Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

10 thoughts on “Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire”

1. Review by J. K. Kelley for Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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   The authors have done a pretty good job at guessing what the future might hold, as we look back from several years after its publication. (As some gifted souls have so insightfully noted, the computer industry does actually change fairly rapidly, thus a book from the early-mid 1990s might be sort of dated in 2000.) What is impressive is how well it’s held up over the years.The analysis of Gates’ psychology, the corporate culture of Microsoft and its evolution, and the various spasms of its early years are all right on the money, and particularly interesting in light of the current DOJ proceedings. The material about Ballmer will be of interest to anyone keeping current with his rise in management at the company. It also paints an irresistable picture of the IBM that once was certain it could tell us all how we would use computers.Strongly recommended.

2. Review by J. E. Robinson for Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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   Should I Buy This Book?

   The story is starting to get a bit dated but the book still has 95% of the Gates story warts and all. He is one of the most compelling and admired and maybe feared business leaders today.

   Unlike Jack Welch, another great leader and manager, he started from zero or near zero in a new field and (largely) owned the company. I remember seeing the personal computers for sale in the 70’s – just pre Microsoft – that did not come with anything other than a very rudimentary software. He was one of the first people to recognize the dollar value of the software and to charge for its use in the hobby market. Since then he has dominated the market. Now there is a computer in virtually every office and home using his (expensive high margin) software. Now he has the resources to buy anything he wants, or to support any charity or university, or buy a sizeable portion of the stock in almost any company that he wishes. And of course he has no debt. He used no risky leverage or tricks. He took the software and generated billions of dollars in cash and securities on hand. It is quite the story.

   This is a relatively short book and an easy read. Frankly it is a must read for anyone running their own business and or in the Tech field. Gates is the statistical anomaly who sits at the very pinnacle. He is perched even above Warren Buffet the financial guru who is at least 20 years older than Gates. But Gates was astute enough to buy DOS for $50,000. and then had the business smarts and drive to market and sell the product. He was a hands on manager working long hours and a technical leader. He was (is) as smart or smarter than anyone else in the field. He did not invent any major new invention but he had the practical ability to take the product to market and make it work, make it better, and build a winning business. He hired great people and built a team that literally crushed the opposition including IBM and all foreign competitors in that area. It is only now two decades later that people are (seriously) starting to consider alternatives such as Linux, and these still have a lot of catch up to do.

   Still a great book and a great yarn. A must buy 5 stars.

3. Review by North Fl Tech Services for Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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   Provides a pretty balanced look back on Microsoft’s history up until 1994-95. It’s really cool to read this now, given what has transpired since then. Gives great insight into just how driven Bill Gates is, and what he gave up to achieve his success. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the early stages of the micro-computer revolution.

4. Review by jkr66stang for Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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   Although this book was written at a time when the authors found it necessary to explain what ‘electronic mail, or e-mail’ was, the insight into Bill Gates’ life, methods and extraordinary success is timeless. It is hard to imagine much in this book is out of date, other than the estimate of Gates’ wealth at the time ($4b). This is a well-written book and a fast read.

5. Review by Robert J. Crawford for Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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   This is really a story of how Gates led Microsoft to its apex, ending in about 1992. It is well written and a good balance bewteen criticism, an explanation of the business model, and historical detail. The story is, to put it mildly, remarkable no matter what you think of MS and Gates.

   While a student at Harvard in December, 1974, Bill Gates III and Paul Allen informed Ed Roberts by telephone that they had invented a BASIC computer language for the MITS Altair 8080, which was the first “personal computer” kit for hobbyists. Could they license it along with each Altair kit, Gates asked, to customers for a royalty fee? It was an audacious proposal, because not only had Gates and Allen invented no such thing, but they neither owned an Altair kit nor did they even know the technical specifications for the Intel 8080 chip. Skeptical of their claim, Roberts replied that whoever demonstrated a working BASIC would win the account: Gates and Allen were in competition, he told them, with 50 other “geeks” who already had made the same claim. Gates and Allen then hunkered down for 8 weeks to write the first BASIC for a microcomputer. The resulting “software”, which immediately won over Roberts, was the first application of what would become Microsoft BASIC. Gates was 19.

