Windows 7 Beta

[JSKY]

For those interested. Microsoft is saying that they are releasing Windows 7 beta to the public off it's website tomorrow, Friday the 9th.

Windows 7

It will allow you to test and play with Windows 7 for up to six months.

REMEMBER THO This is a BETA.... Install it on a spare hard drive. DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR EXISTING OS.

I like it... It's a fancy Vista. Or what Vista should have been when it was released.

[Bubba Bob]

Ive never been a MS basher, but I hate the way they do this crap. Release an unfinished product, then charge you to upgrade two years later.... Any idea what the cost for this will be?

Can someone tell us what they think... I dont have time to install it.

[darkerside04]

A friend of mine has done beta already. He said its liteweight like XP but fancy like Vista (basically how vista should have been)

Also the windows 7 taskbar is also another decent feature on it.

I have it replicated in the Customizing software forum but if you want a closer look at, here is a video demonstrating it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzS2V1245G8

[Honda_Boy]

I don't really like it. Not much different from Vista and not any faster like I read. Everything is about the same, Just a different task bar, less annoying security, more annoying organization of the personal files.

I'm bout to run 3DMark Vantage on both OS's to see if there is any difference between the 2 in that respect.

Really, I think I have a freak install of Vista where it's actually FAST and stable. My god is my Vista install ever fast. My main rig was slow beyond belief with XP but after installing Vista with SP1 and a some updates, it was unbelievably fast, loading everything faster than XP and booting + shutting down faster than XP.

BTW:

Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1/ Windows 7 Ultimate Beta x64 Build 7000.

Athlon 64 X2 6000+

4GB DDR2 800 RAM

GeForce 8800GT 512MB

SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional

SATA300 Drives with 16MB Caches

[Besttechie]

I think it's a definitely what Microsoft had to do (and they did do it well). I wrote up an article here along with the video: http://www.besttechie.net/2009/01/11/windo...-beta-1-review/

Additionally, RAM / CPU usage is definitely much less and transferring files over a network and to/from external devices is much faster, too.

B

[Bubba Bob]

I heard an equivalent of Microsoft's OneCare would be built in to Windows 7. Is this in the beta?

[Honda_Boy]

I don't understand why my results are always backwards from everyone else cause overall, my Vista install functions quicker. The only thing I noticed taking less time was the shut down but Vista and XP have shut down that quick before when I first installed them (with practically nothing else installed). I never checked my RAM usage but I did benchmark my main with both OS's and here's my results:

AMD Athlon X2 6000+

4GB DDR2 800 RAM

GeForce 8800GT 512MB

SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional PCI-e

SATA300 16MB Hard Drives

Vista:

Overall 3DMark Score: 6393

CPU Score: 22599

Graphics Score: 5160

Windows 7:

Overall 3DMark Score: 5070 (Much Lower)

CPU Score: 4588 (Catastrophically Lower)

Graphics Score: 5254 (Slightly Higher)

and no matter what tricks I tried, I got essentially the same results everytime. Slightly higher Graphics results but utterly PATHETIC CPU results. I can't figure it out. Everyone else complains how slow Vista is and how much faster XP is and 7 too is supposed to be faster. I get the exact opposite effect on this computer. Vista is ridiculously fast and XP is slower than christmas and 7 is more or less similar to Vista.

And I don't know why this is either but I don't like 7's new taskbar. Maybe it's cause I'm so used to the old school taskbar layout from using it for nearly 12 years (I do use the Aero theme though) but I got used to Vista's start menu (and actually loving it) after being used to XP's and I got used to XP's after being used to 95/98/ME/2000's.

[Bubba Bob]

CPU Score: 4588 (Catastrophically Lower)

That's got to be software compatiblilty issues and not a true result.

[Honda_Boy]

Yeah something ain't right but apparently this rig with Windows 7 chokes when physics are involved but I had a friend say all his game crap had slightly higher framrates in 7 and all those games have a lot of Physics work involved.

