Inside Delphian

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 for 64-Bit Systems Released

Most of this post only applies to you if (a) you have a Windows 7-based computer, and (b) you have the 64-bit operating system.

A "Service Pack" isn't a new product; it's a major release of a given software product that offers updates, bug fixes, and/or enhancements. While many such items may be delivered from time to time by way of the regular Windows Update function, a Service Pack, well, packs everything into a single installable file. You install the one file, and all the goodies that come with it are installed. You may/may not notice any differences in your software–be it Windows, or perhaps Microsoft Office–following the installation.

The first Service Pack for the Windows 7 64-bit operating system (a mammoth file, by the way) contains quite a few items, but the following two may be most recognizable to most people:

• The connection between Windows and HDMI audio devices has been made more robust, and a fix has been instituted that constantly maintains the connectivity.
• XPS documents (a proprietary Microsoft format for documents that is similar to PDF) were sometimes not printing properly when the documents were mixed-mode; meaning, that there were both portrait and landscape pages in the documents. This glitch has been addressed.

Other changes made were a little on the exotic side, at least for most users (things like the behavior of “Restore previous folders at logon” functionality and support for Advanced Vector Extensions AVX).

After the requisite reboot, I can't say my 64-bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate looked, 'felt', or ran differently. Still, it is highly recommended that you install most recommended updates seen in Windows Update, and especially Service Packs.

Windows 7 - Service Pack 1 Released

Those of you who use a Windows-based computer, and who upgraded to or use Windows 7, will want to know this news: the first major service pack for Windows 7 has just been released. If you have your Windows set to Automatic Updates, you will get notification of this, but you will also have to specifically choose the update from any recent available updates.

So what's a Service Pack?

A Service Pack is basically a collection of known bug fixes, and sometimes improvements or new functionality. For instance, I'm creating this post on our desktop computer, which is running Windows XP. Because XP has been around so long–can it really be nine years now?–there have been several Service Packs. I have installed all service packs on this machine, up to and including Service Pack 3.

Should you install a Service Pack?

My short answer is this: yes. My longer answer is a little more involved...

As most service packs contain bug fixes (which can themselves include security fixes), I think they're an important consideration. Even if a service pack includes very little new functionality (as in the first one for Windows 7), the bug fixes and/or security enhancements alone should be considered. The other reasons you should install a service pack have to do with compatibility. Eventually, as with Windows XP, other programs (or possibly other hardware) will require the new service pack, though they might not right away.

What does Windows 7 Service Pack 1 mean to me?

About a half-hour to an hour, and anywhere from approximately 30 megabytes of disk space to several hundred megabytes of disk space (depending on what's already been updated). If you've kept your Windows 7 updated, the process shouldn't take too long, or consume too much disk space.

OK, how do I install Windows 7 Service Pack 1?

If Automatic Updates is "on", go to the Start button and search for "Windows Update" (just type it in). Are there new updates? If yes, look for a link that tells you a number of "important updates are available". Click that link, and check the check box for Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Click the OK button, install the Service Pack (it will download, and that's the most lengthy process). Reboot your computer when asked to. When you log-in again, you should get a message telling you it's done!

For more information on Windows 7 Service Pack 1, have a look at Microsoft's information pages. There are several different Web pages available, but the following one sums things up nicely, and provides you with a link on how to install and where to get the Service Pack (if it's not available to you yet): http://bit.ly/Windows7_SP1.

I just installed SP1 this morning on one of the laptops. Things seem OK so far (a good sign).

Happy computing!

The new Windows is on its way

Early in January, Microsoft unveiled its beta release of Microsoft Windows 7. This will be the next version of Windows, and it will be a lot like Microsoft Windows Vista. But according to early reviews, the news is more good than bad.

Over the past week, I've skimmed through 3-4 reviews of Microsoft's new operating system (OS). The sources have been as diverse as The Dallas Morning News and PC Advisor (UK).

Windows XP users (we have Microsoft Windows XP, Media Center Edition installed on the Desktop, but Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium on the laptops) won't be too thrilled by the new upgrade, as at its core it is still based on Vista. On the flip side, there's at least one thing that existing Vista users won't like: if you have a piece of legacy hardware that wouldn't work with Vista (say a dated scanner, or printer), and if the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) hadn't updated their software driver (instructions) for Vista, chances are that piece of hardware still won't work.

