I can't wait! I've been testing Build 7000 for the past two weeks and I have to say I like it. Here are the details:



2-09-09
UPDATE PART 1:
I installed Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) on my Dell Vostro 1500. It was painless! Went to Dell's website and downloaded and installed all the Vista drivers for the laptop. Then I installed all of Windows Updates.

Right now I'm installing LR2, Proshow Producer 4, and Adobe CS3 suite.

The look and feel is Vista with some slight changes. Initially the OS feel very responsive and snappy. But then again I have not loaded it down with a bunch of software and applications....YET! Also, I'm not sure if I'll load an Antivirus app. They usually have an effect on performance.

Not much else to report. Will check back in later with updates.

2-12-09
Continuing my testing of Windows 7 Beta.
UPDATE PART 2:

DONE
1. Installed Office 2007.
2. Installed Nero 7 Ultra.

* custom install...took out everything but Nero SmartStart, Vision, Burning ROM, Cover Designer, & Tools.

3. Installed K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.

* I prefer using Media Player Classic to watch media. It's simple, ugly, but rock solid!

4. Installed IZARC.

* It's like winzip, winrar and more all rolled into one. And it FREE!

5. Installed FireFox 3 and add-ons.

* themes, bookmark syncronizer, plugins....

6. Installed DVDFab

* use this to "backup" my DVDs. It's also great for converting DVDs and movie files for my iPhone.

7. Turned off UAC. It's still annoying!
8. Modified power settings to 'High Performance'.
9. Installed iTunes 8.0.2.20. Imported QT videos, played QT videos, and created iTunes playlists.
10. Test audio and video playback functionality. Used Media Player Classic and K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.
11. Installed Nero 7 Ultra.
12. Installed Office 2007 updates.

NEED TO DO
1. Test battery life at 'High Performance'.
2. Test all software installed.
3. Surf a lot to test FF3.

2-17-09
Continuing my testing of Windows 7 Beta.
UPDATE PART 3:

DONE
1. Burned multiple data DVDs using Nero 7 Ultra.
2. Used DVDFab to created a 1:1 backup of a DVD movie.
3. Used WM12 and Media Player Classic to view video files, DVDs, and mp3.
4. Spent many hours surfing the net using FF3 with various plug-in, add-ons, themes, and extensions.
5. Used iTunes to play .mov files and podcasts.
6. Used IZArc to unzip .zip & .rar files.

So far so good. I very few (minor) complaints.

2-22-09
UPDATE PART 4:

I am having minor software issues with LR2, IZArc & windows explorer, but that's to be expected. The issues are not major...more so little glitches.

I would love to put this on my desktop PC, but I kinda of hesitant. Not because I do not have confidence in the OS...more so because I use my desktop PC to do everything and I wanna see where Microsoft goes with their official release date.

The same thing happened to me with Vista. I tested it on my laptop for 3 months with no issues. Then I build a new rig with the dual vid cards and dual monitors....and BAM...BSOD. There is no pattern. They happen infrequently. And they seem to happen at the most inopportune times.

Of course neither ATI or MS will accept blame. They blame the issues on each other. So if the BSOD continue then I might go ahead and load Win 7.

***UPDATE***

Right after my previous post I read ATI released Catalyst 9.2 drivers. It's supposed to fix the dual monitor issue causing the BSOD.

FINGERS ARE CROSSED!