There’s no denying that I’m a geek. I took leave today just so I could be there to install Windows 7 when it is released on TechNet.
Windows 7′s installation is largely similar to Vista’s. It has been ages since I last did an installation of Vista, so I can’t say for sure if it was any faster. Things went without a hitch until I reached desktop and tried to copy over my Everquest 2 installation off a network share. Windows locked up right away. I did a hard reset and tried a couple of times but fail was still the result. Unsure if it was an issue with the network transfer or writing to disk itself, I tried copying for another source. Thumbdrive and DVD copies went through okay, it had to be the network.
The NIC that I’m using is an Atheros Gbe onboard controller. I had the driver for it downloaded, but it wouldn’t install probably due a version check. To my knowledge, Windows Vista drivers are forward compatible with Windows 7. At this point, I thought I’d give Windows Update a shot. Despite Windows 7 being so new, maybe Microsoft did already start addressing issues that slipped through the earlier RC.
Looks like my faith wasn’t misplaced, an updated driver was there which rectified the issue. It would have been nicer if it had been included with the Windows install itself, which would have made for a better out-of-the-box experience. Overall, I was still pretty pleased.
Asides from the network driver, I have not run across any other issues yet. The UI changes would take me awhile to get used to, but it’s definitely a nice touch. I’ve already begun using some of the new features, such as aggregating multiple folders using libraries. More on that later. Right now, I’m gaming away in EQ2, doing Kurn’s Tower x1 on my new Windows 7 installation.
Atheros Gbe? Hmm. Someone’s a naughty boy! ;)
I’m delaying on a Win7 upgrade, personally…
While I’m convinced the OS is worth the jump from XP, I have far too much random custom (Chinese) software on my XP boxes, which I doubt will all work flawlessly on Win7. The programmers warned me about Vista already so /me is scared to try out Win7.
I have a feeling I’m not alone in this aspect… companies usually wait 6 months or longer before updating OS’s just to make sure all their custom software works and is properly tested.
Wish I could upgrade today!
I’ve just pulled the RTM (Professional only! Boo!) from MSDN-AA. Will be installing it on my Sony once i get confirmation that VT-X is behaving! Yay!