Windows 7 Starter Edition for Netbooks

Windows 7 Starter edition is the latest version of the Windows operating system from Microsoft for netbooks. After spending the past two months working on Windows 7 netbooks, I’m impressed. Windows 7 Starter edition is simple to use and has user interface features that are logical and better optimized for netbooks. It is what you need to get the job done on the go and that’s exactly what it does.

What I like about Windows 7 starter edition:

More responsive performance – netbooks start up, shut down, resume from standby faster.

Less clicks to get things done – it is quicker to get around and get things done with streamlined navigation. For example, if I want to shut down there is only one click to actually get the machine to shutdown unlike Vista which asks me if I am sure I want to shut down and takes me three clicks to do it.

Easier to connect wirelessly – the wireless connections manager displays all available networks with a single click on the taskbar. Before, it took three navigation screens to find them.

Improved taskbar – large icons are used to switch between documents and to launch application. Now applications can be pinned to the taskbar so it’s always just a click away.

Desktop enhancements – Two windows can be compared side by side using the Snap feature. Just drag one window to the far right and another window to the far left and it will automatically split the screen into two equal halves.

Many reviewers have highlighted the lack of features on the Starter edition compared to the other flavors of windows 7. For example, the Starter edition does not come with an email program – you have to download it. Not a big issue, but for people with slow connections they may find this annoying.

There are many good reasons why some features were removed from the Starter edition. Windows 7 Starter edition is meant to be the version of Windows 7 that netbook users could embrace and it was never intended to be a complete package. Bloatwares like Windows Mail and Movie Maker were specifically removed in favor of web versions hosted by Windows Live. This frees up the resources needed to run the operating system on low end hardware which netbooks are and made to take advantage of the internet. This approach also gives users flexibility over their web choices.

If you want the true Windows 7 experience than you need to have the right hardware to run it and netbooks are, for the most part, not going to give you that experience as they aren’t equipped with the hardware to run the full feature set of Windows 7.

Windows 7 starter edition does whatever Windows XP Home edition did but only better. It essentially provides a means to surf the internet and be productive on-the-go. This is what a netbook is and the feature set in the Windows 7 Starter edition must be seen in this perspective.

Improved design, better interaction with your devices, and easier switching between programs are just some of the reasons why Windows 7 Starter edition is the operating system that will make your netbook shine. I like it!

If you require additional features than you may consider upgrading your starter edition to higher versions.