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I had a friend ask me last night if Windows 7 runs better than XP, and I did not know.  I knew that it ran better than Vista, so I went to work. 

First my laptop has never known Windows XP and it never will, I do not like XP and prefer Vista over it and love 7 over both of them.  Some would say I am nuts but as a computer technician the newer versions of Windows make my life easier.  This laptop is a Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR) with 2Gb of Ram and an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 running at 2.16 GHz this also runs an Intel Mobile 965 Express Graphics Chipset.  The laptop came with Vista Home Premium 32bit and I installed Windows 7 Enterprize 32bit.     Below is the Windows Experience Index from Vista.  Please note that the Index range is from 1.0 to 5.9 in Vista.

Windows Experience Index form Vista

As you can see the laptop does ok but below is the Windows Experience Index from 7 it seems like there is not much of a difference. Please note that in 7 the Index range is from 1.0 to 7.9 and that might be why the numbers are different. 

Windows Experience Index from 7

The difference in the numbers is interesting however I also ran Pass Mark Performance Test in both operating systems.  I figured this would give me a good answer if Windows 7 was in fact faster than Vista.  In Vista the Performance Test got a total score of 537.8 while in 7 it got a total of 590.4  I think these numbers speak for themselves.  Vista is slower than 7 the benchmark proves this.  So then what about Windows XP?

Well my father has a computer that I figured would be a great it is a home built machine with an Asus KV8 SE Deluxe motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ running at 2.2GHz and with 2Gb or Ram and an ATI X800 XT All-in-Wonder.  It already has Windows XP installed and it has never known Vista, so I partitioned the hard drive and installed Windows 7 Enterprize 32bit.  Pictured below is the Windows Experience Index from Windows 7

Windows Experience Index in Windows 7

As before I ran the Pass Mark Performance Test on both operating systems and here are the results you have been waiting for.  Windows 7 got a total score of 390.1 where Windows XP got a total score of 440.6  XP did better in 2D and 3D graphics than 7 and that could be do to the lack of proper driver support, as time goes on im sure that gap will close.  Really XP does not do that much better than 7 but it is a little faster.  Still my mother was using Windows 7 for the first time today on my fathers computer and really liked it and wants to use it more, and she has never used Vista. 

So Windows 7 is faster than Vista but just a little slower than XP, not bad Microsoft, not bad at all.  If you are thinking of making the jump to Windows 7 the numbers speak for themselves, go for it.  The new Features and the fact that it is more energy efficient make Windows 7 worth the upgrade, even if it is a little slower than XP.

Windows Vista brought a lot of change, and a lot of new features.  Love it or hate it Vista changed the game. I could not decide on five so here are my pick of six new features that were introduced in Vista.  Let’s revisit them.

1. Windows Defender, spyware and adware have been a big problem for a while.  I was glad when Microsoft introduced Windows Defender into Windows, it offered an extra layer of protection.  It is not the best program out there for this purpose, I prefer to use Spybot and Ad-Aware to remove spyware but Windows Defender does active protection and does not use up much system resources doing it. Also it is updated through Microsoft Update making staying protected easy.  You can also download Windows Defender for Windows XP.  You can get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/resultsForProduct.aspx?displaylang=en&productID=f8f1c499-e587-48a5-ac81-164e850dca48&nr=20&sortCriteria=Popularity&sortOrder=Ascending&stype=ss_sd

Windows Defender in Windows Vista

2. Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets, This was an awesome upgrade to Windows allowing more customization to Windows by allowing anyone to make a gadget and being able to download them.  There are gadgets that do just about everything and they are all free. Pictured below are some of the gadgets I use every day. Yeah there is a gadget for that!  You can download more for Windows Vista here at http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx?mkt=en-us  Now those should work for Windows 7 but the official website is here at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/downloads/personalize?T1=desktopgadgets

Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets

3. Instant Search, I hated having to use search to find anything in Windows because it took for ever, but in Vista is it ever easy.  Type a few letters and bam its there.  I love it and I can’t say enough about it.  You can update Windows XP with instant search too get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=55C18CB3-C916-4298-ABA3-5B98904F7CDA&displaylang=en

Instant Search

4. The Network and Sharing Center, This is a little gem in Vista allowing networks to be managed more easily, it also saves Wireless Network information, so finally you did not have to retype in your security key every few days to reconnect to the wireless. Sharing was also simplified and made it easier to share information at home.

