How Long Does It Take To Download Windows 7

Chapter ane. Installing Windows 7

Windows 7 is Microsoft's latest version of its Windows operating system. Dissimilar its predecessor, Vista, Windows seven offers incremental upgrades and is aimed at ensuring maximum compatibility with applications and hardware already supported in Vista. As mentioned in the Preface, Microsoft's key agenda regarding Windows 7 is to lure back many of the Windows XP users who skipped Vista.

Windows 7 offers significant performance improvements over its predecessors—most notably Windows Vista and Windows XP. It is notwithstanding based on the Vista kernel, only comes with substantial performance improvements and a redesigned Windows shell, a new taskbar, and a less-annoying User Account Control (UAC) organization. At that place are also improvements in networking, in item the introduction of a home network system known every bit HomeGroup .

This chapter first walks y'all through the different versions of Windows seven bachelor, followed by an overview of the installation procedure. We volition then take a look at some of the new features in Windows seven earlier we become into them in detail in subsequent chapters.

Versions of Windows vii

With Windows Vista, Microsoft released multiple editions of its operating system with the intention of targeting unlike segments of its user base of operations with dissimilar features at dissimilar price points. However, this approach wasn't well received, as it confused the market; many users urged Microsoft to come upward with 1 elementary, extensive version of the operating organisation.

With Windows seven, Microsoft still has many editions. Nonetheless, Microsoft is expected to focus its marketing effort on merely 2 editions—Home Premium and Professional person—merely as it did with Windows XP. Here is a list of the available editions, in ascending lodge, from to the lowest degree to nigh avant-garde:

Starter Edition

A lightweight edition for netbook computers. Netbooks are depression-powered computers specifically designed for lightweight tasks such as web browsing and emailing. In this edition, Windows 7 will lack more advanced features such as Media Center, Aero Glass, fast user switching, multiple-monitor back up, DVD playback, and multitouch back up. This edition is geared toward replacing Windows XP on cheap computers such as netbooks, a marketplace that is currently dominated by Windows XP. This edition will likely be available only as a preinstallation by OEMs.

Domicile Basic

This edition is designated for emerging markets but; it is for customers who are looking for an inexpensive entry-level Windows experience (limited Aero support, no features such every bit Windows Media Center or multitouch support).

Home Premium

This edition is designed for domicile users and will include features like Media Center, multitouch back up, the Aero Glass UI, so on.

Professional

This edition is designed for home workers and small businesses, and will include features similar advanced network fill-in and the Encrypting File System.

Enterprise

Includes everything that Professional person includes and adds BitLocker protection. It will have the option to encrypt USB wink drives and external difficult disks. It as well includes DirectAccess, which allows remote workers to access a visitor network securely without using a VPN, and federated search.

Ultimate

Includes all the features bachelor in Windows 7.

Note

Windows 7 Ultimate edition is actually the same as the Enterprise edition. The key deviation is that the Enterprise edition volition be sold through book licensing to companies, as well as through the Software Assurance program. The Ultimate edition, even so, will be available to retail customers.

One key thing to note about the different editions of Windows 7 is that each college edition is a superset of its lower edition. That is, all the features available in Starter Edition will be available on the Home Basic edition, and the Abode Premium edition will include all the features of Home Basic, and then on. This is dissimilar from Vista, where Media Center was included in the Habitation Premium edition but not available in the Business edition.

Though at that place are half dozen different editions of Windows 7, Microsoft volition focus its marketing endeavor on merely the Dwelling Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions. This is very similar to Windows XP, in which you have only 2 main editions—Home and Professional. As a quick rule of pollex, Windows 7 Dwelling Premium is targeted at consumers and Professional person is targeted at minor businesses.

Organisation Requirements

If you are currently running Windows Vista, the good news is that you lot are set up for Windows vii. Tests performed by various parties have consistently confirmed that Windows 7 outperformed Windows Vista on a similar hardware configuration.

