o How much is that upgrade in the Window? Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor & Windows Anytime Upgrade options

If you have Windows 7 Premium and at some point decide to upgrade to Professional or Ultimate, you can do this via the Windows 7 operating system disc if your system came with the disc, or from within your Windows 7 you can go to Start, type Windows Anytime Upgrade in the search box, and then click on Windows Anytime Upgrade.

• Upgrade costs:

• Premium to Professional: $90

• Premium to Ultimate: $140

• Professional to Ultimate: $130

If you are considering upgrading your current Vista or XP system to Windows 7, it is my opinion that if your desktop or laptop is over a year old, it is often better to buy a new laptop or desktop with Windows 7. The reason is if you upgrade your current system, you could be carrying over bugs or a pre-existing condition into the new version. On top of that with the cost of a new laptop or desktop with Windows 7 already on less than $350.00 that is a deal that is hard to pass up.

So if you consider that the Windows 7 software alone costs $200 on up, this means that with new computer (desktop or laptop) that costs $350, you would paying only $150 for the hardware (desktop/laptop)!

Let´s not forget that if you were to upgrade XP to Windows 7 on a newer system, the upgrade only allows a clean install, meaning it will NOT preserve your applications and settings, you have to reinstall your applications. Not a perfect scenario.

You can upgrade Vista to Windows 7 (if your hardware is compatible), but let´s say you run an upgrade, your computer will still be the same age and if it gives out at some point, you have lost money on Windows 7. The reason I say this is because if you do decide to buy a new computer, those already come with Windows 7 and you are left with that extra copy you bought and no longer need.

The end result of buying a new system instead of upgrading may result in fewer headaches and a better computer as well. It´s hard to argue against that unless you have a newer system that cost you quite a bit of money and that your newer system is capable of being upgraded to Windows 7.

If you already have Windows 7 and are upgrading to another version or Windows 7, you will most likely have compatible hardware because 7 to 7 uses the same hardware.

If you do decide to upgrade your current system, either from Vista to Windows 7 OR Windows 7 to a different version of Windows 7 you will want to run Microsoft´s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor first. You can download this by going to the following link:

• http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b544e90-7659-4bd9-9e51-2497c146af15&displaylang=en

In the next article, I will cover how to look for basic hardware and version information on Windows 7.

Here´s to happy computing!

Richard Tausch, MCSE, CCNA, CompTia Security +

o So many choices, what should I do?

Now for the shock¸ there are a total of 6 versions of Windows 7. But, no need to be overwhelmed, we will cover just the 3 popular versions shortly. Here is full list for your entertainment and pleasure:

• Starter: Only sold with new PCs. For “emerging markets,” Basically the core system without any of the eye candy, desktop enhancements, or extra security features. Limited to three concurrent applications.

• Home Basic: Starter with more than three apps allowed.

• Home Premium: This one is included on most PCs. It´s missing the extended security and mobility features of Professional.

• Professional: Everything in Premium, plus encryption and network features more business-oriented.

• Enterprise: Like Professional, but includes Bitlocker and Applocker among other system-management capabilities geared toward volume-licensing.

• Ultimate: Everything included.

So, if you have one of the versions listed below of Windows 7 and are considering upgrading or have not yet purchased Windows 7 and would like to know the differences, below you will see key points that separate each of the popular versions of Windows 7. The most important thing to remember here is that in order to log on to a work domain (usually medium to large companies) you will need Windows 7 Ultimate or Professional. If you are 100% home-office, or rarely go to the office, or you don´t log into a domain there, Windows Home Premium should be able to meet all your needs.

If you are thinking about buying a specific version of Windows 7, this comparison chart will help you. There is also Windows 7 Starter version which you will find on the smaller Netbooks. To clarify, Netbooks are smaller sized laptops that are not quite as powerful as typical laptops but usually suffice for the applications and software involved with real estate and people who do not want that nagging shoulder ache that can come with carrying around a heavy laptop.

In the next article, I will cover the basics of deciding whether to upgrade Vista or XP to Windows 7, the advantages and pitfalls.

Windows 7 Versions	Home Premium	Professional Upgrade	Ultimate Upgrade
Features
Make the things you do every day easier with improved desktop navigation.
Start programs faster and more easily, and quickly find the documents you use most often.
Make your web experience faster, easier and safer than ever with Internet Explorer 8.
Watch many of your favorite TV shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV.
Easily create a home network and connect your PCs to a printer with HomeGroup.
Run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode (separate download).
Connect to company networks easily and more securely with Domain Join.
In addition to full-system Backup and Restore found in all editions, you can back up to a home or business network.
Help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker.
Work in the language of your choice and switch between any of 35 languages.

