Windows 7 Posted by lamindaa on 4:49 PM

What's new in Windows 7: Faster & easier
Windows 7 was built around your feedback, so you'll see a lot of things you've asked for. You asked us to make everyday tasks faster and easier, make your PC work the way you want it to, and make new things possible. And that's exactly what we're doing. Click below to see how it's coming to life!

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch, speech, and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors[21][22][23][24], improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.
Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors, a new version of Windows Media Center,[25] Gadgets being integrated into Windows Explorer, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, the ability to visually pin and unpin items from the Start Menu and Taskbar, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack being integrated, Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE), 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, Action Center, and Display.[26] Windows Security Center has been renamed the Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds) which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been merged with the task buttons to create an enhanced taskbar or what Microsoft internally refers to as the "Superbar". This enhanced taskbar also enables the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks.[27] The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.

Screenshots have appeared demonstrating a new feature called 'Peek'. Peek is a quick way of making all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop.[28] A Microsoft spokesman said that "this will be useful for users who want a quick look at the news" in reference to RSS gadgets on the desktop.[citation needed]

Unlike Windows Vista, window borders do not turn dark when maximized when Windows Aero is applied. Instead, it remains in Aero Transparency even when maximized in Windows 7.

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),[29] new features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of installation packages,[30] and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic Services API.[31]

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.[32][33]

Windows 7 adds online versions of Spades, Backgammon and Checkers.

Removed features
It has been suggested that Features removed from Windows 7 be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Main article: Features removed from Windows 7

* In Windows 7, Windows Mail, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Movie Maker are part of Windows Live Essentials.
* Windows Meeting Space
* Windows Sidebar (Gadgets will remain, sitting freely on the Desktop)
* InkBall

Antitrust regulatory attention

As with other Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 is being studied by federal regulators who oversee the company's operations following the 2001 United States v. Microsoft settlement. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing prototypes of the new operating system in February 2008. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research said that, "[Microsoft's] challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add features that consumers will want that also don't run afoul of regulators."[34]

Editions

Main article: Windows 7 editions

Windows 7 editions will include one for netbooks and sub-notebook computers, at least one for consumers, and at least one for enterprises.[35]

The Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) installs Ultimate Edition by default.

Hardware requirements:-

Microsoft has published some recommended specifications for a system running the Windows 7 beta.
Windows 7 Beta recommended specifications
Processor Speed 1 GHz (Either 32-bit or 64-bit)
Memory (RAM) 1 GB
Graphics card DirectX 9.0 capable
Graphics memory 128 MB
HDD free space 16 GB
Other drives DVD-ROM
Audio Audio output