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Microsoft reveals more changes from Windows 7 beta to RC
Surprisingly, one of my favorite changes - being able to add the download folder to your start menu - wasn't metioned. Some noteworthy changes include:
- The parent folder's button always appears in explorer. Remember how we complained about the missing up arrow in Vista, then again in 7? It hasn't been put back, but backing up one level is now just as easy since the parent's breadcrumb always shows up.
- Invert selection is back in the Explorer edit menu. I don't use it often, but sometimes I want to select all but two or three files in a massive directory. It's much easier to pick the two I don't want and then invert, and now that's possible again.
- New folder is always visible. Another small thing that could be extremely annoying. Feedback noted, fix applied. Now you're never without access to the new folder button.
- Eject! Eject! USB device removal has been addressed, and now requires less steps and is referred to as ejecting rather than safe removal.
- USB devices function on resume. An annoying bug caused some devices like flash drive, keyboards, and mice (mine has done this) to sometimes malfunction after a system resumed. There's a workaround for beta users, but this has now been fixed in the RC branch.
- Search re-index after an application install. When you install an app to handle a new file type, Windows 7 will now automatically re-index your drive for any related metadata.
- The 200mb system partition has been slimmed. Cut in half, to be exact - collected user data told Microsoft that 100MB is more than enough.
- Multi-boot and drive letter assignments. When installing Windows 7 beta in a multi-boot setup, the old OS didn't receive a drive letter (and therefore didn't show up in explorer).
- Smaller default pagefile. Rather than allocating 300 additional megabytes above your total amount of physical ram, Windows 7 now sets the default size to 100% of ram.
- Remote desktop user? Pin the program to your taskbar, and your connections can be pinned to its jumplist.
What's perhaps most encouraging about the post is the number of changes that have been implemented following feedback from users. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Microsoft is listening this time.
Comments
10
Subscribe to commentswrabbitMar 13th 2009 10:23AM
Why does a usb device needs to be ejected anyway?? The system should be smart enough to handle simply yanking it out without causing any problems - unless of course user did in a middle of a copy operation for example - but even then only the files in the middle of process should be corrupted.
In any case, it's too little too late to be honest. I wanted to give MS another chance, and while Win7 does look promising, personally I'm moving over to Linux, and I think a lot of people will do the same.
I mean let's face it, all the the stuff people have been praising about Windows 7 should've been there in Vista. Win7 is only "promising" because of how disappointing Vista turned out.
PeskyEskieMar 13th 2009 6:19PM
I've watched in awe over the last 2 yrs at what it is that infuriates people with M$. Needles to say not enough space to list all, but I believe they're all as trite as a reminder to "eject" usb device. My favorite is the furor over UAC and everyone is saying I'm switching to Linux. I like linux, but if they don't like UAC they're going to hate Linux. Depending on the distro you can't even open add and remove without signing in as root or typing your password. I don't believe they know enough to even dislike MS, it just seems fashionable to go with the "elite" group of bashers that have little else to do!
EggbrookMar 13th 2009 10:38AM
I totally disagree with you. First of all the ejecting process is part of all USB flash drives. It does not matter what OS you use. OSx, Vista, XP, Ubuntu, etc. All flash drives must be "ejected" before removal because the OS is accessing the drive. You don't chance corrupting just the material being transferred you risk corrupting the entire flash drive because the OS might be accessing it even when you are not. As for Windows 7 being too little too late I disagree. The average person who uses Windows vista on a machine built to handle it, IE: core 2 duo, 2 or more gigs of ram, and any current graphics card, will never have any issue with it. The only problem I have ever had with Vista (which I have now been using for over a year) was that I started getting blue screens, then i ran memtest and one of my sticks of ram was corrupt, remove the dead stick and there were again zero problems. Please before you decide you would like to complain about a system operation, or OS in general understand what you are talking about. Do not just complain because you don't like having to press a button to remove your flash drive. Also if you are thinking "this guy is a loon because I can disconnect my ipod at any time and its fine" it is because Itunes has more control over the Ipod then the OS does.
whiskeyMar 14th 2009 6:31AM
It's the viruses, kiddo... That and the cost of the rest of the software you need to install into the OS to make it productive.
icehandsMar 13th 2009 12:00PM
I loved the ditch of the parent folder, because vista simply changed it to a shortcut key alt-up. I've been fine using the key in w7 beta7000, and the button won't change the habbit.
Using XP is horrible if you've gotten used to the new shortcuts
Farseer (GDI)Mar 13th 2009 12:17PM
I agree with you about finding elements of XP annoying after getting used to Vista.
I, for one love how each item in the Vista folder path (in the address bar) is clickable, thereby letting you jump back to any parent folder without navigating up through each one. I also love how, when you go to rename a file, it only highlights the name to the left of the file extension, so you don't need to retype the file extension each time you rename a file. I also love the redesigned programs folder in the Start menu, and the way that it nests the folders as you open them, instead of branching them across your desktop.
I know that we're talking vista, but because win7 is just a Vista improvement, I have to mention a few win7 gems. I really like the new taskbar and I love the way you get device details when you safely remove hardware.
Really, the more I use Vista and win7 at home, the less I like XP at work.
Robert TeagueMar 13th 2009 8:03PM
If they were listening, they would allow Vista-style taskbar (not the workaround). I hate the new taskbar.
DnyaneshMar 14th 2009 12:00AM
You can slim it to look like Vista's taskbar in the Taskbar and Start menu properties.
MysteriusMar 15th 2009 1:25PM
Right-click on the taskbar, select "Properties", check "Use small icons", change "Taskbar buttons" to "Never combine" or "Combine when taskbar is full" (depending on whether you liked grouping in XP/Vista), and voila: it's almost like the XP/Vista taskbar again.
MysteriusMar 15th 2009 1:28PM
I do agree that adding the choice to use the old interface would have been nice, same as with Office 2007.
While in both instances I favor the new design, it would have been nice for users switching over to have a crutch.
And I definitely think they should have allowed the option to use the old Quick Launch bar, even if it wasn't on by default. You can still manually arrange it, though, by looking for the Quick Launch folder on the system and manually creating a new taskbar for it, with the option to show the folder title off.