Windows 7 is being hailed by reviewers and users alike as more than a ‘Vista’ two. Being being a web designer and Geek I’ve been toying with the idea of installing Windows 7 for sometime. So a few days ago I decided to take the plunge.
My advice to anyone considering this is to back up everything!
The second thing to do is to go to the Windows 7 website and download the Windows 7 installation file. I went for the 64 bit version and also got a product key, free and valid until next year. I burnt the file to a DVD with ImgBurn 2.4.4.0 . I also prepared a partition on one of the hard drives of my computer as I intend on using Windows 7 is the main operating system of my computer but also have Vista as a backup just in case.
the install went well, I had to track down several beta drivers for Windows seven and of course set up my programs again. But one tip I can give you is to use the upgrade wizard on the windows 7 DVD to save your office and browser settings (it even supports Firefox). This can then be loaded onto the new installation of Windows 7.
I got the system up and running okay and started to look around various Windows 7 forums. It turns out that later builds of Windows 7 are being released. So I downloaded the most recent release build 7229 and installed it via an upgrade last night.
As with all upgrades they tend to have some unexpected problems. But I couldn’t commit the time to set up a fresh at the moment — although I may do in a few weeks.
The main problem with this upgrade is drivers. Windows 7 is set to install drivers it recommends. Although they are not always the best ones. So far I’ve had to reinstall virtually all of the drivers. Two lingering problem is that my Firefox icon had lost association with webpage icons also my sound driver is playing up with distortion when I play music– a driver issue. I shall update you here on the progress.
I shall probably reinstall this latest build as a clean install to fix these issues. Not for a few days at least. But there is nothing major to report that would deter me from recommending to anyone to try Windows 7 – just make sure you back up and have a backup operating system available.
I shall continue to post tips I’ve found and experiences.
