Using Windows 7 RC? There’s Still Time For Vista!
I put the Bill-gasam of pictures up there because it makes me smile. Nothing to do with the story, but man, look at that nerd go.. Top left is “yeah, we’re really gonna screw ‘em”.
Anyway, if, like me, you’ve downloaded the Windows 7 RC and have been happily using it for several months as your primary operating system, there is something I’d like to draw attention to.
I’m sorry if this sounds like on of 14 life lessons from He-Man, but I had a conversation with a colleague today at work which made me realise that it might be a good idea to point out the obvious, so here it is: No one should be relying on Windows 7 right now.
Please remember that your installation of Windows 7 is a temporary demonstration of a fixed point in the incomplete development of what is still not quite yet, the final version of Windows 7. Because it absolutely smacks of finish and stability, it’s easy to forget that you are using an evaluation tool, not a real operating system. What do I mean by this? Well, consider what you have done in Windows 7 since you installed it and (I assume) used it as your primary operating system. I would guess that you installed iTunes, updated all your podcasts and transferred your library (oh yeah, and how painfully convoluted is that Steve? I’ll write about that fucking adventure some other time).
What I’m getting at, is that the more time you invest in your primary operating system, the harder it becomes to revert back to Vista. In my Windows 7 RC getting started guide, I did make the point of saying that it was important to boot in to Vista regularly to maintain basic OS requirements such as Windows updates, anti-virus and spyware scans, but even if you only do this, it still doesn’t address the little apps you install, the independent software updates you receive (such as VLC and horridly, iTunes) which you would have got over time, had you actually used the system.
It’s important to realise that although there is every indication that the Windows 7 RC is probably a very final version of what will ship in October (which you can currently pre-order Windows 7 though), Microsoft still have not confirmed that it will be possible to upgrade from the Windows 7 RC to the final version. In any event, I would never recommend an “in-place” upgrade. Far too many people are building infrastructure on a sinking barge and suffice to say, at some point before bonfire night, you’ll probably be wiping out your current installation in order to install the new version, or else be going back to Vista.
Personally I’ll be doing both. I dual boot, but I make a point of going in to Vista for a couple of days once a month and actually using it for a bit. If you really want to go about the whole “beta programme” correctly, this is exactly the sort of thing you should be doing. I still do all my work in the Windows 7 RC, but for me, Vista is the nerd equivalent of a long distance girlfriend who gets shag once a month. Lovely.
The Average Windows Nerd
Related Pages:
- Windows 7 RC Download
- Windows 7 RC Essentials: Getting Started Guide – Part 1
- Windows 7 RC Essentials: Getting Started Guide – Part 2
- When The Windows Blows: A Post-Apocalyptic Commentary On Vista – Part 3
- Windows 7 Public Beta: The Straight Dope
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Comments: 3
6:37 pm 25th July, 2009
Yeah best to use something like Intellimirror or Live Mesh to backup all the files you have in case it’s not a simple update to the final product. It’s so much better than Vista and like you I forget that it is still the pre-release version!
Comments: 109
11:42 am 2nd August, 2009
Actually, Vista is very good. Well, it’s better than XP, put it that way.
As far as backup goes, I recommend a centralised storage solution, ideally a NAS or even a server-based solution, which I use myself. I use Symantec LiveState which is a “crawling” backup which doesn’t “run” per sae, rather it runs all the time.
I’ve been very interested in the Drobo too, but I’m concerned by the proprietary file system it uses when things go wrong on the device and I’m also concerned by the mixed reviews the device has received.
I think the important thing to remember here is that you have to buy all your storage twice, and that while files don’t expire, Windows 7 RC does.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may..
Comments: 174
1:37 pm 2nd August, 2009
Off the back of this article, I went back to one of my two Vista installs (my oldest one) and did this since I needed to check I had nothing else left there that needed transferring/backing up – oh boy did it take a while to update, I was in there for hours, Vista *seems* so much slower than my Windows 7 install!
Also, I noticed just how much slower and louder the old Seagate 200gb hard disk was that this install is on as opposed to the much faster and quieter Samsung drives I now use!
Comments: 109
6:58 pm 2nd August, 2009
I have to agree with the “Vista slowdown” experience myself. I do wonder if much of it is because Vista hasn’t been booted so frequently.
What with AV and Windows updates, and the time it takes defender to get it’s knickers in a twist, I think the “give it ten minutes” adage which my dad applied to the family bathroom is somewhat appropriate here
Seriously though, Back-up is something I really should cover, because most people haven’t got a sodding clue.