With Windows 7, I have decided to break one of my longstanding personal policies of never installing a new operating system before it has been in public use long enough to prove its stability.  Of course, I didn’t break my policy because of Microsoft’s marketing or computer industry reports, which are often bias.  I broke from my policy following my own testing to verify the stability of Windows 7.  Now, that I’m an early adopter, I thought I would share my experiences to benefit anyone who may be considering a move to Windows 7.

Background

As a computer consultant and software developer, it is essential for me to have a stable computing environment that will allow me to stay focused on my clients and their needs.  I don’t have time in my day to spend troubleshooting my own problems caused by an unreliable operating system.

My personal computing environment, excluding servers and test machines, consists of a desktop and laptop which both run Windows Vista and are near mirror images of one another as far as capacity and installed software.  The desktop computer is a Dell T3400 with an Intel Q9300 Core2 Quad CPU, 4GB RAM, 2 – 230GB hard drives in a RAID-1 configuration and dual monitors with roughly 55 software applications installed.  The laptop computer is a Dell T6300 with an Intel T9300 Core2 Duo CPU, 4GB RAM, 230GB hard drive and nearly the same software installed.

Preparation

As I mentioned, due to the nature of my work, it is crucial for me to be able to focus on my client’s projects and not get bogged down in my own computer problems.  As such, preparation was a key part of minimizing unexpected issues.

As a starting point, I installed Windows 7 as a virtual machine using Microsoft’s Virtual PC, which can be downloaded for free.  Running Windows 7 as a virtual machine gave me the opportunity get familiar with changes to the new operating system and to test various features and software compatibility without committing to using Windows 7 in a full-time, production environment.

I performed a thorough inventory of all software that I had installed on both computers and located the installation media for the software identified.  I also identified any areas of concern, such as software subscriptions or services that were tied to a specific computer.  For example, I have subscriptions for Carbonite on my computers so I needed to confirm whether Carbonite was compatible with Window 7 and whether the subscriptions could be transferred or reloaded.  As it turns out, this was not an issue.  However, these are the types of things that I wanted to know about and address before I started the installation process rather than being surprised after.

I identified programs that utilized add-ons and plug-ins and made a list of all the plug-ins that would have to be reinstalled following my upgrade.  I also checked with my computer’s manufacturer for Windows 7 64-bit drivers and added these to my list of things to do immediately following the Windows 7 installation.

The Installation and Verification Process

Because I was upgrading from Windows Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit, I knew that I would be required to reinstall all of my application software.

Once I was ready to proceed with installing Windows 7, I chose a timeframe that would allow me to complete the installation on a Friday so I could test the new Windows 7 setup over a weekend which would not interfere with my work commitments.  Armed with a full backup of my laptop that would allow me to restore it to its pre-Windows 7 condition, I installed Windows 7 along with all of my software.

The installation process was smooth and painless.  After installing Windows 7, I downloaded and installed all of the required 64-bit drivers for my Dell laptop.  Installing all of my application software was time consuming, but trouble free.  I can’t report specifically how much time the Windows 7 or software installation took since I started each process and inserted the required media while continuing to work on another computer.  What I can say is that the entire process of installing Windows 7, installing updated 64-bit drivers and installing over 55 software applications was completed by the end of a single business day even though I did not give the process my undivided attention.

I tested my new Windows 7 64-bit laptop throughout the weekend and had no real problems that I can directly attribute to Windows 7.  Problems that I did encounter are listed in the Issues Encountered section below.  By the end of the weekend I felt comfortable that Windows 7 was stable and reliable enough to introduce into my production environment.  For the next two weeks, I worked primarily from my Windows 7 64-bit laptop while my desktop computer remained in its Windows Vista 32-bit state to serve as a backup machine in case I encountered any show-stoppers on my laptop.  The next two weeks of production testing were event free with the exception of some configuration tweaks made along the way just for personal preference.

During this two week production test period, I also made some on-site client visits which required me to connect my laptop to other networks in both wired and wireless environments.  There were no problems encountered in these other environments

At the end of my two week production testing period, I performed the exact same installation process on my desktop computer with the same success.

