What about security?

Difficult to take stock of the security of an operating system even though it is still massively deployed.Naturally the topic is sensitive and has already spilled much ink. Windows 7 incorporates many of the advances introduced with Windows Vista and sketched with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. DEP found a program that stops when it performs an illegal operation in memory but also the software firewall built into the system. It is enriched by the WFP or Windows Filtering Platform, which enables third party applications to take advantage of the firewall by enabling or disabling certain features while it is possible to choose which software firewall will protect the system. So when installing software using a specific port to communicate with the outside, the installer will ask whether or not to allow the opening of the port in Windows Firewall.

And Microsoft to introduce a significant change to the application level protection profiles of its firewall. With Windows Vista, the same profile firewall is applied to all network interfaces while Windows 7 allows greater granularity in to apply a different profile per adapter or network card (useful when you connect your laptop or Wi-Fi or network cable with RJ45).

The famous UAC User Account Protection is still relevant but Microsoft has revised its modus operandi. Not only the number of dialog boxes is less safe, but it is now possible to make UAC less intrusive. To this end, Microsoft used to select the desired type of alert according to the event via a scroll bar at four positions. It is of course possible to completely disable UAC though this is not recommended for the average user: Bonus, disabling UAC no longer requires restarting the computer as they did under Windows Vista. According to Microsoft statistics, collected by telemetry, nearly 85% of installations of Windows Vista (all versions, Gold, SP1, SP2) benefit each day from the UAC.

Arrival of virtualization

We said previously, Windows 7 now allows the installation of hot virtual disk images without using a third-party software. Compared to Windows Vista, a disk image format. VHD can be mounted as a hard disk and accessed in this way from Windows Explorer. One slip now that the Windows 7 mount ISO images is still not supported, however it is possible for the first time to burn the ISO since the operating system.

Level virtualization, Microsoft goes further by proposing with certain editions of Windows 7, typically the Professional and Ultimate versions, the Windows XP mode. These offer a Windows XP virtual machine to run any software compatible with Windows XP within Windows 7. If the thing was already possible with Windows Vista, Microsoft has never proposed function dedicated to this use natively in Windows. It was necessary to download Virtual PC and deploy Windows XP oneself from a legally purchased version.

With Windows 7, Microsoft provides a complete image of Windows XP Service Pack 3, x86 or x64 edition just download it to deploy with Windows update Virtual PC. Better, the Windows XP User can run in two modes: either in an application virtual machine host, such as fire with Virtual PC, either in native mode. Windows XP applications appear within the list of programs from the Start menu of Windows 7 and click it makes them start and run Windows applications alongside 7 without any master application! It is stunning and effective.

Remains that each time you start a Windows XP, you must initialize the VM which takes some time. Another negative point, virtualization works only if the processor supports hardware virtualization so: the old machines can not therefore take advantage of all Windows XP mode. Good news, Windows Virtual PC enables sharing of USB devices and printers connected to the system so that all drives are mapped to your computer with Windows XP as network drives. Even better, the VHD images created under Virtual PC 2007, running Windows 7 without worry. Still, the 3D support is conspicuously absent as the management of hearts, the quad-core processor in our test machine appears as a single-core processor under Windows XP … virtualized.

An increasingly rich multimedia experience

Another area of progress for Windows 7, the multimedia with the arrival of a new version of Windows Media Player and a new version of Windows Media Center. Let’s start with Windows Media Player version 12 which does not clearly revolutionized the genre. The interface is uncluttered and means there are three tabs in the right pane of the application for accessing the current reading, libraries or the sync options of its media player with an external.

Among the new features, we note the new display mode reduces the player: a mere preview of the album jacket with buttons to control playback. Integrating the management of residential groups, for easy access to media shared by the other Windows 7 computers on your network, the great novelty of this version of Windows Media Player support streaming.

With the Windows Media Player 12, it is always possible to remotely read the media stored on computers on the network, and vice versa, but also, and novelty, to read the content through the Internet. Specifically, these allow you to access media stored on your home computers from a place outside, then passing through an Internet connection. Dubbed RMS or Remote Media Streaming, the functionality requires the computer containing the media is running Windows 7 as one who tries to access it. To activate, simply link their account to its Windows 7 Windows Live account. Everything else is transparent, and if the computer containing your media is on, it will automatically appear in the list of available network libraries with a small icon indicating that Earth is not content to the local network. We can then browse their library of music (or pictures or videos) and enjoy their media remotely. Simply stunning especially as no configuration is required at the network level!Still, the list of library catalog can take time as the buffering of the media in question, especially if the ADSL connection is hardly courageous.

