Back when Windows Vista came out it was said to be Microsoft’s baby. However many people were skeptical and therefore didn’t go with the system at launch. Consumers are now skeptical of Windows 7 and rightfully so in light of what happened with Vista. Microsoft has definitely shaped up Windows 7 a lot better than then did Vista in both performance and looks. However that doesn’t change the fact that many businesses still are reluctant to switch to Windows 7 anytime soon.

This was just found in a recent survey where 1,000 IT administrators were surveyed. Out of those 1,000 around 60 percent stated that they were not planning to move to Windows 7 at this point. Surprisingly only 5.4 percent of those surveyed actually plan to move to Windows 7 this year. While another third of those surveyed plan to move to it by the end of 2010. This is a surprise from the original survey that had been taken previous where 60 percent of those who were surveyed planed to move to Windows 7 in the first year. Microsoft is expected to finish Windows 7 officially by the end of the month.

One huge impact on many of the IT administrator’s decisions has been the economy. Many professionals have said that they’ve saved a good amount of money skipping upgrades and operating system changes. With the economy in the shape it is even businesses are looking to save as much money as possible. This is most likely the main reason that so many businesses that were going to upgrade are holding off, at least for the time being. With many companies having the lack of time and resources to upgrade it’s expected that Windows 7 along with the IT world in general will continue to suffer for the time being.

Source: CNET

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Microsoft officially announced Windows 7 prices. Most of the retail pricing is below what Windows Vista was when it came out. However the thing that’s really catching eyes is the upgrade pricing programs. From Friday June 26th until Friday July 11th users will be able to get a huge discount on Windows 7.

If you buy a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium you can get it for just $49! If you need Windows 7 Professional you can get that upgrade for just $99! This is good for anyone who uses Windows Vista or Windows XP. The amazing part is this discount. When Windows 7 goes on sale on October 22 it will be $119 for Home Premium, $199 for Professional, and $219 for Windows 7 Ultimate. This means that if you purchase it now you can save over half on the upgrade.

If you’re planning on buying a full version of Windows 7 you may want to consider just buying a new computer as the full versions are set to be expensive. For Home Premium you can expect to pay $199, for professional it will be $299, and for Windows 7 Ultimate it will be $319. These prices seem outrageous compared to the $49 that you can get it at right now. For anyone who’s considering buying a computer you can do it anytime after the 26th. After the 26th anyone who buys a computer is eligible for Microsoft’s upgrade program in which Vista PC buyers will get a free copy of Windows 7. This may be the better route if you need a new computer and you want Windows 7.

Linux is still free though. Many users are still moving towards Linux because of that. Microsoft may want to think of a new strategy if it plans to stay where it is within the next decade.

Source: CNET

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We all know that Windows 7 is coming with several new features, fixes and enhancements that will be an improvement over all previous versions. One problem that many computer users ran into with Vista is that they couldn’t run many of the same programs that they would have been able to with XP. Luckily Microsoft now has an answer for that.

XP virtualization is a new mode that is being added to Windows 7 in which users will be able to run programs off of the Windows 7 operating system. This would be similar to having to operating systems on your computer except that you won’t have to pick between them. You can simply run Windows 7 and then run the virtualization from there.

This mode will appeal to everyday users as much as it will businesses though. This is because there are many everyday users that use old programs for different reasons. Some are gamers that aren’t able to get many of their old games to work while others are elderly folk who don’t have the money to have the “fancy new hardware”.

The XP virtualization is geared towards businesses to help them feel more comfortable switching to Windows 7 even if they believe their software will only work on XP. This will certainly help boost early sales of Windows 7.

There is a downside to all of this as you may expect though. Since Windows 7 requires a lot less memory and system resources to run than XP you will need to have a lot of resources to run the XP virtualization. How much? Well you will need at least 2GB of ram as well as a processor that can handle the virtualization. Not all of the chips can handle it however most new middle and high end chips should have the capability to.

