Use VMware Virtualization Software to run your legacy applications

Are you running Windows Vista or Windows 7? Maybe you're run into the problem where you can't run your legacy applications. Or, maybe your old peripheral (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.) isn't working. Fortunately, VMware allows you to run a virtual Windows XP machine on your computer that's running Vista or 7. This way, you can still run those legacy applications and peripherals. That's what I'm doing. I have an old HP LaserJet printer that doesn't work on Windows 7. It's a good printer, so I don't want to throw it away. I'm now printing to that printer using a virtual Windows XP machine.

VMware gives you much more flexibility over the "Windows XP mode" feature that is built into Windows 7.

Testing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 beta and the results are...

The results are actually quite unimpressive. I think that's a good thing and it reflects the fact that Windows 7 is built as a very solid operating system. They took Vista and "fixed it." That's how I look at Windows 7. It's considered a minor upgrade from Windows Vista, but in my mind it's what Windows Vista should have been.

In any case, I'm testing Windows 7 Service Pack 1 beta and I'm finding no significant problems or issues with it. I'm doing this on a PC that's not a mission-critical computer, so I can afford to load the system to see how I might make it crash.

If you're still running Windows XP on your computers, get ready to lose Microsoft support in 2014. That may not seem too far away, but it feels like it's right around the corner when I think about how quickly 2010 is going by. 

Windows Live Sync may require Windows 7 or Vista

If you're using Windows Live Sync (or any other Windows Live feature), you may need to get ready to upgrade your PC to either Windows Vista or Windows 7.

I use Windows Live Sync (formerly known as FolderShare) to synchronize my files on several computers. This way, the changes I make on one machine are reflected on all my computers. Windows Live Sync is a great free application for mobile road warriors and others who use multiple computers. Well, here's a notice that I saw on the Windows Live Sync website:

Check out the new version of Windows Live Sync, now available in beta! Note that Sync beta doesn’t work with the previous version of Sync—if you upgrade, you’ll need to do so on all your computers. Sync beta is available for Mac, but can't be installed on computers running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003.

Upon visiting that new Windows Live Essentials beta page, I was disappointed to read that all these new features would only work on computers running Vista or Windows 7. Here's what it says:

Windows Live Essentials beta includes free programs from Microsoft for photos, movies, instant messaging, e‑mail, blogging, and more. Get them all in one download and get more done with Windows.

Windows Live Essentials beta requires Windows 7 or Windows Vista. Learn how to upgrade from Windows XP. It includes beta versions of Messenger, Photo Gallery, Mail, Movie Maker, Writer, Family Safety, and Sync, plus Bing Bar and Messenger Companion. You also get Microsoft Office Outlook Connector Pack and Microsoft Silverlight.

Maybe it's time to upgrade some of my old computers. I'm using one old PC as my Windows Live Sync personal servers. That machine is running Windows XP, so it may be time to switch to Vista.

74% Of Business Computers Still Running Windows XP

According to this report from the Business Insider, "Microsoft Says 74% Of Business Computers Still Running On Windows XP." In the world of health care, that percentage is probably much higher. How many hospitals are running Vista or Windows 7?  Given that Windows XP was released in 2001, it's quite an amazing story of a computer operating system that just won't die.

I wonder if Microsoft will need to extend their support on Windows XP (Service Pack 3 or SP3) beyond April 8, 2014. That's when support for Windows XP is supposed to officially end, and 2014 will be here before we know it.  If you're still running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (and you haven't updated to SP3), then your support just ended a few days ago on July 13, 2010.  Make sure to update to SP3.

Speaking of Service Packs, the public beta of Windows 7 SP1 is now out for public consumption. If you have a PC running Windows 7 and it's not a mission-critical PC, then maybe you'll want to play around with SP1 to see if you notice any improvements.

Extended support for Windows Vista will end on April 11, 2017. Given that Vista was released in 2007, does it seem fair that Microsoft will only support it for 10 years?

I think Microsoft will be forced to extend support for XP beyond 2014. That's my prediction and you can quote me on it when it happens. 

Are you still running Windows XP in your office?

If you're still running Windows XP, you should know that Support for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) will end on July 13, 2010. You really ought to have Service Pack 3 (SP3) if you're running Windows XP. On April 8, 2014, support for all versions of Windows XP will end.

Do you think you'll still be running Windows XP in 2014?

Windows 7 - Microsoft's fastest selling OS

According to several reports, Windows 7 is Microsoft's fastest selling OS in the history of the company. Microsoft has sold 90 million copies! Perhaps it's not a surprise given that Vista was plagued with bugs and other problems. I'm running Windows 7 on most of my PCs that used to run Vista. I still have one PC running XP and another running Vista. Of course, I also have some machines running Mac OS X and Linux.