If you are coming from previous versions of Windows (pre-Vista), take note of the following suggested hardware requirements:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor

• 1 GB RAM (for 32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (for 64-bit)

• 16 GB of available disk space (for 32-bit) or 20 GB of available disk space (for 64-bit)

• DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Brandish Commuter Model i.0 or higher (for Aero—the graphical user interface and default theme in most editions of Windows seven)

Note

Though it is suggested that you have at to the lowest degree ane GB of RAM, Windows 7 runs perfectly on my one-time trusty Dell Inspiron 5150 notebook (a 3 GHz Pentium 4 processor with 640 MB of RAM). The suggested requirements are necessary to experience all the features of Windows 7 (such as Aero Glass effects), but Windows vii volition all the same part on lesser hardware.

Installing Windows 7

If you are currently running Windows Vista (with Service Pack 1), you lot can upgrade to Windows seven direct from within Vista. Windows XP users volition demand to install a fresh copy of Windows 7.

Figure 1-1. Utilize Windows Like shooting fish in a barrel Transfer to migrate your Windows XP settings to Windows 7

The post-obit steps will walk y'all through the process of installing Windows 7 on a fresh calculator.

Installing Windows vii is straightforward—if you're doing a clean install, merely kicking up your computer with the Windows seven installation DVD inside the DVD drive and instruct your computer to boot from the DVD (you lot may need to printing a key, such as F11 or F12, while the computer is starting to enter the boot selection screen). If y'all're upgrading, simply kicking into Windows Vista, insert the disc, and run the installer (if yous are using Windows XP, encounter the previous sidebar ).

When the installer has booted up, yous volition be greeted with the screen shown in Figure 1-ii (the upgrade screen is slightly dissimilar; you will accept an option to check the compatibility of your system or start the installation). You will be asked to select the language to install, the time and currency format, and your keyboard type.

Effigy 1-2. Installing Windows seven: the outset step

With the selections made, you can at present install Windows vii by clicking the "Install now" push button (see Effigy ane-3).

You will be asked to take the license understanding. (If you lot are upgrading, yous'll first take the option to become online to get any updates to the installer first.) Check the licensing checkbox and go on.

Figure i-iii. Click the "Install now" button to start the Windows vii installation process

On the next screen, you have a selection between upgrading your existing Windows or installing a fresh copy of Windows. If you are using Windows XP or earlier, the first selection will not work for you—select the Custom (advanced) pick (see Figure 1-iv).

Figure i-4. Two means to install Windows seven—upgrade or fresh installation

Annotation

Y'all can upgrade from Windows Vista merely if you run the installer from within Windows Vista. If you lot practice a fresh boot using the Windows 7 installation disc, you volition not be able to upgrade (yous volition be asked to rerun the installation from within Windows).

For a fresh installation, you will be asked to select a disk for installing Windows 7. Select the advisable disk and click Next (run across Figure 1-5). If you are upgrading, the Windows seven installer will generate a compatibility report and save it to your desktop.

Figure one-five. Selecting the disk for installing Windows seven

Warning

If you lot are doing a clean install via the Custom (advanced) option, be sure to support whatever important data you have previously saved on your hard drive before starting the installation. Installing Windows vii will wipe out all previous data.

Windows will now take some fourth dimension to copy all the files into the selected deejay and proceed with the installation (see Figure i-six). This will take almost 20–thirty minutes, depending on the speed of your estimator.

Figure one-half-dozen. Windows seven proceeding with the installation

When the installation is complete, Windows 7 will restart. Afterwards Windows 7 has been restarted, yous should meet the screen shown in Figure one-7. Provide a username; your computer name will be created based on what yous have entered (yous can modify it to another name if you want to after the installation). Click Next.

Figure 1-7. Providing a username for your account

You will be asked to enter a password to protect your user account. Y'all are strongly advised to provide one. In the side by side screen, y'all volition be asked to enter a product key to activate Windows 7.

You will also be asked to select a way to update Windows. I suggest that y'all select the first option, "Use recommended settings"; see Figure 1-8.