Network and Sharing Center

This just made networking easy and if you had a problem it could try to repair it for you, a much needed feature.

Windows Network Diagnostics

5.  Windows DVD Maker, a simple program so you can share your videos and pictures with family and friends on DVD.  Not to shabby, but it is simple.  Hey not bad for the first version of the program.

Windows DVD Maker

6.  Windows Update, this is not really a new feature but so improved it might as well be,  finally Windows Update and Microsoft Update did not have to be accessed from a browser.  This is hands down the best decision Microsoft made in Vista.  A program that did Windows Update, awesome!

Windows Update in Vista

It is nice to see new features when Windows is released.  Computing changes and it is good that Windows tries to keep up.  If you are running Vista or thinking about it I would suggest upgrading to Windows 7, it takes Vista strong points and makes them much better.

Check out my list of Five new features in Windows XP it is a blast from the past.

Or check out my list of five new features in Windows 7

Well Windows XP was released in 2001 and I did not know much about it at the time of its launch.  I admit when it was first released it felt like a glorified service pack for Windows 2000.  While Windows 2000 is its ancestor, Windows ME was its spiritual ancestor.  But it did feel like they simply took all the features of Windows ME and shoved them into 2000 and tweaked it a bit.  While it is true that Microsoft took and combined its home and professional lines to create one Windows desktop version, there was more to Windows XP.  It would become one of the most used operating systems of its day.  So I have gone back and created a list of the top five best new features that Windows XP introduced.  Let’s revisit them.

1.  The Luna theme, for the first time in a long time Windows was not a drab grey color.   The interface seemed more warm and welcoming, it was a nice change.  One that I wanted when I first saw it.  Now is was also nicknamed the Fisher-Price theme and Windows was even called Windows XP Fisher-Price Edition, but it was a nice improvement.  It started people skinning Windows by hacking files as well, It actually inspired and made people ask the question What If? Could I make Windows look like…?  I have to admit it, it really was a good change.

The Blue Luna Theme in Windows XP

2. Windows Media Center, while it was not released with Windows XP at first and was never offered as an update, it was a neat thing you could do.  Use your computer to record TV.  It offered a media driven hub for people and even was imitated in some forms so others that did not have the Media Center version of XP could enjoy it, and was also imitated on Linux.  For some their computer became their DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Windows XP Media Center

3. Fast User Switching and Local Users, While local users were not exactly a new feature they were so greatly improved and finally brought to the home computer.  This changed a lot of things for home consumers.  Finally parents could have an account for their kids  to mess in while their background and icons never changed.  But the nice feature here was the fact that you did not have to log someone out to use your account, you could switch them.

Users Control panel Applet

Fast user switching made sharing the computer in a house hold very easy.  Remember too that Windows XP was released in a time where there was usually was only one computer in a house.  It would not be till years later that computers would come down in price and we would see almost as many computers in a house as TV’s.  The Fast User Switching was not only needed, it was a good move.

Fast User Switching Option

4. Windows Firewall was originally called the Internet Connection Firewall until Service Pack 2 was released with a revamped version of the firewall that was enabled by default unlike the previous version.   Microsoft did this after so many computers were getting infected with viruses and spyware.  the Windows Firewall helped a lot and provided those who could not afford to purchase a firewall for their computer some protection.

The Windows Firewall in Windows XP

5. The Compatibility Tab was a great help.  Most home users were using Windows 98 or Me which ran on top of DOS.  The programs made for these DOS based Windows versions often times were not compatible with Windows 2000.  In XP Microsoft fixed a lot of the problems with the Compatibility Tab.  Accessible by right clicking on the program and clicking on Properties, this would help the adoption of XP.

The Compatibility Tab

Windows XP was a good and logical evolution of the Windows product line.  It did have a few new features but it really improved on a lot of old ones.  It is almost 9 years old now and really is past its prime.  If your running XP I suggest looking at Windows 7, it runs better on slower computers than Vista.

