Windows 7 beta with Applications report

[macdunn]

I managed to download the Windows 7 32bit beta on Jan. 11 (earlier reported as being the Nov. 1st version but caught by Scot) from Germany. Not a bad download experience though it did last overnight. Anyway, I will be sharing in this thread my test results from trying to run 'older' versions of common programs with Win7. Of course, many of the programs have newer versions available but most of my clients are running the versions I am reporting. Also, I have not looked at Vista at all so I will not compare to it. I, like my clients, am [satisfactorily] using Windows XP.First, my hardware --

Compaq EVO N620c laptopIntel Pentium M 1500MHz processor2GB RAM (boy, I started how many years ago with a TI 99-4a and was happy to upgrade from 16K to 48K)Mobility Radeon 7500 video adapter32MB VRAMSoundMax Integrated Digital AudioBroadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet adapterCompaq WLAN Multiport W200 (WiFi b standard)SMC IrCC - Fast Infrared PortFujitsu 100GB HDD (again, turn on the wayback machine and remember using cassette players to store programs)

As many people have reported, the installation went surprising well and fast, even compared to XP (no experience with Vista, remember). Win7 did not have drivers for three pieces of hardware --

SoundMax Integrated Digital AudioCompaq WLAN Multiport W200SMC IrCC - Fast Infrared PortI networked though the Broadcom network adapter (hardwire, obviously) to one of my other N620c's with XP installed, enabled sharing for the Windows directory and was able to load the drivers for the SoundMax 'card' and for the W200 WiFi adapter. No problems using these drivers yet, matter of fact, Win7 reports a slightly better connect signal (WiFi) than the very same hardware using XP and sitting next to each other. But, no driver was found for the IrCC adapter which does work on my N620c's/XP. No big loss with the IrCC adapter since I do not use it (who does?, why do they still build them in laptops?).

Now then, software compatibility --1) Apache (apache_1.3.26-win32-x86-no_src.exe installation) with PHP 4.1

I do a lot of my Web development offline, so Apache is critical for me.The installation went fine, no problems. However, when Apache tries to start, an error is returned -- OpenSCManager could not be foundAfter a little bit of head scratching, I decided to just run Apache by going to its sub-directory and double-clicking on the executable. Okay, fine, it runs fine. So, I added it to the Startup folder on the Start menu. Now, it runs on startup as I want.PHP - no problem at all. You do not even need to run the installation. Just copy a current PHP sub-directory to the same location on the destination machine and copy the existing PHP.ini file from the Windows sub-directory to the same location on the Win7 machine.

2) TweakUI (for Windows 95/98/2000/XP)

The installation using the TweakUI.exe fails. Right-clicking on TweakUI.inf and selecting Install from the dropdown list works and adds it to the Control Panel.However, when I open the TweakUI control panel, and going to the Logon tab, I checked Log on automatically at system startup, and provided my logon info. When I applied the change and went back to the tab, the change had not been saved. Restarting the computer made no difference, the data had not been saved.I then downloaded the TweakUI for Vista referred to here on the forum and tried to install it -- 'TweakUI is for Vista only'.Then, I did some other installs (to be described further) and then shutdown for the day. The next day I tried the TweakUI for Vista again, no go, and then reinstalled the TweakUI for XP and made my desired changes for auto-logon. When I rebooted, Win7 went into a reiterative reboot at the Logon dialog box. Crash! Since I could not logon manually and it kept rebooting at this point, I had to shut down the machine and reinstall Win7 from scratch.TweakUI is not essential to my work, just a small convenience.

3) Adobe Photoshop 5.5 (if it works, why upgrade, meets my needs)

No problems with the installationNo problems running Photoshop 5.5, so far.

4) Microsoft Office 2000 (same as my clients, though I also have 2003 on another machine)

No problems with the installationSo far, no problems running Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint in initial tests, though I would not describe them as extensive.

5) Eudora 4.1 (if it works, why upgrade, meets my needs)

No problems just copying the Eudora directory over from XP However, when I tried to run it, an error message was returned -- 'msvcp50.dll not found'. Okay, so I checked the Win7 HDD and one of my XP HDDs and found the msvcp50.dll file in the Windows\System32 sub-directory on XP but not on Win7. So, I copied the .dll to the same sub-directory on the Win7 machine and tried again. Problem solved, Eudora 4.1 now runs fine.

