Windows 7 review

Updated: Our final and definitive verdict on the best Windows operating system ever

Our Score 5

Last reviewed: 2009-08-07August 7th 2009

Operating systems Review

Shopping Results

Retailer	Price
Saverstore com	£173.03
currys.co.uk	£168.95
Europc UK	£169.76
pcworld.co.uk	£168.95
Novatech.co.uk	£184.99
Amazon.co.uk	£168.95
dixons.co.uk	£168.95
Pixmania.co.uk	£162.99

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Shopping results for

Windows 7

On sale for

£173.03

from Saverstore com

Retailer	Price
currys.co.uk	£168.95
Europc UK	£169.76
pcworld.co.uk	£168.95
Novatech.co.uk	£184.99

See all 8 sellers

Product Summary

For

Improved performance

Pinned icons

Live thumbnails

Jump lists and window snaps make Aero useful as well as attractive

New ways of organising files with libraries

Improved backup

Less annoying notifications

Against

XP Mode isn't an integrated option yet

Microsoft backed down on libraries and Ctrl-E brings up My Computer instead

You can't add NAS drives to libraries

Ultimate edition is almost unnecessary except for adding BitLocker – which should be in the Professional Edition – and rather expensive (as are the Anytime Upgrades)

Yes, it's what Vista should have been (but it's more than that)