You can also check out my list of Six new features in Windows Vista

Also for a blast from the past check out the Top Five New Features in Windows ME

I know it may seem silly for some people to talk about a 12-year-old operating system, however it is still being used even today but is not supported with security updates. If you have been thinking of upgrading to Windows 7 or at least Windows XP, now would be a good time.

The last version of Internet Explorer released for Windows 2000 was IE 6 Service Pack 1. It is not updated anymore at all and has not been updated with new features to make browsing the internet easier and more secure. Internet Explorer 6 was first released in 2001 and was no longer supported on July 13, 2010. But is Internet Explorer 6 SP1 still best to use on the aging Win 2K? Let’s see what the best internet browser for Windows 2000 is.

Something else to consider is the fact that out of the 5 major browsers only three are available for Windows 2000, IE, Firefox and Opera.  Safari and Chrome have left the Win 2K users out in the cold.  I will be looking at Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera on Windows 2000 and see which one is the best to use.

I will be running Windows 2000 in a virtual machine within Virtual PC 2007 Service Pack 1.  It will be running on Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit.  The computer has 2GB of ram and a 1.46 Ghz Intel Pentium Dual Core. The computer is a Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR)

1. Opera 10, this has come a long way from version 9 or 8 for that matter.  It looks great on Windows 2000 and is fast as well.  I highly suggest it for 2000.  If you’re looking for something that will look good and is fast than Opera is for you. You can get it at  www.opera.com

Opera 10 on Windows 2000

2. Firefox 3.5.3 Fast, fast fast, and is very customizable with add-ons.  It has a bit of a dated user interface that looks a little awkward on 2000 but it is still a good choice and is recommended.  You can get it at www.getfirefox.com

Firefox 3.5 on Windows 2000

3. Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (6.0.2800.1106)  Microsoft does update this with security updates for now but let’s face it, it is outdated and does not have the modern security that Opera and Firefox have.  Also is does not render some pages properly and is slower than the others.  The user interface looks dated and old.  I would not suggest using this for your daily browsing, however is you are still running an older version update to IE 6 SP1, it will help protect  you a little better and allow other Windows programs to access web features better.  You can get it at  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1e1550cb-5e5d-48f5-b02b-20b602228de6&DisplayLang=en

Internet Explorer 6 SP1 on Windows 2000

It is a good thing that Opera and Mozilla have paid attention to the fact that Windows 2000 is still being used to this day.  Windows 2000 is past its prime and I do suggest updating to at least Windows XP as soon as you can, remember all support ended for 2000 on July 13, 2010 and that includes IE 6 SP1.  I will write more articles about Windows 2000, (like How to keep it secure with Free Antivirus Here) (And Installing 2000 in Windows Virtual PC Here) As I can see some people still use it.

Go back to Part 2 for Windows Vista 64bit

Go to Part 4 for Windows Vista 32bit

Most of you don’t know that I am engaged, not too long ago my girlfriend’s laptop was stolen and it was time to get her a new one and she only had one request, that it be light.  She has back problems and did not like lugging her laptop around to class.  So I looked into Netbooks and found a HP Mini 1030NR at Best Buy for a good price.  I did not have much money so the $299 price was in my range and a friend told me he would help me out.  I chose the Mini because of its screen, the solid state hard drive, the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom, and I liked the keyboard better than the other ones I had tried, it was much easier to type on.  Now if you know me you know I can’t leave any computer stock so I maxed out the ram at 2Gb.  And then I did some research.  I found that the Mini has an integrated Intel graphics chipset that supports Windows Aero Glass.  Also the Intel Atom processor only supports 32bit versions of Windows.  The Mini comes with Windows XP, but I figured that the Mini might support Windows Vista but it would take some doing , and so I went to work.

