Forced to use Windows 7

[LW Bercini]

After quite a number of years using Windows XP on my company-issued laptop, they have forced us all to switch to Windows 7. My laptop was reconfigured yesterday, and I will start work on Monday morning in a new world.

For any of you who have made a similar transition, do you have any words of wisdom to share? I'm especially interested in cases where the navigation to a particular function has changed significantly.

thank you all for sharing your experience.

 

[troj]

I'll be honest, for me it's been long enough that I don't remember a lot of it.

The biggest challenge will be in things like the Control Panel -- very different from what you're accustomed to. Overall, I like Windows 7. It's a much easier transition than when they changed the menus in Office!

-Kevin

 

[LW Bercini]

It's a much easier transition than when they changed the menus in Office!

-Kevin

Yeah, that was "fun". In Excel, it took me forever to find the place to specify "rows to repeat" on each page of printed output.

 

[BEC]

Windows 7 Enterprise Edition itself isn't too bad (though the whole business of "libraries" can be confusing). I had much more trouble (and still do - I was "upgraded" to W7 about three months ago) with the updated versions of M$ Office. Did they do that to you as well? In other words, I'm with Kevin on this one.

My particular machine had printing issues - some failure during the re-imaging. It took several calls to the company help desk to get that sorted properly. Also we now have to stick our badges in the reader in the side of the machine to log on rather than what we were using before - but that aspect aspect was pretty well socialized before the transition.

The W7 aspects were easier for me since we already had W7 Home Premium on two machines in the house - my Acer 722 netbook (which is my take-it-to-the-flying-field computer) and the "main" PC. But we also have an Acer on XP and I'm sitting at my favorite machine right now - a MacBookPro with MacOS 10.6 on it - so I'm used to things varying a bit from keyboard to keyboard.

 

[Rex R]

good news is you skipped vista . but seriously Micro$oft pretty much got it right. the search function works. my brother set up a win7 machine for my sister expecting to have to 'walk' her through...was surprised when she(switching to win7 from XP) walked over to the new box, powered it up, and within 5 minutes was up and computing w/o help.
two quibbles I had. win doesn't come with a mail program (if your IT dept is on the ball that shouldn't be a problem) and MS backup expects you to have an external hard drive.

 

[bobby_hamill]

LW

If you are using windows 7 professional or windows 7 ultimate you can install virtual windows and run windows xp in a windows 7 environment. Virtual windows is a free download from Microsoft.

Bobby

After quite a number of years using Windows XP on my company-issued laptop, they have forced us all to switch to Windows 7. My laptop was reconfigured yesterday, and I will start work on Monday morning in a new world.

For any of you who have made a similar transition, do you have any words of wisdom to share? I'm especially interested in cases where the navigation to a particular function has changed significantly.

thank you all for sharing your experience.

 

[Tarasdad]

I went from XP Pro to 7 Home Premium and wouldn't look back. There will be a learning curve as many things are in different places (XP Documents and Settings vs. Win 7 Users folder for example). The GUI is a bit different as is the Start Menu structure. Minor things, really (other than the D and S vs. Users bit) that can be overcome with a bit of exploration. I will tell you that once you get used to using Win 7 it will be very hard to go back to a machine running XP without feeling like you're dealing with a clumsy antique.

 

[cwbullet]

I just moved to Windows 7 at work and all of our InfoPath Forms crashed. I know there was a resin I have resisted being assimilated at home.

 

[Marc_G]

XP was a stalwart platform, but seriously it's time to ditch it.

We're doing the same thing at my company over the next year.

I've been on Win 7 at home for 3 years and loved it (briefly flirted with Vista, yuk!) on three computers here.

As others have noted, other than some changes to where stuff is (users folders, different control panel stuff), it won't be a big change as far as the operating system. The software that goes along with it will be more of an experiential shift.

There are a million things I love in Win 7 but one change really annoys me: toolbars can't float undocked from the task bar... they need to be along a side of the screen. I used floating toolbars all the time in XP and miss it in Win 7. There are apps that replicate the functionality but I never messed with them, so I guess it wasn't just that important...

Good luck.

 

[luke strawwalker]

good news is you skipped vista ..

Ain't that the truth!!!

I hate the libraries thing on Win7 as well...

Why on earth my documents are in the same "library" as my pictures, I'll never know... that's just plain dumb...

The other thing is, you can't drag and drop folders inside the library to put them in a particular order, at least not that I've been able to find...

Later! OL JR

 

[Marc_G]

The libraries thing was a bit confusing for me as well. Then I realized the convenience of it, as the computer I use the most at home is also shared with my wife. I set up the libraries so that our digital pictures were in both of our accounts' libararies, and made sure my own library had just the things I particularly wanted to see. It's a good feature particularly for shared computers where multiple accounts need to access some of the same files.