New network capabilities

Among the new functional Windows 7 we have to report the arrival of the function HomeGroup for networks.Called “Home Group” in French in the text, this feature is to simplify the sharing of content in home networks.To do this, and this may be where the problem lies, we need other machines on your network are running Windows 7 (otherwise, there is a functioning network similar to that of Windows Vista). To create a network of HomeGroup type, you must first tell the system that the connection used is domestic. From then on, Windows creates a residential group to which it assigns a password generated automatically. This password will be required to other computers when they want to join the group residential course it is possible to customize the password.

When several computers running Windows 7 appear on the home network, and when the HomeGroup is active, access to content is easy: it finds in the Windows Explorer entry “Group Residential” which includes or network computers that share data and different categories of media that can find (music, photos, videos or documents). Advanced given by other housing groups, the automatic sharing of media libraries. Applications like Windows Media Player automatically detects computers in the residential and allow you to access their media content into a handful of clicks. Same for Windows Media Center opens a new section called “shared”.Finally, note that USB printers connected to your PC Windows 7 will be automatically shared and their drivers automatically installed on other computers in the residential and without special intervention.

Facelift for the File Explorer and Control Panel

With Windows Vista, Microsoft had reviewed the file explorer also called Computer for years now. Only here, the changes made by Microsoft at the time were not very relevant. Certainly, the introduction of the concept of virtual folder was tempting but unfortunately the editor had forgotten some basic ergonomic criteria. Microsoft returns to its mistakes with Windows 7, the operating system offering a new file explorer. Keep your shirt: over Windows XP, no menu bar and toolbar remains relevant …

However, and this is the first good news, icons representing media players are automatically hidden empty: in fact when attempting to access its USB key can not double click over a dozen times on drives that are empty.Beyond that detail, Microsoft has fixed the very annoying bug introduced by Vista at saving the changes made to the folder view. With Windows 7, then finally found a file explorer behaving normally and displaying folder icons you see in the right size and according to the previously selected display mode!

The migration to Windows 7 more expensive in 2011 and 2012

Due to the large number of migration projects to Windows 7 planned for 2011 and 2012, Gartner fears of tensions on the skills and therefore the cost, including services.

Gartner warns companies against the risk of increasing their IT budget in 2011 and 2012 due to a migration to Windows 7. Analysts said the migration fleet PCs running Windows XP or 2000 to Seven may suffer from a shortage of skills and therefore an increase in benefits.

Even if the latest OS from Microsoft was launched in October 2009, companies (mostly) erode their deployment until the last quarter of this year. The main migration should thus be spread over 2011 and 2012.

Projects that will be difficult to make ends on time

And during this period (including 2013), the application of skills and qualified personnel in this type of migration project should exceed supply, thus leading to higher prices (and therefore IT spending of companies).

“Most companies will need additional funds or affect the budgets of other projects to complete the Windows migration in time” Gartner said in a statement .

“Whether a replacement or upgrade PCs, it is clear that migration to Windows 7 will have a significant impact on the IT budgets of companies”said Steve Kleynhans , vice president of research at Gartner.

As part of the acceleration of the update, the share of IT budget allocated to the PC will increase in a range between 20% (best case) and 60% (worst case scenario), and in 2011 this 2012.

The migration usually done when renewing PC

To prevent excessive price increases benefit integrators (when one partner is sought for external migration), Gartner recommends that companies now negotiate contracts for delivering flexible levels of resources at a rate determined during the migration period.

Gartner has also made an estimate of the cost of upgrading to Windows 7, by function, for each of the main scenarios of migration accelerated. The migration mode most frequently used is to rely on the renewal of machinery.

It is the policy adopted for example by Elior , Sanofi and Rhodia . Thus at Sanofi-Aventis , a quarter of the park is renewed annually. Some divisions have preferred to delay their investments in 2010 to provide users with new PCs equipped with the master 2010/Seven Office in Q4.

“By providing a window of three years, I am virtually certain that the various entities of Sanofi-Aventis reach out their stall renewal, even if the shift” commented Jean-Pascal in April Cousin, head of ETS (Enterprise Technology & Services) at Sanofi-Aventis.

Cost of migration by installing on existing positions: from 1274 to 2069 dollars per PC

Faced with a need to accelerate the migration in 2011 and 2012, companies have three major options. The first, a rapid turnover, implies a cost per job between 1205 and 1999 dollars (for a fleet of 10,000 PCs).