HP Mini 1000 Netbook running Windows Vista Home Premium

Now the Mini does not have a DVD rom drive so I bought an external one for it.  I then booted up and formated the hardrive with Vista Home Premium.  The Mini has a 16Gb solid state drive in it and I knew that would be a problem later on.  Vista installed without any problems, once the desktop was loaded I went to the Device Manager, and it was a mess.  HP’s website does not have much Vista drivers for the Mini so I had to go to the manufactures of the different components.  I was able to get graphic, network, wireless, chipset, and the quick play buttons all installed but I noticed something.  A generic mouse driver was installed and it did not support the scroll function of the touch pad.  Some might say this is not an important feature but I love it.  I found that the same mouse pad was used on other HP laptops and downloaded the Vista driver from another model

Clean Device Manager on Netbook with Vista installed

Now I had a clean Device Manager (pictured above), next was to update Windows.  This was a chore since I had also installed Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate and her antivirus software.  I got Service Pack 1 for Vista installed but there was no room for Service Pack 2.  So I ran the service pack cleanup tool which removes the backed up files and then ran SP2 and ran the tool again after that.  All the other updates installed fine for Vista, but then Service Pack 2 for Office would not install.  In the long run I figured that System Restore was going to have to be disabled.  I also set a limit to the Page File as well so it would not get out of hand.  That did it I was able to install all updates I wanted and after removing the temporary files with Crap Cleaner I had over 2Gb of free space.

I will say Vista actually runs well on this little Netbook, it is not as fast as my laptop but it works and it is light and gives my girlfriend all the functionality she needs, while staying protected with Vista’s advanced security features.  It took some doing but I am glad I did it and I can’t wait to get Windows 7 installed on there next.  That little Netbook runs Aero Glass just fine.  Now it’s not the fastest computer as you can see by the Windows Experience  Index below.  In Vista the highest score you can get is a 5.9, so it holds its own. I ran PassMark Preformance Test on it and on my low end Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR)  which also runs Windows Vista Home Premium, and the Mini gets a 172 overall score while the Compaq only gets a 393.3  The Mini keeps up in 3D graphics and keeps up with 2D, but  the Compaq does better with the processor and memory.   The weak point is the Intel Atom processor.  While the Intel Atom N270 runs at 1.6 GHz it is still not as fast as Intel’s mobile chips in laptops.  As the Atom evolves these Netbooks will become much better machines further blurring that line between Netbook and Laptop.

Windows Experience Index on HP Mini in Vista

I am a computer technician and I like performance.  I love using her Netbook, Vista runs fine on there.  I don’t understand why the Netbooks with traditional hard drives in them don’t have Vista running on them by default.  I can understand why XP is on the ones with small solid state hard drives because of the space restrictions.  I would suggest to anyone that has the ability to do it to install Vista on their Netbook and try it for themselves.  Also since Windows Vista runs on here, then Windows 7 will as well.  I have since updated to Windows 7 which you can read here.

Well I got the evaluation of Windows 7 Enterprise and I installed the 32bit version on my old Toshiba laptop.  It has 1Gb of ram and a 2 GHz Celeron processor and a 30 Gb hard drive, it is a Toshiba Satellite A15-S127.   It does not run too bad on there, it installed all drivers except for the video card, which is weird since Vista did install a driver for it but for some reason this is lacking from 7.  So while I can not run anything that requires graphic power I could not anyway in Vista, the laptop is not up to it so it’s not a deal breaker.  I admit it does seem faster than Vista and I like it over all.  I have a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for my Compaq laptop coming in the next few days and I will install 7 on that and test it.  First I will be doing my review of  internet browsers in Vista 32bit (Which you can read Here) and in 2000 (Which you can read Here).

With the release of Windows Vista Microsoft released both a 32bit and 64-bit Version, (which really unlocked a lot of hardware), and a fair share of computers shipped with Windows Vista x64. It is a different OS from its 32bit counterpart. So what is the best internet browser? Well here are my conclusions.  I ran all tests uncashed on a computer running Windows Vista Ultimate on 4 Gb of ram and a 2.8 Ghz Intel Pentium D, with the newest versions of the browsers, Flash, Java, and Windows. Now before I go one I must mention that there is only one 64-bit internet browser right now, Internet Explorer, we may see 64bit versions of other browsers in the future but for now all other browsers are 32bit.