Windows 7 Experiences

After using Windows 7 64-bit for one month in a business production environment on two computers, I can say the experience has been very positive.  There have been no issues that have caused me to regret my decision to be an early adopter.  I have noticed several improvements over Windows Vista that have made the upgrade to Windows 7 very much worthwhile.

• Better performance was the first thing I noticed about Windows 7.  Both of my upgraded computers are noticeably snappier following the upgrade.
• Memory utilitization is much improved over Windows Vista.  Windows 7 RAM usage on both of the upgraded computers is typically 25% less than what was observed in Windows Vista on these same computers.
• CPU utilization is also noticeably improved.  While these figures are far from scientific, similar tasks on these two Windows 7 64-bit computers take about 8% less CPU resources as compared to when they both ran Windows Vista 32-bit.
• Taskbar improvements greatly enhance the user interface.  The ability to rearrange program icons on the taskbar provides for better organization as compared to prior Windows versions that placed items on the taskbar in the order that programs were run.  The new option to pin programs to the taskbar allows the taskbar to be used as a dock for quickly launching frequently used programs.
• Aero snap is great for quickly comparing the contents of two windows side by side without losing the original window size.
• Libraries provide for grouping multiple folders.  This is useful for logically grouping several folders with similar content, such as multiple folders containing pictures.  A library functions much like a folder, but it displays the contents of all the folders included in a library.  The key word here is:  displays.  The actual files still “live” within the individual folders, not the library.
• Jump lists are a great improvement to Vista’s Recent Documents and XP’s My Recent Documents feature.  Through jump lists, recent documents are associated with the application that modifies them.  For example, the jump list for Microsoft Word will show only recently used Word documents.  The jump list is much more than just an enhancement for recent documents.  Software developers can add features to perform tasks and provide additional functionality with the jump list.

Issues Encountered

There were only a few issues that I encountered following my move to Windows 7 64-bit and I don’t believe any were actually caused by Windows 7.

This first issue really got under my skin.  In all the years that 64-bit processors and operating systems have been on the market, Adobe has yet to produce a 64-bit version of Flash.  While Microsoft has provided both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer in Windows 7 64-bit, Adobe Flash will not function in the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer.  Adobe’s solution is to use a 32-bit internet browser.  This issue extends beyond the browser.  I had a Pandora desktop gadget that I used without problem for several years.  It uses Flash is it does not function without workarounds in Window 7 64-bit.  Again, this is not a problem with Windows 7.  You can use a 32-bit browser in Windows 7 64-bit and Flash will not be an issue.

I found another issue with GoToMeeting which is consistent on both computers.  The pen and highlighter features located on the drawing tools menu are non-functional.  I notified the folks at GoToMeeting about this problem twenty four days ago, but the problem still exists.

What would I do differently?

Preparation always pays off in the end.  Since I carefully prepared for this upgrade by making sure had possession of everything that I would need before starting, researching anticipated problem areas before starting, carefully testing before committing to stay on the new operating system and having a reliable backup to restore my system back to its original state, I encountered no real surprises.

The one thing that I would do differently is really better described as one thing that I didn’t think of during my preparation phase.  Since I was upgrading from Windows Vista 32-bit to Window 7 64-bit, I did remember to check for 64-bit driver updates, but I failed to check for 64-bit versions of my application software.  This ended up not being a problem for me, but I would advise anyone that is upgrading from a 32-bit to a 64-bit operating system to check all of your application software to see if 64-bit versions are available and obtain the 64-bit installation media prior to starting your upgrade.

Conclusion

If I had it to do all over again, would I upgrade to Windows 7?  Absolutely!  The installation process was trouble free and end result was better than expected.  The two minor application software issues that I encountered were not show-stoppers and were not the fault of Windows 7.  I have used Windows 7 exclusively for the past month working at least eight hours per day at my computers and have no complaints or criticisms about the new operating system.

I’m not suggesting that everyone run out and install Windows 7.  What I am saying is that for those people who either want to or need to upgrade their current Windows operating system, Windows 7 is ready for prime time.