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Vin touch and handwriting reDcognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors,Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features, the XPS EssenVDVStials Pack and [[Windows VDlnerabilities" |author=Zack Whittaker |date=2009-06-12 |accessdate=2009-06-14 }}</ref> Microsoft's Windows kernel engineer Mark Russinovich acknowledged the problem, but noted that there are other vulnerabilities that do not rely on the new setting.. Windows 7 also supports Mac-like RAW image viewing through the aDSDSddition of WIC-enabled image decoders, which enables raw image thumbnails, previewing and metadata display in Windows Explorer, plus full-size viewing and slideshows in Windows Photo Viewer and Window Media Center.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with pinning applications to the taskbar. Buttons for pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons. To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button that serves as the Show desktop icon. This button is part of the new feature in Windows 7 called Aero Peek. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop. In touch-enabled displays such as touch screens, tablet PCs, etc., this button is slightly wider to accommodate being pressed with a finger. Clicking this button minimizes all windows, and clicking it a second time restores them. Additionally, there is a feature named Aero Snap, that automatically maximizes a window when it is dragged to either the top or left/right edges of the screen. This also allows users to snap documents or files on either side of the screen to compare them. When a user moves windows that are maximized, the system restores their previous state automatically. This functionality is also accomplished with keyboard shortcuts. Unlike in Windows Vista, window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized with Windows Aero applied. Instead, they remain transparent.

For developers, Windows 7 includes a new networking API with support for building SOAP-based web services in native code (as opposed to .NET-based WCF web services), new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of installation packages, and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API. At WinHEC 2008 Microsoft announced that color depths of 30-bit and 48-bit would be supported in Windows 7 along with the wide color gamut scRGB (which for HDMI 1.3 can be converted and output as xvYCC). The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB. Microsoft is also implementing better support for Solid State Drives, including the new TRIM command, and Windows 7 will be able to identify a Solid State Drive uniquely. Microsoft is also planning to support USB 3.0 in a subsequent patch, although support would not be included in the initial release due to delays in the finalization of the standard.

Internet Spades, Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers, which were removed from Windows Vista, were restored in Windows 7. Windows 7 will include Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Media Player 12.

Users will also be able to disable many more Windows components than was possible in Windows Vista. New additions to this list of components include Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Windows Search, and the Windows Gadget Platform. Windows 7 includes 13 additional sound schemes, titled Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters, Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna, and Sonata. A new version of Virtual PC, Windows Virtual PC Beta is available for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. It allows multiple Windows environments, including Windows XP Mode, to run on the same machine, requiring the use of Intel VT-x or AMD-V. Windows XP Mode runs Windows XP in a virtual machine and redirects displayed applications running in Windows XP to the Windows 7 desktop. Furthermore Windows 7 supports the mounting of a virtual hard disk (VHD) as a normal data storage, and the bootloader delivered with Windows 7 can boot the Windows system from a VHD. The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) of Windows 7 is also enhanced to support real-time multimedia application including video playback and 3D games. That means that Direct X 10 can be used in a remote desktop environment. The three application limit will be removed from Windows 7 Starter.

Windows 7 is said to be capable of running Windows programs and games, such as South Park Rally, that neither XP nor Vista supported for various reasons.

Removed features

A number of capabilities and certain programs that were a part of Windows Vista are no longer present or have changed, resulting in the removal of certain functionality. Some notable Windows Vista features and components have been replaced or removed in Windows 7, including the classic Start Menu user interface, Windows Ultimate Extras, InkBall, and Windows Calendar. Three applications bundled with Windows Vista — Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail — are not included with Windows 7, but are instead available for free in a separate package called Windows Live Essentials.

Antitrust regulatory attention

As with other Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 is being studied by United States federal regulators who oversee the company's operations following the 2001 United States v. Microsoft settlement. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing prototypes of the new operating system in February 2008. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research said that, " challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add features that consumers will want that also don't run afoul of regulators."

Editions

To avoid running afoul of European antitrust regulations, Microsoft had chosen to ship Windows 7 without Internet Explorer in European Union member countries. It was also announced that the upgrade versions of Windows 7 would also not be available in Europe due to the possibility of needing additional testing for how upgrades would react to the versions without Internet Explorer.

Microsoft also proposed to the European Commission allowing users to download a competing browser from a "ballot" screen instead of providing a version of Windows completely without Internet Explorer installed at all. In response to criticism involving Windows 7 E and concerns from manufacturers about possible consumer confusion if a version of Windows 7 with Internet Explorer were shipped later after one without Internet Explorer, Microsoft announced that it would scrap the separate version for Europe and ship the standard upgrade and full packages worldwide.

