Windows7..What do you think?

[Bluetooth]

I think I've fallen in love with Windows 7 over "bitlocker to go" alone.

For those unaware of what bitlocker is, it's basically a method to encrypt drives. It was in Vista, but it was limited to hard drives only. "Bitlocker to go" is an extension of this that allows it to be applied to USB devices.

Via group policy administrators can set it so that any new USB device connected is read only by default. They can not be written to without the user turning on bitlocker and setting a password. Once that's done they can use it like any normal device. Plugging the key into any PC post XP SP3 brings up a password entry form. No password, no joy.

I've only briefly played with it and I'm really impressed. Being able to encrypt staff data keys natively without spending a ton on some other software is really useful.

This is an interesting feature deffinitely, i currently use truecrypt to encrypt usb pens but if the staff member needs to use their pen drive in the ict suite or on the network at all they cant because of the limited privaliges they get and such cannot install the driver or mount the usb pen into windows.

This would cut out a lot of ballache if the encryption technology is good enough and secure enough for what we need.

[dave.81]

Having installed it on my admin pc (dual boot now) first impressions are very good, like the new tool bar keeps things a lot more organised. Will have to give it a few days see if it's stable or not.

Although i did like vista the only reason i didn't use it at work was the network copying speed, hopefully this will be better.

Not sure i can see it being depolyed across the students network for many years to come though.

[DrCheese]

There's a bit more info on it here
4sysops - Review: Windows 7 BitLocker to Go - Part 1: Usability

I've just noticed this however

A more severe downside of BitLocker to Go is that it is not possible to write to encrypted USB sticks on Windows Vista and Windows XP. Moreover, read access is quite cumbersome. It is not possible to directly open a file in Windows Explorer. After you enter the BitLocker password on Vista or XP, a window pops up where you have to choose which file you want to copy to the desktop.

A bit of a shame, as people will have XP/Vista systems at home for years. I'd still much rather have this and deal with a few ease of use issues than have staff members lose yet more keys with tons of data on.
It's still beta so MS could change it tho...

[RabbieBurns]

Windows 7 is Windows Vista rebranded

[originofsymmetry]

I've installed it on an old desktop at the parents as a dual boot. Sempron 3300+, 1GB DDR RAM clcoked at a nippy 133Mhz and a 250GB HDD. It idles as a fresh install at 278MB usage, down from Vista's 700-800MB so I agree the differences in system footprint are a definate improvment. Looking good on my nippy Samsug Q210 too

[CyberNerd]

Windows 7 is Windows Vista rebranded

I thought that was obvious!

what I thought was interesting is that they are skipping beta2 and going straight to RC. Vista was the product test
Slashdot | Windows 7 To Skip Straight To a Release Candidate

[DrCheese]

Windows 7 is Windows Vista rebranded

That's not really a big thing, XP was based on the Windows 2000 codebase and full of windows 2000 references during it's beta. You don't honestly think they dump everything and start from scratch do you?

[synaesthesia]

Or, as it's obviously built around it, they haven't got around to porting all the documentation across. Cynics ahoy

Of course if it WAS just vista rebranded, it'd not be running like a dream on otherwise cack machines.

[DrPerceptron]

I thought Windows 7 was built off Server 2008... hence it's ability to copy files

[computers_r_the_enemy]

Yet more crap from bill gates that we the user will have to test and iron out all the bugs and install 50 thousand service packs and oh yeah that nice printer or nice webcam u had sry not supported but hey u can always by one that does work with windows lemon i mean 7 lol

[synaesthesia]

Don't take offence but can I assume you're a student of that school rather than staff? Otherwise it would be appropriate to keep criticism constructive. MS haven't done anyone a favour with Vista but it looks like they're putting it right. It's just a shame people will have to pay for it again.

But to make comments like that of course you need a frame of reference. Linux? Clearly not. Mac OS? Not worth starting on if you want those peripherals to work either (cheaply).

[torledo]

Yet more crap from bill gates that we the user will have to test and iron out all the bugs and install 50 thousand service packs and oh yeah that nice printer or nice webcam u had sry not supported but hey u can always by one that does work with windows lemon i mean 7 lol

well, atleast you didn't end your posts with lolz.....for that i would have had no choice but to flame you.

But seriously what is that all about.... txt speak i mean ?
I know your post was a particularly mild form of the phenomenon, but seriously [s3r5ly ??] how hard is it to type you instead of u.

I blame the teachers and the boomers.

However, it would have been more interesting if they had called it Windows Lemon. Infact Lemon sounds like it should be a niche programming language.

[synaesthesia]

Heh, very true. I hate text speak with a passion, and even text on my phone using full sentences. I should be used to it really but it still grates on me, especially in forums. Moreso in forums of an educational nature!

[localzuk]

Don't take offence but can I assume you're a student of that school rather than staff?

Can I just point out the school is a primary school... so if they were a student, they'd be between the age of 4 and 9...

[synaesthesia]

Yes, exactly
I do see that his profile suggests he's an IT technician for his primary. I'd dread to see the state of affairs there









Of course the bloke is probably 50 odd years old and the best thing to hit IT since someone thought about attaching his pet mouse to a calculator to see if wiggling it would move something on the screen