Customer Reviews

Windows 7 PRO 64 Bit System Builder 1pk [Old Version]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This isn't a review of Windows 7 itself, but of the Windows 7 Professional 64 bit System Builder pack as sold here.

Since I build all my PCs, I have to supply an OS for them and many of them need to be running Windows. Microsoft's pricing for the retail versions is simply horrid and gouging, especially when you consider that companies like Dell and EMachines pay much less than $100 per installation for any desktop version of Windows.

For the PC builder on a tight budget, they often think that they only have a choice of being raped on the price or installing a pirated copy of Windows. Since pirating is illegal, immoral and dangerous (most of the copies, activation cracks and keygens on the internet are infected with malware) to do it right means paying too much money.

This also applies to a home user (or even an office one) who wants to upgrade an existing Windows machine to the latest. Even Microsoft's retail prices for the upgrades are horrendously expensive.

This distribution is intended for those who build Windows PCs much as I did in my computer store throughout the late 80s and 90s. The ONLY differences between it and a retail copy of Windows 7 Professional are:

1. Price

2. No fancy box

3. No extra flyers, leaflets and junk

4. No support from Microsoft as the builder is supposed to support the customer

The box and flyers go in the trash anyway. In 20 some years of using Windows I've only called Microsoft once, and that was their "store" to order an "anytime upgrade" as their website was down. So #4 doesn't mean a thing to me.

Where this SKU shines is the price as you get the full "Professional Version" for less than the "Home Premium" version.

As I've stated in previous reviews, "Home Premium" is a waste of time for anyone need more than basic Windows functionality as Microsoft disabled too many features. With "Home Premium" the only way to network your computer to ANY prior version of Windows, Mac, Linux and a number of networkable devices is to edit the Windows registry. This eliminates probably 90% (or more) home users.

Also missing is the ability to have a relative or friend who is your "computer guru" use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol to take over your computer and help you through a problem. Home users likely will never use that feature, but those who support them DO need it. The alternative is to install a 3rd party program that accomplishes the same thing, often at a cost of security and price.

For those two reasons alone, I feel that Windows 7 Professional 64 bit System Builder is a wise choice for your next upgrade or fresh installation.

*Please note that I do not disparage or discourage use of LogMeIn, TeamViewer or GoToMyPC, etc. as I DO make use of the first two.

Microsoft was wise to design a new OS with familiar features but still incorporate new ones and utilitize new technology. Compared to Vista, 7 is very stable and supports a wide variety of hardware. Windows 7 Professional is ideal for advanced users and enthusiasts, I couldn't see any reason to opt for Ultimate unless perhaps you are using this for business purposes.

I recommend this OEM version as it costs far less than a full retail version. If you can do without the tech support and colorful retail box, this is the one to get.

Compared to its predecessors, Windows 7 is a substantial improvement to the Windows experience. Along with being much more streamlined than both Windows XP and Vista, Windows 7 is packed with a bunch of new features that are far too numerous to explain adequately in a short review. Thus, I would seriously recommend that users experiment with every aspect of this operating system.

For whom this product is targeted varies widely. Persons still using Windows XP - even though I hold no grudge against such a marvelous operating system that served me for many years - should seriously consider switching to this. For Windows Vista users, switching to Windows 7 is definitely a gray area for some. Personally, it seems that Vista was simply a more polished version of Windows XP with a few added features and no significant improvements. Prior to Windows 7 Professional, I had been using Windows Vista Home Premium, which was not a pleasant experience. As most people have already said, Windows 7 is definitely faster and streamlined than Vista in quite a number of ways. Installing the OS itself was relatively painless, aside from the various restarts after downloading new updates. As a side note, performing a Clean Installation (not the "Upgrade") is strongly recommended for users who want a true Windows 7 experience. Personally, I did not want any remnants whatsoever from Vista hampering my experience with a new OS. A Clean Install is also a great way to get rid of any old, accumulating useless files, and have a fresh start. If common sense does not kick in, I would also like to remind those who choose the Clean Install to BACKUP ALL DATA; a Clean Install WILL remove EVERYTHING.

Various functions and features in Windows 7 were redone from Vista and XP. Disk Defragmenter has a new appearance, with the user now being able to determine more precisely whether a hard drive is in need of defragmenting, the percent values provided will speak for themselves. To those concerned with driver compatibility, I have had no problems with my Logitech Keyboard, Microsoft Mouse, or Brother HL2040 printer; most drivers should already be recognized by Windows 7 immediately. However, I would like to point out that it is crucial that video card drivers be updated appropriately. Ensure that the Windows 7 version of the video card driver is installed. As far as the user interface goes, Windows 7 is much more elegant and aesthetically pleasing than Vista. DirectX11 does wonders. Windows can now be snapped into various positions; for instance, holding the Windows button on the keyboard and pushing either up, down, left, or right will perform different commands for a Window: maximize a window, minimize, fill the left-half of the screen, fill right-half of the screen, respectively. Programs that are pinned to the Taskbar can now be moved around on the Taskbar itself, right-clicking will bring up a menu (called a "Jump List" by Microsoft) that gives you access to various functions.