However, in Europe, an N version, which does not come with Windows Media Player has been released, but only for sale directly from Microsoft sales websites and select others. Again, this is believed to have been done to please EU legislators under anti-trust reasoning. As it is priced at the same as the non-N versions, it is likely that sales will be low of this version, as the similar N-versions of Vista achieved.

Reception

Pre-orders of Windows 7 at Amazon.co.uk in the first eight hours of its availability surpassed the demand for Windows Vista in its first 17 weeks. It became the highest-grossing pre-order in Amazon's history, surpassing sales of the previous record holder, the seventh Harry Potter book.

Reviews of Windows 7 were mostly positive, praising its usability when compared to its predecessor, Windows Vista. CNet gives Windows 7 Home Premium a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that it "is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go".

Some reviewers were not as enthusiastic about the new operating system, however. Jim Louderback stated that he has used Windows 7 on a large number of older machines, supposedly more representative of the operating system's user base. He compared the launch of Windows 7 to Vista's, citing driver and compatibility problems. Louderback ultimately downgraded six of the eight test machines to their previous operating systems.

Editions

Windows 7 will be available in six different editions, but only Home Premium and Professional will be available for retail sale in most countries. The other editions are aimed at other markets, such as the developing world or enterprise use. Each edition of Windows 7 will include all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it. With the exception of Windows 7 Starter, all editions will support both 32-bit (IA-32) and 64-bit (x86-64) processor architectures. According to Microsoft, the features for all editions of Windows 7 will be stored on the machine, regardless of what edition is in use. Users who wish to upgrade to an edition of Windows 7 with more features can then use Windows Anytime Upgrade to purchase the upgrade, and unlock the features of those editions.

Microsoft announced on July 21, 2009, that they will be offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium (in select markets) that will allow installation on up to 3 PCs. The "Family Pack" will cost USD 149.99 in the United States.

On Friday, September 18, 2009, Microsoft said they were to offer temporary student discounts for Windows 7. The offer will be running in the US and the United Kingdom, with similar schemes available in Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico, France and Germany. Students with a valid .edu or .ac.uk email address can apply for either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional, priced at $30 or £30.

Windows 7 Launch Party video

Windows 7 Launch Party is a video advertisement designed to market Windows 7. It features a group of people in a kitchen explaining the concept of a party to launch the operating system in their own homes. The video received widespread criticism as a marketing effort, and consideration was given as to whether it was intentionally bad, in order to generate content mocking it, or whether it was just poorly put together. Search Engine Watch commented "If you create something so bad that it goes viral, is it a public relations disaster or a video marketing triumph?" Barbara Lippert, ad critic for Adweek magazine stated "This is so beyond-belief bad that I just cannot believe it’s for real ...the script is so fake, with all the sales messages in there… if this is what they think is hip, it’s just so sad — and poignant" Rob Pegoraro of The Washington Post described the video by saying "by two minutes into the video, I could only hold my head in my hands, cringing and saying, “No, no, no, this can't possibly be real!”" CNET described the video as looking "like the Food Network threw a cooking party only to have it geek out and go completely sideways", and came as part of a pattern of Microsoft advertising such as that for a previous piece of software that was such a "weird (to say the least) attempt to humanize software that failed so terribly I still find it hard to believe it was real." Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist James Lileks said of the video: "If Microsoft had been put in charge of marketing sex, the human race would have ended long ago, because no one would be caught dead doing something that uncool." However, about 5000 copies of Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition (containing both 32 bit and 64 bit DVDs) were sent to Windows 7 Launch Party Hosts through the House Party website in Australia, Canada, USA, UK, Japan, India, Mexico, Spain, Hong Kong, Germany, France, and Italy. The entire party package included 10 tote bags with new, Windows 7 desktop pictures printed on them, one puzzle, and one poster.

Hardware requirements

Microsoft has published their minimum specifications for a system running Windows 7. Requirements for the 32-bit version are much the same as recommendations for premium editions of Vista, but the 64-bit versions are considerably higher. Microsoft has released a beta version of an upgrade advisor that scans a computer to see if it is compatible with Windows 7.

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• BitLocker requires a USB flash drive to use BitLocker To Go.
• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V enabled.

See also

• Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions
• History of Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Security Essentials

References

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External links

• Official Windows 7 Website - Microsoft
• Windows 7 Home Website - Microsoft
• Engineering Windows 7 - MSDN Blogs
• The Windows 7 Blog for Developers
• The Windows 7 Team Blog - Windows Team Blog

• 2009 software
• Windows 7
• Windows NT