It’s official: Windows 7 is headed your way. With the recent announcement that the long-awaited successor to Windows Vista has reached the “release to manufacturing” (RTM) stage, Microsoft has signaled that its programmers have put the final touches on Windows 7, deeming it ready for shrink wrap and for the official launch later this year. Luckily, that gives computer users a bit of time to consider whether to evaluate this new operating system and to determine whether their current computer can run it. Here’s what you need to know.
Windows 7 Editions
Like Windows Vista, Window 7 will be offered in several versions, or “editions,” with each geared toward a specific audience or a specific class of computer.
A Windows 7 Starter Edition is for those with less powerful hardware and who do not ask much of their PCs. This edition will not include the Aero interface, which gives Windows 7 its three-dimensional, polished look and feel, and it will not be available in a 64-bit version.
Windows 7 Home Premium will be aimed at the home market, which Microsoft believes focuses primarily on ease of use and less on office connectivity. As such, it will include Aero, Windows Media Centre, and touch screen controls, but it will not include any features designed to make connecting to corporate networks easy.
Windows 7 Professional is aimed at sophisticated home and small business users. Included are all of the features of lesser editions as well as remote desktop functionality for connecting to other PCs remotely. Optional file-system level encryption will help keep prying eyes from sensitive data, and a Windows XP Mode will be available to ensure that any application compatible with XP will run under Windows 7.
Windows 7 Enterprise adds to the features of Professional by offering BitLocker Drive Encryption — which helps corporations protect data…