After the lukewarm reception of their Vista Operating System release, Microsoft held their breath and released Windows 7 to the computer community. The result was well received, as Windows 7 is arguably Microsoft’s most secure, stable and convenient operating system to date.
There are several reasons to upgrade or switch to Windows 7. Below are 7 of the most important ones:
Lower System Resource Requirements: Unlike Vista, which has a well-deserved reputation as a top-heavy resource hog; 7 is lean and mean. Without having the burden of a fancy operating interface, Windows 7 can save its power to open programs faster and boot, shutdown and restart quicker. Even low-end laptops with a 1GHZ processor and 1G of memory can run Windows 7 with little difficulty. The failure of Vista to attract a huge following is largely due to many people having to upgrade their computers just to run the resource heavy OS. Windows 7 will work on almost any existing computer configuration just fine.
Libraries: Vista and XP relied on My Documents for file storage. Windows 7 introduces document libraries. Libraries are virtual folders that can display contents of multiple folders in their structure. Now it’s possible to access multimedia files in one folder on the hard drive even when those files exist in multiple locations and hard drives.
Stability: Stability and reliability are hallmarks of Windows 7. Unlike Vista, and even XP, inexplicable “blue screens of death” are nowhere to be found and 7 works right out of the box with no need for more drivers. Adding updates is also a simpler and more painless process than in earlier Microsoft operating systems.
Aero Peek:This feature displays outlines of all open windows behind your active window. Each box has a thumbnail preview of the corresponding window, so rather than having to open each window to see which to open, you can just choose from a preview pane. Another feature, Aero Snap makes it easier to resize and tile windows to fit available space.
User Account Control (UAC): In Windows 7, the UAC has become less intrusive than the overprotective, annoying pop-up laden Windows Vista feature. Users of Windows 7 can use a slide-bar to customize their own security settings. Though providing just as much security protection as Vista, in Windows 7 most of the work is behind the scenes.
No “Bloatware”: Another overwhelming complaint about the Vista release was the vast amount of free trial programs pre-installed at purchase, which weighed the Vista system down. Many users had to pay retail computer sellers to uninstall these programs before taking their computers home. With Windows 7, these programs are still available. However, they are available as online downloads from Microsoft.
Overall Better Performance: Faster document retrieval, simpler organization, and better navigation make Windows 7 a sleeker, better performing operating system.
In addition to these functionality features, Windows 7 is also perhaps Microsoft’s most aesthetically pleasing Operating System as well. It features many more themes and designs than its predecessors and had its entire design redone by a professional team of designers, whose sole aim was to give it a modern look and feel.
Windows 7 is a notable improvement to Windows Vista and could easily go down as Microsoft’s best Operating System to date. If you’re a PC user, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.