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Windows 7

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Windows 7
Part of the Microsoft Windows family

Screenshot of Windows 7 Ultimate Edition


Developer
Microsoft Corporation
Website Official Website
Releases
RTM: 22 July 2009
Release date
Retail: 22 October 2009 (info)
6.1[1] (build 7600.16385.090713-1255[2])
Current version
(22 October 2009; 12 months ago) (info)
Source model Closed source / Shared source
License MS-EULA
Kernel type Hybrid
Update method Windows Update
Platform support IA-32, x86-64
Support status
Mainstream support until January 13, 2015.[3]
Further reading
 Development of Windows 7
 Features new to Windows 7
 List of features removed in Windows 7
 Windows 7 editions

Windows 7 is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced
by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops,
netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs.[4] Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July
22, 2009,[5] and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009,[6] less than three years
after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows
Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features,
Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with
the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware which Windows Vista was not at
the time.[7] Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a
redesigned Windows shell with a new taskbar, referred to as the Superbar, a home networking
system called HomeGroup,[8] and performance improvements. Some standard applications that
have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar,
Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in
Windows 7;[9][10] most are instead offered separately at no charge as part of the Windows Live
Essentials suite.[11]

Contents
[hide]

 1 Development
o 1.1 Goals
 2 Features
o 2.1 New and changed features
o 2.2 Removed features
 3 Antitrust regulatory attention
o 3.1 Europe
 4 Reception
 5 Editions
 6 Marketing
 7 Hardware requirements
 8 Physical memory limits
 9 Multi-core processor and multiprocessor limits
 10 Service packs
 11 See also
 12 References
 13 External links

[edit] Development
Main article: Development of Windows 7

Originally, a version of Windows codenamed Blackcomb was planned as the successor to


Windows XP (codename Whistler) and Windows Server 2003. Major features were planned for
Blackcomb, including an emphasis on searching and querying data and an advanced storage
system named WinFS to enable such scenarios. However, an interim, minor release, codenamed
"Longhorn," was announced for 2003, delaying the development of Blackcomb.[12] By the middle
of 2003, however, Longhorn had acquired some of the features originally intended for
Blackcomb. After three major viruses exploited flaws in Windows operating systems within a
short time period in 2003, Microsoft changed its development priorities, putting some of
Longhorn's major development work on hold while developing new service packs for Windows
XP and Windows Server 2003. Development of Longhorn (Windows Vista) was also restarted,
and thus delayed, in August 2004. A number of features were cut from Longhorn.[13]

Blackcomb was renamed Vienna in early 2006[14] and again Windows 7 in 2007.[15] In 2008, it
was announced that Windows 7 would also be the official name of the operating system.[16][17]
There has been some confusion over naming the product Windows 7,[18] while versioning it as
6.1 to indicate its similar build to Vista and increase compatibility with applications that only
check major version numbers,[19] similar to Windows 2000 and Windows XP both having 5.x
version numbers.[20]

The first external release to select Microsoft partners came in January 2008 with Milestone 1,
build 6519.[21] At PDC 2008, Microsoft demonstrated Windows 7 with its reworked taskbar.
Copies of Windows 7 build 6801 were distributed at the end of the conference; however, the
demonstrated taskbar was disabled in this build.

On December 27, 2008, the Windows 7 Beta was leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent.[22]
According to a performance test by ZDNet,[23] Windows 7 Beta beat both Windows XP and Vista
in several key areas; including boot and shutdown time and working with files, such as loading
documents. Other areas did not beat XP; including PC Pro benchmarks for typical office
activities and video editing, which remain identical to Vista and slower than XP.[24] On January
7, 2009, the 64-bit version of the Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) was leaked onto the web, with
some torrents being infected with a trojan.[25][26] At CES 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
announced the Windows 7 Beta, build 7000, had been made available for download to MSDN
and TechNet subscribers in the format of an ISO image.[27] The Beta was to be publicly released
January 9, 2009, and Microsoft initially planned for the download to be made available to 2.5
million people on this date. However, access to the downloads was delayed because of high
traffic.[28] The download limit was also extended, initially until January 24, then again to
February 10. People who did not complete downloading the beta had two extra days to complete
the download. After February 12, unfinished downloads became unable to complete. Users could
still obtain product keys from Microsoft to activate their copies of Windows 7 Beta, which
expired on August 1, 2009.