[JSKY]

Same for me Honda_Boy...

My Vista install walks all over XP. On every task. And DX10 for gaming is worth it

Only time I log into XP is for MS's monthly updates.

So far Win 7 is keeping right up with Vista in what I do. But still am finding thigs that do not work with this build. But then this is still an early beta build. But when they let everyone try it it never changes much to final release

[Honda_Boy]

OK, there is less CPU usage and lower RAM usage but somehow, Vista still manages to open some stuff faster but some things are a tad slower in Vista but not enough to give a crap. I'll install a game (I'm thinkin Crysis Warhead) and compare performance. I'm pickin Crysis Warhead because it's both Graphically intensive and it has a good Physics workload. So we'll see what happens.

[Honda_Boy]

And now I've got the taskbar where I like it. Just changed one small setting and it's still way different than Vista, but no longer annoying.

I'm still waiting on the installation of Crysis Warhead. It's taking it's sweet time.

[isteve]

I'm using 7 in a VirtualMachine on my Macbook right now. It does seem farily fast I also have a virtual XP open both working good. For me 7 is a better interface and much metter looking. In a lot of ways it remindes me of KDE and a little OS X

[Besttechie]

I've run 7 in both VM and via Boot Camp on my Mac Pro and I'm very impressed (as you can tell with my current writeup). I think it's solid and is really everything Vista should have been. We need to remember it's still beta, too. So it may not be completely optimized but it's definitely going in the right direction.

I'm thinking when it's finally released I may replace my XP VM with it.

Side note: the 64bit version had a few issues with Boot Camp, however, if you get the latest copy of Boot Camp drivers for x64 you should be fine.

One last quick edit: I'm not a Windows Vista basher. I used it daily and loved it before I made the switch.

B

[isteve]

I would definitely replace XP with 7 also. XP is really starting to show it's age, well I actually been thinking that for a long time.

[Honda_Boy]

OK, I finished my testing with Crysis Warhead. It was averaging framerates that were around 2-7 FPS higher BUT, when physics got involved that's where it hurt. It Vista Standing at this one Point. The average framerate was about 44-45FPS. Throw a grenade at a shack. Grenade detonates, shack flies to pieces, framerate drops to 41-42 FPS then after the crap stops flying, it goes back up. In Windows 7, same place average framerate 50-51 FPS. Throw grenade at shack, grenade detonates, shack flies to pieces, framerate dropped to about 38-40FPS. Apparently under 7, it just can't handle physics processing like Vista.

Also in the same area, I was running around tossing grenades at destructible buildings and on average, the Vista framerate drop from grenade explosions and pieces flying, was typically only around 3 FPS. Windows 7 the average drop was about 8-12 FPS.

[JSKY]

Honda_Boy, Did you remember to download all your drivers for your hardware.

Motherboard, graphics, sound and so forth.

[Honda_Boy]

nVidia advised me to use Windows Update for 7 drivers and so I did that. Only otehr things on there were for my monitors. I checked nVidia's site for nForce 590SLI (for AMD) and there were none for 7. I installed the Vista x64 ones for the heck of it. No change. I installed the AMD dual core optimizer. No change. Nothing helped. Apparently Athlon X2 + nForce 5 series + Windows 7 = failure in physics.

[sceeter32]

Hello everyone I just installed Windows 7 and I have to say WOW it's way faster than vista so far. Little glitchy but what do ya expect lol! What really ticks me off is once window 7 come out of beta and in final release, and it becomes big where everyones happy and excited what is everyone gonna do with vista? Waste of money to change from vista to 7.

Edited January 13, 2009 by sceeter32

[Honda_Boy]

I'm running Vista till I build a new rig and with the way's my money's gettin spent, that don't look to be anytime soon. First is my car which NEEDS about $1000 worth of crap right now and I'm gonna do a suspension overhaul which is gonna be another $1500+. After that, it's probably gonna be a new laptop first so by the looks of it, Windows 7 SP1 could be out by the time I build a new rig.

