Windows 7 Release Candidate Clean Install Does NOT Involve Reformatting
I'm a bit behind in listening to the Windows Weekly podcast by Paul Thurrott and Leo LaPorte. So, I just listened to WW #104 a few hours ago. During the course of the podcast, Paul and Leo discuss Windows 7 Release Candidate and commented that the best way to install the RC is a clean install because it does not support upgrading from XP or 7 Beta (all true).
However, they then mention that a clean install involves reformatting the drive. This is not true for the RC or the previous 7 Beta release. Here's what happens.
If you are performing a clean install for the first time on an existing Windows XP installation, the XP folder is moved to Windows.old. If you, like me, are performing a clean install on a PC that had XP on it first and currently has 7 Beta, the old XP files remain in the folder Windows.old while the 7 Beta files are placed in Windows.old.000.
However, the former version of Windows is not the only thing placed in those .old folders. You can see that the Program Files, Perflogs and Users folders along with autoexec.bat and config.sys files are also placed there. The new Windows 7 RC files completely replace those folders and the files in them to create a clean install. So, you won't see your old software or configuration. But, they are all there in the old folders until you delete them.
I actually looked for an option to either low-level format the partition or simply format the existing NFTS partition but did not see it during the Windows 7 RC installation process.
Virtual PC 2007 vs. Windows Virtual PC Feature Comparison Table
Microsoft released Windows 7 Release Candidate today (I'm downloading my copies of it plus Windows 7 server right now). It includes the Windows XP Mode which is essentially a specialized virtualization container. Microsoft provides an informative table that compares Virtual PC 2007 to Windows Virtual PC at...
Compare some of the many features of Virtual PC 2007 to Windows Virtual PC
Windows Virtual PC includes a bunch of features that a lot of people have been clamoring for for years including:
- USB support (finally!)
- Clipboard sharing
- Drive sharing
Note that unlike Virtual PC 2007, Windows Virtual PC requires either AMD-V or Intel VT-x hardware virtualization support. So, old PCs and Atom 270/280 based netbooks can't run it.
And The Windows Blog has a useful item for those of you planning to deploy Windows XP Mode in the enterprise...
Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 Weighs in at 509MB
Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 was released today and it is gigantic. Although Windows Update reported that it was 397.3MB large, the actual download was 509MB.
It is supposed to be faster (Outlook 2007 SP2 is said to be 26% faster) and more stable. It also provides built-in support for working with ODF and PDF files which previously required add-ons to do so.
Here's what I'd like to know though: Why does an Office update require Vista to reboot? That just seems wrong.
Instructions for Upgrading from Windows 7 Beta to RC
Microsoft's Engineering Windows 7 blog has instructions for upgrading from Windows 7 Beta to the upcoming RC.
Delivering a quality upgrade experience
The primary advice is to reinstall Vista and then upgrade to Windows 7 RC. Um, ack! My Asus Eee PC 1000HA came with XP. So, their primary advice is a no-go for me. And, here's their slightly less ugly alternative instructions.:
Here’s what you can do to bypass the check for pre-release upgrade IF YOU REALLY REALLY NEED TO:
- Download the ISO as you did previously and burn the ISO to a DVD.
- Copy the whole image to a storage location you wish to run the upgrade from (a bootable flash drive or a directory on any partition on the machine running the pre-release build).
- Browse to the sources directory.
- Open the file cversion.ini in a text editor like Notepad.
- Modify the MinClient build number to a value lower than the down-level build. For example, change 7100 to 7000.
- Save the file in place with the same name.
- Run setup like you would normally from this modified copy of the image and the version check will be bypassed.
Video Demo: Microsoft Surface Table in Seattle Sheraton Lobby
The Seattle Sheraton Hotel has three Microsoft Surface tables in its lobby. They are configured to display visitor related information and are not as general purpose computers. I recorded the brief video above to demonstrate how information is displayed on manipulated on the Surface tables there.
No Option for Changing Windows Vista’s DVD Burning Option
I don't burn data files to CDs or DVDs often these days. But, when I do I always want to use the "Mastered" option that closes the disc after burning and is readable on most computers. "Live File System" is the DVD burn default and is near useless since I never want to use a DVD like a floppy, it is not readable on some systems, and it takes perhaps an hour to format the DVD for use. I never ever want to use it. It is especially useless when we can now buy large USB flash drives and external hard drives for very low prices.
The old "Mastered" style on the other hand is useful for burning family photos on a monthly basis for offsite storage. And yes, I can't find any simple way to make it the default burning option. There's probably a registry setting to do that. But, I haven't gone hunting for it yet. So, I have to remember to manually change that option for the one or two DVDs I burn each month. And, oh yes, if I forget to do so, there is no way to stop the process short of bringing up the Task Manager and manually killing the process from there.
I haven't looked at how Windows 7 Beta handles this since I'm running it on a DVD-less netbook. But, I'll attach an external DVD later and report back.
My Prediction of How Microsoft Retail Stores Will Work
I've been reading about Microsoft planning to open retail stores. They even hired a Walmart exec to head the operation. If it is anything like the Microsoft Company Store in Redmond, WA, these retail stores will be fun but a bit cluttered with lots of logo items (shirts, etc.) that are actually pretty good. But, here's my prediction of three features we will see in Microsoft's consumer retail stores:
1. As you approach the store's doors, you will be asked three times if you really want to enter the store. Lights will dim each time the question is posed to you.
2. When purchasing a product you will be asked three times if you really want to buy the product. If there is some kind of error during this process, you will be asked to return the item to the shelf and begin the purchase process from that procedure point. If you there is a really big problem during checkout, you will be asked to return home first, change your clothing to whatever you were wearing when you woke up, and then drive back to the store to try to purchase the product again.
3. If you catch a cold or flu virus while in the store, you will be mind-wiped and returned to factory state before being advised to get rest, drink plenty of water, and eat chicken soup.
Answer: Windows Vista, iMovie 08, Windows Live Movie Maker beta – Name 3 Things People Want to Downgrade From
I posted an item over the O'Reilly Blogs titled...
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that Windows Live Movie Maker is useless.
Vista’s Amazingly Great Disk Defrag Interface (Sarcasm)
Microsoft Vista's built-in disk defragmentation tool is supposed to run in the background unnoticed. But, I don't like leaving my PC on when not in use (I turn it off overnight and turn off the power strip it is connected to). So, it usually runs when I am using Vista. So, every now and then, I run it manually to defrag the disk. The problem, like much of Vista, is that the disk defragger is user hostile. The screenshot above is the sole interface to the app.
Once started, it tells you: "This may take from a few minutes to a few hours". That's it. No indicator of any kind, graphical or text.
FYI: I've been using the freeware Defraggler app to defrag XP and Vista PCs for a while now. Seems to work well.
Anti-Virus Scorecard: Some Surprises
I just happened to read this item on ars technica...
AntiVir, F-Secure, and Kasperksy fail latest Virus Bulletin test (Updated)
I was surprised to see these three failing the VB100 test. I was happy to see Avast on the list since I've been using their freeware Home Edition lately.