Recomendations about Windows 7, any helpful info to share?

I'm finally getting Windows 7 Professional Upgrade 64bit! Since it is an academic version (campus agreement), I can go from Vista Home Premium to 7 Pro (according to the website).

I ran the Upgrade Advisor and everything is compatible with Windows 7 64bit.

Any recomendations on optimizing Windows 7, or anything I should know about Windows 7 to help me accelerate learning it? Differences between 7 Pro and Vista HP? Basically any good info I should know?

Thanks for the help!

 

Do a clean install instead of an upgrade, that way you wont get hiccups after the upgrade.

 

Yeah, do the clean install.

Aside from that, Windows 7 is pretty good right out of the box. Get it installed and use it for a bit before trying to change it around.

some very useful tips to help with the learning curve. Lots of fun little shortcuts using the Windows key
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/fe...eaks_tips_–_every_secret_uncovered_date

 

Also, download all the LATEST drivers for your laptop. That way if Windows misses to download a driver, you have it ready to install on the side.

 

Windows 7 doesn't need tweaking like Vista and XP.

My one suggestion is to turn UAC from Default to Max.

 

Aye Aye on the clean install, I think I have to do that anyway for HP to Pro (according to the webstore for my college, since the commercial upgrade version doesn't allow HP to Pro upgrade) and from 32 to 64bit.

Luckily, my laptop is 3 years old, so I've had the latest drivers and firmware from Dell's site since two years ago. The only difference is using a 64bit Video Driver from AMD but I downloaded that from the 11.7 WHQL thread in the Graphics and Games forum section (of course I have to use the 32bit right now).

Will definitely check out the maximum pc article! It's funny, I've had Vista for 3 years now (of course my computer knowledge and skills didn't really develop till about a year ago) and I'm still learning ways to improve/optimize my Vista experience (that Vista optimize thread really helped). I think what's really sad, I thought only Windows 7 displayed the Time, Date, and Day of the week on the taskbar. I discovered even XP has that *facepalm*

Edit:
What is the difference between UAC being on Default and Max? I definitely love the UAC in Vista (being an admin having to still accept an action, or if I created a standard account, it'd require input from an admin password), however, I've never touched it. How do I even change it?

 

For Vista I believe it starts off at the highest level.

To quiet UAC down Windows basically made it incredibly insecure by allowing it to whitelist specific windows applications.

Of course .dll injection into these programs isn't blocked so all malware has to do is inject into the whitelisted applications, wait for them to elevate, and then elevate when they do without you knowing (you'll just see explorer.exe elevate.) Max will stop this.

 

Just. Leave. It. Alone. Windows 7 is as good as it gets, out of the box!

I really don't understand this clean install business - I never did with any of the computer' I've worked on - Particularly when I'd got laptop' with Vista Ult and Windows 7.

I simply turned off unwanted prog' from startup or from within 'services'.. or just uninstall them - and in any case, I didn't have to because I didn't find any 'unwanted' prog' as such.

Other than that, Windows 7 works perfectly fine without any 'tweaking' or 'twisting' to 'increase' or 'enhance' its performance..

PS., there are new threads almost every other week from people asking this. So take a few minutes to just do a search or browse through the threads.. A google search also throws up results from NBR. So there..

Cheers.

 

There was a noticeable difference between a clean install and the default install for me. Perhaps that's just Sony's fault.

 

Yeah, I've read about this 'difference' from many people who get new laptop', particularly those with HP and _Sony.. but from my experience (many Dell Laptop' and desktop' and the latest HP elite PC that I'd got at work), I didn't have to do a 'clean install'.

And the system' been great as it can be, IMHO.

For the record, my Dell XPS M1530, bought 2008, is as good as it was when I'd got it - and NO, I didn't do a clean install, or tweak to 'enhance' its performace, or anything like that.

I just turn off unwanted start up entries, turn off or make 'manual' services which I don't need unless I'd want them to be running and that's it.

I just do a monthly disk clean up and defrag, regular windows updates and that's about it..

Fom my experience, I'd just leave Windows 7 alone, as it is and I'm sure, it'll be happy.

Cheers.

 

Had the same with my VAIO. Turned services off and uninstalled some things. Took default RAM usage from 45% to 36%. It was the clean install that got it down to 24%. I was then able to let the RAM fill up with things that I wanted running.

 

Yeah I was around 45% with Sony's stuff. Even after disabling it wasn't down all too much (used revo uninstaller to remove) and then finally a clean install did it.

 

Well, it's a good thing I don't pirate, nor plan on pirating.

 

Guided Help: Adjust User Account Control settings in Windows 7
Hellhog, this article explains it better than I could, but I set to max also - I do not mind a few more clicks.

Also I avoid 3rd party software for the most part. As I have learned from Daperman. I can not open .rar file natively but know a work around and I like Paragon 11 for imaging.

 

Clean install FTW! My new Sony VAIO was like some 3 years old lappy with all bloatware. not mentioning that drive C was full of advertising video, promotions, commercial,, trial versions etc etc etc. Gigs and Gigs om my space was wasted... till I deleted that

Well I have doubts about idea that Windows 7 is excellent out of the box. I don't like any standard theme for example.

 

That pretty much explained it all, thanks for the UAC tip. I'm definitely the type of person that would want that set to max. I would have never even known it was different, nor set to the third level and not max.

 

Once I installed CIS with D+ I turned off UAC. The main reason why, every time I opened a PDF using Adobe Pro 8 it asked me to OK. I view way too many PDF's to constantly be clicking.

As it was explained to me D+ is UAC on steroids. (and remembers your answers)

 

Check out howtogeek's list of customizations to windows 7 that makes stuff a bit more convenient. I can't live without the "open command window here" option anymore.

The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better - How-To Geek

 

I can't live without Device Manager in right-click meny when push my computer. Also registry editor, install/uninstall program, MS config in the same right-click menu