Source: CNET

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Consumers are in a frenzy about Windows 7. Many are thankful that Windows Vista is going out of style already. Consumers are highly anticipating the release of Windows 7 after the Windows Vista fell flat on its face after its debut. Even though it has become a stable operating system, PC users are still ignoring Vista including businesses. However how many businesses will actually welcome Windows 7?

There have been many websites that have been predicting the downfall of Windows 7 before it has even been released. These studies suggested that this was because IT administrators prefer Windows XP and many businesses are worried about the credibility of Windows 7.

In a study done by Dimensional Research, Windows 7 is expected to be the biggest operating system for businesses. In fact their study shows that 46% of businesses are planning on upgrading or starting to upgrade before the end of the year and 80% of IT professionals plan to do it within 36 months!  If you’re not sure how big of a jump this is then you should know within the first year of XP’s release it only had 10% of the market share and only about 25% after two years.

Another study backs this up by asking the IT decision makers of 80 companies when they were planning on upgrade or if. These companies all have more than 1000 employees mind you. The results showed that half of them planned to upgrade to Windows 7 when it launches while 46% plan to do it by the end of the year. Also 55% of the companies plan to do what are known as system wide upgrades rather than simply upgrading when they need new PCs.

If these projections hold true then not only will Windows 7 be the most successful operating system with businesses at its debut, but it will also be a breathtaking record. The fact that so many IT professionals are willing to upgrade to Windows 7 shortly after it releases not only shows the potential for the operating system but the stability of it.

Source: ZDNet 

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It is official that government agencies won’t be able to upgrade to Windows Vista unless they have written consent of the Texas legislature. While the bill has yet to be finalized, it’s looking like this is what’s going to happen. The Texas government has decided to go this route for several reasons.

While Windows 7 is right around the corner, they claim that this isn’t the reason that they are not upgrading. One of the senators proposed this line of action because of the widely known problems of Windows Vista. Windows XP seems to be working just fine for the state and they’re trying to avoid spending more money than they already have. It’s estimated that Texas has already spent in excess of 6 million dollars in upgrades to Vista.

The rider not only covers purchasing the operating system but new computers that have Vista already installed on it. The rider actually states Microsoft’s name in it. Microsoft commented that they were surprised that the rider singled them out. While this is true, Microsoft does own 99% of the government market for operating systems. In fact the state agencies only have 1,500 Macs.

Microsoft also controls 89% of the operating systems used on computers in the public school system. While schools are exempt from the rider it’s unlikely that they’ll upgrade before Windows 7 is released.

Texas has been plagued with bad contracts when it comes to technology. The first incident was when the stated suspended a deal because of data loss. The second was only a few months later in December.

Although the bill has been defeated before in Texas and many other states it’s likely to pass this time because of the financial situation that Texas is in. In reality it only makes sense for the government to hold off on upgrading until Windows 7 is released.

Source: Computer World

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Many people may remember what happened the last time this situation occurred. Back in October of 2006 when Microsoft released its upgrade program from Windows XP to Windows Vista many people were left waiting a long time for their upgrades. Many consumers waited weeks or months for their upgrade DVD’s and many consumers were very upset at the time it took for them to be delivered.

Although there’s nothing official from Microsoft yet it’s speculated that there’s going to be a similar program for Windows 7 as well. The speculation is that the program will begin July first and run through January of 2010. However, some companies are jumping to release their own promotions similar to this.

For example, one company in Seattle is planning on allowing users to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 for free. There are a few requirements for this such as you have to buy a PC that’s $1,000 or more and it has to have the 64 bit edition of Windows Vista on it. However, the deal overall is a good one as they will upgrade the PC to the 64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate version. The company is doing this to help boost PC sales as consumers are holding back buying PC’s until Windows 7 releases. The company is expecting it to be a break even exchange as their profit will go into giving consumers the new operating system for free however it will allow the company to get some exposure as well. Currently the company is offering the program through June 15th. The reason for the expiration date being set then is to avoid Microsoft’s upgrade program. The advantage for the consumers who buy through an upgrade program such as this is that they will avoid any type of delay that Microsoft’s upgrade program may have.