[JSKY]

I don't know how fast I'll change. Win 7 IS just a fancy Vista in depth.

I haven't found anything wrong with Vista. I like the way it runs and handles.

Funny.... But I'll bet if more people actually tried Vista, instead of listening to a few users in the beginning rant about how it ran for them.

Before third party distributors could make workable drivers. Vista would have been more popular. And not at all what they heard. But who will learn for themselves. Follow the crowd and let a good thing pass you by.

Good thing Vista wasn't Fire... We would still be living in a cold cave. Heaven forbid we try fire and see what it really is like... How it heats up our cold nights. But since those first users said it was no good, the rest turn their backs on it and freeze to death.

And those who still run XP that make the switch to Win 7 will find they still have to upgrade their Hardware and memory to run it. And there will still be drivers for older hardware that will not work. If it doesn't work in Vista. It won't work in Win 7.

So, I'm not to sure how fast I'll up to 7.

Edited January 15, 2009 by JSKY
bad wording

[Honda_Boy]

Thanks to all the nonsense people heard, it cost me a sale. I was trying to get rid of one of my laptops on TennSpeed and one guy said "I'd so buy that if it had XP. Vista FTL." The IGNORANCE. I try to tell everyone I can that as long as the system is up to specs, Vista is GREAT. I mean vista is pretty freakin good on my older 1.8GHz Celeron 440 laptop that only has 1.5GB of RAM and absolutely wonderful on my Athlon X2 6000+ Desktop with 4GB of RAM and a GeForce 8800GT. Vista ran great on that laptop I sold.

So far nothing about Windows 7 made me go "Man, I want that when it comes out". Sporting the same look as Vista with a new taskbar (which overall I was unimpressed with), a few new little features that I didn't even look at cause I cared so little, 7 just ain't stickin out to me. Sure it doesn't use as much resources but when you already own a gaming rig that handles Vista like it's nothing, then that's a crap reason to upgrade really. I did get higher framerates, but I'd rather spend $250 on a GeForce GTX260 and get 40-70FPS more outta of a game than spend $150 on a new OS to get 8-12FPS more. Like I said, when I build a new rig MUCH later on, it'll have 7 on it, but for now Vista is fine.

Edited January 14, 2009 by Honda_Boy

[bozodog]

I'm trying out Win7 at the moment. I passed on VISTA just because I didn't need it. Heh, I don't need 7 either. I still don't see all the hype. Except the need for upgraded hardware.

Perhaps someone can point out the changes that makes these new OS versions better? (besides making M$ a few more bucks)

IMHO, XP does more than any "average" PC user will ever need.

[martymas]

in answer to jskys post

i have a lot of trouble with vista

and to critisize us who complain

about the sys

it is ok for experts like jsky to use it but for us mugs

it is a hard roe to ho

the reason i stuck with it was the bloody cost

there are things in there i cany get rid of and the

bloody

sys gets clogged up with stuff i dont use

and i refer to search option

i tried to delete the stuff in there

but i deleted stuff i shouldent have

my mistake was i should have come to the board and asked jsky

what and how to get rid of all this shit

it is a over rated

overbloated sys that microsoft was tring to counteract

ubuntu with

which was getting 9 percent of the

users

so i resent this expert

telling me ime a whiner

with some thing that is shit

marty

[JSKY]

OUCH!!!

Marty... I am so very sorry....

Please believe me when I say that is not at all what I meant.

I know there are those who have problems with Vista... Hell. There are still those having problems with XP.

For what ever reason, and not pointing the persons running it. But hardware, OS, whatever problem can be causing a bad experience.

I should never have stated things the way I did. And I reworded my statement to try to get across what I meant. I was meaning those during the release who did nothing but bash Vista. Much the way they did XP when it first appeared.

Again.... Please forgive my stupidity on how I worded my post. I did not even consider that it would affect anyone personally. So I apologize to you and anyone else who took offense to my post.

JSKY