Effigy 1-eight. Selecting a manner to update Windows

Adjacent, yous will gear up the current date and fourth dimension, and finally, if your calculator has a network menu, Windows 7 will prompt you to select your electric current location (see Figure one-ix; wireless network users volition exist asked to select a wireless network to connect to). Choose a location that best describes the environment you are in.

That's it! Yous are now prepare to explore Windows seven (see Effigy 1-10).

What's New in Windows 7

The kickoff fourth dimension you lot power up Windows seven, you may feel a sense of déjà vu—it looks very similar to Windows Vista. Still, behind the familiar UI lies a more powerful and versatile operating system. Subsequent chapters will embrace some of the new features in more particular, just hither are some of the most prominent new features in Windows 7.

Figure one-9. Select your computer's current location

Figure 1-10. You are now ready to explore Windows seven

Touchscreen support

Windows 7 is designed with touchscreen support, especially multitouch, in mind. At the time of this writing, companies like Dell and HP were aircraft touchscreen computers that work with Windows 7's multitouch. Equally touchscreen computers are yet not common, this volume will not discuss the touch on adequacy of Windows 7.

But in case yous're interested, to demonstrate the power of touch in Windows seven, Microsoft has created the Microsoft Affect Pack for Windows 7. The Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 is a drove of six applications that are optimized for bear on interactions. It consists of iii games and iii Microsoft Surface applications that accept been recreated for Windows seven. These applications are:

Microsoft Surface Globe

Displays a 3D earth with which you tin interact using—what else?—your hands.

Microsoft Surface Collage

Manages your digital photos; you can resize and rearrange them.

Microsoft Surface Lagoon

A screensaver that you tin can interact with through multitouch.

Microsoft Blackboard

A game utilizing physics where y'all can utilize gestures to rotate gears, fans, seesaws, and other objects.

Microsoft Rebound

A brawl game in which you can play confronting some other user or the computer.

Microsoft Garden Pond

Another interactive game where yous use touch on to identify objects in a virtual pond.

Notation

The Microsoft Bear upon Pack for Windows 7will be made available first to OEMs shipping touch on-enabled PCs, although Microsoft may brand information technology available to end users.

New taskbar

Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic in Windows vii is the new taskbar. The quick-launch area that nigh Windows XP and Vista users are so used to is now gone. In place of it is the ability to pin your applications icons in the taskbar for easy access, regardless of whether the application is itself running.

Annotation

Sadly, the classic Commencement bill of fare has too been disabled in Windows vii. Hopefully, Microsoft will plow it back on in a future service pack, or determined hackers will notice a way to supplant information technology.

Effigy 1-xi shows the new taskbar in Windows vii with several application icons in it. On the left is the Start carte du jour button, followed by Cyberspace Explorer 8 (IE8), Windows Explorer, and Windows Media Player.

Effigy 1-11. The new taskbar in Windows seven

By default, the taskbar in Windows 7 has three applications pinned to it—IE8, Windows Explorer, and Windows Media Player. As these applications are used often, they are given permanent spots in the taskbar (for more data about pinning, meet the section Pinning Applications to the Taskbar). Every bit you tin see in Effigy 1-11, the Media Player application does not have the rectangular border effectually it—this signifies that the application is non running currently. Adjacent to the Windows Media Player icon are: Pigment, Notepad (also non currently running), and Word.

New Prove desktop shortcut

In the taskbar is another button known every bit the Show desktop shortcut. The Prove desktop shortcut is the button on the farthermost right of the taskbar (see Figure one-12).

Figure 1-12. The Show desktop shortcut push button

Positioning the mouse over this button will brand all the current windows transparent (this feature requires an Aero-capable video card and an edition of Windows 7 that supports Aero), revealing the desktop (known as "peeking at the desktop"; see Figure i-13).

Note

You can disable the "peeking at the desktop" characteristic past correct-clicking the Show desktop shortcut push and unchecking the Peek at Desktop item.

Clicking this button minimizes all opened windows and shows the desktop.

