Everyday computing has become faster, simpler and easier with the Windows 7 Beta version that has been released through the Microsoft website. The Windows 7 Beta release has an expiry date on August 1st 2009, after which it will stop working.
Screenshot Overview
The first thing that is highlighted in the Windows 7 Beta version is the new taskbar, which uses large icons instead of taskbar buttons and integrates ‘Quick Launch’ functionality at the same time. The popup preview thumbnails have been enhanced to show multiple windows side by side: even if you have only two windows open, they will be combined into a single taskbar button which is very useful for Word documents.
The Windows 7 Beta version will automatically flip to that window so you can see in a larger view which window it is. The new taskbar buttons also has a new right-click menu, which gives you access to special folders or recent documents. There’s a new application programming interface that allows the Windows 7 applications to add items to this list.
The next best thing in the Windows 7 Beta version is that there is no longer a “Sidebar” for the Gadgets. The Start Menu is roughly the same as before and there is an arrow next to Getting Started. When you see an arrow on a pinned item, you can hover over it to see a list of tasks on the right-hand side, with a rather fun “slide out” effect.
Another really slick new feature in the Windows 7 Beta version is that it lets you to maximize or tile windows by dragging them to one of the sides of the screen and the window will take up exactly half of the screen. This also works if you drag a window corner to one of the edges of the screen and make the window fill the whole space from top to bottom.
The Windows 7 Beta version lets you change the visuals and sounds on your computer. Chick a theme in Control Panel Home to change the desktop background, window color, sounds and screen saver all at once. The User Account Control helps prevent harmful programs from making changes to your PC.
Windows 7 Bug
There is a known bug in Windows 7 Beta version that will potentially damage some mp3 files if you load them into Windows Media Player. You must make sure to turn on automatic updates once you have Windows 7 installed.