   As the company founders, Gates and Allen shared a vision that virtually every home and every office desk would eventually have a PC on them, all operating with their software. To run Microsoft full time, Gates dropped out of Harvard in January, 1977. Their business quickly expanded beyond the Altair as competing brands of personal computers emerged, including the Tandy from Radio Shack and the Apple II computer; they were also called upon to program BASIC into a number of other electronic devices. All along, Gates’ goal was to gain market share, in effect setting the software standard for most, if not all, PC users. As a true believer who intimately knew the product, Gates was the principal salesman, while Allen concentrated on technical development.

   During this formative period, Microsoft’s corporate culture was established. Perhaps as a result of hiring many of his programmers straight out of university, Microsoft’s offices (and later the campus in Redmond, Washington) took on the look and feel of a college campus, that is, an informal and a freewheeling intellectual atmosphere with “late hours, loud music, walls full of junk, anything goes dress, Coke, adrenaline, unbuttoned behavior.” Employees tended to be very young with a programmer or engineering mentality; they designed their products for tech-savvy customers – male in their early 20s – like themselves, a kind of fellowship for computer adepts. Like Gates, they loved to play with and program electronic gadgets.

   Microsoft hired the brightest programmers with demonstrated practical abilities. Employees were also expected to work extremely long hours as a team toward a common goal, not as strident individualists. Gates encouraged them to develop their entrepreneurial passions, forcefully advancing their own ideas of useful products for new markets. Overseeing it all was Gates, who gained the reputation of a harsh and challenging critic with a relentless drive for excellence, whether to beat the competition or out of fear of falling behind in such a fast-changing industry. As the sole remaining founder after Allen’s departure in 1983, Gates remained deeply involved in both technical and business details as well as the general direction of company strategy. Nonetheless, as the principal revenue generators, Microsoft’s product groups increasingly became the seats of decision-making power, in spite of Gates’ active engagement.

   At the end of 1979, Microsoft had $US 4 million in sales. Most of these revenues came from BASIC, which enabled programmers to create applications, such as word processing and accounting spread sheets. The level below BASIC and the other languages under development at Microsoft was the computer operating system, which performed the most elementary tasks required to run computers. With the prospect of providing software to IBM for the basic PC it was planning to market for a reasonable price, Gates and Allen began to acquire the rights to, and then develop, software for a computer operating system. Known later as DOS, it again set an industry standard that would enable Microsoft to efficiently develop languages and software applications in a single engineering environment rather than painstakingly customize them for a variety of incompatible operating systems. This would immensely simplify Microsoft’s programming process as well as enhance its efficiency.

   As Gates foresaw, this was a near-ideal position to occupy at the moment that the PC market was poised to grow explosively with the introduction of the inexpensive IBM PC, which was made of off-the-shelf components and hence easy to copy, or “clone”. With the dual ownership of DOS and several major programming languages, Microsoft became one of the fastest growing companies in the world. By 1985, just prior to its IPO, on revenues of $US 140 million, Microsoft had a pre-tax profit margin of approximately 34%, no long-term debt, and cash reserves of $US 38 million. By 1987, the company surpassed Lotus to become the world’s largest software vendor for PCs. Gates was on his way to become the richest man in the world, at least for a time.

   However, the ownership of DOS and the programming languages would also, critics later claimed, confer an “unfair advantage” on the company. First, the Microsoft applications groups were accused to obtaining “inside information” from the operating systems group, which enabled them to design their products to function more quickly and smoothly than competitors could. Second, because each change in DOS required competitors to supply their latest products to Microsoft programmers to ensure compatibility, critics charged that this amounted to an inside peek into their strategy at the cutting edge of their capabilities. It was a symbiotic relationship that made many outside vendors – independent companies developing applications to run on Microsoft operating systems -uneasy and resentful. Third, DOS programmers were accused by rivals of inserting “hidden bugs” into the operating system in order to hinder the function of competing products, such as the Lotus spread sheet, damaging their competitive position and brand. The resulting negative publicity did a great deal of damage to the Microsoft brand, which began to be seen as the industry bully.

