Windows 7 Insider

Windows 7 is an all-ages show

My great aunt is 92 and, as of Friday, she's a Windows 7 PC.

Now, Hilda is already not your typical nonagenarian. She is frequently online, does her finances in Quicken and recently abandoned AOL for Gmail (something I still haven't gotten my parents to do).

Unfortunately, while her mind is quick as ever, her Windows XP PC had slowed dramatically over the past few years, becoming nearly unusable. It's one of those things that many find so irksome about Windows PCs.

In any case, Hilda (I'm sparing her some spam by not including her last more

Results of the Windows 7 upgrade poll

Over the weekend, CNET ran an unscientific poll inquiring about the level of difficulty in your Windows 7 upgrade experience, and the response we received was undoubtedly strong. Nearly 11,000 people voted, and more than 50 percent of you said your Windows 7 upgrade experience was as easy as pie. (And who doesn't love pie?)

How was your Windows 7 upgrade experience? (1 is easiest, 5 is hardest)(polling)

We asked people to rate their upgrade experience from one to five, with one being the easiest and five being the hardest. A total of 5,492 people evaluated more

Inside a Windows 7 house party

Although some scoffed at the notion of Windows 7 house parties, Elliott Minor of Albany, Ga., said his event was a hit.

Roughly two dozen people showed up to the event, which was held at his church. Although not a huge gathering, the event seemed to be one of many that served Microsoft's purpose--helping spread the word about its just-launched Windows 7 operating system.

Two techies from the area teamed up to highlight Windows 7's key features and answer questions.

"Judging from the oohs and aahs of guests, I'd say they were favorably impressed," Minor said in more

Lenovo releases Core i7 laptop, lots of ultraportables

may have launched last week, but the Windows 7 party is just starting for companies like Lenovo. Their webcast today announced a variety of new desktops and laptops--most notably, high-end Core i7 consumer laptop as well as an expansion of their ultraportable U line of thin-and-light notebooks.

Are $1,000-plus consumer notebooks a smart move in this economy? Lenovo will find out, as the company releases its first Core i7 consumer laptop, the IdeaPad Y550P. A high-end multimedia/gaming laptop set to compete at the high end of the laptop market, it will have a 15.6-inch 16x9 1,366x768 more

Students find problems with Windows 7 upgrade

Microsoft's discount Windows 7 upgrade for students has proven to be a tough assignment for some of those who signed up for the offer.

The software maker is offering students the option of buying a downloadable upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29--a significant savings off the full boxed copy of the new operating system. However, a number of students have reported problems when trying to download and install the new version of Windows.

In a blog posting, Microsoft says it is aware of several issues that folks have encountered. Most common is the fact that folks can't more

Windows 7: Whose idea was it really?

In many countries around the world, there are people who have come out and claimed Windows 7 as being their idea.

Microsoft chose to reveal in its new advertising that the operating system is one that came about because the people demanded it, because the people created it.

And in the process, they hope Windows becomes the people's brand rather than their injury-prone Elton brand.

Yet, as the week of the launch winds down and the hard graft of daily selling begins, it seems instructive to examine just a couple of nuances in the campaign.

Here are two spots, more

Fresh Windows build? Ninite streamlines app load

A fresh installation of Windows offers users a chance to get things clean and tidy from the beginning, but it also means a lot of work reinstalling applications you may have had on an older build.

If you've planned ahead, you can go out and download all the installers you think you'll need, then put them on a thumb drive or a disc. Or you can skip all that work and use Ninite (formerly Volery), a very simple tool for Windows that will go out and download all the latest versions of the software you pick from its more

Rate your Windows 7 upgrade experience

Last weekend we ran a casual, unscientific poll asking what your plans were for Windows 7. It closed Monday morning, but because of the overwhelming response, we decided to reopen it until today. Out of the 13,108 readers who voted, 59 percent (7,669) of you said that you were going to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7.

So, for those of you who are upgrading an older version of Windows to Windows 7 this weekend, we'd like you to rank your experience for us in a new poll posted below. Please share both your more

Fix Ethernet driver problems in virtualized Windows 7

I tried reinstalling VMware Tools, but nothing worked. Nothing, that is, until I tried this handy tip I found on Dave Taylor's Web site. The problem is in a VMware configuration file. Let me show you how to find and modify it to make your Ethernet work.

Shut down the virtual machine. Even if it's suspended, I recommend firing it up and shutting it all the way down.

Now you need to find the virtual image of Windows 7.

It's likely in Documents, in a folder called Virtual Machines.

The image for your Windows 7 is likely more

I just bought a Vista PC, how do I get my free Windows 7 upgrade?

Now that we're past the official release of Windows 7, most new PCs should come with it pre-installed. But if you purchased a new computer with Windows Vista recently, or for whatever reason end up with a Vista system in the near future, there's a very good chance you're eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade.

From the period of June 26, 2009 through January 31, 2010, many major PC makers are offering free upgrades to Windows 7 for those who buy a Vista-powered laptop or desktop. The deals are all essentially the same, and, as expected, more