Startup and shutdown times have also been improved dramatically. In my time as a Vista user, Home Premium would require a minute or more to reach the Login Screen. In Windows 7, the time between me pushing the power button to the login screen is a matter of seconds (this may also depend on the performance of your hardware as well).

Overall, I would say that this is a SUPERB operating system and if the necessary funding is available, an upgrade to this OS is strongly recommended. As a previous user of Windows Vista and XP, I am now a solid Windows 7 user. XP users should switch for the feel of a much sleeker OS; Vista users may switch for some eased dissatisfaction. Either way, you can NOT go wrong with Windows 7.

Well, since MS doesn't actually see them as selling me software, but rather a license to use the software, I'm going to review what they claim they are selling me -- the license. And the license for this particular product sucks.

Windows sells this for "system builders". I was building my own system. It installs fine, and requires no extra special hardware/software. But that's not what MS wants you to believe. On the box is some terms making it sound like you have to have an additional system builder kit, etc. I did some research and understand what this is, and I didn't need it and it installed ok. But in my research I found that MS doesn't consider me a valid licensed user even though I've paid for this. Why? Because I built my own system using the system builders kit. See, in order to be valid and licensed, I would need to sell this PC I built to someone else. I can't buy this software and use it for myself and have it be "legal"

We all know W7 is a decent product. It's still plagued by many of the windows garbage problems. But MS has done some great stuff too and it's all trade-offs. It just annoys me that even though I paid for this, MS doesn't consider my license legal unless I pay full price for the retail version since I'm building my own system and not buying it from someone else.

I hasten to add, the install works fine, activation fine, etc. All the legal talk is just technicalities. It's not like the licensing police can verify that I didn't buy this computer from another person. Really, I paid for it, it should fit under the licensing agreement. Otherwise I might as well just pirate and crack the activation of W7 from one of the thousands of download sites out there.

MS, I'm a paying customer. Please show some respect to the people who buy your products rather than treating us like would-be pirates simply because there are a bunch of other software pirates out there!

Let me begin by saying that I honestly wasn't sure about going Windows 7. I haven't done anything with Windows since the days of XP Pro....and most of my computing since then has been on my Mac laptops. I still think OSX is the best broadly-consumer OS out there. [Ubuntu is getting there...but still requires a little too much tinkering for the average user!]

My dilemma was that I needed a *new* home computer that I could do my photo editing (Photoshop and Lightroom), something you just can't do well on a 15-inch laptop. Yeah, I could hook up my Mac to a 24-inch monitor, but it just doesn't offer the performance I need. I want fast, fast, fast....and that means in January 2010 that it's all about the Intel i7 chip. So my choices were basically only 3 -- (1) get the top of the line iMac that runs the i7 but comes with a price tag north of $2200, (2) wait until the Intel i5/i7 chips show up in their cheaper computers, or (3) build myself a PC system with an i7 for $1100. Hmmmm....$2200 or $1100? Sorry OSX Snow Leopard....I luv ya, but your owners gotta get that price a little closer to justify me spending money.

So once I committed to building an i7 box, that basically leaves me needing an OS. I could either do Ubuntu, a Hackintosh system, or Windows 7. Ubuntu is great....but can't really do Adobe products well enough for my standards (even after using some standard work-arounds). Hackintosh? Intriguing idea...but not something I wanted to mess with. That left Windows 7!

With fingers crossed, I dove into Windows 7 (64-bit). And one month in, I will say that it's been better than expected. Vista stank up the joint even more than the crapper in a college bachelor pad. [XP Pro was nice....but my version was only 32-bit.] Everything runs really nice. I probably could have gone Windows 7 Home, as the differences are not nearly as pronounced as XP Pro vs. XP Home. [So make sure you really need the Pro version vs. the Home version.] But so far, I generally like what I see. And needless to say....but the i7's running Win 7 are screamin' fast cpus! Very nice!

But.....I can't get it 5-stars because Snow Leopard is THE standard of modern OS's. I'm surprised (especially with 10.4 and 10.5 having already been around) that Windows 7 didn't incorporate some of the OSX features that make it so awesome.

UPDATE 7/26/2010 -- 7 months in, I have to say that things are still running smooth. I've had one glitch with my USB drivers where I had to uninstall them, reboot, and then let Windows 7 re-install them. One thing that's very nice is the power management system. If you remember back to the days of 98/2000/XP, there's a reason we call sleep mode **bleep** mode! But they finally got it right in 7. A quick click of the mouse and your back 'on' in about 5 seconds. Very nice! Performance is still very solid -- lots of installing/uninstalling and I don't notice any lag...yet!

I've been running Windows 7 64-bit for just over a month now and so far I am very happy. Its so clean compared to an off the shelf branded PC burdened with useless links, applications, and marketing scams! This OS is friendly in most every way and the "Help" option is indexed in such a manor that it is helpful! Home networking, shared folders and child locks are easy to setup making it pretty painless. Overall a +5 stars *****! Thankfully I skipped Vista going from Xp to Win7!

