Comparing Windows 7 and Windows Vista. What's better?

Here we are going to talk about the advantages of Windows 7 over its predecessor pointing to the main external features that make user's experience with the operational system quite different and we will also cover performance aspects which as everyone can make it sure are also talking to the favor of the new brainchild of Microsoft.

Main features differing Windows 7 from Vista

Desktop and taskbar

Many experts and users trialing Windows 7 notice significant changes in the taskbar which incorporates Aero style much criticized with Vista and with enhanced functionality. Programs on the taskbar have large easy-to-use icons. When mousing over one all windows associated with that program appear in preview. Mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window. Hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front.

If you want to resize a window of a program you can drag a window's title bar. In order to expand it to the full screen you need to drag a program window to the top of your monitor. So as to work in two windows simultaneously drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they'll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor. Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size.

Support for themes has been extended in Windows 7. In addition to setting the colors of the window chrome and desktop background, themes in Windows 7 include a sound set, and desktop slideshow settings. A new control panel interface, accessible through the "Personalize" content menu item on the desktop, has been introduced which provides the ability to customize and switch between themes. In order to load a theme you need to click on one and it instantly changes the color scheme and background--no need to reboot. Users can create their own themes, as well.

Jump List was noticed by many users as a significant improvement to the OS as it allows to easily get to the recently opened documents. But that it is not all. Each application will have unique jump lists which will correspond to the features unique to the application whether it be recent files opened or common tasks. For example, a Microsoft Word jump list might display all the recent documents opened. The Windows Media Player jump list, for example, displays recently played tracks and playlists that have been played. Internet Explorer's jump bar displays recent history of websites. Windows Live Messenger's jump list displays select common tasks such as instant messaging, signing off, and changing online status.

Windows 7 changed the position of the icon of Show Desktop feature on the taskbar. Now it is integrated into the taskbar itself and can be found at the right corner. This button is now called as Aero Peek. Thus, when clicked or hovered over with the mouse, it displays the desktop and gadgets by turning all windows transparent.

Aero Peek exhibits the same features used by the thumbnail previews, except it applies them to the desktop. If the mouse hovers over it, all windows are transparent. If the button is clicked, all applications are minimized, and when clicked again, they are restored.

Device stage

There are two major new user interface components for device management in Windows 7, "Devices and Printers" and "Device Stage". The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window. A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you're using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. But there is no support of Bluetooth driver now with Windows 7. Thus in order to use any Bluetooth device you will need to download it online or to have an installation disc.

User Account Control

A new User Account Control user interface has been introduced, which provides the ability to select four different levels of notifications. In Vista UAC tightened program access in a way that annoyed many users. With Windows 7 users have more options to customize UAC feature.

The default setting is to notify users only when programs try to make changes to the computer, one step below the most restrictive setting of Always Notify. Under Always Notify, anytime a program tries to access the Internet, or you try to make changes to the computer, Windows 7 will require user confirmation. The second-least restrictive option doesn't dim the desktop when UAC is activated, and will only notify the user when programs try to make changes to the computer. When the desktop dims, Windows 7 is locking it down and preventing access. Never Notify is the most relaxed option, and is only recommended by Microsoft for programs that aren't compatible with UAC.

UAC also displays a blue banner when confronted with a program from a known publisher versus a yellow banner and exclamation point when the program is from an unknown publisher. The number of clicks it should take to use UAC safely has been reduced. However, it's important to note that it's a less aggressive default posture by UAC.

AutoRun

In its Windows 7 operational system Microsoft has also changed the way removable drives are managed. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they're connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections.

Comparison of performance indices

As different equipment features different efficiency and performance ratings it is hard to say how Windows 7 will behave on all desktops with any hardware parts. Yet numerous tests conducted by experts on PCs from different computer makers showed that on the whole the new product from Microsoft has better readings than its predecessors. Moreover, both on the high and low ends Windows 7 turned much faster than Vista which just consumes a big part of system resources with less efficiency.

Thus their startup and shutdown tests showed:

On the high end

On the low end 

Besides, experts also point to fewer demands on cache featuring the work of Windows 7 as compared to that of Vista. Earlier with Vista Microsoft introduced a new technology called SuperFetch for caching applications and speeding up boot times. This feature preloads frequently-used applications into memory, so they can be accessed quicker when they're needed.

It should be noted that the technology is relevant for traditional magnetic hard drives. When it comes to SSD there is no need to use it. Microsoft promised that Windows 7 would disable SuperFetch on systems using SSDs.

Certainly, the same SuperFetch feature differs by efficiency on Windows 7 and Vista platforms. Under Vista, the caching of applications starts immediately at launch. In Windows 7, SuperFetch starts after five minutes and after 10 minutes a little more than 600MB has been allocated. By that point, Vista's SuperFetch has allocated more than 1.5GB.

On the other hand with SuperFetch turned off Windows 7 still makes fewer demands on cache. For operating system-related functions, it uses 333MB, while Vista without SuperFetch uses 519MB of cache.

Different application tests showed different results on how Windows 7 performs in comparison with Vista. PCMark Vantage test which examines performance by benchmarking the applications that are integrated into Vista and Windows 7 revealed that the latter works more efficiently.

The benchmark is divided into several usage scenarios, with the default PCMark Suite simulating everyday PC usage:

• Memories: Four tests check the speed of Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker when handling photos and video.
• TV and Movies: Plays and converts high-definition video in four separate tests.
• Gaming: Measures the performance of the graphics card and estimates the loading speed of compressed game data.
• Music: Converts WAV music files to MP3 and WMA Lossless formats and adds music files in Media Player.
• Communication: Tests include web-page rendering, CNG AES CBC encryption, Windows Mail Search and audio transcoding.
• Productivity: Tests include text editing, search in Windows Contacts, analysis of the boot process and web-page rendering.
• HDD: Disk performance is measured using Windows Defender, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player. The disk's speed when launching the operating system and applications is also measured.

Tests conducted by experts show that the integrated applications in Windows 7 perform better than their Vista counterparts

Still, PCMark Vantage cannot be accepted as a comprehensive system performance test because it only examines the work of the OS in the environment of pre-integrated programs and applications. Further advantages or disadvantages of any system depend on the suite of software a user installs on a PC.

Thus, for example, Windows performs slower as compared with Vista when it comes to the use of Microsoft Word. Both 64 and 32 bit Vista turned out faster in performing the application that those of Windows 7.

Conclusion

When it comes to the interface Windows 7 is undoubtedly winning over its predecessor with a number of new added features as well as upgraded ones. Now Aero style has become more practical than it was with Vista. Some specialists note that functions of Windows 7 and their external appearance can compete with OS X.

Meantime, apart from interface Windows also has advantages in performance and efficiency. While Vista shows high performance only on high end machines Windows 7 can bring efficient operation of low end machines too. Besides, the last operational system uses less cache volume while Vista has higher requirements for cache.