Enhancements in Windows 7 Remote Assistance

Windows 7 Remote Assistance has many enhancements introduced earlier for this feature in Windows Vista. These earlier Remote Assistance improvements were build upon the earlier Windows XP Remote Assistance and included:

• Connectivity betterment with transparent NAT traversal using Teredo and IPv6.
• An enhanced user interface that is easier to launch and use.
• A standalone executable (Msra.exe) can easily be scripted and that accepts command-line arguments.
• Faster startup and connect times and customized bandwidth usage for screen updates.
• Improved security with compulsory password and unification with UAC.
• An open API for unification with peer-to-peer applications and new Offer RA via IM scenario.
• Enhanced Group Policy settings for improved manageability.

Windows 7 adds the following new enhancements to Remote Assistance in addition to these Windows Vista enhancements for Remote Assistance:

• To simplify Remote Assistance user interactions Easy Connect a method introduced in Windows 7 for supplication of Remote Assistance infrastructure.
• For users to solicit or offer help, an enhanced Remote Assistance connection wizard.
• New command-line arguments for the Remote Assistance executable (Msra.exe).
•
Windows 7 Remote Assistance and Vista deprecate the following features that were
available on Windows XP:

• No support for the MAILTO method of solicited Remote Assistance
• No more support for voice sessions

Buyer’s Guide: Windows 7 Ultimate Edition

So if the wave of Windows 7 has hit you and you are curious about which edition to go for, and which one you think would best compliment your case and comfort, then compare the features of the Windows 7 Ultimate with your needs and see if they are compatible.

We all know that the Windows Vista also had a Ultimate version. And true to its name, the Windows 7 Ultimate also has the ability to combine all these features along with added features from the Windows 7 Enterprise.

The Windows 7 Ultimate Extras have been scrapped off. And the advantage this edition has over the other two versions - Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional - are that this edition has Support for BitLocker full-disk encryption. Another major exception of the Windows 7 Ultimate over the two editions is that, it has been built to switch between languages in no time.

Glance at Windows 7 Ultimate and you will find all the features of Windows 7 retail editions combined with features from Windows 7 Enterprise. But unlike its Windows Vista predecessor, it omits Windows 7 Ultimate Extras. Ultimate towers over other editions with features including, support for BitLocker full-disk encryption and the ability to switch between languages on the fly. Retooled BitLocker in Windows 7 can now encrypt external drives (including USB keys) allowing a user to transport data between home and office without being concerned about being mugged and winding up in the next data breach headline.

Well it is pretty obvious that unless your work demands of you to work with multiple languages on the same PC, the option to switch languages can be of no use to you. However, the BitLocker is quite a steal and this might be the option that eventually holds your attention to this edition. Here’s why. The BitLocker can easily encrypt external drives, almost any drive including USB keys. This will enable you to transport data at will from your home and office without the trouble of having to worry about being mugged and probably winding up in the next data breach headline. If this doesn’t seem to impress you and you choose to not upgrade both the ends of a data-transport chain with Windows 7 Ultimate then, here’s another punch to get you off. The BitLocker also comes loaded with a secure Bitlocker to Go feature that can enable Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP users with the proper authorization to procure BitLocker secure media in read only mode.

By and large, these features are pretty unique and can be enabled only by a Windows 7 Ultimate User. This will remain its USP, and sure enough it will find many buyers with these features it has harbored in it.

How smooth is the upgrade to Windows 7

Although upgrade to Windows 7 will be smooth, problem may arise if you are upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 directly because the hardware of your computer or laptop may not support Windows 7. So you need to upgrade your hardware before you install Windows 7 on it.

In some cases, upgrading will be simply a plug-and-play type of process. The hassle free process only involves loading the Operating System DVD, providing in a code and waiting for approximately 45 minutes to upgrade. Although, there is no need to take a back up of your data but still you must not take chances. Hence, you must take a backup before starting the upgrade.

When you run Windows 7, all your applications, programs, settings, and files will be available as it is. The process is called in-place upgrade. The problem here is that in-place upgrade applies only to those PCs that are running Vista with at least 20GB of free space in disk.

But, the ride is not smooth if you have Windows XP in your computer. You will not be able to enjoy in-place upgrade option. For upgrading XP-to-Windows 7, you will have to do a “clean installation”. It makes taking a backup of your data compulsory. And after the Windows 7 installation, you need to restore all your data and reinstall all the applications that you were previously using.

On the whole there are few issues that make the road to upgrade tough for the users. Because of incompatible applications and drivers, upgrade for Windows XP to Windows 7 necessitates clean installation. Furthermore, most of the old computers lack the power to run Windows 7 to its full capacity. All of this makes XP users think twice before trying to install Windows 7.

Microsoft team is working hard on upgrade issues faced by users so that there is marked improvement before the official release of Windows 7.

Profit off the Agenda in Microsoft's Windows 7

Microsoft plans to deliver much with its new OS Windows 7 with little profit margins for hardware manufacturers.

In what could be a move that could drive profit margins to new bottoms for hardware manufacturers, Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, with its smaller footprint and also with its ability to be more adept at memory handling could be targeted at the new netbook market.

Prices of portable computers are at an all-time low and the entry of netbooks, which come small and light with low-cost prices, is not somthing new anymore now. And Windows 7, which comes in innovating types of Linux-based portables, could make a deeper dent into the hardware manufacturers market.

It sure looks bleak for the hardware manufacturers market with increasing pressure to sell products over $800 as becoming more tougher. There is a wide margin in the price of a notebook and a netbook. And, by market trends, it looks like the latter dominates over the former. In addition, the new netbooks, along with its cheap price, will come loaded with latest Windows 7 after its launch on the 22nd of October. This surely entails a steep decline in the revenue of OEMs and with upto an 11% decrease, which has been an outcome of the growth propensity of licenses which have been an offshoot of high Netbook PC sales, there will surely be a lot of thinking and mustering up to do for the hardware manufacturers.