6) WS FTP (98.11.12.1)

Copied it over from XP and double-clicked on ftp95pro.exe to 'initialize' (add to the Registry) it. However, with Win7, an error was returned - Initialization failed. Registry access failed. So, it will not run.This is critical for me because a large part of my business is Web development. (Any tips for WS FTP will be welcomed!)

7) Firefox 3.0.5

No problems with the installation. From the XP machine, opened Documents and Settings > macdunn (my specific user name) > Application Data, copied the Mozilla sub-directory to Documents and Settings > Application Data on the Win7 machine. This copies all of my previously defined blocked sites (for cookies, etc.) and bookmarks.Firefox now runs like it does on my XP machines, no problems.

8) Skype 2.5.0.141 (again, if it works, why upgrade)

No problems with the installation. From the XP machine, opened Documents and Settings > macdunn (my specific user name) > Application Data, copied the Skype sub-directory to Documents and Settings > Application Data on the Win7 machine. This copies all of my previously defined settings.When I run it the first time, automatically logging on, it does ask me for the password for the default logon identity (good security, to not save that), then Skype runs like it does on my XP machines, no problems.

9) Nero Vision Express (their media player, version NVE-3.1.0.25_no_yt.exe)

No problems with the installation. Nero Vision (Showtime) runs like it does on my XP machines, no problems.

10) Nero (their CD/DVD burning software, version Nero-6.6.0.16.exe)

No problems with the installation. However, when I select Nero Express from the Start menu, the initial dialog box opens and immediately closes. This is a problem already reported by Microsoft, so no surprise.

That is an initial list of software that I have tested with Win7. Overall, I would have to say that Win7 is better than I expected (feared). I do not like the way it presents and lets you control sub-directories, the Control Panel, networking, and some other features, but I expected that in Win7 and is part of why I did not bother with Vista. Even IE 8.0 is much faster than previous IEs, but I will stick with Firefox as a practice. Besides, again because of my emphasis on Web development, the majority of the hits on sites I maintain are IE 6, followed my Firefox, so my Web programming will continue to concentrate on features supported by those browsers.But, not a bad experience and I can live with Win7, so far. I will report later in the next week on --Avery Design Pro (predefined Avery label stock program)LightScribe (burning a 'image' on the label side of a LightScribe CD/DVD with a LightScribe-capable burner)MySQL / MyODBCOpenOffice 3.0 (actually already installed and running with no problems, but I have a further note to describe)Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 UltimateSafari (browser)Ulead GIF AnimatorUlead Photo Express (bundled graphics program with a nice calendar add-in)Twain driver for my Primax Scanner (believe it or not, still using a parallel interface-enabled scanner)Twain driver for my Canon EOS digital SLRThese are all the main programs that dominate my work and life. So, ...

Edited January 26, 2009 by macdunn

[Gary]

I am running Win 7 Ultimate x64 and I love it. I was quad booting with all versions but I slimmed down to just Vista and Win 7 Ultimate x64.

[Frank Golden]

I am running Win 7 Ultimate x64 and I love it. I was quad booting with all versions but I slimmed down to just Vista and Win 7 Ultimate x64.