So, have you been using Windows 7? What do you think so far? Has it lived up to all the hype? I've been happy so far with the performance and stability of Windows 7.

Installing Windows 7 is a breeze

Installing Windows 7 on a relatively new machine is so simple. I can run the DVD, then once I'm done, I simply run Windows Update to find the rest of the drivers I need. Compared to Windows XP, Windows 7 is so much easier to install (as long as you're dealing with a relatively modern computer).

This holiday season, many of you will probably get a new computer. Before you throw out your old one, you may want to run a little experiment. Try installing Windows 7 and see how your old PC runs. You may be pleasantly surprised. That old machine could be used as a server, a backup PC, and much more. It's also a good idea to have an old PC running Windows XP in case you need to use an old peripheral device (although you can use XP Mode in Windows 7, it may simply be easier to use an old PC).

Newer ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC with improved battery life

Lenovo refreshed the ThinkPad X200 tablet PC with a multi-touch screen earlier this year. That was in anticipation of Windows 7 since Vista or XP did not have any multi-touch functionality. In that refreshed line of X200 tablets, Lenovo apparently made some additional changes so that the new tablet has improved battery life compared to the original ThinkPad X200 tablet PC. The newer ThinkPad even has a faster processor! I'm surprised that Lenovo didn't rename the newer Thinkpad something like the X200s or X201 tablet PC.

Tuesday is Microsoft Updating Day

Microsoft traditionally releases updates on Tuesdays. Specifically, the second Tuesday of every month. This day is often called "Patch Tuesday." Today is no exception. Microsoft released several updates for Windows 7. One of them was a tool to remove malicious software on your PC.

Are you keeping your computers updated? I know many people who are still running systems that lack the latest service packs and important security updates.

• If you're running Windows XP, you should have Service Pack 3.
  
• If you're running Vista, you should have Service Pack 2.

Don't let your computers remain vulnerable to security attacks. Keep them updated on a routine basis. While I'm giving advice, I suppose I should also add:

• Monitor your hard drives.
• Run security software.
• Back up everything on a regular basis.

Have you tried Windows 7?

So, have you tried Windows 7? Maybe you're not an early adopter and you didn't test Windows 7 RC (build 7100). Well, now you have the opportunity to install and use the final release of Windows 7. I'm already wondering when Microsoft will be releasing its first service pack for Windows 7.

What are your initial impressions? If you were already satisfied with Vista, then you probably won't be impressed by Windows 7. If you hated Vista, then I think you'll find Windows 7 to be a refreshing change.

Installing Windows 7 on my Samsung UMPC

I spent some time last night installing Windows 7 on my Samsung Q1 Ultra which is an ultra-mobile PC (UMPC). This tiny little tablet computer came with Windows Vista or XP Tablet. I've mainly been running XP but I've also been using Windows 7 RC (release candidate - build 7100) on this machine. Now, I'm in the process of reloading all my applications so that I can test the RTM (release to manufacturing) version of Windows 7.

I'm eager to see how Windows 7 performs on this device. Win7 RC worked fairly well. It was certainly much better compared to Vista. I'm hoping that Windows 7 with all its tablet-friendly features will motivate more physicians to start leveraging the tablet computer for its touch screen. I still see so many health care professionals using convertible tablets as laptops. Pick up the pen and use the screen, not the keyboard!

Received my Windows 7 upgrade DVD today

I received my Windows 7 upgrade DVD today. I had pre-ordered these when they were really inexpensive. I'll have to find some time this weekend to perform the upgrade.

Are you planning on upgrading to Windows 7? If you're still using an older PC that has Windows XP, I suggest that you consider purchasing a new system instead of spending over $100 for an operating system upgrade.

If you're running Windows Vista (on a computer that came with Vista), then I think you'll be quite happy with the upgrade to Windows 7.

Some of my favorite Windows 7 features

Let me highlight a few of my favorite Windows 7 features. Let me start by explaining that I usually work with two monitors side-by-side when I'm in the office. However, when I'm on the road, I only have a single monitor (which is my laptop screen). How can I get two windows perfectly aligned side-by-side?

• In Windows 7, dragging a window to the right or left edge of your screen resizes the windows so that you can effectively work with two windows side-by-side. (dragging a window to the top edge of the screen maximizes that window)
  
• Preview and close your windows using Aero Peek. In Vista, you can preview, but you can't close your windows using Aero Peek. In Windows 7, you can close those windows. If you hover your mouse over the taskbar, you'll see a few preview windows pop up that show you miniature views of your windows. If you move your mouse into one of these windows, you'll see a tiny red "X" appear at the upper right corner of that mini window. You can effectively close your windows using this feature within Aero Peek.
• When you have multiple applications and windows open, you can rearrange the order of those apps within your taskbar. In the past, the first application you open would be on the far left. Then, the next app would appear to the right of the first one. 