On the other hand, it's one of those things that can be easily ignored if its paradigm isn't in line with the way you think. Now with JR's comment, I'm wondering about ordering my own library and wondering if I can do it... :grin:

Edit: my libararies are shown in detail view, sorted by name. That's the way I prefer to handle it so the ordering thing never came up for me...

 

[JordanT]

You're in pretty good shape. As long as you remember that right clicking on "My Computer | Manage" gets you to most high level internal stuff, going to the control panel and choosing "view by: Large Icons" gives you the classic look, and that you probably will not have to loo look for anything else because 99% of the time its easier to just click the start button and start typing what you are looking for. Heek, I don't know where anything is anymore, I just type in the command/program and usually by the 3rd or 4th letter what I want is at the top of the list and I just hit enter.

I went into the appearance (right click on the desktop) and changed everything back to an XP-like look. No effing aero for me. Overlapping, translucent windows just looks cluttered.

Oh - prepare to be frustrated with networking, they've hidden the real nuts and bolts GUI with an extra click or two. Not awful, just annoying.

 

[jadebox]

I went into the appearance (right click on the desktop) and changed everything back to an XP-like look. No effing aero for me. Overlapping, translucent windows just looks cluttered.

I also "unpinned" all the stuff in the task bar and added back the missing Quick Launch buttons.

Even though you can make a few tweaks of the Start Menu properties to match XP, the Win7 Start Menu is a lot harder to use than it was under XP. I find myself often typing program names into the "Search Programs and Files" box instead of navigating the menus.

I still find Search in File Explorer really frustrating. Under XP you selected a context menu option then could easily select advanced search options. Under Windows 7, search is done through a text box at the top of the screen and advanced options are entered into the query as text. It's a huge step backwards.

But ... it works better than Vista.

-- Roger

 

[FastCargo]

Have to say, I like Win7...it just seems smoother in how things work. Turned off a lot of the 'Aero' stuff as well. Most other advice on here is pretty sound. And yeah, I hate what they did to Office...so bad I transitioned to OpenOffice.

I have 3 separate partitions on my computer here...Win7 64, OSX 10.5.6 and WinXP MCE. Honestly, the non Win7 partitions only get fired up about once every 2 months or so.

FC

 

[Tarasdad]

I have a laptop running Vista 64bit Multimedia that I've never been 100% comfortable with. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll be adding a second partition and installing XP Pro 32bit in a dual boot configuration. I want to use the laptop for astrophotography but the software I want to use isn't compatible with 64bit architecture. I'd install my copy of Win 7 but don't want to jump through all of Microsoft's hoops to be allowed to run it on two systems.

 

[KennB]

Just bought an okay laptop with Window 7 on clearence because 8 is on its way. I can upgrade for little or no money but will likely stay with the mature 7; i use it at work and my home desktop has it, too.

Going form XP to 7 was a bit annoying but I've gotten used to it (didn't cash in my Vista upgrade when I bought the mature XP computer years ago).

You've got some good tips here, LW. Dive in, the system is fine. At least you're not trying to jump into an Apple OS. The new laptop will save me from that when I visit my sister.

 

[LW Bercini]

Bobby,

The primary reason we all got switched to W7 was information security. We no long have the ability to do *ANY* installations, nor can we use any of the USB ports for moving data.

 

[llickteig1]

Bobby,

The primary reason we all got switched to W7 was information security. We no long have the ability to do *ANY* installations, nor can we use any of the USB ports for moving data.

That and Microsoft is pulling the plug on Windows XP support - a real headach for IT departments when it comes to troubleshooting large user bases.

Windows 7 really isn't bad, per se, but the end-user lockdown features make it more difficult for "power users" to get utilities and such. Gotta go through IT for everything. Locking up the USB ports is a big deal these days and most comanies have sensitive information they don't want to lose control of.

Using meaningful stuff in the operating system on tightly controlled office computers has become a thing of the past, even at our place under WindowsXP. Many settings were unavailable already and even moreso under Windows 7. Anymore the OS is just an interface to the tools you use anyway. File manager changes take a little getting used to if you're used to seeing full path names, but like everything else, it doesn't take too long to get the hang of the differences in Win7.

On the other hand, if your company is also moving from Office 2003 to Office 2007 or 2010 at the same time, you will be far more frustrated with the user interface changes in those products. I find myself staring at MS-Excel trying to figure out the simplest tasks, like switching windows. I'm sure I'll eventually get it all figured out - about the time they change it again.

--Lance.

 

[troj]

Windows 7 really isn't bad, per se, but the end-user lockdown features make it more difficult for "power users" to get utilities and such. Gotta go through IT for everything. Locking up the USB ports is a big deal these days and most comanies have sensitive information they don't want to lose control of.

