Windows 7 RC1 reviewed

It's hard to imagine as much excitement about the launch of new Windows versions as there was when Windows 95 was the new kid on the block (do you remember the adverts with the Rolling Stones' 'Start Me Up'?).

But the step from Windows XP to Windows Vista promised so much it meant I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy to try it out. Unfortunately Windows Vista was something of a dog.

Even with a gigabyte and a half of RAM and a fresh install, simple things like copying and deleting took too long - in some cases hanging my system. And it seemed like visual effects had taken priority over a usable operating system.

So it was with some trepidation that I launched the 2GB plus download of the release candidate of Windows 7, Vista's replacement, ready to test on the very same system that Vista almost killed.

One painless installation later (aside from having to download some drivers for my graphics card and my mouse), I have a perfectly usable dual-boot laptop which runs Ubuntu Linux 9.04 and Windows 7 perfectly.

The first thing to say is Windows 7 is undoubtedly a step forward from Vista. Not only is it quicker it's a good deal more stable than my Vista installation ever was and for that I'm thankful.

The new taskbar area at the bottom of the screen is also a nice feature. It has some transparency so it blends in better with your wallpaper, and the icons on the bottom right are all the same colour which just gives it a more integrated feel.

(Click to see full-size)

On the bottom left there is plenty of space for you to put shortcuts to your favourite software, and another new feature means when you hover over any of the icons when the program is open a preview pops up.

This is particularly useful when I'm browsing the internet. I use Firefox by default, and often multiple windows. A quick hover and I know exactly which one I need.

The start menu should be familiar to anyone with Vista - however, unlike Vista, you can't choose to go back to the classic Start Menu of Windows XP. Get used to it folks, because that's all you've got!

(Click to see full-size)

I also found Windows 7 easier to use on my home network (which includes a wireless router, an iMac and a Playstation 3). Setup was easy and copying files between them was a doddle.

And for those of you who want your system to look good as well as working properly, there are plenty of new themes and wallpapers (which you can set up to automatically switch should you choose to) to keep even the most graphically aware of you happy.

One word of warning, however. Even with a gigabyte and a half of RAM the system uses a large chunk (greater than 40 per cent) of the memory without opening any applications.

As this is a home laptop and there's not too much multi-tasking going on it's not much of an issue, but may cause problems for corporate use in any system with a small amount of memory.

There's another new feature in Windows 7 which I haven't tested out yet, and that's Windows XP Mode - this will allow applications that only work in Windows XP to run in an XP compatible box, but appear to be running in Windows 7.

This is likely to require a bit more memory than the minimum however, and is still in its early beta stages.

But this might mean companies who use software that only works in XP might be prepared to make the switch - something that didn't happen with Vista to any huge degree.

In summary, although this is only a release candidate (i.e there may be changes before this becomes available for purchase) it's a pretty polished operating system.

For early adopters you can download a copy of Windows 7 RC1 which will work until June next year (although from March it will force a reboot every two hours).

This gives us almost a year of free Windows 7 goodness, and all you need to do is sign up for a Windows Live account. Doesn't seem like too much of a price given how easy it is to sign up for a free e-mail account these days.

For everyone else, rest easy. Windows 7 is going to work better than the system it replaces and, in the process, will become Microsoft's best operating system yet.

Here are some other screen-shots should you want to see what the Control Panel and a Windows Explorer window looks like by default. (Click to see full-size)