Upgrading to Windows 7 (Part 3)

Let me first say, Microsoft, in no way, shape or form, is a sponsor or supporter of this blog.

Now, let me say - at least in terms of first impressions - I love this operating system.

I'm sure, like all the Windows OS's before it, Windows 7 will have its fair share of quirks and difficulties, but here's a run down of what I've experienced so far.

1) From start to finish, the fresh install of the OS took about 20 minutes on my machine. Mind you, it's a pretty high performance Dell workstation, but it was extremely fast regardless.

2) This is what made my mouth drop: I didn't have to install a SINGLE hardware driver. This machine was built in 2007, so the hardware is pretty well established, but Windows found updated 64-bit drivers for EVERYTHING, and installed them automatically! I was floored. It was actually a pleasure doing the install - for me - it was completely painless.

3) I love the new interface. For someone who's a neat freak, the newly designed task bar is right up my alley. Yes, I think it takes a lot of it's design from the Mac OS, but wherever it came from I like it.

4) My applications a zippy. With better handling of my multi-core processors and access to all of the RAM installed on my machine, Lightroom and Photoshop snap to attention at my command.

So far so good. As I continue to explore the new OS I'll keep you updated, but thus far, I'm impressed.