Second option: the installation of Seven on existing posts. If this scenario according to Gartner reduces capital costs of migration, this is not even on the expenditure side of labor. Also, companies should budget a cost of 1 274 2 069 dollars per item (a budget allowing for a hardware upgrade of 25% of PCs in the park to support the new OS).

Finally the last scenario: partial migration with virtual desktops. With a central image, the deployment is accelerated. However, Gartner said that this mode of migration does not solve the problem budget. The expenditure is here transferred to the data center and network infrastructure, and also requires appropriate human skills.

The Family Pack for Windows 7 available again

Microsoft is celebrating the first anniversary of Windows 7 by raising its offer Family Pack, which installs an updated version of Home Premium on three items. Several commercial sites already proposed for pre-order at 149.99 euros.

The Family Pack for Windows 7 will be back in France from 22 October.Microsoft has confirmed that France will be sold on its online store on that date for 149.99 euros, but many online stores (Amazon, Fnac, CDiscount …) already proposed for preorder.

Limited in time

This pack will install Windows 7 Home Premium on 3 PCs. This is an update, which means it must have a full version of Windows XP or Vista 32 and 64 bits. The Family Pack was released last year at the launch of Windows 7, then was withdrawn from sale in early December.

The communication service from Microsoft told us that the offer which starts next Oct. 22 will also be limited in time based on quantities available.

Windows 7: OEM versions of tariffs up to 50% cheaper?

An American website published fares for versions of Windows 7 reserved for manufacturers ranging from 109 to $ 189. The price differential box with versions up to 50%.

The Newegg.com online store displays a page containing the prices of OEM versions of Windows 7 which are in some cases, divided by two compared to those of equivalent versions box.

Windows 7 and Home Premium OEM is it sold U.S. $ 109.99 (against 199.99 dollars), Windows 7 Professional $ 139.99 (U.S. $ 299.99 cons), and Windows 7 Ultimate 189.99 dollars (319.99 dollaes cons ).

The OEM version is sold 5% of the price of a PC

The OEM edition is usually one dedicated integrators, the license can be installed on a single PC. In euros, the price would be the same in dollars, as is the case of the box versions.

It is not known however it is Microsoft’s policy when the availability to the general public with OEM editions whose packaging is reduced to its simplest expression. There are about ten days, Charles Songhurst, general manager of corporate strategy at Microsoft has revealed that a version of Windows was sold to OEMs about 5% of the price of the machine. “If you take a $ 1000 PC (. ..) we charge $ 50 for the copy of Windows, “he says.

Windows 7 SP1 not required to install Internet Explorer 9

For now, Internet Explorer 9 , in beta, works fine on any version of Windows Vista and Windows 7. But when it is released in final form, it will not be compatible with this latest operating system. At least not with the current version since it will be passed to the Service Pack 1 of Windows 7 to install.

This information has been confirmed by Microsoft, was initially discovered in the contents of the FAQ IE9 for professionals . It is surprising because Microsoft has never linked the release of a new browser with that of a service pack. However, we can understand the point of view of security, particularly in companies where IE9 be deployed en masse. Indeed, SP1 Windows 7 is a set of security patches and it is better to start his “career” qu’IE9 be sitting on a secure basis rather than a colander to spyware or keyloggers . That said, Microsoft has, however, that this process would be transparent to the user. “Internet Explorer 9 will run on Windows 7 RTM (release to manufacturing, ie) and Windows 7 SP1. When you install Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7 RTM, additional components are included in the installation. It will be part of the Service Pack 1 of Windows 7. “said the Redmond, in a statement. This Service Pack 1 of Windows 7 is expected by the end of the year.

For its part, the final version of Internet Explorer 9 should be submitted in the aftermath or early 2011. For now, the beta is a success because two days of operation, it had already been downloaded 2 million times .

Windows 7 Tablets for Christmas

“You’ll see new Windows Tablet. You’ll see them at Christmas, “commented Steve Ballmer in a speech at the London School of Economics. The head of the Redmond company has not said more about the models and makes are likely to present products. Microsoft has collaborated with various partners and Bill Gates had said several months ago that several projects were underway shelves .

But we are still waiting to see a shelf Windows 7 capable of competing with the iPad . The big unknown is to know which manufacturer will be the first to launch.LG’s Optimus Pad and Samsung, with its Galaxy tab , opted for Android while thatHP will confine its shelf Windows 7 at the professional market. If Steve Ballmer has remained enigmatic, however he said things about the optimization of tactile features of Windows 7.

There will be some improvements during 2011 but it was not until the succession with Windows 8 to see a real integration of more advanced touch interface .