WINDOWS 7

INTRODUCTION

Windows 7 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced
by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops,
netbooks, tablet PCs and media center PCs.[3] Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July
22, 2009,[4] and general retail availability on October 22, 2009,[5] less than three years after the
release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server
2008 R2, was released at the same time.

Unlike its predecessor, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 is intended
to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being fully
compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible.[6]
Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows
Shell with a new taskbar, referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called
HomeGroup,[7] and performance improvements. Some applications that have been included with
prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows
Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows 7;[8][9] some are
instead offered separately as part of the free Windows Live Essentials suite.[10]

DEVELOPMENT

Originally, a version of Windows codenamed Blackcomb was planned as the successor to

Windows XP (codename Whistler) and Windows Server 2003. Major features were planned for
Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage
system named WinFS to enable such scenarios. However, an interim, minor release, codenamed
"Longhorn" was announced for 2003, delaying the development of Blackcomb.[11] By the
middle of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for
Blackcomb. After three major viruses exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a
short time period in 2003, Microsoft changed its development priorities, putting some of
Longhorn's major development work on hold while developing new service packs for Windows
XP and Windows Server 2003. Development of Longhorn (Windows Vista) was also restarted,
and thus delayed, in August 2004. A number of features were cut from Longhorn.[12]

Blackcomb was renamed Vienna in early 2006,[13] and again to Windows 7 in 2007.[14] In
2008, it was announced that Windows 7 would also be the official name of the operating
system.[15][16]

The first external release to select Microsoft partners came in January 2008 with Milestone 1,
build 6519.[17] At PDC 2008, Microsoft demonstrated Windows 7 with its reworked taskbar.
Copies of Windows 7 build 6801 were distributed out at the end of the conference, but the
demonstrated taskbar was disabled in this build.

On December 27, 2008, Windows 7 Beta was leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent.[18]
According to a performance test by ZDNet,[19] Windows 7 Beta beat both Windows XP and
Vista in several key areas, including boot and shut down time and working with files, such as
loading documents. Other areas did not beat XP, including PC Pro benchmarks for typical office
activities and video editing, which remain identical to Vista and slower than XP.[20] On January
7, 2009, the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) was leaked onto the web, with
some torrents being infected with a trojan.[21][22] At CES 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
announced the Windows 7 Beta, build 7000, had been made available for download to MSDN
and TechNet subscribers in the format of an ISO image.[23] The Beta was to be publicly
released January 9, 2009, and Microsoft initially planned for the download to be made available
to 2.5 million people on this date. However, access to the downloads was delayed because of
high traffic.[24] The download limit was also extended, initially until January 24, then again to
February 10. People who did not complete downloading the beta had two extra days to complete
the download. After February 12, unfinished downloads became unable to complete. Users could
still obtain product keys from Microsoft to activate their copy of Windows 7 Beta, which expired
on August 1, 2009. The release candidate, build 7100, has been available for MSDN and
TechNet subscribers and Connect Program participants since April 30 and became available to
the general public on May 5, 2009. It has also been leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent.[25]
The release candidate is available in five languages and will expire on June 1, 2010, with
shutdowns every two hours starting March 1, 2010.[26] Microsoft stated that Windows 7 would
be released to the general public on October 22, 2009. Microsoft released Windows 7 to MSDN
and Technet subscribers on August 6, 2009, at 10:00am PDT.[27] Microsoft announced that
Windows 7, along with Windows Server 2008 R2 were released to manufacturing on July 22,
2009. Windows 7 RTM is build 7600.16385, which was compiled on July 13, 2009, and was
declared the final RTM build after passing all Microsoft's tests internally.[4] "The launch of
Windows 7 has superseded everyone’s expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows as the biggest-grossing pre-order product of all-time, and demand is still going
strong," claimed managing director Brian McBride, Amazon UK on October 22."

FEATURES

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch and handwriting
recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core
processors,[33][34][35][36] improved boot performance, DirectAccess, and kernel
improvements. Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards
from different vendors (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media
Center,[37] a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features, the XPS Essentials
Pack and Windows PowerShell being included, and a redesigned Calculator with multiline
capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion. Many new
items have been added to the Control Panel, including ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color
Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and
Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display.[38]
Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center
and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds), which encompasses both security and
maintenance of the computer. The default setting for User Account Control in Windows 7 has
been criticized for allowing untrusted software to be launched with elevated privileges by
exploiting a trusted application.[39] 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.[40] Windows 7 also supports Mac-like RAW image viewing through the addition 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.[41]

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.[42] 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.[43] In touch-enabled
displays such as touch screens, tablet PCs, etc., this button is slightly wider to accommodate
being pressed with a finger.[44] 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.[45]
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),[46]
new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development
of installation packages,[47] and improved globalization support through a new Extended
Linguistic Services API.[48] 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.[49][50] Microsoft is also implementing better support for solid-state drives,[51]
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
was not included in the initial release because of delays in the finalization of the standard.[52]