Now, are these features enough to persuade people to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7? Probably not. However, the performance improvement should be the biggest driver for people who are not satisfied with the sluggish performance of Vista.

Windows 7 coming out this month

This month, I should be getting my pre-ordered copy of Windows 7. I've been running the Release Candidate (RC) version of Windows 7 on many of my computers and I'm looking forward to having a permanent operating system so that I don't have to reinstall all my applications, copy my files, etc.

I don't have any computers running Vista anymore. Moving forward, I'll simply run either Windows 7 or XP on all my computers. I wonder how long XP will survive. It's certainly had the longest lifespan in the history of Microsoft's operating systems. I wouldn't be surprised if many computers are still running XP in 5 years.

Over the short term, most hospitals and physician offices using electronic health record (EHR) solutions on PCs running XP will probably stick with XP. If you're starting from scratch and you're about to implement your first EHR, then I would suggest that you run Windows 7.

Windows 7 for only $30 (students only)

If you're a hungry medical student (or college student), then you can get Windows 7 for $30! That's quite a bargain, considering that the rest of us will be paying over $119 for the new Microsoft operating system. To learn more about this deal, visit: http://www.win741.com/

Should you upgrade to Windows 7 if you're currently using Vista? YES!!!

Battery life to increase on Windows 7

I've been testing Windows 7 on several mobile computers, but I'm using the release candidate (RC) version and not the final version. According to some circulating reports, battery life is supposed to increase on laptops/tablets running Windows 7. Based on what I've seen and experienced, I think we'll see an increase compared to Vista. Will Windows 7 really improve battery life compared to XP? I'm not so sure.

It's quite disappointing, but we have not seen significant improvements in mobile battery technology over the past decade. You would think that by now, we'd have devices that have much longer battery life. How will this change over the next 5 to 10 years? We're seeing more efficient processors and better screen technology. When will we see batteries that triple our current run times?

Have you tried Windows 7 yet?

Like many of you, I used to have a PC running Windows Vista. Now, I'm using Windows 7 (Release Candidate version) and eagerly awaiting the public release of Windows 7 this fall. October doesn't seem too far away since we're already half-way through August.

For me, the greatest benefit will be in system efficiency. I'm a multitasker, so I have many windows and applications open at the same time. Vista was simply too slow for my needs, even when I was using a very fast computer. Now with Windows 7, I can be much more productive.

If you haven't tried Windows 7, you really should give it a try. If you're running Vista, you'll definitely want to upgrade this fall.

PC World Magazine

I recently got a free subscription to PC World, so I'll be sharing some of my opinions about the articles I read in the August issue. The cover caught my attention:

How to get the best of Windows 7 without upgrading: coax new life out of Vista and XP

I think that you can still get a lot of good life out of Windows XP, but I would encourage anyone currently using Vista to spend the money and upgrade to Windows 7. It just isn't worth the headache of dealing with all the Vista. Unless Microsoft comes up with a 3rd service pack for Vista that fixes many of the remaining bugs (which won't happen because they now have Windows 7), Vista will suffer a similar fate as Windows ME (remember that operating system?). Windows ME was quickly replaced by Windows XP, a solid OS. Well, Vista is going to get replaced by Windows 7.

Confused about Windows 7 upgrade options?

If you're thinking about performing an upgrade to Windows 7, make sure you understand your options. A few upgrade charts have recently emerged and they may not be too helpful unless you understand what the chart is trying to explain. The bottom line is that you can't directly upgrade from XP to Windows 7 (unless you upgrade to Vista with SP 1, and then upgrade again to Windows 7).

• "In-Place Upgrade" - you can "upgrade" directly on top of your existing operating system. You won't have to reinstall your applications and you keep all your files.
  
• "Custom Install" - clean installation where you'll have to reinstall all your applications.
  

If you're running Vista, then you can easily upgrade to Windows 7. However, you must upgrade to the same version (Home/Basic, Business/Professional, and Ultimate) if you want to use the "in-place upgrade" option. Otherwise, you have to perform a custom install (clean install) and you have to reinstall all your applications.

I'm a big fan of clean installations over upgrades. That's what I'll be doing when I get my disks.

Windows 7 Released To Manufacturing (RTM)

According to multiple sources, Windows 7 has been Released To Manufacturing (RTM) as scheduled. This means that I probably will see my Windows 7 upgrade sometime in October. I've essentially stopped running Vista on all my machines and I'm now running Windows 7 RC. I also have XP on a few of my older machines, but I wonder how long that will last. Since Windows 7 runs fairly well on older machines, I may simply end up switching all my XP machines to Windows 7 (assuming that I can find some good deals on the family pack).