Posted on by Emily

Windows 7 (And a Giveaway!)

As I mentioned, a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to pick out a computer (courtesy of Microsoft) at Staples so I could test out the new Windows 7. Having no idea what I was doing, I turned to my friend Matt, and he gave me great advice on which laptop I should buy (Me: Let’s pretend you had to go to Staples tonight & buy a Microsoft laptop. What would you get? Him: Get this one {link}. Me: Sold.) (I love twitter.)

But I digress.

Windows has come a long way since I installed Windows 98 on my brand new (enormous) desktop before I headed off to college. One of the biggest changes is the amount of things you can customize to make your computer look and run the way you want it to. First, you can pick out a theme, which determines the pictures, colors, and sounds on your computer. Also, you can choose the Aero desktop experience you want. Here’s an example:

The aero experience “includes distinctive visual styles that combine the appearance of lightweight, translucent windows with powerful graphic advances. You can enjoy visually appealing effects and appearance and also benefit from better access to your programs.”

In other words, you can make your computer look pretty.

Another cool thing for those of you (like us) who have multiple computers in the house – HomeGroup allows sharing between machines. No more emailing documents to yourself so you can get them onto the other computer! “Now, you can easily connect two or more PCs running Windows 7 on your home network to automatically start sharing printers—and your media and document libraries—with other people in your home.” That is pretty sweet. Better yet? You can make files “read only” so your family members don’t jack up your stuff.

Speaking of having files at the ready, Windows 7 (combined with Windows Live) allows you to create a “cloud” so you can have everything at your fingertips. Check it out.

Overall, we have been really impressed with Windows 7. My husband, who is admittedly non-techie, commented tonight on how intuitive the program is. I think that is critically important for busy parents!

Here’s the fun part – we’re giving away a $50 Staples gift card! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling us what Windows 7 feature you’d like to check out!

The contest will end at 5:00 p.m. on March 18, and a winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

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44 Replies to “Windows 7 (And a Giveaway!)”

  3. I love Windows 7 on my laptop. I especially love Windows Live. It is so easy to make movies and upload to Facebook to share with family and friends.

  4. I love the sharing function and how easy it is to share documents and allow to make it read only.

  5. I’m all about making my computer look pretty, lol. and I also like the sharing feature 🙂

  6. Here’s one of my favorite Windows 7 features, and you’ll come to learn this, it NEVER CRASHES. I can’t remember how long I’ve been using it, maybe a year, and it is the most stable OS that has ever come out of Microsoft. I love it!

  7. The cloud feature, of having files shared between devices, makes a lot of sense to me- that’s something I’d like to try out.

  10. I would like to try some of the visual effects. At least there’d be something grownup in my house then lol

  11. I like the way the bar is set on the bottom of the screen, it a lot clearer than previous versions.

  12. I’m interested in using anything on Windows 7. I haven’t tried any of the Windows products since XP!

  14. I like the sharing function. I am always emailing stuff to myself so I can pull it up on another computer.

  16. Windows 7 is way better than Vista and I love it. Would love to give the Cloud feature a go. Thanks for the giveaway!

  18. I love the concept of cloud computing, so it’s awesome that Windows 7 has integrated that. Great giveaway!

  20. i LOVE the “to the clouds commercial”. this is one feature i would love to check out!! great giveaway!

  22. I would like to try all of it-I keep hearing people talk about the cloud and how wonderful it is and would like to try it for myself

  23. Hi 🙂 One thing that I don’t think I tried, or even actually have in the 7 Home version (though might be able to download it from the Microsoft site) is the Windows XP Mode with Virtual PC thingy. Do have some older programs that kind of worked in XP that I wouldn’t mind trying to get work again. Though it just might time to give those up already! LOL

    Lois
    OV_099@yahoo.com

  25. I would love to be able to share documents. My husband has a pc with Windows 7 but mine still has Vista.

  27. I would like to try out a fun theme!

    thank you for the giveaway!

    avalenti6936 at yahoo dot com

  32. The easy connection of multiple home computers is DEFINATELY something I would liek to check o0ut!

  34. I have Windows 7 on my laptop and love it! One of my favorite features is the fact that you can run so many different programs/files and have the taskbar still look so clean and neat!

  42. The cloud! I keep seeing it in commercials, but I don’t get it. So I want it for myself. 🙂

  43. I’m looking forward to sharing that actually works. Right now we have a laptop with Vista and a desktop with XP and sharing NEVER works. If I ever actually print something from my laptop it’s a miracle.

  44. I really like the idea of being able to share between computers in your home. Also, the Aero desktop sounds interesting.

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