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

Wikinews has related news: Windows 7 will allow users to disable Internet Explorer

Users also are 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.[53]
Windows 7 includes 13 additional sound schemes, titled Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters,
Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna, and
Sonata.[54] A new version of Virtual PC, Windows Virtual PC Beta is available for Windows 7
Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.[55] 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.[56] 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.[57] 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.[58] The three application limit will be removed from Windows 7
Starter.[59]

Editions

Windows 7 is available in six different editions, but only the Home Premium, Professional, and
Ultimate editions are available for retail sale in most countries.[75] The other editions are aimed
at other markets, such as the developing world or enterprise use.[75] Each edition of Windows 7
includes all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it.[75][76][77][78][79] With the
exception of Windows 7 Starter, all editions will support both 32-bit (IA-32) and 64-bit (x86-64)
processor architectures.[80] The installation media is the same for all the consumer editions of
Windows 7 that have the same processor architecture, with the license determing the features
that are activated, and license upgrades permitting the subsequent unlocking of features without
re-installation of the operating system.[81] 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.[76][81][82]
Microsoft is offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium (in select markets) that will
allow installation on up to 3 PCs.[83] The "Family Pack" will cost USD 149.99 in the United
States.[83]

On 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.[84][85]

Hardware requirements

Microsoft has published their minimum specifications for a system running Windows 7.[94]
Requirements for the 32-bit version are much the same as recommendations for premium
editions of Vista, but the 64-bit versions are higher. Microsoft has released an upgrade advisor
that scans a computer to see if it is compatible with Windows 7.

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows 7[94]

Architecture 32-bit 64-bit

Processor 1 GHz 32-bit processor 1 GHz 64-bit processor

Memory (RAM) 1 GB of RAM 2 GB of RAM

Graphics Card DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver model 1.0 (For Aero)

HDD free space 16 GB of available disk space 20 GB of available disk space

Optical drive DVD drive (only to install from DVD/CD Media)

Additional requirements to use certain features:[94]

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.

Windows Media Centre (included with Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate),
requires a TV-tuner to receive and record TV.

Developer

Microsoft

Website Official website

Releases

Release date RTM: July 22, 2009

Retail: October 22, 2009 (info)

Current version 6.1[1] (build 7600.16385.090713-1255[2])

(2009-10-22; 5 days ago) (info)

Source model Closed source / Shared source

License MS-EULA

Kernel type Hybrid

Update method Windows Update

Platform support IA-32, x86-64

INSTALLATION
Microsoft is offering several paths to install Windows 7. People can buy a new computer with
the operating system already installed, upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, or do a clean install
on a computer the user already owns. The clean installation took us about 30 minutes, but that
will vary depending on your computer.

The upgrade procedure is different depending on whether you're running Windows XP or

Windows Vista. Vista users merely need to back up their data before choosing the Upgrade
option from the install disc. Both XP Home and XP Pro users will have to back up their data,
then choose Custom from the install disc. Custom will have the same effect as a clean install,
although it'll save your old data in a folder called Windows.old. Once you choose Custom, you'll
need to select the partition of your hard drive that contains Windows XP, and then follow the
instructions to enter your product key and allow the computer to reboot as needed.

If you're not sure if your current computer can run Windows 7, you can download and run the
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft.

SECURITY

User Account Control, or UAC, is back in Windows 7. Microsoft has tweaked the feature
so that it's less intrusive, but it's not clear whether that means you're actually more or less secure
than you were in Vista. UAC was one of the biggest changes in Vista. It tightened program
access, but did it in such a way as to frustrate many owners of single-user computers. Windows 7
provides more options for user customization of UAC.

The default setting is to notify users only when programs try to make changes to the computer,
one step below the most restrictive setting of Always Notify. Under Always Notify, anytime a
program tries to access the Internet, or you try to make changes to the computer, Windows 7 will
require user confirmation. The second-least restrictive option doesn't dim the desktop when UAC
is activated, and will only notify the user when programs try to make changes to the computer.
When the desktop dims, Windows 7 is locking it down and preventing access. Never Notify is
the most relaxed option, and is only recommended by Microsoft for programs that aren't
compatible with UAC.
UAC also displays a blue banner when confronted with a program from a known publisher
versus a yellow banner and exclamation point when the program is from an unknown publisher.
The number of clicks it should take to use UAC safely has been reduced, However, it's important
to note that it's a less aggressive default posture by UAC.

A less glitzy, but no less important, change to how removable drives are handled also can affect
your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun
external hard drives and USB keys when they're connected. This kills off a risky vector for
malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.

Although Microsoft is working on a revamp of its antivirus and antimalware program, now
called Microsoft Security Essentials, it won't be bundled with Windows 7. Users are still
required to download a third-party antivirus and antimalware program, although the Windows
Firewall remains intact. As with many features in Windows 7 that have been carried over from
Windows Vista, people will notice there's far more granular settings control than before. Features
like filtering outbound traffic, which were available in Vista but not exposed, are easier to access
in Windows 7.