I would like to add to macdunn's list with some of my own tests.System specs firstAcer Aspire 5672WLMI notebookIntel Core 2 Duo (merom) 2 GHz processor4 GB of DDR memory (667 MHz)ATi Mobility Radeon X1400 video subsystem (128 MB discrete ddr memory)Intel soundBroadcom NetLink Gigabit EthernetIntel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection200 GB Seagate Momentus 7200 rpm HDDPartition arrangement on drive. Click thumbnail.Win 7 beta 32 bit installed fine in about 25 minutes. Installed it on the last partition of my HDD. The first partition is XP Pro with (4) linux distros in between. Win 7 installed a bootloader to allow booting either XP or Win 7. Restoring Grub using the Super Grub CD allows me to boot everything.I had ethernet cable connected so I had internet connection at the end of install.Setting up Wi-Fi was a breeze.Auto update kicked in and downloaded and installed drivers for my video and audio.I also got drivers for my USB webcam (Logitech Quick Cam 9000 Pro) which was plugged in during install.I did have to manually install drivers for my built-in TI SD card reader.All hardware working. Installed AVG 7.5 (paid version) from an install CD. Works great. Had tried the latest AVG 8 (free version) but didn't like the excessive resources that the "resident shield" used so back to the earlier version.Installed Skype 4 beta 3. Works great. I know this is a new version and should work anyway but I like the new interface.I have Firefox 3.5 and Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 and Open Office.org 3 installed as Portable versions on my XP machine.No install routine needed simply copied the respective folders to Win 7 and created shortcuts to executables.All work great. Installed MS works 2007, Word and Streets and Trips. Works great.Installed my (paid) version of WinDVD 8 Platinum. Works great.Autoruns and Process Explorer from MS systeminternals installed and working great.IrfanView installed and working.7 ZIP installed and workingAdobe Reader 9 installed and working.SpywareBlaster (JavaCool) installed and working.Acronis True Image installed and working.Leechget D/L manager installed and working.Nero 8 installed and working. Nero's install routine is buggy and not for the uninitiated but I managed to get it installed OK.Zune installed and working.Java runtime installed.Flash 10 installed.Some programs I tried that didn't install/workPartition Magic wouldn't installNorton Ghost 9 wouldn't installDiskeeper wouldn't installJust having most of my hardware working "out of the box" is impressive.With an XP fresh install I have to retrieve hardware drivers from Acer beforehand, especially my NIC and Wi-Fi drivers and store them on a thumb drive before installing XP.I don't have any network capabilities with an XP install until I manually install my NIC drivers. Edited January 25, 2009 by Frank Golden

[Scot]

I managed to download the Windows 7 32bit beta on Nov. 1 from Germany.

Macdunn, with that opening sentence, I have to question whether you're running the public Beta 1 of Windows 7, released earlier this month, or the private alpha preview that was distributed in November. They are very different.Your information is really interesting, and we could use more of it. But please ensure you're using the Windows 7 Beta 1 public beta.Thanks!-- Scot

[macdunn]

Macdunn, with that opening sentence, I have to question whether you're running the public Beta 1 of Windows 7, released earlier this month, or the private alpha preview that was distributed in November. They are very different.Your information is really interesting, and we could use more of it. But please ensure you're using the Windows 7 Beta 1 public beta.Thanks!-- Scot

Scot,Sorry about that. I was writing my report when I was tired when I read the .iso file date in the wrong order and did not pay attention to the year. In Germany, dates are DD/MM/YYYY while in the US they are MM/DD/YYYY, so 1/11/2009 can be read as Jan 11 in the US and as Nov 1 in Germany. Thanks for spotting that. I am reporting my tests of the public Beta 1 of Windows 7 that was so popular that it overloaded Microsoft's servers and had to be delayed several days. I managed to get my download done on Sunday Jan. 11 when the servers opened back up (taking advantage of being 9 hours earlier here in Europe). Even though I was a 'favored' alpha/beta tester for Microsoft back in the 1990s, I now have to wait for the public beta tests. Back in the 90s I worked for Borland and then Novell (San Jose) as a QA engineer, so I try to be clearer in my tests.-Mac- Edited January 26, 2009 by macdunn

[Scot]

Thanks for clarifying, Mac. I guessed it was something like that but wanted to be sure.-- Scot

[mac]

hi, macdunn and frank golden! great reports.am not surprised that disk utilities fail as 7 prolly has an even more different boot sector than vista (which is different from xp.)

Partition Magic 8 does not work in Vista, even in compatability mode. And, I don't imagine that Symantec will re-write it to make it compatable with Vista or WIN 7.

[Scot]

This will sound crazy, but Symantec didn't buy PartitionMagic to do anything with it. It bought PowerQuest to eliminate a relatively new competitor that was branching out into the enterprise space and beginning to make headway. Symantec has never updated PartitionMagic to my knowledge, other than to add its LiveUpdate tool to the PM8 package.After Vista shipped I tried to get Symantec on the record about its intentions for any further development of PartitionMagic. The company had already indicated that it would not be issuing a Vista release. The company never responded to my inquiries.I will try again, since that was in early 2007.-- Scot