Regular readers will know that I am a convert to my Samsung NC10 netbook.
This has been a fantastic little tool for me since I got it back in February. It goes literally everywhere with me, and providing I can get a Vodafone signal, I can hook up on line anywhere.
I gave my most recent presentation of my Mull Wildlife talk just this morning to the RPS Nature Group at the Chairmans Day, alongside two great speakers, Gianpiero Ferrari and Heather Angel, using the Netbook and Breezebrowser as my slide show software - another great bit of software that we have frequently recommended on this blog.
Anyway, I am sure it will not have escaped your notice that Windows 7 was launched last week, so I thought I would have a little look to see what is involved.
Firstly, if you are running Vista then it is an easy upgrade on top of your existing OS as you can just do a simopple run, as far as I am aware, but make sure you double check to be certain.
f you are using XP, then that's where your troubles start.
All the advice points to the following:
Back up all your files (well you should do that anyway - so no hardship there)
Then you do a clean install of the new OS.
Then, and here is the killer, reinstall all of your applications and files.
Well I don't know about you, but many of my apps are downloads, of various upgrades with discs all over the place.
I had thought about upgrading the netbook rather than my main desktop PC, which is now coming up to four years old. But on the basis of the above, plus the fact that XP is a pretty good stable platform and works well....at least for me on the netbook, I am going to give it a miss.
It can wait until I get a new desktop, which will almost certainly be some time next year.
That way, the OS would have had a good few months user testing, and service pack updates, and I will be back to reinstalls of apps then.
So my verdict!! - I am sure it is very nice, but it can wait. Sorry if you thought I was going to review it for you but I am not in the habit of changing for changes sake, and I have spouted on often enough on this blog about choosing not to be the test bed for manufacturer's lack of thorough testing.
This has been a fantastic little tool for me since I got it back in February. It goes literally everywhere with me, and providing I can get a Vodafone signal, I can hook up on line anywhere.
I gave my most recent presentation of my Mull Wildlife talk just this morning to the RPS Nature Group at the Chairmans Day, alongside two great speakers, Gianpiero Ferrari and Heather Angel, using the Netbook and Breezebrowser as my slide show software - another great bit of software that we have frequently recommended on this blog.
Anyway, I am sure it will not have escaped your notice that Windows 7 was launched last week, so I thought I would have a little look to see what is involved.
Firstly, if you are running Vista then it is an easy upgrade on top of your existing OS as you can just do a simopple run, as far as I am aware, but make sure you double check to be certain.
f you are using XP, then that's where your troubles start.
All the advice points to the following:
Back up all your files (well you should do that anyway - so no hardship there)
Then you do a clean install of the new OS.
Then, and here is the killer, reinstall all of your applications and files.
Well I don't know about you, but many of my apps are downloads, of various upgrades with discs all over the place.
I had thought about upgrading the netbook rather than my main desktop PC, which is now coming up to four years old. But on the basis of the above, plus the fact that XP is a pretty good stable platform and works well....at least for me on the netbook, I am going to give it a miss.
It can wait until I get a new desktop, which will almost certainly be some time next year.
That way, the OS would have had a good few months user testing, and service pack updates, and I will be back to reinstalls of apps then.
So my verdict!! - I am sure it is very nice, but it can wait. Sorry if you thought I was going to review it for you but I am not in the habit of changing for changes sake, and I have spouted on often enough on this blog about choosing not to be the test bed for manufacturer's lack of thorough testing.
Martin
I won't be using W7 until I upgrade hardware either. You could solve your 'discs everywhere' problem though. Keep a removable HD with your software on. When you get a disc copy it to the hard drive and copy downloads there too. This gives you both a single source backup of all your software as well as a way to install to the netbook without a CD/DVD drive.
ReplyDeleteGood thought on storing this way - not one I have thought of - Thanks
ReplyDeleteMartin