Source: Computer World

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As Microsoft is set to withdraw support for Windows XP, household and business users alike are starting to question the timing and propriety of the move.

Many companies are already reeling from the ongoing recession, and the last thing that they need is additional digits on their expenses sheet for OS replacement. Even sans the economic crunch, many deem a Vista shift would be needless and wasteful in view of the promising developments that Redmond is making on Windows 7.

At present, Microsoft is not blinking. If you’re still using XP and bent on sticking to it, then you have to do some serious thinking as to its feasibility. If you’re PC is like Cuba, then you’ll probably survive compatibility or support storms as you won’t be mixing much with other computers or data coming from them. But if you’re constantly interacting with PC users who have long migrated to Vista, then you really have to consider joining their club.

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If you think you’ve already crossed the finish line after several hours of waiting for Windows 7 Beta to finish filling up your hard drive, then you’re in for a big disappointment.

Many antivirus software, including McAfee and Norton’s, are rejecting the new OS. While your primary security application cannot prohibit you from running or using the new Microsoft software, doing so would expose your system to numerous malware threats as the antivirus would cease to function.

This isn’t the first time that antivirus programs are raising the red flag on a Microsoft beta release. Early releases of previous operating systems, as well as some Windows updates, were even tagged as potentially harmful. While many were perplexed, a considerable number of users were already expecting it as numerous bulletins already warned the buyers of the new OS that a number of their existing software might not yet recognize the Microsoft newbie.

Don’t fret, though. As with the previous cases, the makers of the applications that get jittery with the new OS will release patches or updates that will correct the problem. For now, you could either just wait for the remedies to be released, or find another antivirus that recognizes Windows 7.

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Following millions of Windows fans downloading Windows 7 Beta OS, Microsoft decided to lift the 2.5 million download limit to the most anticipated OS since, well Vista.

Reports indicated that just a few hours after Windows 7 Beta was launched, the servers hosting the OS were put into a critical tension. Users from all over the globe rushed in an effort to be among the 2.5 million beta testers.

Microsoft Windows communications manager Brandon LeBlanc said the following on a blog post: Due to an enormous surge in demand, the download experience was not ideal so we listened and took the necessary steps to ensure a good experience.

The download limit is lifted effective today up to January 24.

Engadget was able to test the new operating system using MacBook Pro and VAIO P. Initial impressions from different tech bloggers revealed that Windows 7 is better than Vista in terms of speed. Security and total performance on the other hand offer different issues. For example, McAfee anti-virus failed to work on Windows 7 during the test, but as Microsoft calls the OS, it is still in beta.

Windows 7 have a feature similar to Mac’s Time Machine; there is also an auto backup system for MP3s. Microsoft is continually issuing update patches as of this writing.

Source: Engadget

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The teaser’s out. Microsoft has recently released the beta version of Windows Vista’s successor, Windows 7. I’ve yet to get a hold of a copy, though, so what I’ll be passing on to you right now are second hand information from the developers themselves.

While Windows 7 will definitely sweep Vista off the shelves, it is not exactly a whole new different OS. Rather, Redmond sees Windows 7 as a refinement of its predecessor. The world’s leading OS maker promises their new product to be more user-friendly, or as Bill Gates put it, more user-centric. The Microsoft boss added that the new operating system would perform more efficiently at less power and without taxing the system too much. In other words, what Gates is really trying to say is that Windows 7 is everything that Vista is not.

It’s a fact that many haven’t migrated yet from XP to Vista. So the question now is, should they wait for Windows 7’s release? Or should they jump ship and ride instead on Vista until the next boat arrives? I suggest that they wait. Microsoft will eventually convince everybody to change OS again, so I guess it’s better to wait. The expected release date of the new OS is sometime in 2010, although many expect it to be introduced commercially by the second half of next year. Either way, the wait won’t be that long.

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