Figure 1-13. Peeking at the desktop in action

Aero Peek, Aero Shake, and Aero Snap

Another absurd new feature in Windows seven is Aero Peek . Aero Peek displays alive previews of active applications when you motility the mouse over the application icon in the taskbar. Figure 1-fourteen shows Aero Peek in activeness when the mouse hovers over the IE icon in the taskbar.

Figure 1-fourteen. Aero Peek in action

Notation

Aero Peek requires an Aero-capable video card and a Windows seven edition that supports Aero. Aero Shake and Aero Snap will work on any Windows vii system.

Windows displays the live previews of all running instances of IE. When the mouse hovers over one of the live previews, the selected window appears, and the rest of the windows plow transparent. To select the window, simply click the live preview.

Annotation

When an application has too many open up windows, the title of each window will exist displayed in a list instead of live preview thumbnails.

Aero Shake allows users to quickly minimize all nonactive windows by "shaking" the current agile window. To encounter Aero Milkshake in action, open up upward a few windows, click the title bar of one window, and use the mouse to "shake" the application. You volition notice that all other windows will at present be minimized, leaving the electric current window. To get all the other windows back to their respective states, perform the same shaking activeness again and they should now all appear again.

Some other very useful UI feature in Windows 7 is Aero Snap . How many times have you tried to accommodate multiple windows on your desktop so that you see the windows side-by-side? In Windows 7, when you drag a window to the left side of the screen, the window is automatically docked onto the left of the screen (run across Effigy one-15), occupying half the screen. Likewise, when dragged to the right, the window will be docked to the correct. When dragged to the peak, the window volition be maximized. Too dragging, Windows 7 provides several shortcuts (see Table one-i) for window management.

Figure 1-15. Aero Snap works by docking the window to the sides of the screen

Table 1-1. Aero Snap keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts	Descriptions
Windows Key + ↓	Restores/minimizes window
Windows Primal + ←	Docks window to left of screen
Windows Central + →	Docks window to right of screen
Windows Central + ↑	Maximizes window
Windows Key + Shift + ←	Moves to left monitor
Windows Key + Shift + →	Moves to correct monitor

Gadgets

Microsoft commencement introduced gadgets in Vista. Gadgets are minor utility applications that "float" on your screen, providing quick admission to them. In Windows 7, gadgets are not bars to the sidebar (which itself was docked to ane side of your screen in Vista) simply are gratuitous to roam about on your desktop (see Figure 1-16).

Figure 1-16. Gadgets can now roam the entire desktop without restrictions

Revised Paint and WordPad Applications

The venerable Paint and WordPad applications (run into Figure i-17) finally got a revision in Windows seven. This time, both of them were updated to apply the new ribbon interface that was introduced in Office 2007.

Figure 1-17. The Pigment and WordPad applications both sport a new ribbon UI

Calculator

Besides the Paint and WordPad applications, some other longtime built-in Windows application has too received some new improvements. The Calculator now has ii additional modes (in addition to the Standard and Scientific modes): Programmer and Statistics (meet Effigy 1-eighteen).

Figure 1-18. The Calculator in Programmer and Statistics modes

Also the 2 new modes, the calculator also allows you to perform conversion tasks such as unit and date conversions. It also provides worksheets for you to calculate mortgages, vehicle leases, and fuel economy (see Effigy 1-19).

Figure i-19. The new worksheets in the Windows 7 Calculator

Summary

In this chapter, you have seen the various editions of Windows 7 and the system requirements that yous need to satisfy in order to run it. Over the years, Microsoft has streamlined the installation process—and Windows 7 is no exception. Windows 7 performs exceedingly well, and stays out of your way thanks to a less naggy UAC. In the following capacity, y'all will learn more than near each of the new features of Windows 7 and how you tin use each of them to your reward.

Source: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/windows-7-up/9780596806422/ch01.html#:~:text=This%20will%20take%20about%2020,the%20speed%20of%20your%20computer.&text=When%20the%20installation%20is%20complete%2C%20Windows%207%20will%20restart.

Posted by: mcmullenwhinevesock1945.blogspot.com

Share this post