivers work, most programs work and I've never seen a BSOD (or even a recovery screen).

FOOTNOTE:
All these posts I make about Windows 7 must seem a little suspicious to the reader. Let me assure you I am not associated with Microsoft (apart from being re-awarded as a MVP this month). But if I thought it was crap then I would say so. I don't. It isn't. It will be overpriced over here compared with the US market, and it will ship without Internet Explorer in Europe. But I will be among the first to pay up when it goes on sale.