The release candidate, build 7100, became available for MSDN and TechNet subscribers and
Connect Program participants on April 30, 2009. On May 5, 2009 it became available to the
general public, although it had also been leaked onto the Internet via BitTorrent.[29] The release
candidate was available in five languages and expired on June 1, 2010, with shutdowns every
two hours starting March 1, 2010.[30] Microsoft stated that Windows 7 would be released to the
general public on October 22, 2009. Microsoft released Windows 7 to MSDN and Technet
subscribers on August 6, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. PDT.[31] Microsoft announced that Windows 7,
along with Windows Server 2008 R2, was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009. Windows
7 RTM is build 7600.16385, which was compiled on July 13, 2009, and was declared the final
RTM build after passing all Microsoft's tests internally.[5]

Windows NT is written in C, C++, and assembly.[32]

[edit] Goals

Bill Gates, in an interview with Newsweek, suggested that this version of Windows would be
more "user-centric".[33] Gates later said that Windows 7 would also focus on performance
improvements.[34] Steven Sinofsky later expanded on this point, explaining in the Engineering
Windows 7 blog that the company was using a variety of new tracing tools to measure the
performance of many areas of the operating system on an ongoing basis, to help locate inefficient
code paths and to help prevent performance regressions.[35]

Senior Vice President Bill Veghte stated that Windows Vista users migrating to Windows 7
would not find the kind of device compatibility issues they encountered migrating from
Windows XP.[36] Speaking about Windows 7 on October 16, 2008, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
confirmed compatibility between Vista and Windows 7, indicating that Windows 7 would be a
refined version of Windows Vista.[37]

[edit] Features
[edit] New and changed features

Main article: Features new to Windows 7

The new Action Center, which replaces Windows Security Center


When the action center detects a security threat, it displays a thumbnail with problems listed.

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch and handwriting
recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors,[38][39]
[40][41]
improved boot performance, DirectAccess, and kernel improvements. Windows 7 adds
support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors
(Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media Center,[42] a Gadget for
Windows Media Center, improved media features, the XPS Essentials Pack and Windows
PowerShell being included, and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including
Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion. Many new items have been added
to the Control Panel, including ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard,
Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors,
Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display.[43] Windows Security Center
has been renamed to Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution
Center in earlier builds), which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.
Readyboost on 32bit editions now supports up to 256 Gigabytes of extra allocation. The default
setting for User Account Control in Windows 7 has been criticized for allowing untrusted
software to be launched with elevated privileges without a prompt by exploiting a trusted
application.[44] Microsoft's Windows kernel engineer Mark Russinovich acknowledged the
problem, but noted that malware can also compromise a system when users agree to a prompt.[45]
Windows 7 also supports images in the RAW image format through the addition of Windows
Imaging Component-enabled image decoders, which enables raw image thumbnails, previewing
and metadata display in Windows Explorer, plus full-size viewing and slideshows in Windows
Photo Viewer and Window Media Center.[46]

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been
replaced with the "Superbar" allowing applications to be pinned to the taskbar. Buttons for
pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump
Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks.[47] The revamped taskbar also allows the
reordering of taskbar buttons. To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button
that serves as the Show desktop icon. This button is part of the new feature in Windows 7 called
Aero Peek. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at
the desktop.[48] In touch-enabled displays such as touch screens, tablet PCs, etc., this button is
slightly wider to accommodate being pressed with a finger.[49] Clicking this button minimizes all
windows, and clicking it a second time restores them. Additionally, there is a feature named
Aero Snap, that automatically maximizes a window when it is dragged to the top of the screen.[50]
Dragging windows to the left/right edges of the screen allows users to snap documents or files on
either side of the screen for comparison between windows. When a user moves windows that
were maximized using Aero Snap, the system restores their previous state automatically. This
functionality is also accomplished with keyboard shortcuts. Unlike in Windows Vista, window
borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized with Windows Aero
applied. Instead, they remain translucent.

The Windows 7 taskbar.

