HARDWARE
   Desktops
   Mini PC
   Laptops and Netbooks
   LCD Monitors
   Touchscreen Monitors
   Networking Products
   Other Hardware
 
SOFTWARE
   AVG Internet Security
   Microsoft
   Other
 
SERVICES
   Repairs and Upgrades
   AntiVirus and System Recovery
   Support
   Broadband
   Other Services
 
OTHER
   Client Portfolio
   Media Centre
   Terms and Conditions

Even after the introduction of Microsoft Windows Vista in 2007 it's predecessor, Microsoft Windows XP, remained (for us and many resellers similar to ourselves) the operating system of choice for almost all of our customers.

Despite being given the free choice of which product to be installed on their new computer system(s), the bad press and negativity surrounding Windows Vista has had a overriding factor in their decisions.  Rightly or wrongly, as a supplier for whom our customers trust our thoughts and opinions, we've found it hard to push people towards the usage of Windows Vista against Windows XP unless they have had specific requirements that have meant Windows XP would not be suitable.


On October 22nd 2009, Microsoft released the successor to Windows Vista - Microsoft Windows 7.  We've been testing it since May 2009 and thankfully, this time around, we found the experience a lot more enjoyable than we did the first time we 'tried' to install and use Windows Vista.

Windows 7 does look like Vista but all of the rough edges and has been tidied up and the overall look and feel of it are now much improved over Windows Vista although Windows XP users may still take a while to adjust while they find their way around the menus and options.

Windows 7 lets you do things much easier, and the annoyances of the restrictive security in Windows Vista have been removed and can be easily customised to give greater control and freedom over the system once more.  It'll still stop the user from doing anything really silly, but it will now let you run programs without continually asking you if you're sure you want to run it.

Windows 7 is faster than Windows XP in starting up, shutting down and opening applications (note we didn't compare it to Windows Vista which was generally slower in doing most things).

Better still... Windows 7 will work on almost any systems which currently run Windows XP!  If you don't want to buy a new computer system, we can sell you an upgrade kit to upgrade your Windows XP or Windows Vista system to the latest operating system.


From November 1st 2009, all new systems will be supplied with a choice of Windows 7 Home or Windows XP Home as the standard operating system with customers able to upgrade their systems to the Professional or Ultimate versions of Windows 7, or Windows XP Professional, as required.

We see this as the way forward and are already happy enough with the new operating system to feel positive enough about it to give it the promotion it deserves.  The time is now right to move on and whilst we recognise that there will be a period of adjustment for some of our customers as they come to terms with the changes in the new operating system, our testing and usage thus far of the new operating system give us enough confidence to recommend it to our customers.

Top three business customer benefits of Windows 7 Professional

1.

Works the way users want.
With a focus on the fundamentals, Windows 7 Professional is fast, reliable, and compatible.

 

Starts up, resumes from Standby, and is ready to go in seconds.

 

Performance improvements include improved memory utilization and 64-bit computing support.

 

Works with the majority of software or devices that already work with the Windows Vista operating system.

     

2.

Helps you get more done.
Improved ease of use through user-interface enhancements together with more sophisticated networking and mobility features helps workers be more productive - whether at work, home or on the road.

 

Windows Desktop Search, the Windows Aero user experience, JumpLists, and Live Taskbar previews are just a few of the features that help users find files and navigate open windows easily.

 

With longer battery life and features such as Location-Aware Printing and Offline Files, mobile workers can be productive anywhere.

 

Improved networking options include Remote Desktop Host, HomeGroup and Domain Join.

     

3.

Safeguards for businesses.
Windows 7 Professional helps keep PCs backed up, protected, and highly secure.

 

With Backup and Restore, users can schedule a periodic backup to save their data or an entire system image to a network location or a local drive. This helps you to quickly restore individual files or folders that get accidentally deleted.

 

The Encrypting File System feature helps businesses protect confidential information with powerful encryption technologies that encrypt their files and folders.

 

Windows Defender helps protect users PCs from spyware and other forms of malicious software, while the Internet Explorer® 8 Internet browser helps protect their data and business information by delivering improved protection against security and privacy threats.


Top three objection handlers

1.

How is Windows 7 Professional better than Windows XP?

 

Windows 7 Professional is easier to use, more reliable, more secure, and faster than Windows XP. Windows XP is nearly a decade old, with limited support for new hardware and software.
On the other hand, Windows 7 Professional has been specifically designed to meet the growing demands of modern technology users with more sophisticated networking, mobility, entertainment, data protection, and compatibility features.
And with the new Windows XP Mode feature of Windows 7, you get the compatibility of Windows XP in Windows 7 Professional.

     

2.

How is Windows 7 Professional better than Windows Vista?

 

With Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft listened to their business customers. First and foremost, they have improved performance, reliability, and security.
Improvements have been made to make it easier to use, their is better wireless networking and more comprehensive (and comprehensible) troubleshooting.
A new feature called Windows XP Mode has also been added giving businesses and users the option to extend the life of older productivity applications by running them in a virtual Windows XP environment.
There is also a new feature to make the transition between work and home easier with features like Location-Aware Printing.

3.

Why should I invest in Windows 7 Professional?

