The Benefits of Windows 7 Explained

What differences will I notice?
Windows 7 revamps the computing experience with new features that simplify everyday tasks:

* Aero Shake: De-clutter your desktop by minimising multiple windows at once. To do this, simply grab the window you want to keep open with the mouse and shake it. Want those other windows back? Just shake the window again.
* Aero Peek: Make windows transparent by hovering above the Show Desktop icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This allows you to view items on your desktop without minimising the windows you're working in.
* Windows Taskbar: Shows icons of the applications, instead of buttons, making the layout easier to understand. Hovering over the icon gives a thumbnail or full-screen preview of opened applications.
* Jump Lists: Right-click on a program icon to view and open recent files.
* Snap: Easily resize windows and display them side-by-side to compare.

Will my computer perform better?
Windows 7 is designed to be faster and more responsive than Microsoft Vista, because there are fewer applications running in the background and less writing to disk. Stability has been enhanced, while data backup and recovery are also much easier.

What are the touch-screen capabilities?
Windows 7 can be operated by using a touch-screen instead of a keyboard or mouse. Microsoft's new operating system also supports multi-touch applications, which read gestures that require more than one finger - e.g. pinching. To use this feature you'll need a touch-screen monitor.

What are the different versions?
There are four versions of Windows 7 designed to meet different needs:

* Starter: The basic edition designed for netbooks, laptops and entry-level PCs with casual computing in mind.
* Home Premium: Includes the new Aero desktop features, plus enhanced media performance and easy networking.
* Professional: For students and workers who access other networks, with a Virtual Windows XP mode to use older applications.
* Ultimate: All the features plus BitLocker encryption for data security. Lets you switch the system language for multilingual computing.

What are some other benefits?

* HomeGroup: Makes networking your devices around the home a lot easier.
* Internet Explorer 8: Makes web browsing much quicker and more efficient.
* Better Power Management: Portable computer batteries will last longer.

Can my existing computer run Windows 7?
You need, at minimum, the following:

* A 1GHz processor
* 1GB of 32-bit RAM or 2GB of 64-bit RAM
* Graphics Processor with DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0 or higher.

Will my old applications and games run?
Windows 7 will run applications designed for Windows Vista. Applications which only run on Windows XP need the Professional or Ultimate edition.

How do I upgrade?
Just insert the Windows 7 disk. There are two upgrade options -- Custom Installation or In-Place Upgrade:

* Custom Installation: Completely replaces your existing Operating System on a selected hard drive. Will erase all files and programs on that drive.
* In-Place Upgrade: Keeps existing files, settings and programs while upgrading to Windows 7.