Each higher edition includes everything in the previous ones,
as users move up they gain additional features and will not lose
any. Readers can find the descriptions of these features and the
differences among the 6 editions as well as other useful information
on Windows 7 by following links listed in the Reference Section
at the end of this article. Below are some highlights of Windows
7 and CityU’s schedule of its support.
Splendid Features of Windows 7
There are many new features in Windows 7. Some attractive ones
are highlighted here.
Action Center
While we all know the “Security
Center” from previous versions of Windows (introduced in Windows
XP SP2), Windows 7 takes a further step in to the “Action Center”.
In addition to monitoring security, Action Center also monitors
the OS’s maintenance features and consolidates alerts from numerous
Windows features into a single interface.
Bitlocker To Go
Bitlocker
was introduced in Vista, which is used for encrypting a complete
hard disk volume. “Bitlocker To Go” is designed for removable
storage devices. Though it is based on Bitlocker technology, “Bitlocker
To Go” significantly enhances the technical capabilities of Bitlocker.
For example, instead of NTFS only for Bitlocker, “Bitlocker To
Go” is compatible with all FAT (FAT32, exFAT, etc.) file systems.
And it is even better that Bitlocker To Go works completely independent
of Bitlocker. This means you can encrypt the removable devices
without encrypting your own hard disk.
Gadgets
In Vista, Microsoft introduced a new Windows Sidebar environment
that hosted mini applications called gadgets. In Windows 7, the
gadgets continue on as Windows Gadgets. But the container environment,
Windows Sidebar, is no longer provided. By default, Windows Gadgets
are disabled, and they are designed to work properly when offline.
Windows Gadgets will still be visible on the desktop when you
use the “Show Desktop” function.
Fine tune the User Account Control (UAC)
One of the most annoying behaviors of Windows Vista should probably
be the UAC. As Vista cannot differentiate between a user clicking
a button and a program clicking a button, UAC was initially implemented
to always prompt the user via a dialog shown in the Secure Desktop,
similar to the logon screen. In Windows 7, UAC will be configured
to hide prompts when users change Windows settings. Users can
even change UAC settings, allowing applications free reign in
elevated mode! Of course, users can still set Windows 7 to behave
exactly the same as Vista too.
Windows XP Mode (XPM)
Windows XP Mode is a “secret technology” that Microsoft would
ship with Windows 7. This technology dramatically changes the
compatibility story for Windows 7. XPM is built on the next generation
Microsoft Virtual PC 7 product line, which requires processor-based
virtualization support to be present and enabled on the underlying
PC. XPM consists of the Virtual PC-based virtual environment and
a fully licensed copy of Windows XP with SP3. It will be made
available, for free, to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise,
and Ultimate editions via a download from the Microsoft web site.
XPM does not require to run the virtual environment as a separate
Windows desktop, instead, the applications can be installed inside
the virtual XP environment, and they will be published to the
host (Windows 7) OS as well. That means users can run Windows
XP based applications alongside with Windows 7 applications under
a single desktop.
Schedule of Windows 7 Support at CityU
The Computing Services Centre (CSC) has begun to evaluate Windows
7 since its beta version. Now, we are experimenting with the release
candidate, and participating in seminars and training courses
to prepare for support. Although Windows 7 is a refined version
of Windows Vista with exceptional focus on performance improvements
and compatibility, we still need to test its compatibility with
our existing hardware and software when it is officially released
in October. Windows 7 cannot be formally supported and widely
deployed in campus before support units have ensured all in-house
developed applications, the e-learning system and administration
systems can be run smoothly under Windows 7.
As a general practice, the CSC will make Windows 7 available
on CSC managed computers for teaching and learning as soon as
possible. The earliest possible time for this will be Semester
B, 2009-10. Depending on the initial results and stability of
Windows 7, the CSC will develop a secure environment for Staff
LAN users. When this is done, it will probably be the time when
Service Pack 1 of Windows 7 is formally released.
References