   While Gates insisted that he had erected a “Chinese Wall” between Microsoft’s applications division and its Operating System’s Group, it was not enough to deter the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from opening a probe into the company for anti-competitive practices that purportedly hurt consumers. By 1991, when the FTC probe became widely known, Microsoft controlled one-quarter of the applications market and dominated the operating systems market with Windows. There was speculation about the imminent breakup of Microsoft into separate companies for these markets, similar to the dismantlement of AT&T. For their part, defenders of Microsoft argued that it was winning because it was better and smarter, presenting its customers with superior products at bargain prices.

   This a pretty much where the book stops, which badly dates it. Not only is the story of the anti-trust law suits left untold, but subsequent business developments – notably the internet – are not even mentioned. Thus, this is an excellent early history, but the reader must look elsewhere for more detail. Of the shelf of books on MS, in my opinion this is one of the best, and it was most useful to me for a research project. Recommended.

6. Review by Just Anonymous for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
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   I’ll admit, I’ve been running Windows 7 for six months now: the preproduction version of it and have just upgraded to the gold code. So I have quite a bit of experience with the operating system. Let’s get to the nitty gritty:

   Should you upgrade from Windows Vista? YES! I mean it – upgrade today.
   
   Windows 7 is quite simply faster, more stable, boots faster, goes to sleep faster, comes back from sleep faster, manages your files better and on top of that it’s beautiful to look at and easy to use. Even the preproduction version of Windows 7 was better than my Vista with SP2.

   Should you upgrade from Windows XP? Maybe, but for different reasons.
   
   XP is a good operating system and if you don’t need to add new hardware or software, XP is good. However, XP is old as an operating system. Also chances are that if you’re running XP, you might not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 7 – check the compatibility site at Microsoft to see if your system will support Windows 7. That said, Windows 7 is light years ahead of Windows XP in terms of functionality, ease of use, etc – to me it’s worth buying a new system.

   64 bit or 32 bit?
   
   If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s ok skip this section. If you have a core2 duo or core 2 quad or a multi cpu machine, go with the 64 bit OS, it handles memory and the CPUs much better. If you have a single core CPU, one CPU or run special programs that require 32bit, then stick with 32 bit for now.

   BEFORE INSTALLATION:
   
   I recommend you have:
   
   -a core 2 duo or core 2 quad machine
   
   -4gig of RAM (That’s about $50 in today’s market)
   
   -good hard drive with (200 gig – it doesn’t need that much but that’s another $50)
   
   -back up your files to a USB drive like Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDME5000TN (Midnight Black)
   
   -check to make sure your computer is compatible with Windows 7

   INSTALLATION:
   
   Installation was very straight forward. You put in the CD and reboot your machine. You might have to enter your bios and enable the “boot from CD” option. Once the machine reboots a nice screen comes up to guide you through the installation. You have the option to upgrade your PC or do a clean installation. I did an upgrade and it brought in all of my files and settings from my windows Vista system. It worked great.
   
   The upgrade did take about 2 hours for me so definitely consider.
   
   I noticed that early on in the installation the operating system went out to Microsoft’s site to look for the latest and greatest updates, so I think this should help Microsoft respond quickly to any hiccups with compatibility.

   WHAT DOESN’T WORK:
   
   The driver from my old HP Inkjet printer for 2001 doesn’t work on Windows 7 so there are some things that will not transition. I had to use a generic HP driver which doesn’t give me the quality that I got from an injet – so overall, I’m up and running with that printer but I’m degraded on the inkjet front. That said, I recently upgraded to a HP CP2025DN Color LaserJet Printer that I love so no real loss there. I’ll likely pick up a cheap inkjet for the occasional photo that I might need to print. Everything else upgraded.

   BENEFITS
   
   -faster boot time
   
   -faster go to sleep
   
   -faster wakeup
   
   -faster about 20% to 30% faster at running applications than my Vista – seriously (but those are my results without any benchmarks or anything like that, just seeing how fast Adobe Illustrator loads, and how fast all the applications respond)
   
   -joining wireless networks is much easier
   
   -the interface is just plain beautiful
   
   -my wallpapers are now a slideshow that can be set to change every few minutes (I’m not stuck with the same picture)
   
   -Gadgets – these are wonderful little small applications that you can drag onto your desktop. I have a weather gadget and a calendar gadget on my desktop that tell me
   
   -Better taskbar management – hovering over the taskbar icons shows me mini windows of what’s running
   
   -Better file management – I can organize my files into Libraries that are sortable not only by type but by folder or other data. It’s great! I can browse through my presentations or illustrator files!
   