But according to early reviews, there have been many improvements in both compatibility and performance. Here are a few examples:

• The memory requirements have eased up. The first laptop we purchased that came with Vista pre-installed almost lumbered along with its 1 GB of RAM and it's underpowered little processor. Accorinding to early reports, it should do much better with Windows 7.
• Programs launch more quickly. Don't know how much of a big deal this is to you, but it sounds like the new OS loads faster, and that most programs do too.
• Interface changes. Something's been added to the Taskbar that groups programs together, and that uses distinct icons for ease of recognition. Also there's something called a "Jump List" that groups recent documents according to the application used.
• The Sidebar is gone. According to PC Advisor this is a very good thing. It is a memory hog (but I got to like the way it looks and the fun stuff you can put on it).

It's important to understand that a beta release isn't a final release. In other words, beta users install and use (and 'test') software at their own risk. Improvements and stability fixes are made as time goes along, and eventually a final release is made publicly available for purchase (upgrade or first time). So please: unless you want to venture into somewhat unknown, unpredictable territory, don't go out of your way to install the beta release of Windows 7. Wait until it is released publicly.

A Vista of Windows Choices: Part III

At the end of Part II of this series, I had just finished telling you that after we'd purchased our new notebook, I was in the process of re-installing the software that used to be on the ThinkPad™. I had hinted that everything was going well until I began to use Dreamweaver® 8 and Office Outlook® 2007. That's where this post picks up!

In Dreamweaver, every few times I tried to start the program, it would quit before getting to its opening screen. If I did get in, it would quit when I tried to open a file (sometimes this happened when I tried to open files from the menu, sometimes when I opened them from one of the panels). I tried everything I knew, then spent hours researching what I didn't know. The short–and not so sweet answer–I eventually received from Adobe® (the folks who had purchased Macromedia) was basically this: stuff it. They would not be releasing a fix for Dreamweaver 8 runnning on a Windows Vista® machine. They had a bunch of solutions we Dreamweaver 8 users could try (which I did), plus they were kind enough to point us to one of Microsoft's pages. I tried those solutions too. Eventually it was pretty clear what would have to happen: if I wanted to run Dreamwever on my notebook, I would have to buy their new version (CS3). And since their Creative Suite was a better deal than purchasing Dreamweaver alone, well hey; why not do that.

A Vista of Windows Choices: Part II

In Part I of this series, I talked about how I began to explore and adapt to using Windows Vista® Home Premium when we purchased our (then) new HP Pavilion Widescreen Notebook PC. I had discovered that there were—are—some quite wonderful features in Microsoft’s® new operating system (OS). Near the end of my post, I said that some of Vista’s features and functionality came at a high price, and that’s where the ‘honeymoon’ part of my relationship with Vista ended. That’s where this post begins.

Over the years I’d grudgingly accepted that every new OS created orphans. In computer-speak, they call these legacy applications (if discussing software), or legacy devices when it’s hardware.

In general, legacy systems or software are old or dated. It’s important to note that doesn’t mean they’re useless or don’t function. Users (that's us) continue to employ legacy software or hardware for several reasons, but mainly because, well, it still works! As time goes on, legacy systems or software become increasingly difficult to maintain or replace. Perhaps just as problematic is this: when we, as users, decide (perhaps a better word would be “choose”) to upgrade either our hardware or software, we’re to blame for creating more legacy components. Some of the more dramatic examples of the instant creation of legacy systems or software come about when there are major operating system upgrades. Software and hardware components that were working fine, when unceremoniously paired with a new OS, may become unstable and unpredictable, or worse; unusable.

A Vista of Windows Choices: Part I

In addition to being a virtual assistant, I’m a college professor. I teach basic computer subjects, including Microsoft® Office, the Internet, and basic HTML.

In the summer of 2006, I thought it wise to become familiar with Microsoft’s new offerings. Building on the one suite of applications I knew best, I signed on as a beta tester for 2007 Microsoft Office. I began to familiarize myself with some of the major changes in Office–some of which I actually liked. Summer turned to fall, and the next big event was the launch of Windows Vista® (Vista).

A few people I know, one or two quite well, have had Vista sagas. Mine isn’t so much a saga as learning experience; a “character building” learning experience. And that’s where this story begins …