Windows 7 RC Essentials: Getting Started Guide – Part 3

You’ve read and followed part 1 and part 2 of my Windows 7 RC essentials guide to getting started with Microsoft’s latest operating system, so now here’s the 3rd and final part!

Part Three: Explore and Connect

So after your lightning-fast install of Win 7, it’s all gravy, right? Well.. no. Windows 7 contains this fuck-nut called HomeGroup. I’ve commented before on how simple and universal the HomeGroup networking infrastructure is with the X-Box, and that’s certainly true here. Unfortunately, it seems to absolutely disrupt network connectivity with anything that isn’t Windows 7 (such as Vista). I’m on a Windows Server 2003 Domain, so file sharing worked for me, but network printing didn’t.

Only by removing the Win 7 PC from the HomeGroup (which you can do in network settings), could I network-print. Because the XBox 360 works fine on “wobbly workgroup” anyway, and for many people, you can’t file-share without it, I recommend taking Win 7 out of the HomeGroup ASAP. I also think that the total lack of continuity between a HomeGroup and a Domain is rubbish. It’s also supposed to be “somewhat” compatible with Vista SP2, but that’s just bollocks. Really, HomeGroup is a great idea, but it needs a lot of spit and polish.

Hopefully, you should now have everything working, and networked nicely. If you’re a Vista user, there’s only a few visual differences to the whole desktop experience, but the new stuff is all under the hood. There’s no doubt that Win7 is much quicker on the same hardware. It’s networking speed and ability, once it’s been fixed (!) is unmatched anywhere, and media streaming is simply a snap. I can honestly say that it’s the best version of Windows ever. Now let’s boot back in to Vista..

You can’t leave a computer alone anymore. If you do, the next time you come to use it, you’ll be bombarded with updates and warning messages. Since you’re dual-booting, you effectively have two computers now. In the 2 weeks I spent using and enjoying Win 7, I hadn’t once booted in to Vista. I tried it recently, and found that my Avast product key needed renewing, there were (again) squillians of updates, and Defender wanted to have a thorough piss on it’s territory.

After two hours of updates (admittedly, installing SP2), I was finally ready to use Vista again. I really should point out here, that the Win 7RC might die on you at any time. As much as I don’t think that will happen, you need to realise that you need to continue to maintain Vista, and make all files accessible to it. This sort of common sense is a pre-requisite for attempting this sort of thing.

So the Win7 RC is better than the current version of Vista. It appears to work on less and do the same things quicker. It is, by my experience, crash-proof, and even runs some of my old XP software that Vista wouldn’t.

The Windows 7 RC download opportunity is available from Microsoft at least until the end of July. If, having read this article, you feel up to it, I really do recommend giving it a try.

The Average Windows Nerd

Related Pages:

1. Windows 7 RC Essentials: Getting Started Guide – Part 2
2. Windows 7 RC Essentials: Getting Started Guide – Part 1
3. Windows 7 Public Beta: The Straight Dope
4. Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Downgrade Plans
5. Windows 7 Review – Part 3: Security

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