Windows 7 is almost here. This is the most excitement I’ve seem about a Microsoft OS since Windows XP and its all legitimate. W7, as I call it, frankly is the reason I still use a Windows PC. I’m not saying W7 is “perfect” or without problems but its really hard NOT to say that. Since the beta release late last year, I’ve loaded W7 on at least 4 different machines and these are the 5 things I think are really cool: The Action Center, The Windows Experience Index, BitLocker, Jump Lists, and HomeGroup. Below is brief explanation of each followed by a quick video for more details.
The Action Center
The Windows 7 Action Center will automatically alert you about potential problems with your machine. Messages can be configured to pop-up about security and maintenance issues with your machine such as backup reminders, updates, firewall, and spyware related issues. The coolest part is it offers to troubleshoot issues with a button to “check for solutions”. I’ve done it twice and both times it really worked and really fixed the problem.
The Windows Experience Index
This was first introduced in Vista but it just works so much better now in W7. After running this tool, you get a base score with subscores. The higher the score, the better your system is performing. There are tips for improving the score and quick links to other areas of your system to adjust settings. You can even print out the performance and system information to keep as a benchmark. Run this tool the first time after the first installation. When your system starts to get slower overtime, rerun the tool and compare the score. Then follow the tips and suggestions to bring your system back to life.
BitLocker Drive Encryption
This is also a Vista carry over, but again, just works so much better in Windows 7. BitLocker encrypts whole drives and USB thumb drivers or flash drives. This is a great way to lock those removable drives down and require a password to access the files on them. If you carry around a flash drive with you while traveling, then this is almost a no brainer.
Jump Lists
Access your most used files, pictures, songs, and web sites quickly right from the task bar. The coolest thing about this feature is that each program has its own separate jump list. If you add your favorite application to the taskbar, all the recent files created with that application is two clicks away.
HomeGroup
Its never been easier to setup a home network. W7 HomeGroup makes it easy to connect all the machines in your house and share files, music, printers, and pictures. It’s also password protected so you can control who has access to what and set content as “Read Only”.
Final thoughts
Like I said, these features are for W7 computers, not XP. There will be more details on these features and more feature reviews to come over the next few months. So check back often.
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