Here´s to happy computing!

Richard Tausch, MCSE, CCNA, CompTia Security +

First, I would like to start by saying that we now have a series of articles (around 18!) on Windows 7 including: navigating, customizing, simple troubleshooting to save time and money, and many others. If the response to these articles is high, we will consider the feasibility of holding Windows 7 classes for our real estate agents right here at CCAR in our training facilities. Please look for other articles in the series to follow.

• What new in Windows 7?

o Microsoft excels on this one!

Introduction:

First, I would like to say that when someone asks me what my impressions are of a specific operating system version, I usually tell them I have two opinions; one is based on home-office environments, the other, specialized business environments.

I think Vista is great for most home and home-office environments with the occasional issue of printing drivers not functioning correctly, etc. The complaints I have heard have come primarily from appraisers.

There have been issues with specialized business applications outside the real estate landscape with an array of unique software applications that cannot run on Vista and for this reason many organizations have elected to stay with XP because Vista was not compatible with all their needs.

But, Real estate agents seem to peacefully co-exist for the most part with Vista. Having said that, I believe there are enough improvements coupled with low prices of new systems with Windows 7 that make it a great choice for real estate professionals and beyond. Of the 50 or so Windows 7 systems that I have configured for those agents, the experiences have been positive. It works very well with paragon too!

Even though it appears that Windows 7 looks on the surface a bit like Vista, it is quite different. There are a number of important improvements that I think make this a wonderful operating system for home/office/business environments. Here is just a small list of the myriad of improvements that Windows 7 has:

The big things……

• A Leaner, meaner fighting….I meant computing machine!

Unlike previous versions Windows operating systems, Windows 7 is designed to run those resource intensive background services only when you actually need them. As an example, let’s say you are not currently using a Bluetooth device, well instead of the process running in the background, the service stays off until you use the device. There are many services so you can imagine without all of those running behind the scenes, your system will be more efficient.

On top of this, when you consider that Windows 7 by default is typically shipped with 64-bit duo-core processors, performance is even more increased. A 64-bit computer for the most part can process twice the information as a 32-bit computer and can hold more memory (RAM), up to 8 Gigabytes, instead of 4 for 32-bit systems. If you bought a computer prior to 2009, most likely you purchased a computer with a 32-bit processor.

And thus far, Windows 7 has shown to be more stable than Vista and that’s a good beginning since its release in October 2009.

• The task-less bar!

No, this is not some low-lit place where robots serve you mixed drinks. It is the new Windows 7 taskbar with less effort needed to navigate your programs, etc. You can now “pin” favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar, rearrange programs in any way you like by clicking and dragging and that ain’t no drag. You can point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of the open files or programs. And just move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full screen. Much simpler to navigate your little computer world now that you can use Jump Lists! In the class, we cover Jump Lists.

• Home is where the heart…I mean group is

Windows 7 HomeGroup in simple terms is designed to make the procedure of sharing files, music, videos, pictures, and printers on a home network much easier than in the past. Getting started is easy: Click the word ‘Homegroup’ in Windows Explorer or from the Start menu and indicate which items you’d like to make available to others. Once your Homegroup is created, others at your home can gain access to your resources simply by clicking the word ‘Homegroup’ just as you did. HomeGroup is only available on Windows 7 computers, and only on home networks.

• User Account Control (UAC) and the KGB

Okay, so it may not be exactly like having the KGB controlling your actions but for many folks, it is more than a little annoying having your computer ask you a bunch of questions when you perform an action. In Windows 7, there is a slider bar with 4 settings that will control what you would like or would not like to be prompted on and the result is less pop-ups if you lower the slider bar.

The little things matter too!

• Sleep, wake, and reconnect with the world

Windows 7 allows your system to go into to sleep, resume, and then reconnect to your wireless network more quickly, quite a nifty time saver to be sure.

• In search of

When you find yourself searching for some files or folders, what you need are answers, not long delays that leave you twirling your thumbs. In Windows 7, the search results pop up much faster. Sorting and grouping of your search results is also much quicker than in previous Windows releases.

• USB devices, their speed and your happiness

When you plug in a portable flash drive or other USB device for the first time, Windows 7 installs it in a matter of seconds. If you plug in a USB device you have already plugged in before on your new system, the wait is even shorter.