For developers, Windows 7 includes a new networking API with support for building SOAP-
based web services in native code (as opposed to .NET-based WCF web services),[51] new
features to shorten application install times, reduced UAC prompts, simplified development of
installation packages,[52] and improved globalization support through a new Extended Linguistic
Services API.[53] At WinHEC 2008 Microsoft announced that color depths of 30-bit and 48-bit
would be supported in Windows 7 along with the wide color gamut scRGB (which for HDMI 1.3
can be converted and output as xvYCC). The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit
sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB.
[54][55]
Microsoft has also implemented better support for solid-state drives,[56] including the new
TRIM command, and Windows 7 is able to identify a solid-state drive uniquely. Microsoft is
planning to support USB 3.0 in a subsequent patch, support not being included in the initial
release due to delays in the finalization of the standard.[57]

Internet Spades, Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers, which were removed from
Windows Vista, were restored in Windows 7. Windows 7 includes Internet Explorer 8 and
Windows Media Player 12.

Wikinews has related news: Windows 7 will allow users to disable Internet Explorer

Users are also able to disable many more Windows components than was possible in Windows
Vista. New additions to this list of components include Internet Explorer, Windows Media
Player, Windows Media Center, Windows Search, and the Windows Gadget Platform.[58]
Windows 7 includes 13 additional sound schemes, titled Afternoon, Calligraphy, Characters,
Cityscape, Delta, Festival, Garden, Heritage, Landscape, Quirky, Raga, Savanna, and Sonata.[59]
A new version of Microsoft Virtual PC, newly renamed as Windows Virtual PC was made
available for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.[60] It allows multiple
Windows environments, including Windows XP Mode, to run on the same machine. Windows
XP Mode runs Windows XP in a virtual machine and redirects displayed applications running in
Windows XP to the Windows 7 desktop.[61] Furthermore, Windows 7 supports the mounting of a
virtual hard disk (VHD) as a normal data storage, and the bootloader delivered with Windows 7
can boot the Windows system from a VHD, however, this is only available in the Enterprise and
Ultimate editions.[62] The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) of Windows 7 is also enhanced to
support real-time multimedia application including video playback and 3D games, thus allowing
use of DirectX 10 in remote desktop environments.[63] The three application limit, previously
present in the Windows Vista Starter Edition, has been removed from Windows 7.[64]
[edit] Removed features

Main article: List of features removed in Windows 7

A number of capabilities and certain programs that were a part of Windows Vista are no longer
present or have been changed, resulting in the removal of certain functionalities. These include
the classic Start Menu user interface, some taskbar features, Windows Explorer features,
Windows Media Player features, Windows Ultimate Extras and InkBall. Four applications
bundled with Windows Vista — Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows
Calendar[65] and Windows Mail — are not included with Windows 7, but applications with
mostly similar functionality are instead available for free in a separate package called Windows
Live Essentials which can be found on the Microsoft website. Although Windows Ultimate
Extras was removed, many of the extras can be installed. Most popular extras were Microsoft
Texas Hold 'em, Microsoft Tinker, and Windows DreamScene.[citation needed] InkBall may also be
installed into Windows 7.

[edit] Antitrust regulatory attention


As with other Microsoft operating systems, Windows 7 is being studied by United States federal
regulators who oversee the company's operations following the 2001 United States v. Microsoft
settlement. According to status reports filed, the three-member panel began assessing prototypes
of the new operating system in February 2008. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter
Research said that, "[Microsoft's] challenge for Windows 7 will be how can they continue to add
features that consumers will want that also don't run afoul of regulators."[66]

[edit] Europe

In order to comply with European antitrust regulations, Microsoft has proposed the use of a
"ballot" screen, allowing users to download a competing browser, thus removing the need for a
version of Windows completely without Internet Explorer, as previously planned.[67] In response
to criticism involving Windows 7 E and concerns from manufacturers about possible consumer
confusion if a version of Windows 7 with Internet Explorer were shipped later after one without
Internet Explorer, Microsoft announced that it would scrap the separate version for Europe and
ship the standard upgrade and full packages worldwide.[68]

As with the previous version of Windows, an N version, which does not come with Windows
Media Player, has been released in Europe, but only for sale directly from Microsoft sales
websites and selected others.[69]