 

Investing in Windows 7 Professional can bring long-term value to your business, while helping your workers be more productive - at home, at work, and on the road.
New PCs with Windows 7 Professional are designed to be faster, more reliable, more secure, and easier to use than older PCs running Windows XP or Windows Vista.
More sophisticated networking and mobility features help mobile workers access their computer programs, files, and network resources away from the office.
PCs with Windows 7 Professional can do more to protect your valuable business and customer data. At the same time, compatibility features let you run many of the applications and devices.


Windows 7 Professional compared to Windows XP Professional

Windows 7 Professional offers more reliability, security, and performance than Windows XP.

Faster and more responsive performance. Windows 7 Professional starts, shuts down, and resumes from Standby faster than earlier versions of Windows. Searching and indexing are also faster. Customers will have fewer interruptions with Windows 7 Professional and can recover more quickly from problems when they do occur.

Improved reliability. Reliability improvements in Windows 7 Professional include fewer memory management issues, reduced disruption from diagnostics, and driver sandboxing to prevent one device driver from negatively impacting others.

Enhanced security. Windows 7 Professional helps to better protect security and privacy while existing security features, such as User Account Control and Windows Defender, are more personalized and easier to use.

Improved battery life. Improvements to power management in Windows 7 Professional will help extend the battery life of mobile PCs.
 

 

New and Improved Features in Windows 7

Windows 7 Home Premium

Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 Ultimate

HomeGroup: Easily share media, files, printers, and devices across multiple PCs.

Y

Y

Y

Action Center: Fix problems yourself, on your own schedule, with powerful diagnostics and troubleshooting tools.

Y

Y

Y

Device Stage: Interact and synchronize with any compatible device connected to your computer.

Y

Y

Y

Remote Media Streaming: Send video and audio output from one PC to a network-enabled media player, home stereo, and even other PCs on the network.

Y

Y

Y

Bluetooth Support: Wirelessly synchronize files and folders between your Bluetooth-enabled phone and your computer.

Y

Y

Y

Live Taskbar Thumbnails: Mouse over the taskbar or an application icon, and see a visual list of recently used items.

Y

Y

Y

Fast User Switching: Switch between users without having to log in, log out, or close any programs.

Y

Y

Y

Computer-to-Computer Networking: Connect to nearby PCs without a network access device via adhoc wireless networking.

Y

Y

Y

Location and Other Sensors: Enables PCs and applications to adapt to their current environment.

Y

Y

Y

Windows Mobility Center* (with Presentation Mode): Put your most frequently used mobile PC settings in a single, easy-to-find location.

Y

Y

Y

Aero Glass: See behind application windows with translucent glass-like menu bars.

Y

Y

Y

Aero Background: View the contents of the windows that are currently open with taskbar thumbnails.

Y

Y

Y

Windows Touch: Control a touch-enabled computer by touching the screen, with visual feedback for tap and doubletap gestures.

Y

Y

Y

Windows XP Mode:** Run many older productivity and business programs for Windows XP on Windows 7.

 

Y

Y

Domain Join and Group Policy: Connect to company networks easily and more securely. Group Policy controls allow businesses to better manage the security and costs of multiple PCs.

 

Y

Y

Backup and Restore: Schedule a periodic backup to save your data or entire system image to a network location or a local drive.

 

Y

Y

Location-Aware Printing: Send your documents to the right printer, whether you are at work or at home.

 

Y

Y

Remote Desktop Host: Access documents and programs on a computer remotely from another computer.

 

Y

Y

Advanced Backup and Restore (Network and Group Policy): Back up your data to a network location, and have the ability to recover and restore your documents.

 

Y

Y

Encrypting File System: Provides user-level file and folder encryption, ensuring strong data protection and control.

 

Y

Y

Offline Folders: Work offline with the ability to automatically synchronize between your PC and the network content.

 

Y

Y

BitLocker and BitLocker To Go drive encryption: Help protect confidential information and stay compliant with business and regulatory policies.

   

Y

AppLocker: Specify which applications are available to which end users, reducing the need to modify settings.

   

Y

DirectAccess: Seamlessly connect mobile workers more securely to their network without a virtual private network.

   

Y

BranchCache: Replicate and synchronize files between a central store and branch locations, enabling more productivity for workers in remote offices.

   

Y

Multilingual User Interface Packs: Switch the user interface from one language to another via a language pack add-on to the English version.

   

Y

Hardware Requirements
Since the beginning of 2009 all of our custom-built desktop systems already met and exceeded the minimum system requirements set out by Microsoft for standard product usage.

  • 1Ghz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

  • 1Gb RAM (32-bit systems) or 2GB RAM (64-bit systems)

  • 16GB available disk space (32-bit systems) or 20GB (64-bit systems)

  • Microsoft® DirectX® 9 graphics processor with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features include:

  • Internet access

  • Full Windows Media Center functionality also requires a TV tuner and some additional hardware

  • Windows Touch and Windows Tablet require specific touchscreen hardware.  See our sister website at www.touchscreens-direct.co.uk for a wide range of touchmonitor products.

  • HomeGroup requires a network and PCs with Windows 7

  • BitLockerTM requires Trusted Platform Module 1.2; BitLocker To GoTM requires a USB flash drive

  • Windows XP Mode requires:

    • Additional 2 GB RAM (32-bit) or 3 GB RAM (64-bit)

    • Additional 15 GB available disk space

    • Processor capable of hardware virtualization, with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on

    • Windows XP Mode software and Virtual PC software are available as a free download from the Microsoft website (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc)