Microsoft Windows 7 - Management Enhancements

Beyond the superficial thrills of new features and interfaces, Windows 7 has put some thought into manageability.

Action Center

Rather than interrupting work flows with notices and warnings, Windows 7 aggregates all system notifications into the new Action Center so that you can respond to them all at once. This allows you to both recover quickly from problems, and to ward off potential problems. Figure 1-6 shows the Action Center.

Figure 1-6: Review important notices and take action.

Furthermore, Windows 7 allows you to address and fix more problems on your own using the information and advice contained in the Action Center.

Compatibility

Most applications and devices that work with Windows Vista will also work with Windows 7. If you're purchasing a new device or application, be sure to look for the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo, shown in Figure 1-7, to avoid any bumps in the road.

Figure 1-7: Compatible with Windows 7.

If you run either Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate editions, you'll still be able to use many business productivity and other applications designed for Windows XP®. Microsoft will provide free software to bridge the gap between Windows XP and Windows 7.

Windows XP Mode

One of the biggest barriers for entry when it comes to a new operating system is application backwards compatibility. It's one thing to upgrade to Windows 7, but what about all of the applications you rely upon that only work in Windows XP? Microsoft is providing a new feature called Windows XP Mode to allow you to run your Windows XP-only applications inside Windows 2007.

Improvements geared for IT

Finally, let's look at a list of planned improvements that will make the lives of IT staff simpler:

• Heterogeneous Multi-adapter adds support for using multiple graphics cards.
• Support for virtual hard disks and improved performance on multi-core processors provides for better performance.
• Improvements to boot performance and the kernel make systems run more smoothly.
• Windows PowerShell is included for writing and running advance scripts.

In conclusion, Windows 7 promises enhancements for virtually every user. Microsoft currently plans to have the new operating system out by the end of 2009. Again, please remember that the features previewed in this course are based off of the Windows 7 Release Candidate, and are subject to change