   -Windows Media appears to be smoother which I love.
   
   -You get some virus protection and firewall with Windows 7 but consider something more comprehensive like McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010. Yes, it’ll make your computer run a bit slower but

   CONS:
   
   – Some older programs might not work and some drivers might not be available like my inkjet driver.
   
   – Other than that, there aren’t too many drawbacks to Windows 7 – it’s a great OS.

   WHICH VERSION SHOULD I GET?
   
   I got the ultimate version because I have clients who ask, “is your hard drive encrypted?” — I wanted to be able to say yes and have sensitive data encrypted one of my computer volumes – Bitlocker is only available in the Ultimate version. Ultimate also includes Multilanguage support.

   If you’re a home user that doesn’t do a lot of networking, you might consider just the home premium edition. If you’re using a laptop and connect to networks at work, you might want the Professional version of the operating system to help you with domain joining. Also Windows Professional gives you the option to run applications in XP mode so if you have old applications you can use that nifty feature. I already have 1 application running in XP mode – it’s nifty to run an old application.

   NOTE:
   
   The box contains both the 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

   OVERALL:
   
   It’s very hard to write a comprehensive review on an entire operating system so I didn’t even try – I’m sure magazines will devote entire articles to the operating system and several books will come out. My goal here is just to give everyone a glimpse of what I’ve found to date with this new OS. I do hope this has helped you in making a decision.

   Hats off to Microsoft on Windows 7. It’s more of a refined Windows Vista than an entirely new operating system but it was needed. Thank you.
   

7. Review by Pyanfar Chanur for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
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   Windows 7 Home Premium is the best version to choose for older machines and/or simpler networks. The “Backup” offered in 7 Pro can be done easily with free tools, and unless you need complex networking, 7 has what it takes to manage a home network. Last, the ‘XP Mode’ promised in 7 Pro and above will only work on hardware new enough to support “Virtualization Technology” (stop by Microsoft’s website to learn more). This isn’t the same as “XP Compatibility Mode”, which you will still have for all versions of Windows 7 (there’s a great video explanation of this on CNET’s website in their Windows 7 Center at CNET TV).

   Some very important things you need to know about upgrading:

   1) There are two types of upgrade: “in-place” (where a Vista machine upgrades to 7 and you get to keep all your programs) and “clean” (where you lose all your old programs and settings).
   
   2) Anyone going from XP to 7 will have to go “clean”.
   
   3) Anyone going from a different Vista to 7 (for example, Vista Home to 7 Pro, or Vista Ultimate to 7 Home) will also have to go “clean”.

   If you have to do 2) or 3), all is not lost–I’ll explain in a moment.

   Before you even buy 7 for your machine, stop by Microsoft’s website for two things:

   a) download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Run it with every device connected to the machine that you’ll ever want to use in 7. It’ll thoroughly examine your machine for any roadblocks and give you good advice about upgrading.
   
   b) Go to the Windows 7 Compatibility Center and double-check anything that came up negative in the Upgrade Advisor (or didn’t show up at all). This site lists detailed compatibility info on a LOT of different devices.

   Anything major, like a video card or sound card driver, I’d recommend double-checking with the manufacturer’s website to be sure. This almost burned me on two of the machines that I upgraded.

   Last, make a backup. There’s a free tool called Macrium Reflect that can do this for you.

   Do you have to do a “clean” install, but just want to carry over your user accounts and settings? Microsoft makes a program called Windows Easy Transfer that’s already in Vista (and can be downloaded from Microsoft for XP) that will export your accounts and settings and let you import them back again. It’s very easy to use and does a good job of putting your accounts back together again, even going from XP to 7.

   Do you have to do the “clean” install, and you don’t want to reinstall all your programs? Laplink has an offer for $19.95 that will let you use a special version of their program “PC Mover” to upgrade one machine one time. Read the documentation in detail.

   The most important thing to doing a “clean” install is that in the Upgrade setup you choose “Custom”. Windows will take all of your major files and place them in a folder called “Windows.old”. PC Mover and the Easy Transfer program will use this folder to reconstruct your system from, so this is VERY important.

