Transcript OFA Staff Training - Promethius Consulting

Windows 7:
Should You Make the Switch?
April 20, 2010
Denver Abernathy
Promethius Consulting, LLC
Outline
• Windows – a brief history
▫ Where does XP fit?
▫ Where does Vista fit?
• Windows 7 - Why would ya’?
▫ Pros / Cons
▫ ROI
▫ Downsides of sticking with XP
• Migration Options
The Good…
•
•
•
•
A better desktop. Windows 7 gets you around your PC
faster than ever. The taskbar has bigger buttons and fullsized previews—and you can pin programs to it for oneclick access. Jump Lists provide shortcuts to files, folders,
and websites. And Snap, Peek, and Shake give you easy
(and fun) new ways to juggle all those open windows.
Smarter search. Type in the Start menu search box, and
you'll see results instantly, grouped by category—
documents, pictures, music, e-mail, and programs. Search
in a folder or library, and you can fine-tune your search
with filters like date or file type—and use the preview
pane to peek at the contents of your results.
Easy sharing with HomeGroup. Sharing files and
printers on your home network should be simple. With
HomeGroup, it finally is. Connect two or more PCs
running Windows 7, and with a minimum of fuss you can
start sharing music, pictures, videos, and documents with
other people in your home.
Built for speed. Windows 7 has key performance
improvements to take up less memory and run
background services only when you need them. It's
designed to run your programs faster and to sleep,
resume, and reconnect to wireless networks quicker. And
with 64-bit support, you can take full advantage of the
latest in powerful 64-bit PCs.
•
•
Better wireless networking. Connecting
to wireless networks on your laptop—
formerly a bit of a hassle—now takes just a
couple of clicks. Choose from the list of
available networks in the taskbar, click one,
and then connect. Once you've connected to a
network, Windows will remember it so you
can connect again later automatically.
Built for speed. Windows 7 has key
performance improvements to take up less
memory and run background services only
when you need them. It's designed to run
your programs faster and to sleep, resume,
and reconnect to wireless networks quicker.
And with 64-bit support, you can take full
advantage of the latest in powerful 64-bit
PCs.
…continued
•
•
•
Windows Touch. Use your fingers to browse the
web, flip through photos, and open files and folders
on a touchscreen PC—for the first time, Windows
includes true multitouch technology. With gestures
for zooming, rotating, and even right-clicking, it's a
whole new way to work with your PC.
Plays well with devices. Device Stage, a new
feature in Windows 7, works like a home page for
things like portable music players, smartphones, and
printers. When you plug a compatible device into
your PC, you'll see a menu with information and
popular tasks like battery life, how many photos are
ready to be downloaded, and printing options.
Nag-free notifications. Action Center, new in
Windows 7, puts you in control of maintenance and
security messages. You can turn notifications on or
off for things like Windows Defender or User
Account Control. If Windows needs your attention,
you'll see a notification on the far right of the
taskbar. Click it, and you'll get suggested fixes for
any problems.
And the Not-So-Good…
•
•
•
•
You can't upgrade from Windows XP. You must do a clean
install. Migration tools available (more later).
HomeGroups are disappointing. All machines must be
Windows 7.
Windows Update can still shut you down. ‘Nuff said.
Licensing is still a mess. 6 SKUs
▫
Windows 7 Starter (limited to three apps concurrently)
▫
Windows 7 Home Basic (for emerging markets)
▫
Windows 7 Home Premium (adds Aero, Touch, Media Center)
▫
Windows 7 Professional (Remote Desktop host, Mobility Center,
Presentation mode)
▫
Windows 7 Enterprise (volume license only, boot from virtual drive,
BitLocker)
▫
Windows 7 Ultimate (limited availability, includes everything)
ROI
User Favorites
• Aero Peek – allows you to more easily and visually manage open
applications and windows using fly-out thumbnails, translucent graphics,
etc.
• Aero Shake – minimize all open windows except the one you are working on
just by clicking and shaking the titlebar.
• Aero Snap – maximize screens by dragging them to the top of the screen or
drag to the upper right or left to fill half the screen with the selected
window.
• Sticky Notes (enhanced from Vista version)
• Windows + P
Keyboard Shortcuts
• Alt+P
Display/ hide the Explorer preview
pane
• Windows Logo+G
Display gadgets in front of other
windows
• Windows Logo++ (plus key)
Zoom in, where appropriate
• Windows Logo+- (minus key)
Zoom out, where appropriate
• Windows Logo+Up
Maximize the current window
• Windows Logo+Down
Minimize the current window
• Windows Logo+Left
Snap to the left hand side of the
screen
• Windows Logo+Right
Snap to the right hand side of the
screen
• Windows Logo+Home
Minimize/ restore everything except
the current window
Downsides of Staying
• Hardware drivers – manufacturers will begin to
phase out before Microsoft does
• Miss out on new features
• Costs of downgrading
• User complaints
• Hassles of maintaining multiple Operating
Systems
Administrative Tools
• God Mode
▫ Master.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
• Enhanced right clicks
▫ Go ahead, right click everything
• Open folder in new process
▫ By default Windows 7 opens folders in the same process. This saves
system resources, but means one folder crash can bring down the entire
shell. If your system seems unstable, or you're doing something in
Explorer that regularly seems to causes crashes, then open Computer,
hold down Shift, right-click on your drive and select Open in New
Process. The folder will now be launched in a separate process, and so a
crash is less likely to affect anything else.
• Resource Monitor Enhancements
• Drag and Drop Command Line
• XP Mode
Migration Tools
• Windows 7 Walkthrough: User State Migration Tool
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Safely migrates user accounts, operating system and application settings.
Lowers the cost of deploying Windows® by preserving user state
Reduces end-user downtime required to customize desktops and find missing files
Reduces help-desk calls
Reduces the time needed for the user to become familiar with the new operating system
Increases employee satisfaction with the migration experience.
▫
Migrations that require end-user interaction.
▫
Migrations that require customization on a machine-by-machine basis.
• Windows Easy Transfer
▫
▫
Works great for upgrading from Windows Vista other Windows 7 versions.
Can be made to work for upgrading from Windows XP.
Windows 7:
Should You Make the Switch?
April 20, 2010
Thank you for coming!
Denver Abernathy
Promethius Consulting, LLC