XP Users – Welcome to Windows 7 (1)
October 27, 2009 – 2:22 pmHere at Brandstar we’ve become massive fans of the new Windows 7, after having a copy in the office for a good few weeks now we’ve been able to have a good play with it. We think it’s time for all XP users to take a step forward and upgrade to Windows 7.
Over the next few posts I’m going to go through a few things that have changed between the two operating systems so you’re ready and prepared for the change over!
Today I’m going to talk about the changes in on the welcome screen, desktop, taskbar & start menu and all programs.
Welcome
When released, XP introduced the Welcome and log on screen for home users. It’s a great, simple way to introduce the idea of personal accounts and each account is easily identified by a personalised thumbnails. As you can see from the image, changes between the two versions aren’t massive. However, the styling of Windows 7 is unsurprisingly more modern and very similar to Vista.
Accounts are now displayed horizontally and features such as ‘amount of unread messages’ no longer exist. A great security feature is the optional ‘ctrl-alt-delete’ command which is often found in the workplace or in schools etc. If you’re interested in finding out more about logging in to a domain in a workplace on Windows 7 click the link.
Desktop
Like always, once you’ve logged in you’ll see your desktop. Here some elements will be the same (e.g. your personalised background). However, many things are different. When they released Vista, Windows introduced features such as the sidebar gadgets. These are generally small web based applications (e.g. clock, radio, calendar, slide show, weather, post-it style notes). Some of the applications are great and it’s also brilliant to just have it on your desktop. They can either be positioned anywhere on your desktop, or alternatively lock them to the side of your screen. You have some pre-installed gadgets, but you can also download more by visiting the Windows Live Gallery!
Taskbar and Start Menu
The only similarity between the XP taskbar/start menu and that of Windows 7 is it’s position on the screen. The taskbar now just has the pr0gram icons rather than the entire program name. This aims to remove the clutter we have on our taskbars. Top open programs on the taskbar simply click on the icon. Alternatively, if you already have a program open hover over the icon and click on the mini window to open the full window.
If you really don’t like just having icons you can however revert to the old method. This can be done by right clicking on the taskbar and selecting properties. Click on the ‘taskbar’ tab and on the ‘Taskbar Buttons’ list box click ‘never combine’. Then click ‘apply’ and ‘ok’.
In Windows Vista the pearl logo was introduced in the place of the start button. Once the logo is clicked the features are fairly similar. They have taken away the option to change the style back to retro, which in our opinion is a good thing as it would remove the clean and slick look that the new menu offers.
All Programs
Windows 7 has thankfully kept the changes on the program menu that were made in Vista. Originally you were having to move quickly between different menus that seemed to be opening at every opportunity to eventually find the application you wanted to open. With the new look it’s just a simple click on ‘All Programs’ and then a case of scrolling down and selecting the applicable folder/program. This has made the use of a PC far more calm, relaxed and smooth.
Some features have been hidden but are still easily accessible. For instance, the Run Menu can now be open either by pressing the ‘Windows key + R’ on your keyboard and selecting it under accessories in all programs.
Next time we’ll talk about network notifications, user folders, no ‘my’ and explorer/address bars.
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Tags: changes, differences, download, microsoft, modern, Operating System, Purchase, why upgrade, Windows 7, xp
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