Time for the Windows 7 Release Candidate
I have been running the Beta Version of Windows 7 for several months now and feel the time has come to upgrade to the Windows 7 release candidate.
Overall, I have been very happy with the newest Microsoft Operating System. In fact, this is the smoothest upgrade I have ever been through with Microsoft.
The operating system install was very simple and very quick. It took me about 20 minutes to install Windows 7 and about a 45 minutes to transfer my files and settings from from my XP setup to the new Windows 7 Beta.
The first thing I noticed about W7 is that it boots up at lightening speed when compared to other Windows Operating Systems. Microsoft has attempted to trim the fat from this OS. For example, they have trimmed down the number of sound files which helps speed up booting into the OS.
The other big improvement is the speed at which you can browse the Internet with the new Internet Explorer 8 that came with Windows 7 Beta. I don’t know if it is Windows 7, IE8 or a combination of both that is responsible for the increase performance in web surfing. Whichever it is, it is noticeably faster.
The only significant problems I have experienced have been with device drivers for the Alps touch pad on my Dell Inspiron 1420 and Bluetooth devices. The main reason I want to upgrade to the Windows 7 Release Candidate is I am hoping the driver problems have been addressed.
I don’t need to be in too big of rush to complete the upgrade, but the license for the Beta version will be expiring later this summer so it is time to start planning for the switch over now.
As with any upgrade, I need to make sure I have backed up all my important files. I have a backup process where I backup my data to an external USB hard drive and online to Mozy. I use the USB external hard drive to have fast recovery and Mozy online backups to have the peace of mind that my data is safe off site. As I do this upgrade, I will update the progress here as I go along.