So Windows 7 Is Out, Now What

I promised myself that I wouldn't write a post today hyping the already over-hyped release of Windows Seven, however I broke down and had to write something.

By now, unless that is you have been living under a rock, you know that the latest greatest OS from Microsoft has hit store shelves and OEM PCs worldwide. I'm sure more than a few of our readers have already been playing with the released version and I'm sure even more rushed out this morning to get their hands on retail copies. I for one signed up for the Windows 7 house party so I got my copy a few days ago.

Hype what hype?

If like me and the 8 million or so other beta testers you've been using W7 for several months you shouldn't be surprised to find out you won't see many changes. The OS really looks and feels no different from anything we already tested. So whats all the hype about, well I guess it was for the rest of the world that didn't want to participate in the open beta, after all those of us currently running the RC can still do so until next year. So I for one have been a little annoyed by the over hyping of the release, but hey I'll let MS have their day in the sun.

I've said it before, several times in fact, that I just don't see what all the hype is about. Sure its a nice OS. Sure it looks great, but it doesn't make toast. There really isn't anything that Windows Seven does that Windows XP didn't do and it really doesn't do it any better. It looks a little cooler than both XP and Vista but that's all about personal preferences. So forgive me but I'm not seeing it!

Once the wow factor has worn off what do you do next?

By now those of you that didn't run the beta test have had a chance to run out and buy your shiny new operating system and you should have it installed. I'm sure you are sitting there and checking out all the new flashy features like Aero Peek and the new toolbar. At this late date you should all be aware of all the Windows 7 features so I'm not going to go into depth there. I'll also assume that, like me when I first tried it, you'll spend the next few weeks being enamored by all the changes you are seeing.

But what do you do once you realize that all the hype was for nothing, and that you just spent $200+ on a new OS that you really could have lived without. You customize it baby!!

Oh yeah, that's what this is all about. That all important step of making the operating system you own. For starters I'd suggest dropping by the Microsoft Windows 7 themes site. There you can pick-up some new theme sets, a few that are actually ad oriented? I'd also suggest checking out DeviantArt, most of the user submitted themes over there are actually quite cool.

Once you've got it looking cool its time to speed things up

Oh yes Windows 7 might be the new kid on the block but that doesn't mean that tweaks and tips aren't already out there to help you get the best performance possible. BlackViper.com is one of the best know sites on the web for information regarding service configuration and speed tips. They have a very useful Windows Seven Service Configuration table which takes the guess work out of what services can and can't be disabled.

BlackViper also has a Windows Seven SuperTweaks page, that has several great tips for speeding things up and making things like UAC less annoying. Most of these tips are a must for any new installation on any of my PCs.

But wait I haven't upgraded yet

If you haven't bought into the hype and haven't made the leap yet but you still want more information on Windows Seven you'll want to start with the Windows Seven Upgrade Advisor The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a downloadable tool from Microsoft that checks your PC for compatibility issues. Any problems that might arise with say older software or hardware that you are currently running will be listed. From there you'll need to decide if you want change to a newer, or different piece of software or newer hardware.

Another option is checking out the Windows Seven Compatibility Center. At the Windows Seven Compatibility Center you can manually check software and hardware compatibility via several drop down menus.

Once you are ready to buy run over to Newegg.com and pick-up the version that best suites your needs. If you aren't entirely sure which version to get you can compare the version here.