USB ports aren't locked down just for the "out" part, but also as a way to help reduce ways for viruses and other malware to get in.

-Kevin

 

[Marc_G]

Even in XP companies can lock down pretty anything they want. At my company, I can't change any meaningful settings or do any installations on my XP laptop. I can't change power settings (when the laptop should go to sleep, etc.). I can't change desktop picture or screen saver picture. Fortunately I can still use USB ports because I need to, to accomplish my job.

The main reason companies are migrating is because XP is rapidly approaching end of life, after which there won't be any security issue patches.

I'm about halfway through the transition to Office 2007 (have it at home and work, but rarely use any but the most basic features at home). I use powerpoint a lot for work, and the transition has been tough, but 2007 has some nice features in it once you learn how to use it. And next year I'll be getting 2010....

computers, can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em...

 

[powderburner]

good news is you skipped vista....

I was not a lover of micro$#&t products before, but when I got 'vista-ed' I was just about ready to find an old baseball bat and start driving to Seattle. Vista was a collossal piece of dookey. (Even worse than ME, if that was possible.)

I also had to switch to Win7 recently and did not find the experience to be too bad. Then again, any change seems to take a little getting used to.

 

[blackbrandt]

What do you guys have against Windows 7?

Matt
(Who is posting from a Windows 7 computer...)

 

[bjphoenix]

I have 2 computers at work and 5 at home.
one runs MS-DOS
1 runs Windows XP
1 runs Windows Vista
3 run Windows 7
the last one is a Mac

I have no problem switching back and forth between any of the Windows computers and it is common for me to use 3 of them on any given day. I've also never had a problem with the Vista computer. I don't like the way different Windows versions deal with "my documents" or "libraries" or whatever, although I manage.

 

[LW Bercini]

Turned off a lot of the 'Aero' stuff as well.
FC

What is the "Aero" stuff?

 

[stealth6]

It's weird, but I've got Vista and I actually kinda like it.

Had XP beforehand, and in fact I used a few different computers and all of them had XP, so I was pretty used to it. When my laptop finally died and I had to get a new one, I was "forced" into getting and using Vista. I was pretty reluctant at the time, but I'm not a huge computer guy with major needs, so I capitulated, said "whatever", and took the new OS.

To my surprise, after a very short period of adjustment, I found myself liking just about everything better. It seemed faster, smoother, and more intuitive in almost every way. In other ways I didn't even notice any difference (which is a good thing). There were a few small quirks and annoyances, but these all seemed either easy to fix/circumvent, or to just get used to.

Honestly, the only thing I really missed about XP was the bundled pinball machine game. That thing was pretty cool and fun. But I hardly ever use a computer for games and such, so losing this was really no big deal.

Call me odd, but I like Vista.

s6

 

[pick1e]

Call me odd, but I like Vista.

Vista is very popular to criticize, but a lot of the criticism is misplaced. Sure it had its quirks, but overall it wasn't as bad as people think. I liked it too when I first installed it- with drivers and everything it took overall probably half the time to reinstall compared to a system with XP. I never had a problem with Vista, but I also had a quality computer. A lot of people complained that they had to go buy a new printer or whatever other hardware because it wasn't compatible- that's not the fault of Microsoft, it's the fault of the lazy companies who made the hardware and don't want to bother writing a new driver, even though they knew the new OS was coming along for many years... Not to mention all the companies selling computers with hardware nowhere adequate to run the system properly. Again Microsoft gets blamed but it's really the fault of the hardware manufacturer that the system barely runs. Also the fault of people who buy a $400 laptop and expect it to run properly, but that's another story...

 

[Marc_G]

I had experience with two Vista computers. One was a pretty powerful (at the time) x64 desktop tower that was from Gateway and was designed for Vista and came with 6 GB RAM and a big hard drive. The other was a trim x86 home theater PC I put together on my own. Both were VERY quirky under Vista with occasional network issues, reboots, odd freezes.

Once the Win 7 release candidate went around to try (for free), I migrated both systems and never looked back. All the wierdness and freaky stuff stopped instantly. I moved both to the Win 7 RTM (release-to-market) version on release day. Lovin' it. No OS is perfect but Win 7 is a good platform, either 32 or 64 bit.

Marc

 

[Tronman]

What is the "Aero" stuff?

Aero is the glitzy graphics in the more expensive Windows editions.

 

[kjohnson]

Just now getting Windows 7? Reminds me of this:


kj

 

[Tarasdad]

Just as a matter of habit I usually wait six months to a year before moving to a new Windows OS. Gives them time to patch the worst bugs and for third party developers to write updated drivers.