- With the imminent release of Windows 7 to the marketplace (Oct 22nd) we have been supplied (via MSDN) the final version of Windows 7 Professional x64 to start using in house. (There are 2 versions of each release - 32 [x86] and 64 [x64] bit - basically the x64 version supports more that 3.2GB ram and is a bit faster - and is where the next version will probably go exclusively). Im not a fan of installing and running beta and RC (release candidate) so apart from seeing some demos and reading notes I havent had the chance to use it properly. So heres some thoughts on how it is and how it works form the field -

- We did 2 installs, one to my PC [running Vista x64 SP2k, Core2 and 4GB Ram] and one to a display PC [running Windows XP, P4 and 512MB Ram]. With my PC we did an upgrade - and apart from not liking an old version of Kaspersky virus protection it loaded on very simply, and took about 3 hrs. Everything Ive tested so far works like it did under Vista which is great. The display machine we did as a new install - took about 1.5 hrs (would be faster with a Core2 and more ram) and also worked fine. It ran quite comfortably on the 512MB (which is something we would not see with Vista) but we upgrade to 1GB post install for ongoing use.
- My PC certainly works great - the load on the system appears smaller and all actions appear 'zippier'. Always appreciated ! Let me run down the features so far which are improvements both noticed and read about that I think will help move all users of Windows to the latest version. (Some of these are just things I had issues/minor annoyances with in Vista - but note i never really had majore issues with Vista x64 from day 1 in 2007 when i installed it since i had the right hardware behind it to work and didnt have any HP peripherals...)

• The green line going across the top of explorer (indexing) when you open up new folders (especially network folders) now doesnt happen much - and you can always access the files straight away like XP (sometimes i would wait for folders to be read/indexed before i could read anything)
• The Available RAM shown in the process viewer (Ctrl-Shift-ESC, then Performance) now shows the correct amount (albeit cached - but it was confusing in Vista)
• The Windows Aero interface is now really neat - graphically very cool with the glass / see through effect in windows. Also the taskbar now shows snapshots of the open window when you put your mouse over the open program name.
• All versions of Windows 7 are built on the previous one - so if you get 7 PRO you get all the features of 7 Premium. This was an annoyance since I was using Vista Business and have a Vista Premium Media Centre just upgraded to the 2008 TV Pack - which uses the new .wtv format to save the MCE files (which normal media player and VLC etc dont play yet) - now i can watch my recorded TV shows again across the network rather that having to fight the family for the TV ;^) Windows 7 Premium will be for home use, and Pro for business use (systems needing to run in networks and needing domain authentication)
• The sidebar gadgets now are floating - pin them anywhere you like on your desktop (or desktops if you have multiple screens !)
• For the Pro and Ultimate versions there is a Windows XP Virtual PC update available to download from Microsoft - so that if you have software that just wont run on Vista/7 you can still run your legacy software in a virtual XP environment.
• .MP4 support is now included (the format for Apple Quicktime based videos)
• A basic DVD making program is included - for movie or photo DVDs
• There is now a built in Action Centre which keeps you up to date with any issues (especially security related) with your PC
• Network access is now simpler - with the network connection icon now easier to access and use (next to the time)
• The show desktop shortcut (next to the time) now shows the desktop quickly by putting the mouse over it - it permanently if you click it - great for a quick glimpse of the desktop for things you are looking for
• Drivers for hardware are now all stored online - not on the DVD - so when you need to install / update a driver it will most likely simply come from the automatic online database (EVERY driver i needed was online, including some updated ones post install - very impressive!). To help with this Microsoft have very smartly given the program an internal version of 6.1 not 7.0 - so that drivers that work with v6.x (Vista ones) think its still Vista and will still work in Windows 7 fine.
• Windows Homegroup is a simple way of sharing files and folders at home - I didnt play too much with this but it should simplify the life of users just wanting to swap stuff around the ever increasing home network
• The security enhancements are very good - more features that are built into the core to monitor when things are wrong or out of date. And the UAC (User Access Control - that popup that appears asking for permission to install things all the time) now has 4 levels to choose from (rather than 2 - on/off in Vista) - Full, Normal, Light and Off. By default its on Normal which for the time ive spent on it there has been very few permission popups come up - only ones that i do agree needed me to OK them. This is a major change that takes a good idea and makes it work right.
• From a business point of view - the Remote Desktop feature seems quicker and more repsonsive that before, and alsoIi am able to fully connect to Windows Server 2003 RWW (remote web workplace) again which i could not properly do with Vista x64 (dont know if this was an issue on my end but there were a lot of posts on the net about trying to make it work and people who had issue with it).

- So should you upgrade ? YES would be the answer - if you are on Vista it will be quicker and you will like the enhancements, and if you are on Windows XP then its time to move to whats current with only a little amount of hardware work required (if any). Note i would suggest 1GB ram and a separate video card to run it at a reasonable level - so check your specs if you are running XP now (all Vista users should at least have 1GB ram already). A lot of our business clients didnt want to go to Vista Business from XP Pro - but with Windows 7 Pro we have a product that will fit perfectly into most business environments.

- A note about editions - the upgrades will only upgrade from Vista - so if you have XP you will end up with a new install not upgrade. Its not clear whether you can upgrade from 32 bit Vista to 64bit Windows 7 wthout a clean load - i suspect you cant due to the change in architecture.

- A good rundown of the features comparison can be found HERE. RRP (at the time of writing) for the upgrades - Windows 7 Premium $ 199, Windows 7 Professional $ 299, Windows 7 Ultimate $ 399.