Windows 7 Build 7000 Beta Review

[KSoD]

Alright so it isnt new news that Windows 7 Build 7000 is the Beta. it also isnt new news that it went public just 2 days after the official testers got their hands on it. But lets go over what we have so far.

First the Taskbar is the new one by default. No special tricks needed. Aero Peek is in full effect. Aero Snap is also in this. The desktop slideshow is working beautifully.

So let me show what i just said. This is the new taskbar in full effect:



Aero Peek:

Now Aero Snap isnt as easy to show. But once you drag and Snap a window to a corner or a side you should see a border go to the full Windows screen while you still have the mouse button held down. That is Aero Snap.

Now on to some other features that I find great. The Libraries is a new feature. Now many will dislike it. Cause once you click on the Explorer Icon in the taskbar it brings up the libraries. Now at first i hated this and wanted just Computer to show up. But then i found this.

Now what this is and does is great for many of us. This is the Libraries page. This allows you to pick and choose what you want included in your Libraries area when you click on either Documents, Music, Pictures, or Videos. Now i know what you are saying, “But we can already do this with the folders created by Windows.” Here is why it is so great. IF you have other drives where you store your music, pictures, videos, and documents you can ADD them to the library without having to relocate the default Windows folders. All you do is click the button for Library Locations and just simply Add your drive and or partition.

Now once you go to save a picture all your libraries will open up and boom you can auto select instead of having it save to the default Pictures folder. You can select any folder you want in the Library. So since i have all of my stuff stored on a different drive and different partitions cause of my multi-boot setup i can easily just add these to my Library and be able to use them on any system without issue.

If you do this with your music and video, they will be automatically added to your Library in Windows Media Player. No need to have it search or add it thru WMP. It is already done.

You can also add folders from your other OS's if you dual boot or multi-boot to this so you can have a single location for all your material. Useful for some, others will hate it.

Usability of this build is great in my honest opinion. Since i downloaded it and installed it I have only used it. Some software doesnt work, Daemon Tools and Alcohol 120% are the easiest to find up front. But there is replacement that does work. Virtual Clone Drive and PrismoMount. Nero can be a bugger, but CDBurnerXP works fantastic. That along with DVDShrink, ConvertXtoDVD, and DVDFab 5 there isnt much need for Nero anymore.

Along with that there are some bugs.

• If you right click and try to add a icon to your taskbar when there is 4 icons it wont work. You will have to drag and drop.
• If you dual boot or multi-boot with a previous version of Windows it might not be assigned a drive letter. You will have to do it manually through the Disk Management screen.
• Visual Basic does NOT install. I have tried and tried but i cant get it.
• Windows Live Essentials can fail on some systems. Not sure why but it wont install. No matter what you try. Only solution found is a format and reinstall.
• There is a glitch with the Slideshow. If you select a folder and not every file in the folder, chances are when you come back from sleep mode you will have a black wallpaper. For some reason if you dont select all it stops.
• If you disable UAC you will lose your Gadgets. It must be on for Gadgets to work.
• Steam has been known to cause some glitches with the Notification Icons in the lower right hand coerner by the clock.

That is about all I can think of at this time. Live Mesh is good on this build. Using it myself. There was a bug where it would take over your Aero Theme but they have updated the build and it doesnt do that now. Other than that there isnt much else to say.

The rest of it i covered in my Review of Build 6801 with the Themes and all the other additions back then. They are still here. So i will just end this with saying i love the direction it is going. I have submitted at least a half dozen items for feedback, i know for sure 1 went on to be a bug.

So enjoy the public Beta everyone. Windows 7 is shaping up to be the best Windows yet!

~Mak

 

[Hampton]

Awesome! I love all the new features and its about time they made the Library more adaptable, the look the feel and the usability are all key factors.

This will surely be a home run for MS as long as they don't put hefty price tags on it, open source is becoming to popular for them to do that again.

Great job Mak.

Edit: They should make the "Add" feature on the main area, as soon as you open the library and select either Video or Music there should be an add button right there, instead of "New Library" which adds nothing to the existing Library.. each area of the existing library (Music,Video etc.) needs to have an add folder or files button, "Add" would be nice

 

[cichlidkeeper91]

I have to say that microsoft have done a good job in this so far. Cant wait till its an official Os.

 

[KSoD]

Hampton,

I will suggest that to Microsoft. See if maybe we can get something like that adjusted for the final release. While what we have now is good, it can always be better. There is no product out there that is perfect. There is always room for improvement.

So with the help and feedback from users like yourself can we make Windows 7 what WE want. Not what they want it to be for us.

So continue with the great stuff. The more feedback we give, the better we can make Windows 7!

 

[Hampton]

Thanks Mak, exactly!

The whole point of building designing new OS's is to improve usability.

For example:

Grandma wants to hop on her new PC and listen to her Lawrence Welk collection that grandson Johnny has nicely put all on drive W

So she goes into her library and cant find it, and see's "New Library" and has no Idea what that means and says this thing sucks and it is no good to me takes her cain and smashes her PC into pieces, when all she had to do (if it were there) was hit the "Add" button when she opened her music folder.

Hence, "user friendly"

 

[Tim]

Those Grans and their canes

Twas a good idea though Hampton

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

I would still like the ability to use the old way of things, if XP and Vista had the ability to make it appear like 2000 and 98 then I am sure win7 will also give you the ability to have My Computer, look like the current My Computer and so on...

 

[aaronkupen]

The only problem I have with Windows 7 so far, it's not even a very big problem, is that I wish there was a little more distinguishability (sp) between apps that are running and not running on the task bar. I like to know what's running and not running by just having a quick glance at my computer; this has been my main complaint with Mac OS X.

Actually on further thought, it might not be such an issue with 7 since x'ing out of a window in Mac OS X doesn't quit the program ... But I still think running apps could use a little more accentuating in the taskbar.

 

[KSoD]

I would still like the ability to use the old way of things, if XP and Vista had the ability to make it appear like 2000 and 98 then I am sure win7 will also give you the ability to have My Computer, look like the current My Computer and so on...

This is currently not in this build. It is not known if it will be in the final or not. But it has been brought up many times.

The only problem I have with Windows 7 so far, it's not even a very big problem, is that I wish there was a little more distinguishability (sp) between apps that are running and not running on the task bar. I like to know what's running and not running by just having a quick glance at my computer; this has been my main complaint with Mac OS X.

Actually on further thought, it might not be such an issue with 7 since x'ing out of a window in Mac OS X doesn't quit the program ... But I still think running apps could use a little more accentuating in the taskbar.

In my very first screen shot you can easily see the 4 applications i have open. As they have a box around them. I dont see why anything needs to be done to show that there are apps running. I mean if it shows a box it is running, if it doesnt have the box then it is not. Seems pretty easy to distinguish to me.

Yeah certain colours can give you the impression that there is something running when it is not. Which is being looked at. But to make them stand out more i dont think is the issue. They already do stand out very much so on every colour i have used from clear to dark purple to black. I had no trouble knowing which apps were open with just a quick glance.

But i will say that others have shared your thoughts and have reported them.

 

[aaronkupen]

i hate vista i hope win7 will be nice!

Awesome, thanks for your 2 cents.