• A sticky proposition

So you are multitasking yourself to death and your computer monitor frame is looking more like a test to see how many posted notes you can pin to it before it becomes one big yellow blur. What to do? Reminders like pick up cereal tonight……..dentist appointment tomorrow……..reminder that Friday the alarm clock gets to swim downstream, you know, things of this nature…..well now thanks to a new Windows 7 applet called ‘Sticky Notes’, you can toss out the posted notes in your drawer and go virtual with your notes organized on your desktop. And they don’t have to be yellow anymore!

• The joys of defragmenting

Since Windows Vista, Disk Defragmenter already included an option to automatically run at scheduled times using Task Scheduler and is the same in Windows 7. But Disk Defragmenter now uses a lower CPU priority which means that it can continue to defragment using reduced resources (less CPU and disk activity) when the computer is in use. Cool!

• Gadgets and your visual space

If you already have a new Windows 7 computer, by now you have discovered (that, is if you had Vista before) that the Sidebar on the right has been eliminated and Gadgets can be placed anywhere your heart desires, on your desktop. New Gadgets have more functionality as we will discover in our class.

NOTE: Keep in mind that this is just a very small list of the improvements and additions in Windows 7. For more information, visit microsoft.com and search for “Windows 7 features” or “what’s new in Windows 7” to learn more about Windows 7.

Here’s to happy computing!

Richard Tausch, MCSE, CCNA, CompTia Security +

Okay, so now for the disclaimer….because of time constraints, etc., we wouldn’t be able to setup, support, or guarantee the success of the following, but overall this is a fairly easy way for you to test out Windows 7 on your current system (if you are tech savvy) without it actually installing on your system (This is called Virtualization) to decide if you want to buy it and the cost – IT’S FREE! Having said this, if you are only concerned with compatibility and are on strive to either upgrade to Windows 7 or buy a new system with Windows 7, you can check your current system with the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, located here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor

But only consider the following if you…

• Know how to install programs and are tech savvy

• Can burn a DVD

• Have a laptop or desktop that has 2 Gig’s of memory and 20 Gig’s of free space

So if you are tech savvy or have a tech person on hand, this is a great way to test Windows 7 out to see if it is right for you.

What this involves is a free program (VMWare Player) that is installed and can hold the free 90-day trial version of Windows 7.

Here are the following download links to accomplish your testing phase of Windows 7…

Download the VMWare Player:

http://www.vmware.com/products/player/

And the 90-day trial version of Windows 7

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc442495.aspx?ITPID=sprblog

There are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the VMWare Player AND Windows 7 Enterprise. You or a Techie will know which version you need.

All you have to do is download and install VMWare Player and then download and install Windows 7, 90-day trial edition and then when you run VMWare, it will open up a new window that displays the Windows 7 Screen, complete with icons and everything. From there you can play!

Here’s to happy testing!

Richard Tausch, MCSE, CCNA, CompTia Security +

• If you want a more Vista-like taskbar rather than the superbar, right-click the Taskbar, go to Properties, check the ‘Use small icons’ option, then change the “Taskbar Buttons” option to ‘Never combine.’

• Search Internet from the Start Menu. You can now Enable Internet search from the Start Menu using your default browser. Run GPEDIT.MSC from the Start Menu search box to start the Group Policy Editor. In the left pane, go to User Configuration->Administrative Templates->Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right pane, right-click to Edit and Enable Add Search Internet link to Start Menu and Viola!

• With Windows 7, you can now create a ‘System Repair Disc.’ This is a CD bootable version of Windows 7 that includes the command prompt and a suite of system tools. Very handy for those really tough spots. To get to this, simply open the Start Menu and type: “system repair disc” in the search field.

• To run a program as an Administrator, it’s now as easy as holding CTRL + SHIFT when you open the application.

• For those who have a multi-monitor setup, Windows + SHIFT + Left (or Right) will shift a window from monitor to monitor.

• Windows 7 now burns ISO files themselves instead of making users locate third-party applications.

• Gone is the “Add Font” dialog. It’s been replaced with a much better system. Download a font and double-click it (you’ll be greeted with the familiar font window, but you should notice it now has a ‘Install’ button).

• Windows 7 now includes Gabriola. This is an elaborate display typeface that takes advantage of OpenType layout to create a variety of stylistic sets.

• If you press Windows + 1, it will create a new instance of the first icon in the task bar. This is handy if you need to open several instances of a program.

• Rearrange System Tray Icons. You can rearrange icons on the taskbar as you wish and start new (or switch to running) instances of the first ten taskbar programs using Win+1, Win+2, and so on. The nice thing is you can also rearrange system tray icons. Reorder them on the tray or move them outside or back in the tray. Take control of what you want to always keep an eye on.

And here’s to happy computing!

Richard Tausch, MCSE, CCNA, CompTia Security +