Perhaps because I’m a designer, one of the things I like best about Windows 7 is the Aero interface inherited and improved from Windows Vista. If you’re not familiar with the term “Aero” in this context, it’s the name of the Windows theme that gives your windows translucent borders, that sort-of glassy interface. When you install Windows 7, so long as your computer is adequately powerful, the Aero interface presents itself. Personally, I think it looks much nicer than the Mac OS interface, but that’s just my opinion.

Aero offers another feature called Aero Peek that lets you see a thumbnail of your window contents when you hover your mouse pointer over its icon on the Taskbar (as shown in the illustration). But, what if Aero gets replaced by the more blasé Windows 7 Basic interface? In that case, your window borders become solid, your Taskbar loses its transparency, Aero Peek disappears, and you experience a variety of other disappointing interface losses. This is unavoidable if your PC is not up to the task, older PCs and less powerful ones, such as a typical netbook, can’t use the Aero interface.

To know if your PC can run the Aero interface, check the Windows Experience Index. You can find this by right-clicking the Computer option on your Start Menu and choosing Properties. You will see a Rating label in the System section of the Properties window. The rating is shown as a numerical value, and must be at least 3.0 or higher to support Aero. If your machine supports Aero, continue on to see how you can enable it.

I noticed one day last week that Aero was missing, and the Basic interface was being used instead. To fix it, I tried the following methods to reactivate it. One of these may work for you:

• Begin by right-clicking the desktop and choosing the Personalize option. Try just clicking on one of the Aero Themes. Although this didn’t work for me, it may be all you need to do.
• Type aero into the search box at the bottom of the Start Menu. A list of matching objects on your computer will appear above the search box. You may see an option under the Control Panel to “Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects.” If you do see it, choose this option to open the “Aero – Troubleshoot computer problems” wizard. Step through the wizard and, if it can, the wizard will correct the issue or tell you what’s wrong. In my case, it didn’t fix the issue but told me to disable programs that used a “mirror interface.” Hm? What’s that? And what programs use a “mirror interface?”

A “mirror interface” is a special display adapter that dumbs down the graphics for use by programs such as remote desktop software. Examples might include VNC, LogMeIn, Remote Desktop Connection, and others. I decided I could live without this display adapter for the time being to see if I could restore Aero. So, I tried this option:

• Type device manager into the search box at the bottom of the Start Menu and press the Enter key. Expand the Display adapters portion of the list in the Device Manager window. Look for any adapter that includes in its title, “Mirror Driver.” In my case, it was a LogMeIn Mirror Driver. Right click the offending option and choose Uninstall from the pop-up menu. When your finished doing this, reboot your computer. Aero should come back upon reboot, but if not, try the first bullet option above to re-invoke it.

LogMeIn may need its mirror driver back someday, but I’ve since tested it without the driver installed and LogMeIn still works (without reinstalling the mirror driver). So, I think I’ve won this battle. I’ll update this article if I encounter any additional issues with Aero.

Craig Samson

There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers.

1. Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks
2. Business, people who need to get remote access
3. Home Premium, most of the features from the other editions
4. Ultimate, full features of all other editions

Here are some of the key features of Windows 7.

• New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the taskbar is taller and is now a place where you can permanently “pin” the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose, similar to Apple’s dock feature. Windows 7 takes the concept further; for each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini view of that program and every one of its open windows. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows on the desktop become transparent—part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them.
• Use Aero Peek any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar.
• Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists—pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used.
• Desktop: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another feature, called Shake, allows you to make all other windows but the one you’re working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times.
• File organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library—Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos—consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in.
• Networking: Windows 7 allows you to see all available wireless networks by clicking on an icon in the taskbar. Home Groups allow you to easily share files among Windows 7 PCs on your home network.
• Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features need a special type of touch screen that goes beyond what are on most desktops today.
• Speed: Properly configured, Windows 7 runs faster than Vista. Start-up and restart times are improved.
• Nagging: Microsoft has consolidated most of the security alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon.
• System Requirements: Needs newer or beefier hardware than traditional XP machines. The netbooks can run Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects. A 32-bit PC will need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called “DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0″ and a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. A 64-bit PC will require at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification.

John Boyd

On Oct. 22, Microsoft will release Windows 7. Touted to be a faster and much better operating system than the much-maligned Windows Vista, it is seen as the OS whose time has finally come!

After October’s release nearly all new computers will be pre-loaded with Windows 7, and the rest of us will need to determine if it is time to upgrade from Vista or XP.

Windows XP is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having its initial release in 2001. Having done the job for these nine years, it’s now showing its age when it comes to security, networking and other interface features more important today.

Windows 7 boosts productivity and is easy to use. Fandotech is ready to recommend Windows 7 to our client base. Windows 7 has fixed the flaws in Vista and has finally given Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. And Windows 7 is packed with features that create an easier, richer user experience.

Windows 7 Summary

• Introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop.
• Allows quick viewing and launching of a page or document.
• Built-in touch-screen features.
• Removes organizational clutter.
• It is more efficient than Vista and is not sluggish.
• Compatible with most third-party software and hardware.
• Fits in a reasonable hardware configuration.
• Limits the constant, annoying security warnings present with Vista.
• Works on a broad range of hardware platforms – the WSJ tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from netbooks to standard laptops to desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony, and yes – wait for it… even on an Apple Macintosh laptop.

The Upgrade
Windows 7 will come pre-loaded on most new purchases. For those with existing equipment, the upgrade path will vary.

1. Vista to Windows 7: This upgrade is doable but lengthy. It can take from an hour to several hours. The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista migrates keeping all files, settings and programs in place.

Some upgrades may result in:

• Slow start-up and reboot times.
• Some features, like the display or touchpad may not work properly.
• Some drivers may need to be restored.
• Requires add-on security software re-install.