[edit] Reception
In July 2009, in only eight hours, pre-orders of Windows 7 at Amazon.co.uk surpassed the
demand Windows Vista had in its first 17 weeks.[70] It became the highest-grossing pre-order in
Amazon's history, surpassing sales of the previous record holder, the seventh Harry Potter book.
[71]
After 36 hours, 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions sold out in
Japan.[72] Two weeks after its release, it was announced that its market share had surpassed that
of Snow Leopard, released two months previously as the most recent update to Apple's Mac OS
X operating system.[73][74] According to Net Applications, Windows 7 reached a 4% market share
in less than three weeks. In comparison, it took Windows Vista seven months to reach the same
mark.[75] As of March 4, 2010, Microsoft announced that it had sold more than 90 million
Windows 7 licenses.[76] On April 23, 2010, Windows 7 has sold more than 100 million copies in
six months which made it Microsoft's fastest selling operating system.[77][78] As of June 23, 2010,
Windows 7 has sold 150 million copies which made it the fastest selling operating system in
history with seven copies sold every second.[78][79] Based on worldwide data taken during June
2010 from Windows Update 46% of Windows 7 PCs run the 64-bit edition of Windows 7.[80]
According to Stephen Baker of the NPD Group during April 2010 in the United States 77% of
PCs sold at retail were pre-installed with the 64-bit edition of Windows 7.[80][81] As of July 22,
2010, Windows 7 has sold 175 million copies.[82] On October 21, 2010, Microsoft announced that
more than 240 million copies of Windows 7 have been sold.[83]

Reviews of Windows 7 were extremely positive, praising its usability when compared to its
predecessor, Windows Vista. CNET gave Windows 7 Home Premium a rating of 4.5 out of 5
stars,[84] stating that it "is more than what Vista should have been, [and] it's where Microsoft
needed to go". PC Magazine rated it a 4 out of 5 saying that Windows 7 is a "big improvement"
over Windows Vista, with fewer compatibility problems, a retooled taskbar, simpler home
networking and faster start-up.[85] Maximum PC gave Windows 7 a rating of 9 out of 10 and
called Windows 7 a "massive leap forward" in usability and security, and praised the new
Taskbar as "worth the price of admission alone".[86] PC World called Windows 7 a "worthy
successor" to Windows XP and said that speed benchmarks showed Windows 7 to be slightly
faster than Windows Vista.[87] PC World also named Windows 7 one of the best products of the
year.[88] In its review of Windows 7, Engadget said that Microsoft has taken a "strong step
forward" with Windows 7 and reported that speed is one of Windows 7's major selling points
particularly for the netbook sets.[89] LAPTOP Magazine gave Windows 7 a rating of 4 out of 5
stars and said that Windows 7 makes computing more intuitive, offered better overall
performance including a "modest to dramatic" increase in battery life on laptop computers.[90]
Techradar gave it a 5 star rating calling it the best version of Windows yet.[91] The New York
Times,[92] USA Today,[93] The Wall Street Journal,[94] and The Telegraph[95] also gave Windows 7
favorable reviews.

Some Vista Ultimate users have expressed concerns over Windows 7 pricing and upgrade
options.[96][97] Windows Vista Ultimate users wanting to upgrade from Windows Vista to
Windows 7 must either pay $219.99[98] to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate or perform a clean
install, which requires them to reinstall all of their programs.[99]

[edit] Editions
Main article: Windows 7 editions

Windows 7 is available in six different editions, but only the Home Premium, Professional, and
Ultimate editions are available for retail sale to consumers in most countries.[100] The other
editions are aimed at other markets, such as the developing world or enterprise use.[100] Each
edition of Windows 7 includes all of the capabilities and features of the edition below it.[100][101]
[102][103][104]
All editions support the 32-bit (IA-32) processor architecture and all editions except
Starter support the 64-bit (x86-64) processor architecture. The installation media is the same for
all the consumer editions of Windows 7 that have the same processor architecture, with the
license determining the features that are activated, and license upgrades permitting the
subsequent unlocking of features without re-installation of the operating system.[105] This is the
first time Microsoft has distributed 2 DVDs (1 DVD for IA-32 processor architecture, the other
DVD for x86-64 processor architecture) for each edition of Windows 7 (Except for Starter and
Home Basic; only in Retail, not OEM; the installation DVD of Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bit
edition is not included in the retail packaging but can be obtained from Microsoft.). Users who
wish to upgrade to an edition of Windows 7 with more features can then use Windows Anytime
Upgrade to purchase the upgrade, and unlock the features of those editions.[101][105][106] Some
copies of Windows 7 have restrictions, in which it must be distributed, sold, or bought and
activated in the geographical region (One of the geographical regions can be either: Southeast
Asia; India; or Latin America and the Caribbean) specified in its front cover box.