This was a clean install with a new hard-drive and it was painless for the sole exception of the systems onboard sound card was not detected properly and there was no output from the analog port. The volume adjust slider shows the "beat" but still no sound and no errors reported by device manager. Hint: Windows listed a single optical output for the device and this was in error as I knew it was analog only. From this I went to the manufactures site and downloaded 64-bit vista sound card drivers for the on-board audio. Installed those and it was up playing music!

A couple of observations for those who go down this path. The microsoft utility to check which applications will operate correctly from 16/32-bit to 64-bit is very weak and seems to have skipped over and reported nothing on 1/2 of the applications on my pc. Don't expect much from it.

For whatever reason I could not partition my harddrive during the initial install (option was greyed out), but once windows is running you can "shrink a drive" and then partition and format it later. This worked fine.

Others may have done better but I tried the utility which transfers files from your old PC to your new Win7 pc via home network. I admit I took a conservative approach in my selection but it was a serious waste of time and it didn't transfer 1/2 the folders and files I selected. In the interest of time, I would suggest a more proven method like direct SATA install, USB drives, ect. . .

That's it. So far so good!

Ok, I guess it could be simpler if all I had to do was just open the Amazon package and Windows 7 was instantly installed. I did have to put the disc in and run the install program. :) I did have to run the Windows Easy Transfer program to transfer my files between XP and Windows 7. Overall, it took 2-3 hours. But, everything was straight-forward. What I did was go to the Windows 7 upgrade site at microsoft.com and it told me exactly what to do. I followed the instructions there and had no troubles at all. And this was much cheaper that buying the upgrade from Microsoft's website. I would recommend the system builder pack even if you are a little computer savy. And as someone else said, don't worry about all the warnings on the packaging. It's just an install disc like any other and it tells you what to do the whole way. Probably what took the longest for me, because I was going from 32-bit XP to 64-bit Windows 7, was re-installing all of the programs I use. But, I like Windows 7 much better!

Well, to put it simply my Lenovo laptop on 32 Bit Vista has been nothing but a ton of headaches. I originally wanted XP Pro, but it wasn't available anymore from Lenovo, so I went for one with Vista. Could it be that horrible? YES IT CAN ! Three days ago "things" like control panel, Windows (un)installer, network, and so on started to crash plus I could never shut the system down without doing it the wrong way. I even ran Norton Antivirus 2011, and that found nothing worthy after 2-days. Basically the operating system was corrupt and since it was an OEM install (yes I did try a system restore, and that made it even more interesting), I don't have the disc, so I made the decision and picked up Windows 7. Make that I had 20-min left to get it for Saturday delivery. 10am Saturday it showed up no problem.

This was a fresh install as I formatted the drive and then installed it... all in less than 35 minutes. It loaded all of the drivers, everything works, and honestly it made the system what it should have been in the first place-- fast and clean. All of my desktops machines are on XP Pro which work fine and the laptops --were-- on Vista.

I absolutely recommend upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista as it is really THAT much better. Just be sure to check your systems abilities (as in my case my system it was able to use a 64 Bit version), and so on. Save your files to another computer or DVD and do it. I am a pretty good at keeping my computers running and this was the first time I came into an impasse, and honestly it was the EASIEST operating system replacement I ever did. Now all I have to do is reload all of my programs and I'm done.

UPDATE: After a weekend of using it and reinstalling all of my programs, I have to say I will be upgrading all of my machines to Windows 7 soon. It makes Vista seem like a rotten turd and 7 is more like a tuned modern version of XP Pro. I thought I was going to have to find the drivers for various things (like I would have to do in XP)--- but within an hour it found it on its own and asked if I wanted to install the updated... I said yes and all now works 110%. It just gave my system a new lease on life and now EVERYTHING works like it should. Furthermore, what blew me away was when networking with my XP machines--- everything was happy from the start. I could see all of the other systems both directions and even when I installed printers, it found the ones on machines as well as a network printer. Impressive. Plus it now has actual pictures of the printers.... it all adds up to the best choice. So for $150 I resurrected a great computer and saved me from having to spend $500-1000 for a new system.

LAST UPDATE: The reason for this last update as it has performed perfectly since the last update which was in February and it is now the end of April. I use the system for about 4-8 hours per day 6-days a week and I keep being impressed as it keeps working right on the mark.

Can only do fresh installs or repairs, but that's all I was looking for. I never upgrade, just fresh installs.

There have been concerns of legality and the validity of self-installation of OEM versions of Windows 7. The instructions written on the OEM packaging contradicts what is written on Microsoft's website so I went with what I read on their site and installed it anyway. So far no problems with the installation and it seems to have validated just fine.

As for Windows 7 itself, it is amazing. I spend so little time tinkering like I did with previous OS's. I find myself with excess time on my hands to actually enjoy the computer instead of "fixing" it. A wonderful product!