Chicago IT Support and Consulting


Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT

Windows 7 just around the corner, presale details leaked

Friday, June 19, 2009 by Michael Holley

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will officially ship on October 22, presumably marking the end of Microsoft's Vista era. Microsoft boasts significant performance improvements and an approach that Bill Gates describes as, "more user-centric."The Windows 7 Beta has been publicly available since January 9th of this year, and although its interface has predictably received mixed reviews, nearly everyone agrees that it's a big improvement on Vista.

So is it finally time to upgrade those old XP systems?

The key benefit, from a business standpoint, is the expected performance increase. Machines running Windows 7 are optimized to boot and load programs faster, buying your workers significant chunks of productive time over weeks of use. Although Microsoft forbids beta testers to publish benchmark specs, one user compared the speeds of Windows XP, Vista, and the 7 Beta as they performed various essential tasks using a ranking system.

Another compelling argument that has arisen from the Microsoft camp is the advent of advanced power management features that have been added to Windows 7 to help decrease energy cost and maximize battery life. Below is an excerpt from windows7news.com:

"The Windows 7 operating system provides several opportunities to decrease power consumption across the enterprise. The power management technologies in Windows 7 provide platform and processor efficiencies that reduce power consumption and can help lower energy costs. Windows 7 can also extend battery life for specific scenarios. Additionally, it provides diagnostic tools that enable OEM, IHVs, ISVs and IT pros to better manage and troubleshoot power management issues on computers and to extend the battery life for portable computers."

One of Switchfast's software engineers, Aly Boghani, has been using the Windows 7 Beta since its release.

"I am in mad love with Windows 7," Aly reports, "Windows 7 is one polished piece of software. Performance-wise, it has given new life to my hardware. All my apps are accessible with a single click. The new task bar and problem recording features are awesome!"

Earlier this month, a memo was reportedly leaked that included information about a Windows 7 upgrade discount presale that will run from June 26 to July 11. If you're considering rolling out an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, it appears, at least right now, that those 16 days will be the best time to purchase. However, if you're upgrading from XP to Windows 7, you'll most likely need to purchase a full install. No word yet on that pricing.

Of course, we'll be keeping up on pricing opportunities as the situation develops. Let us know (TheFutureOfIT@switchfast.com) if you have any questions!

Best,

Michael Holley

Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Consulting & Support
Rochester IT Consulting & Support

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1 comment(s) for “windows 7 just around the corner, pricing details leaked”
  1. JT says:
    Pre-Purchase Questions for Microsoft Windows 7
    Backup Software Capabilities In Windows 7
    Please Check All That Apply, to the Backup Software Capabilities in Windows 7, and specify which versions of Windows 7 my questions apply too. Example; Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate, etc . . .

    Types of Backups:

    1. Full □Yes □No
    2. Incremental □Yes □No
    3. Differential □Yes □No
    4. All of the above □Yes □No

    Backup Capabilities:

    • Individual File Back Up □Yes □No
    • Files In Use Backup □Yes □No
    • Complete System Backup □Yes □No
    • Individual Folder Backup □Yes □No
    • Backup Networks □Yes □No
    • One Click Drive Backup □Yes □No
    • Address Book Backup □Yes □No
    • Registry Backup □Yes □No
    • Favorites Backup □Yes □No
    • Individual Email Backup □Yes □No
    • Outlook, Outlook Express, MSN Backup □Yes □No

    Output Features:

    1. Backup to Hard Drive □Yes □No
    2. Backup to Removable Media {CD, DVD, Zip, External Hard Drives} □Yes □No
    3. Backup to FTP Locations □Yes □No

    Advance Features:

    • Backup Password Protection □Yes □No
    • Backup Password Encryption □Yes □No
    • Data Compression □Yes □No
    • File Filtering □Yes □No
    • Backup Verification □Yes □No
    • Drive Spanning □Yes □No
    • Creates Event Logs/Reports/Catalog Backups □Yes □No
    • Burning Software (Necessary to create backups to blank CD’s, or DVD’s) □Yes □No
    • Is Light Scribe Included in Windows 7 □Yes □No


    Restore Features:

    1. Restore File Path □Yes □No
    2. Restore Individual Files/Folders □Yes □No
    3. Restore Hard Drive Image(s) □Yes □No
    4. Restores To A Separate Location □Yes □No
    5. Replaces Older Files and Duplicates □Yes □No

    Technical Support:

    • Phone Number to speak with a live person □Yes □No
    • Email □Yes □No
    • Help Document □Yes □No

    Supported Configurations:

    1. 32 Bit Processors □Yes □No
    2. 64 Bit Processors □Yes □No

    Wednesday, November 04, 2009

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