   I wish I had more space to go into detail here…bottom line is, if you plan ahead a bit, upgrading to 7 will go very easily (and if it doesn’t, you’ll have something to fall back on).

8. Review by Robert L. Estes for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
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   I have now installed this on 3 Vista computers, and I must say that the result is underwhelming. By now, we can expect computer journalists to hype any Windows release; and to certain extent they are right – 7 does work better, but not that much better or differently from Vista if you have installed all updates and security releases from Microsoft. I had to uninstall anti-virus and selected other programs, some of which did not have listings in the “Programs and Features” Control Panel section. All of my upgrades took 2 to 3 hours; journalists claiming 45 minute upgrade times must not have had many programs installed on their computers. Once programs identified as potential problems had been removed, the upgrades completed uneventfully; and it works OK once installed.

   Value-wise, I think that the single computer upgrade is a loser for Vista users at current price levels. If you have two or more computers, the Home Premium 3-computer “family” upgrade is borderline. I will pass judgement on XP once I upgrade my one remaining XP computer. Honestly, this is what should have been the Vista release; so we have paid top dollar for Vista, then close to top dollar for an incremental upgrade. Meanwhile, Apple is charging $29 for the OS X Snow Leopard upgrade ($49 for 5 computers!). That’s probably the right price for this Win 7 upgrade. If users ignore the hype and wait a bit, I suspect that the price for single computer upgrades may drop like a rock.

9. Review by Mute208 for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
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   Here comes Windows 7, nearly three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP. By most accounts, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a worthy successor to XP?

   ** CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE BELOW 10/29/09 **

   PRO’s:
   
   – Fast startup and performance
   
   – Stable
   
   – Nice aesthetic and functional changes to the desktop
   
   – Improved networking, power management & security
   
   – 32-bit & 64-bit versions included
   
   – Windows Media Center
   
   – Windows XP Mode (Professional & Ultimate only)

   CON’s:
   
   – User Account Control still annoying
   
   – Upgrade can be challenging
   
   – Expensive

   ** CLEAN UPGRADE UPDATE 10/29/09 **
   
   It seems that a lot of upgraders have been complaining about the upgrade process, especially from XP. Most of us expected to be able to format our hard disks and be prompted for either the XP disc or product key. Alas, this is not the case. The upgrade is much more complicated than it should be and some workarounds have been discovered

   Method A (simplest)
   
   If you already have an older version of Windows on the hard drive, finish the Custom Install, without entering the product key. After installation, go to your System Properties and click the link to activate Windows. Enter your product key and it should activate. This has worked for me twice.

   Method B (hardest)
   
   If Method A doesn’t work, try the registry hack.
   
   1. Finish the custom install without entering the product key then click Start and type regedit.exe into the “Search programs and files” box.
   
   2. In the registry, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Setup/OOBE/. In the pane on the right, you’ll see an entry for MediaBootInstall. Double-click on it and change the value from “1” to “0” and click OK.
   
   3. Close regedit and go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories then right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator.” You’ll get a UAC alert, click Yes.
   
   4. At the command prompt, type: slmgr /rearm and hit Enter. Reboot.
   
   5. Now try to activate. If it fails, make sure there are no pending Windows Updates to install. If there is, install them, reboot and start over from Step 4.

   Method C (most time consuming)
   
   Perform the Custom Install and skip the product key. Once completed, run the upgrade again from within Windows 7 but this time, enter the Windows 7 upgrade key and then activate Windows.
   
   ** END UPDATE **

   I had been running the Windows 7 release candidate for 3 months and the full version 2 weeks before official release date. The experience convinced me to finally upgrade my Windows XP systems to 7. This review briefly touches upon some of the key features and enhancements of Microsoft’s latest OS.

   PERFORMANCE & STABILITY
   
   One of the welcome enhancements Microsoft made was start-up time. The shutdown time has been improved as well. Also, in my non-benchmarked experience, Windows 7 has been at least as fast as XP if not faster. The kernel changes and ability to run the 64-bit version probably has a lot to do with that. Most benchmarks from around the Internet seem to support my observations.