1. Internet Explorer, Now I know, I know but give Internet Explorer 8 a try.  For those of you that know there are two versions of IE in 64-bit Vista, a 32bit version and a 64-bit version.  The 64bit version is fast on every site I tested.  It really has the speed that people want, and seemed faster than the other browsers especially with large sites.  Also If you install Java in the 32bit version of IE go back and fire up the 64bit version and redownload Java, there is a 64bit version available.  The user interface is something even beginning computer users seems to pick up easily.   I love some of the new features in IE 8 like the Accelerators, which is pictured below, select some txt and right click to search on Bing or Google, look up what a word means and so on.  Put that with Web Slices and the Visual Search and IE8 is a full featured browser.  You can download IE8 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx

Internet Explorer 8 under Windows Vista X64

2. Firefox 3.5  Now Firefox has come a long way and has matured into a great browser.  It would be nice to see a 64-bit version in the future as Internet Explorer 8 is the only 64-bit one we tested so far.  This is not the fastest browser, in fact it was one of the slower ones, but it’s features the face that the user interface is easy to use , and how fast they release security updates still makes this a great browser to be considered.  Furthermore you can extended the functions with plugins, and install skins to change the look.  It really has something for everyone and was my prefered browser for a while before Internet Explorer 8 was released.  There are versions for Mac OS and Linux as well.  you can get it at www.getfirefox.com

Firefox 3.5 under Windows Vista X64

3. Opera 10.  Now I have not liked this browser in the past with an awkward user interface and how sluggish it seemed.  I also have disagreed with it trying to say Microsoft is the reason why Opera has not done so well, it was a horrible browser.  But here is version 10 and I have to say wow.  It is a welcome improvement.  A nice user interface and there are visual previews of the open tabs which is pictured below.  It opens fast and loads pages fast as well, faster than Firefox.  If you have written it off in the past, take another look.  Opera is also available for the Nintendo Wii, Windows Mobile, Mac OS, Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris.  You can get it at www.opera.com

Opera 10 under Windows Vista X64

4. Safari 4, This has come a long way since version 3 being ported to Windows, it looked just like the Mac version the drab grey and was very slow.  Now it actually looks more like a Windows program and is a little faster but still is not that fast.  It seems to try to copy Google Chrome in many ways including its top sites feature, but it’s version is very slow, pictured below this feature does not load the thumbnails for the sites very quickly and you can only see the top row it takes as much as a minuet to load all the pictures.  The nice thing about Safari is that the user interface is different and a little easier to use than Chrome.  You can download Safari at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Safari 4 under Windows Vista X64

5. Chrome 2, this browser is still quite young and it shows, It lacks features and has a confusing user interface.  The installer is a bit of a pain too, however the installer is fast.  It loads pages faster than Safari but it is no show winner. The default page with shows most visited sites loads the thumbnails fast almost instant and is a nice feature.  It will be interesting to see what is coming in version 3.  You can get it at http://www.google.com/chrome/index.html?hl=en&brand=CHMI&utm_source=en-et&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en

Chrome under Windows Vista X64

It is clear that 64-bit versions of operating systems will be the future in no time, but will be have good software to keep up?  It should be interesting to see.  I hope this helped and stick around for my next review on a different version of Windows.

Go back to Part 1 the Introduction

Go to Part 3 for Windows 2000

Over the next several posts I will be rating which is the best internet browser and in which version of Windows.  I will be looking at Windows Vista, XP, 2000, and Windows 7.  As far as the browsers will be looking at Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and even Konqueror.  I hope you will enjoy and start reading my blogs.

Part 2 will cover Windows Vista 64bit The operating system that made 64-bit a common house hold name.

Part 3 will cover Windows 2000 12 years old and still used by a few brave souls.

Part 4 will cover Windows Vistathe 32bit version.  Love it or hate it, it will still be around for a while longer, might as well get a good browser for it.

Part 5 will cover Windows 7 the 32bit version.  This version will probably only be on netbooks and older machines.

Part 6 Will cover Windows XP.  A 10 year old operating system that is still kicking, well at least for now.

Part 7 Will cover Windows 7 64-bit.  The best 64-bit operating system ever released, the best version of Windows to date.

Also check out my review of browsers in Ubuntu, one of the more popular Linux versions.

Hello and welcome to the Useful Windows blog.  I will be covering different things about Windows and will also test software for it as well as posting some great secrets that will help you use your version of Windows better.

I hope you enjoy!

This blog has now been move to its own dedicated website, www.usefulwindows.com ,be sure to check it out, bookmark it, get the current updates, and read the new posts. Thank you for reading.