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Seven cool things about Windows 7

In the shops since last October, Microsoft's newest operating system (OS) is top of the range. Here are seven good reasons to consider upgrading.

1. Faster boot-up time

We're all impatient when it comes to booting up our desktop or laptop, so this has been a major focus for Windows 7 engineers, making sure it is faster than ever. Even better, your PC will jump from sleep mode to resume almost instantly so you never have to wait around while your computer "wakes up".

2. It's netbook friendly

Netbook manufacturers have been putting Windows XP on their products simply because the computing power wasn't enough to handle Vista, making for sluggish performance.

This all changes with Windows 7 - in fact, comparing a Toshiba NB200 netbook running on XP against one running on Windows 7 it was clear the Windows 7 version was a lot zippier.

Microsoft has said Windows 7 will give a good user experience on any machine with 1.6GHz Atom processor with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of disk space, which covers most netbooks.

You can double check by visiting Microsoft.com and downloading the Upgrade Advisor; this will let you know if any netbook, notebook or desktop PC is Windows 7 capable.

3. Improved desktop organisation

It is a lot easier to manage tasks, find your way around and keep tabs on your windows. The first handy feature is called "Aero Peek" - this is a great way of getting an x-ray view of your desktop. By moving your mouse into the right-hand corner of the taskbar all your open windows turn transparent (this looks pretty cool!) and you can see what widgets, files and icons are sitting on your desktop at a glance.

Aero Shake is a quirkier feature: with a dozen windows open you can de-fog your mind and screen by clicking on the window you want to focus on then shaking your mouse from side to side. The desktop judders and all the crowded windows disappear, leaving the one you want.

Finally, Snap is another good way to organise your open windows. By dragging an open window to the left or right it will automatically resize it for you and "snap" it into line with other windows so you can view them side by side.

4. Bright new look

In comparison to XP and Vista, the Windows 7 desktop feels clean and modern, with plenty of sleek lines and lots of fun themes to add a great lifestyle feel to the robust OS.

The streamlined look is complimented by a new range of themes and a better ability to customise the look and feel.

Customising Gadgets is also easier and displays better. Remember how Vista locked all your Gadgets into the sidebar area to the right of the screen? Now you can drag them around the screen wherever you want and there are plenty of new Gadgets online through the main Windows website.

5. Better user interface

The taskbar has been a staple of the Windows operating system since Windows 95, but Windows 7 has managed to improve a lot on this formula.

Applications that you use frequently can be pinned (and unpinned) to the taskbar and will remain there for easy access after you have closed them down.

The taskbar itself is a lot shinier: frosted edges appear around all icons, which are bigger and brighter than before and visually appealing.

Cycling between open applications is also easy. Hovering on the icon brings up all windows and if you hover on, say, Internet Explorer, it will provide a full preview list of all open web browser windows at a glance.

6. Instant search

Universal search has become an increasingly important feature for both the desktop and mobile-computing platform. Who remembers where they've stored those birthday photos, favourite Beatles song or Excel sheets detailing home finances?

You don't need to anymore. Simply open the Start menu, begin typing, and results will begin to appear immediately. Sorted!

7. Windows Media Centre

It has never been easier to share media content in the home. Media Centre for Windows 7 has many improvements on its Vista counterpart, one of the best being the new HomeGroup feature.

You can instantly access and watch any of your recorded TV shows, music, video and so on, even if it is on someone else's computer within your household, as long as they have Windows 7 installed, too.

This is password protected and two or more computers can share their media libraries, plus you can make your files "read only" so your family members or housemates don't mess your with stuff!

For more information about Windows 7, visit the Microsoft Ireland website.

Photo: Windows 7 is available 22 October.