2. XP to Windows 7: The transition for XP is just plain hard. It requires wiping out the hard drive (after backing up their files offline!), then going forward from scratch.

Note that the Windows 7 Transfer wizard moves only personal files, not programs. Therefore it has limited use in the XP to Windows 7 upgrade which is long and painful. Also, Windows 7 no longer has several built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs.

All in all, these are exciting times. The industry is clamoring that Windows has hit the nail on the head with this release…just 2 more days and we’ll be able to see for ourselves!

John Boyd

Yes I am aware Microsoft Open License users are already eligible for Windows 7, so many of you may have already upgraded, but all consumers will have the chance to upgrade on October 22. We have been using Windows 7 in our offices and the tech team loves it, all employees at Fandotech are slated to have it on their PC’s and laptops by October 30. Why is this exciting? Unlike most previous Windows product launches we are not waiting for Service Pack 1.

After all of the negative publicity that surrounded Windows Vista, Microsoft truly planned out the release of Windows 7 and included the software developers creating the applications and hardware vendors that provide the device drivers in the process of testing the Operating System. Another reason for potential success in this launch was that Microsoft combined the Windows 2008 Server and Windows 7 development team to create code that tightly tied the two products together.

So why move to 7?

1. XP Mode: Many of the challenges that faced Windows Vista users were application incompatibilities. Due to the delays in the Vista project application developers did not have sufficient time to test their products against Vista. Thus many common applications failed to run on Vista when the product was made public.

Windows 7 has worked with the development community providing access to the SDK’s much earlier for testing and listening to the developers feedback on the OS to quickly resolve bugs. But the biggest enhancement for end-users is XP Mode which will allow users that have incompatible apps to run them in a virtualized XP instance. The end user will either run a separate XP desktop or “stream” the application to the desktop with only an icon to click. This alone will allow users to move to Windows & faster than previous versions of Windows.

2. Hardware requirements: Vista required major hardware upgrades to operate, Windows 7 has been developed with a leaner, meaner code base. Windows 7 needs only 512 MB of RAM to operate (although the more the better to run individual applications) and is designed to run using minimal resources. It is a safe bet that the hottest holiday gift will be Windows 7 Netbooks that run the full Windows 7 OS and are corporate network ready.

3. Direct Access: This service allows end users to access the corporate network without needing Virtual Private Network (VPN) software. Windows 7 boots up and finds the internet connection, then securely connects to the corporate network. If signal is lost it reconnects when Internet is restored. This eliminates the need for many 3rd party products and off-hours VPN support for your users. (Required Windows Server 2008)

4. Branch Cache: A big step for supporting remote offices centrally from a core customer datacenter (or data room). A caching server is setup in a remote location (for more sizable customers) or using Peer to Peer caching (in smaller offices) to keep cached copies of data available locally without having to make calls to the home server for repeated file requests. This reduces bandwidth consumption and improves performance at the remote location.

This also allows the most current copy of all critical data to be protected in the corporate standard manner without concern for data loss at the remote. Branch caching has been unaffordable for many clients as hardware solutions can be significantly priced. This option might bring it closer to reality for SMB’s. (required Windows Server 2008)

5. Security: Windows XP was released nearly 9 years ago. Since that time there have been enormous changes have occurred to the computing world in terms of security threats, application delivery, and Internet content. Mainstream support for XP ended in April. Scaled back support (security patches) will be available until 2014, but downgrade rights will end in April 2011.

Microsoft is sending a bit of a mixed message here in allowing support for an extended period of time, but what becomes obvious is that companies need a plan for migration to insure a smooth transition to Windows 7. What is certain is that inside Microsoft resources will shift from XP to 7 rapidly.

Let me know your thoughts on Windows 7 and what your plans for migration might be. I can be reached at bdoyle@fandotech.com.

Brian Doyle

Over the past few months I’ve written about various managed services we provide and how they can automate IT services, provide disaster recovery and data continuity, as well as fault and performance alerts on your critical systems. These are all great components of our flagship 180 IT service yet they do not address one of the biggest services we provide to our MSP clients, the Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO).

Make A Plan: The VCIO role is to work with our MSP clients developing a strategic plan (I refer to this as the Technology Roadmap) to map their business goals to their technology needs. This initiative generally becomes a 3-5 year game plan for delivering technology services. IT needs are prioritized based on both the business objectives and the client’s budget. The roadmap is flexible and can be adapted as your business needs change. Traditionally, we charge our client’s $175/hour for this strategic consulting service, but for our MSP clients it is included as part of the 180 IT service.

Learn the Ropes: Another objective of the VCIO session is to educate our clients to the changes in IT that might affect their environment. Topics might include how to leverage mobility services, what social networking might mean to data security and their corporate image, and to introduce technologies that might help a business in the future. It is a chance for you to leverage our expertise and experience and gain insight into what is being utilized in the marketplace to gain a competitive advantage. The average VCIO has been in the industry for 10+ years and has achieved a number of industry certifications.

Keep Abreast of Current Concerns: Two main questions have been repeatedly asked in our VCIO meetings lately. The first involves the October launch of Windows 7 and Exchange 2010 and the upcoming release of Office 2010. Our clients want to know what to expect and when they should (or will have to) adopt these products. The second question is around the recent announcement of retired products from Cisco. Many of our clients still utilize Cisco 2600 routers and PIX 515 firewalls which are end-of-life for product support and will soon need to upgrade or run the risk of being unsupported in the event of a hardware failure.

Our team will be contacting our MSP clients over the next couple of weeks to schedule a VCIO session with your team. If you are not an MSP client, request a session through your Fandotech Account Manager and we will waive our standard fee for the session if you mention this article.

We look forward to meeting with you and your organization. For more information please contact an Account Representative today!

Brian Doyle