   64-BIT
   
   I am elated to finally upgrade to a 64-bit operating system in order to take advantage of more memory support and modern processors. I have Intel Core 2 Duo processors in both my systems with 4GB of physical RAM but XP only allowed 3.25GB for system use.

   DESKTOP
   
   At first login, you’ll notice the changes to the taskbar. The taskbar is no longer just a place to store quick launch icons and view open windows. It now provides functionality in the form of Jump Lists, which allow you to select your most frequently opened files or links from the apps you have “pinned” on the taskbar. The clock and calendar are improved and the Show Desktop icon is now integrated in the far right corner. Other desktop enhancements include Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Snap, new themes and wallpapers. You also get gadget support. All of these features combine to create a much improved and enjoyable desktop experience.

   LIBRARIES
   
   Windows 7 introduces a new feature called libraries. Previously, your system had shortcuts to My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc. which had files residing in only those specific folders. Files can now reside anywhere on your system and be organized inside libraries. It’s similar to how many music and photo applications organize files.

   NETWORKING
   
   Even as good as XP was, networking was cumbersome. Windows 7 makes connecting two or more Windows 7 systems together easy, using HomeGroup. This enables easy sharing of files and devices. One downside is that HomeGroup is only supported between Windows 7 systems. File transfer performance between computers has been vastly improved and connecting to a wireless network has never been easier on a Windows machine.

   SECURITY
   
   Security in Windows 7 is good and comes with Windows Firewall and Defender. Still, you’ll probably want to invest in a more comprehensive Internet security suite, like Norton. User Account Control (UAC) has been tweaked in order to give user accounts more flexibility in controlling their own security as well as providing more detailed information so the user can make better decisions about whether to allow certain actions. Coming from XP however, it is still annoying. Also, in Windows 7 Ultimate, you can encrypt entire hard drives as well as external portable storage devices, like USB thumb drives. Though this is a welcome integrated feature, much of the functionality can be found in a popular open-source program called TrueCrypt.

   POWER MANAGEMENT
   
   Power management has been improved overall and you should be able to squeeze more battery life out of your laptop, even when using your DVD drive. Sleep and resume has also been improved. XP wasn’t always consistent when entering or resuming from sleep mode, but Windows 7 has been perfect.

   WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER
   
   I’ve only briefly played around with WMC but it looks promising. It has some fun options for media, especially when you’re connected to the Internet. It may even be an adequate replacement for component DVR’s should you choose to use it as the centerpiece to your entertainment center. The biggest advantage for me is that Windows 7 now includes a DVD decoder. This means that I can now watch DVD’s natively. WMC is available in all Windows 7 editions except Starter.

   WINDOWS XP MODE
   
   For applications that ran in XP, but won’t on 7, there is now XP Mode. It isn’t perfect and your system has to have virtualization support and turned on. Go to your system BIOS to check. If supported, then install Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. Check your hardware if you intend to use XP Mode. XP Mode is available in Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate editions.

   RECOMMENDATION
   
   If you’re an XP holdout, like I was, I recommend upgrading. Vista SP2 users may have less reason to upgrade but might want to just for the changes to the taskbar and the UAC improvements. For users who don’t need to use their computers in a corporate environment, then Windows 7 Home Premium edition is a good choice. If you decide on Windows 7 Home Premium and need to upgrade more than one PC, I recommend Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack, which is an excellent deal. I’m guessing most power users will choose Professional. I suggest a clean install for best results. If you’re a Mac OS X user, there is probably nothing in Windows 7 compelling enough for you to consider switching.

   SUMMARY
   
   Windows 7 is the premium Microsoft OS that Windows users have been waiting for. It’s fast, secure, stable, visually appealing and fun to use. Windows 7 will make your old system feel fresh and new again. New system owners with Windows 7 pre-loaded can feel confident that they’re getting the best Windows OS ever produced.

10. Review by Syc for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade
    Rating:
    At first, I was hesitant to try Windows 7 because of the criticism I’ve seen and heard about Windows Vista. Both of my computers still had Windows XP SP3 on them, but I decided to risk the upgrade to try something new.