Microsoft is offering a family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium (in select markets) that allows
installation on up to three PCs.[107] The "Family Pack" costs US$259.99 in the United States;[108] it
was available at a cost of US$149.99 for some weeks when it was first introduced.[107]

On September 18, 2009, Microsoft said they were to offer temporary student discounts for
Windows 7. The offer ran in the US and the United Kingdom, with similar schemes available in
Canada, Australia, Korea, Mexico, France and India. Students with a valid .edu or .ac.uk email
address could apply for either Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional, priced at $30 or £30.
[109][110]

Windows 7 is also currently available as an embedded version to developers (previously


Windows Embedded 2011).[111]

[edit] Marketing
The different editions of Windows 7 have been designed and marketed toward people with
different needs.[112] Out of the different editions (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium,
Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate), the Starter edition has been designed and marketed for
lower cost notebooks, Home Basic for emerging markets, Home Premium for normal home
users, Professional for businesses, Enterprise for larger businesses and corporations, and
Ultimate for enthusiasts.[112]

[edit] Hardware requirements


Recent PCs meeting the minimum hardware requirements or that run Windows 7 may feature
this sticker.

Microsoft has published the minimum specifications for a system to run Windows 7.[113]
Requirements for the 32-bit version are similar to that of premium editions of Vista, but are
higher for 64-bit versions. Microsoft has released an upgrade advisor that determines if a
computer is compatible with Windows 7. Although the Nvidia GeForce FX (5xxx) series
graphics cards meet the minimum hardware requirement, nVidia has decided not to produce
Windows 7 compatible drivers for anything below the GeForce 6 Series.

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows 7[113]


Architecture 32-bit 64-bit
Processor 1 GHz x86 processor 1 GHz x86-64 processor
Memory (RAM) 1 GB 2 GB
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver model 1.0
Graphics Card
(Not absolutely necessary; only required for Aero)
HDD free space 16 GB of free disk space 20 GB of free disk space
Optical drive DVD drive (only to install from DVD/CD Media)

Additional requirements to use certain features:[113]

 Windows XP Mode (Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise): Requires an additional 1GB


of RAM and additional 15GB of available hard disk space. The requirement for a
processor capable of hardware virtualization has been lifted.[114]
 Windows Media Center (included in Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate and
Enterprise), requires a TV tuner to receive and record TV.

[edit] Physical memory limits


Maximum limits on physical memory (RAM) that Windows 7 can address vary depending on
both the Windows version and between 32-bit and 64-bit versions.[115] The following table
specifies the maximum physical memory limits supported:

Physical memory limits for Windows 7 versions[115]


Version Limit in 32-bit Windows Limit in 64-bit Windows
Windows 7 Ultimate 4 GB 192 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise 4 GB 192 GB
Windows 7 Professional 4 GB 192 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium 4 GB 16 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic 4 GB 8 GB
Windows 7 Starter 2 GB N/A

[edit] Multi-core processor and multiprocessor limits


The maximum quantity of cores in 1 physical processor of a PC that Windows 7 supports is: 32
for 32-bit, 256 for 64-bit. The maximum quantity of physical processors of a PC that Windows
supports is: 2 for Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate; 1 for Starter, Home Basic, and Home
Premium.[116]

[edit] Service packs


Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) was announced on March 18, 2010 and is currently in
development. A beta was released on July 12, 2010.[117][118][119] Microsoft confirmed that the
service pack is to be on a much smaller scale than those released for previous versions of
Windows, particularly Windows Vista.[120]

On April 7, 2010, a build of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 dated from March 27, 2010 was leaked
onto torrent sites.[121][122] The leaked service pack has a build number of
6.1.7601.16537.amd64fre.win7.100327-0053 and installation has been reported to be much
quicker than service packs for previous versions of Windows.[123]

The latest beta version of Service Pack 1 that was officially released by Microsoft has a version
number of "6.1.7601.178".

On October 6, 2010, Softpedia reports that Microsoft released a Release Candidate Escrow of
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 build "6.1.7601.17104" only available to Select Testers and close
partners of Microsoft.[124]

On October 26, 2010, Microsoft officially released the Release Candidate of the Service Pack 1
for Windows 7. It has a version number of "6.1.7601.17105". [125]

Current official release of Service Pack 1 is slated for the first quarter of 2011, according to its
announcement.[126]

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