If the motherboard is the brain of a computer and keyboards and other peripherals are the body, then what is the operating system? It can be likened to the personality of the computer, as it is the software that allows all other programs to be loaded and run. It is actually the most used program on the computer. Think about it. From the minute you put on the computer and the OS loads, you are using it, right until you turn off the machine.
Today, the OS used on most computers worldwide, is Microsoft's Windows 7, the successor to Vista. Vista was a breakaway OS as it introduced a whole new look and feel to the traditional Windows OS. It also introduced a lot of innovative new concepts and abilities for both amateur and professional computer users. But it did suffer from performance issues, problems with compatibility and other software-related troubles. It deals with such issues, especially compatibility, head on. It is meant as an improved upgrade to Vista but it introduces some new features too. Below, the key advantages of Windows 7 are listed, along with a short description of each.
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What makes Windows 7 Great? |
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| Crisp & Clean Look |
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Windows 7 is as calming on the eyes as a picturesque brook or a green field. It has a clutter-free, very zen-like feel and appeal. The Aero theme of Vista, with its translucent bars, buttons and 3D effect is impressively enhanced in Windows 7. This time around, you can choose a color and the Aero theme will adopt it on your computer, with a beautiful translucent effect. |
| Thumbnail Previews |
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What makes Windows 7 special, is the attention it pays to small but important features. Hover the mouse pointer over an item in the taskbar to see a thumbnail-sized preview. To open the item, move the mouse to the preview and automatically, without a mouse-click, the item opens. |
| Simple Aero Tricks |
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Want to quickly minimize all other windows and just focus on the one you are looking at? Click on the window and shake it with your mouse. Every other open window minimizes. This is the Aero Shake effect. Other nifty little tricks are Aero Peek and Aero Snap. |
| Jump Lists |
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It's nice when some programs (Word, Media Player) remember the files or documents that you frequently open. It's even nicer, when most programs do this and you don't need to open the program itself. Simply right-click on the program's icon from the taskbar, to see shortcuts to your files or quickly access common commands (like Open or New). You can even pin whichever files you need to this list. This handy ability is Window 7's Jump Lists. |
| Very Speedy Performance |
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If you thought today's computers are fast, think again. Windows 7 makes computing quick. The entire system boots up and is ready for use in just 25-35 seconds! Even the installation of this OS is quick. It is designed to run system programs and background services only when needed, so the computer's memory is not consumed, especially when you require it the most. It goes to Sleep and Wakes up in a jiffy. |
| Touch Support |
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Windows 7 is a very portable OS. You can use it with ease on a laptop, desktop and even a tablet PC. A lot of touch gestures are supported by this OS, including multi-touch technology. Pinch-and-zoom, right-click, swiping and flicking... let your fingers work on the computer instead of a mouse, with Windows 7. |
| Windows XP Mode |
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This is a prime example of backwards compatibility. You can access a virtual version of Windows XP on your Windows 7 machine, running certain XP programs easily, without compromising on your OS. This type of virtual software makes it easier to use old programs, who do not have upgraded versions to run on newer OSs like Windows 7. |
| Bitlocker |
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With today's powerful and sneaky computer security threats, it pays to be vigilant and with this handy feature, you can encrypt all the data on your computer's drive, keeping it safe. This feature was introduced in Windows Vista but Windows 7 enhances it by supporting encryption of external hard drives and USB flash drives. |
| Easy Media Streaming |
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With the Play To feature, you can easily stream media content like music, videos and photos, to electronic devices on your network at home. This feature works with other computers that run Windows 7 as well as compatible devices like TVs. Remote Media Streaming takes this feature one step further. It allows you to transfer your media from your PC to another Windows 7 computer, over the Internet. |
| Share with HomeGroup |
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The HomeGroup feature allows you to group together computers in your home, so you can easily share media, files and even certain devices (like printers) between computers. Say you need to view movies from one computer upstairs on the PC downstairs. Instead of physically transferring the movies to a flash drive, just access that computer in your HomeGroup. |
| Improved Media Player |
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Playing and managing your media is made pure pleasure with the upgraded Windows Media Player 12. Support for new media formats like Xvid, MOV and others has been included. WMP 12 is also backwards-compatible with older media formats. |
| Upgraded Media Center |
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It helps when your media files, be it music, video or photos, are stored in an easy-to-access one-stop location. And when said location also allows access to TV programs and shows, allows you to record live TV and features TV content off the Internet... well then who needs a TV! All this and more is possible with the upgraded Windows Media Center. |
| Revamped Calculator |
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The ordinary Calculator program of Windows, gets a sleek and shiny, new look. New features like calculating unit conversion, fuel economy and auto lease payments have been added. |
| Revamped Wordpad |
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Even Wordpad is revamped. It is no more a dull-looking text editor, it now looks as stylish and sleek as Word. Advanced formatting features like highlighting, bullets, colors, word prediction and the ability to insert pictures, have been added to this popular editing program of the Windows operating system. |
| Advanced Voice Recognition |
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Speech recognition was already present in Microsoft Office, but this facility has been enhanced in Windows 7. So you can dictate text with ease, fill online forms and control your computer, just by using your voice. |
| Improved Paint |
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Paint, an all-time favorite program of the Windows OS, has been upgraded superbly. You can use watercolor, crayon and calligraphy brushes in your drawings. Plus, Paint now supports touch gestures. Undoubtedly, sticky notes were already present in Windows Vista, but Windows 7 allows you to add more effects to them, like changing fonts and the color of the sticky note background. |
There are many more enhancements and changes, such as improved accessibility, beefed-up VPN connectivity and Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). You can't just look and judge Windows 7, you need to actually sit down and use this OS to delve into its rich feature set. Yes, it does have its drawbacks. But credit should be given, where it is due and Windows 7 is definitely worth the upgrade from Vista.