    You don’t need anything fancy– single-core computers with just 1-2GB of RAM will do just fine for 7. My computers are both lower-end computers, but I was surprised at how well they performed on Windows 7. For comparison, they are:

    Dell Dimension B110 desktop computer (2005)
    
    2.53 GHz Intel Celeron processor
    
    2GB RAM after RAM upgrade
    
    1.0 on the Windows Experience Index

    ASUS Eee PC 900A netbook (2009)
    
    1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
    
    2GB RAM after RAM upgrade
    
    2.2 on the Windows Experience Index

    The Windows 7 upgrade will not let you directly install 7 on top of XP. I had to backup my files on another drive, and then do a clean install with the DVD, which deletes everything on the drive I was using. However, installing Windows 7 was a simple process that took less than 30 minutes for each computer. After rebooting the computer just once, it was ready to use!

    Drivers were a minor issue for both computers. Windows 7 already has plenty of drivers to cover most computer parts. One of the drivers on each computer was not covered, but I was able to automatically choose and install the missing drivers from Windows Update. However, there was one exception– there were no Windows Vista or Windows 7 drivers available for my HP Officejet v40 printer. This meant that I couldn’t access the advanced options through the computer, though I can use them through the printer itself. The included generic printer driver was able to print through the Officejet with no problems.

    After the display was corrected, the first thing I noticed was the very eye-appealing interface. The Eee PC could run Windows Aero with the transparent glass borders, but the Dell Dimension could not. Nevertheless, the Dell Dimension’s blue-gray theme is a refreshing change from Windows XP. Also, the new taskbar at the bottom has been much improved. It’s a little wider, which means that I can see both the date and time in the clock at once. Also, there is no text– only icons, which makes for a more organized look. Besides the windows, the desktop backgrounds have a slideshow option that changes the background every once in a while. The backgrounds bundled with Windows 7 are stunning, including beautiful scenery of buildings and nature, and also a slideshow of famous places from any country. I chose the landscape slideshow for both computers.

    I enjoyed the new convenience features in Windows 7. There is a button at the end of the taskbar which minimizes all windows with one click, and brings all of the windows back with a second click. Also, I liked the ability to make a window expand to half of the screen by dragging it either side of the screen. I found this helpful when I needed to do two things at once, such as typing in Word and browsing online. Gadgets, little desktop displays from Windows Vista, also appear in Windows 7. I opted to place the weather gadget on the Dell Dimension to show me the weather in my location whenever I see the desktop.

    Windows Explorer has received a facelift, and the left bar is categorized into favorites, libraries, computer, and network. Favorites allows me to access my download folder and recent places I visited on my computer in one click. I can also quickly open my documents, music, pictures, and videos in one click through the libraries. Also, there is now a search function on the upper right of Windows Explorer, which works very quickly to find files on my computer. The same search function is also right on the start menu– after I start typing, the start menu automatically starts searching and displaying the results in a few seconds.

    Speed was not an issue for either computer. Even when the Eee PC had Windows Aero turned on, I did not experience any problems surfing the web, checking email, watching YouTube videos, or typing in Word. The Dell Dimension behaved the same way. For these two computers, normal use is pretty fast– not quite as fast as Windows XP SP3, but very close. On the other hand, startup and shutdown times were much improved compared to XP. The same applies for putting the computer to sleep or hibernate.

    Battery life did seem to cause a minor issue for the Eee PC. Even though the window borders automatically cease to be transparent when the netbook is running on batteries, the batteries only lasted about 80% of their normal time. This is not a problem for me since I usually have access to an outlet for charging, but Windows 7 does make a difference here.

    Any program that runs fine on Windows XP would run fine on Windows 7 for me. If a program did not work, Windows 7 would automatically detect that it had failed, adjust the compatability settings by itself, and ask if you would want to run the program again. Every time a program made for XP failed for me on 7 (which was very rare), the automatic detection would successfully correct the problem and the program would run as if it were on XP. Microsoft only offers the “Windows XP Mode” on the Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate editions, but with the auto-adjust, the Windows XP Mode looks totally unnecessary.

    If you are looking reasons to upgrade because Windows XP works fine for you, keep in mind that Windows 7 is more secure and that Windows XP will not be able to support Windows 7-only programs in the future when XP is phased out. I found the transition to Windows 7 smooth for both a desktop computer and a netbook, and I found the upgrade to be worth my time and money.

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