Until now, Microsoft has remained pretty tight-lipped on Windows 7 SP1, and the only information we have thus far on it is the leaked info from an array of sources, primarily Russian enthusiast site WZOR. However, today, amongst a flurry of virtualization-related chatter, Microsoft said a little something about SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

On the Windows 7 front, nothing much was said asides from the fact that Windows 7 will simply include a wide array of “minor updates”. However, there’s some new features slated for Server 2008 R2. While not too much was said, Microsoft did announce that SP1 for Server 2008 R2 will bring 2 new virtualization-related technologies: RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory.

RemoteFX is a set of RDP technologies that allows people working remotel...

On Thursday, Microsoft has announced that Windows XP Mode no longer requires hardware virtualization technology to run; this means that if you happen to have an older system with a CPU incapable of supporting virtualization, and this prevented you from making the switch to 7 as you or your business needed applications that would only work through XP Mode, you can now upgrade to 7 and take advantage of XP Mode.

For those of you unfamiliar with Windows XP Mode, it is a compatibility tool in Windows 7 that allows you to run software in the XP environment on your 7 desktop. For example, you would be able to install and use IE6 through XP Mode on 7, which wouldn’t otherwise run. XP Mode—which is essentially a license of Windows XP—is free for everyone who purchased a legit copy of Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate; other...

Ah, the Russian mob. If you need something done in real life, you turn to them to yield a result. I suppose that this also translates to the Microsoft enthusiast scene as well, as when us geeks want our builds, we turn to the Russian syndicate. WZOR and infamous leaker of confidential Microsoft property Zukona are at it again, posting a lengthy list of SP1 builds compiled in the winmain_sp branch:

7601.16482.100111-1800
7601.16483.100112-1500
7601.16484.100113-1525
7601.16485.100114-1500
7601.16486.100115-1536
7601.16488.100119-1500
7601.16489.100120-1500
7601.16490.100121-1509
7601.16491.100124-1526
7601.16...

Introduction

As most of you are aware, Windows 7 has been out for some of us as early as July, and others since October. Windows 7 has given us a chance to do more things then its predecessors. This guide is designed to show you what you as an individual need to do to prepare for your upgrade to Windows 7. This guide assumes you’re running on Windows XP, and will commonly make references to this Operating System.

Preparation

1. Backup - Before upgrading, it is always key to make a complete backup of your system, and your personal documents and settings, as you will not be able to retrieve them in the event that something doesn’t go right, or some unforeseen circumstance comes up. Programs like Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, and Windows Backup (for Windows XP Professional) might be of good use, but if your looking to dual boot, t...

Exactly a week from today, current users of the Windows 7 Release Candidate will be prompted to either upgrade their OS to the retail version of Windows 7 or downgrade to another version of Windows.

Although the RC does not fully expire until June 1st, users will begin to see expiration phases, the first of which will start next Monday.

As previously mentioned, the Windows 7 RC is set to launch its first phase of expiration notifications on the 15th, including a little expiration notification in the taskbar once per day, along with a Wizard every four hours, which will eventually increase to once every hour.

Half a month later (March 1st), users will experience a restart every two hours until the official expiration date, where the desktop will be a pure black color, along with the presentation of Windows Activation screens that state the copy of Windows is not genuine on top of the bihourly restarts.

To avoid these annoy...

Opera have recently released a beta version of the next update of their browser, 10.5. This version has a load of new features mainly aimed at Windows 7 users, adding in jump lists, a program button in the top left corner of the window (Similar to Wordpad, Paint and Office 2010), hovering over the icon shows all currently open tabs, hovering over a tab preview shows each tab separately rather than just the single window (Looking at you Firefox). The jump list integrates the speed dial feature of the browser, allowing you to open these sites through the list itself in similar vein to pinned folders in Explorer, also the frequent pages and tasks selections enable you to open either a new window or a new tab for the browser.

Interestingly enough though when installing the browser it will classify itself as pre-alpha rather than beta, it is definitely a new version...

With information and screenshots starting to leak from the Microsoft pipes, now is a good time to make a roundup regarding the information floating about on various websites. While the Windows 7 RTM build is pretty stable, leaving many uninterested in SP1, it still is a release that aims to fix bugs/security holes that may exist. Bear in mind while reading this article that, as SP1 is still in development, everything is subject to change.

When will SP1 be released?

WZOR, a site known for its leaks and information most prominently during Windows 7’s development has gotten their hands on the Windows 7 SP roadmap. According to their information, SP1 is set to RTM around early November 2010, with partners getting the RTM build a month earlier. WZOR also reports that work on SP2 will commence around October, following the end of SP1 ...

Today, Apple finally got with the program (nearly a month late) and released an update for their Bootcamp software. Bumping the version number up to 3.1, this update provides full Windows 7 compatibility. Supporting both x86 and x64 platforms, this update has full support for the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate versions of Windows 7.

Included in the update are “fixes” for the trackpads on their Macbooks, and their new wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse. Windows 7 drivers for all of the hardware in the relevant iMac and Macbook models are also available. The update and the included fixes add up to a 381MB download for the x86 version, and 275MB for the x64 version.

There are a couple of catches, however, to installing and using this update with Windows 7. First, you must be running either Windows XP or Windows...

Desktop customization is something that’s been around since the early days of Windows, more so with the arrival of Windows XP. With many wanting alternatives to the default Luna UI for various reasons, most prominently because they want something nicer, and something different, a large rush of skins were made available, and skinning utilities such as the ones made by Stardock boomed in popularity. With Windows 7, you may still customize your desktop to give it a unique, perhaps even more stylish look (despite the default Aero UI being really nice as it is), and this article will outline the process of doing so.

Changing The Visual Style

The first thing that we’re going to do in our quest to customize 7 is change the visual style. Although Windows 7 is still relatively young, there’s actually an array of decent-looking skins available for it, and, thanks to the efforts of Microsoft blogger and enthusiast Raf...

Last night at the CES 2010 keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that Windows 7 has become the fastest selling operating system in history. Craig Beilinson, the Director of Marketing for the company’s Entertainment and Devices Division, also agrees. Neither Ballmer nor Beilinson shared actual unit sales numbers, but Beilinson did have evidence to back him up.

PC sales nearly jumped 50% during the week of Windows 7’s launch over the week before; Black Friday also brought the numbers as PC sales were up 63% over last year’s shopping holiday; and for 2009’s holiday season, there were more than a 50% increase in PC sales in comparison to 2008’s holiday season.

According to Fast Company , Beilinson also boasted about the diversity of the Windows 7 operating system. The operating system is available on 1,700 PCs, but also 11,000...