With the arrival of Windows 7 Microsoft has achieved a happy point of no return. Their new operating system is far better balanced and more pleasurable to use than the cumbersome Vista or the now-outdated XP that there’s no reason to ever look back. It’s not that Microsoft has introduced a revolutionary new way to use the PC, but rather that they have finally achieved all of their ambitious goals well, delivering security without sacrificing speed, ease-of-use without annoyance, and support for cutting-edge advances such as touchscreen controls without losing compatibility for older software and accessories.

The shift comes from Microsoft embracing a new sense of simplicity. They have stripped down their Windows software to its bare essentials, reduced its heavy hardware requirements, minimized its system of notifications and alerts, and have eliminated a large bulk of extras including movie-making software, e-mail, calendar, address book, and photo-editing features. These extras are still available as a download from Microsoft’s website free of charge, but are no longer built-in, allowing you to load them only as needed.

The overall gain is an improvement in speed and performance. Windows 7 is quick to boot and shutdown, fast to install onto a clean hard drive, and takes up less space when complete.

That sense of simplicity can also be found in its interface, with Microsoft offering a better system for users to eliminate clutter from their desktops, organize their programs and files, and discover tweaks and tricks that make it easier to find a document or file exactly when you need to. The productivity and ease-of-use gains are substantial.

Here are several of the new features included in Windows 7 that make it an easy transition to recommend:

The New Taskbar And Application Pinning

More than just a quick way to see which windows are open, the larger taskbar uses simple, text-free icons and can now be used as a handy place to launch your favorite programs. By dragging and dropping your favorite shortcuts, you can “pin” them permanently to the taskbar for a quick launch. You can also drag-and-drop a file itself onto an icon to have it open in that program.

As before in Vista you can hover your cursor over an icon in the taskbar for a preview thumbnail, but this time the preview window displays more detail, can include mini-controls for that application, and with a right-click, show a “jump list” of common tasks for that program.

Finally, you can use a feature called “peek” to quickly make all of your open windows invisible for a quick view of the desktop itself by simply hovering your cursor over a handy rectangle on the far right.

Combined, these tweaks create a tight, efficient, and very natural system for launching and managing your programs.

Snap And Shake Desktop Organization

One feature that users will pick up and use instantly is “snap”. This allows open windows to fit the frame of your desktop almost magnetically based on your cursor movements. By clicking and dragging an open window to the far right side of the screen, you can maximize that window to take up half of the desktop. Drag another open window, this time to the left, and it will fill in the other half of the screen for a perfect side-by-side comparison with the first window. Drag any window to the top of the screen and it will take over the desktop completely.

By grabbing an open window with your cursor and giving it a “shake” you can instantly make the other windows on your desktop disappear from view, de-cluttering your desktop so you can focus solely on the program held by your cursor.

Good-Bye My Folders, Hello Libraries

Microsoft’s attempts to encourage everyone to organize their media into a set of “My” folders (My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, etc.) hasn’t worked well. Photo-editing and music software tend to create their own default folders for use and the result has only added confusion.

In Windows 7, Explorer has been given a new feature called Libraries that will deliver views of your content as a whole regardless of where it’s saved. Clicking on the Music Library pulls up a view of all the music files on your computer. The same for pictures, documents, and videos. This makes it easier for you to quickly find a file without having to create a specific search for it.

Better Device And Software Compatibility

Typically a new version of Windows will have trouble with your old software and hardware accessories. What worked before suddenly doesn’t work as well now and you’re stuck having to wait for new updates to be released to resolve the issues.

Thankfully, this is not the case with Windows 7 which has been designed with older third-party programs and hardware in mind. In my own case, I haven’t experienced any conflicts with my older collection of gadgets and favorite software. If it worked on Vista or XP, it will work with 7.

In fact, amongst the systems I tested and installed Windows 7 onto is an Apple Mac Book Pro using Apple’s free Boot Camp software. The drivers created by Apple for Vista work perfectly for Windows 7, allowing for use of Apple-specific features such as the back-lit keyboard, multi-touch pad, etc. to still work.

Windows 7 is now faster at installing drivers for new devices and in the case of USB-based drives and gadgets, 7 will now remember them and skip the process the next time you insert them.

If you use many USB drives like I do, what this means is that you’ll only have to go through the pop-up notification showing its installation ONCE. The next time you connect the USB flash drive, it’s ready for use instantly.

Networking And Remote Media Streaming

Microsoft has reduced the number of steps needed to connect your computers together, but only if they are running Windows 7. A new feature called HomeGroups creates one central view in your network folder where you can easily share libraries and files in between computers. Remote Media Streaming allows you to link two Windows 7 computers using your Windows Live account so that one computer can access and stream media content from another over the internet. While it is an easier task than on Vista or XP, it’s still a confusing one that can take several tries to get right.

Realistic Minimal Requirements

One of the more detestable aspects of the Vista launch was the campaign to get users to spend money adding new RAM and better components to their existing computer just to bring them up to standards in order to get the proper value out of Vista.

Thankfully this is not the case with Windows 7 which has been designed to accommodate the rising popularity of portable computers such as Netbooks and so will run well on a wide range of computer devices, from high-end systems that came with XP to every system that has launched with Vista on it since.

Most users today use a 32-bit system and so will only need 1 GHz of processing speed, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of free hard drive space to make the change to 7.

Today’s fancier computers can run a more advanced 64-bit system and those making the shift to Windows 7 will need at least a 1 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 20 GB of free hard drive space.

In both cases, very reasonable demands to make.

Upgrades And Clean Installs

There are three main versions of Windows 7; Home Premium offers basic features for consumers, Professional for those who need to connect their computers to their networks at the office, and Ultimate for tech-savvy users who want all of the features available.

In all three cases there is an option to purchase the software as either a full retail edition or for a lower price as an upgrade option. In the case of Home Premium, for example, the difference is $130 for the upgrade compared to $225 for the full retail.

The upgrade process isn’t available to all computer users depending on their system and even when it is an option, the process can be quite troublesome. To lessen the confusion, Microsoft has made available a free download, the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, designed to help users analyze their computers and see if an upgrade is an option.

For those running XP or whose system has failed to pass for an upgrade, the only option available is to perform a “Clean Install”. This involves backing up your personal files and settings to an external drive, wiping your main hard drive clean, and then installing Windows 7 from scratch. Moving your files and settings back from the external drive can be a tedious task as you will also need to re-install all of your programs and download the most recent updates for them. This is the kind of task where you are best to set aside a day or two to complete.

For those who can make the upgrade, you’ll need to check to see if you use any of the extra features not included within 7. These will be removed during the upgrade from Vista and while you can put them back by downloading the Windows Live Essentials pack, you’ll need to first back-up your settings and data for those programs.

Again, Microsoft has a free tool to help you with this task.

Highly Recommended

There is no question that your next computer should run Windows 7. Microsoft has managed to carry forward the major advances they achieved in security with Vista while delivering significant gains in speed, performance, and ease-of-use. Perhaps most importantly they have achieved the little things that make using a computer such a joy and in so doing have re-established a healthy relationship with PC users.

The prices for Windows 7 and its different editions still remains high, ranging between $225 - $335 for XP users and other who don’t qualify for an upgrade and so admittedly the gains in comfort may not justify an immediate upgrade and users might be best in saving their funds towards their next PC purchase where 7 will be included.