How to Install Windows 7 from a USB Thumb Drive

Installing Windows 7 directly from a USB thumb drive can be done in a couple of easy steps, thanks to Microsoft’s very own Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

• Some of the netbooks are sold without any form of DVD drive. What if your pre-installed Windows 7 installation is messed up? What if your netbook came with Windows XP and you want to upgrade? Now, you can setup Windows 7 from a USB Drive!
• Power users regularly install operating systems on more than one machine. Installing from a USB Drive is much faster than from an old DVD drive.
• USB drive is more smaller to practical than a DVD, to carry around.
  
  

Keyboard and mouse shortcuts on Google Chrome Browser for windows

Ctrl+N	Opens a new window.
Ctrl+T	Opens a new tab.
Ctrl+Shift+N	Opens a new window in incognito mode.
Press Ctrl+O, then select file.	Opens a file from your computer in Google Chrome.
Press Ctrl and click a link. Or click a link with your middle mouse button (or mousewheel).	Opens the link in a new  tab in the background .
Press Ctrl+Shift and click a link. Or press Shift and click a link with your middle mouse button (or mousewheel).	Opens the link in a new  tab and switches to  the newly opened tab.
Press Shift and click a link.	Opens the link in a new  window.
Ctrl+Shift+T	Reopens the last tab you've closed. Google  Chrome remembers the last 10 tabs you've  closed.
Drag a link to a tab.	Opens the link in the  tab.
Drag a link to a blank area on the tab strip.	Opens the link in a new tab.
Drag a tab out of the tab strip.	Opens the tab in a  new window.
Drag a tab out of the tab strip and into an existing window.	Opens the tab in the existing window.
Press Esc while dragging a tab.	Returns the tab to its orginal position.
Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+8	Switches to the tab at the specified position  number on the tab strip.
Ctrl+9	Switches to the last tab.
Ctrl+Tab or Ctrl+PgDown	Switches to the next tab.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab or Ctrl+PgUp	Switches to the previous  tab.
Alt+F4	Closes the current window.
Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4	Closes the current tab or pop-up.
Click a tab with your middle mouse button (or mousewheel).	Closes the tab you  clicked.
Right-click, or click and hold either the Back or Forward arrow in the browser toolbar.	Displays your browsing  history in the tab.
Press Backspace, or Alt and the left arrow together.	Goes to the previous  page in your browsing history for the tab.
Press Shift+Backspace, or Alt and the right arrow together.	Goes to the next page  in your browsing history  for the tab.
Press Ctrl and click either the Back arrow, Forward arrow, or Go button in the toolbar. Or click either button with your middle mouse button (or mousewheel).	Opens the button destination in a new tab in the background.
Double-click the blank area on the tab strip.	Maximizes the window.
Alt+Home	Opens your homepage  in your current window.

Acer Launches new multitouch and 3D products

Their new products include notebooks, Projectors, and all-in-one PCs.

New Acer Aspire 5738PzG series notebook which comes with a large 15.6" multi touch screen, and comes with Windows 7 to make full use of the feature. The laptop is priced at Rs. 43,500 excluding taxes.

New Aspire 5600 series All-in-One (AIO) PCs. The AIO comes with a full 1080p HD enabled 23" multi-touch screen, with a powerful configuration: a Intel Core 2 Quad processor 2.33GHz (Q8200), 4GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD, and a 512MB graphics card.

The AIO PC will also come with an inbuilt DVD RW, and TV Tuner. Loaded with Window 7 Home Premium and a suite of Acer application to help ease users into their new touch environment. The series is priced at a starting point of Rs. 60,000 excluding taxes.

Among their new 3D-enabled products is the new 5738D 3D Notebook, and the X1261 3D-ready projector.

The new notebook uses a combination of a special 3D "coating" on the screen, and polarized glasses to bring you a 3D experience. It will also come with a software which will allow it to display videos, images, and games in 3D. The notebook is HDTV ready and comes with a connector which will allow it to be used with an external screen -- although you will in most certainty lost he 3D functionality in this case. The notebook will also come with 4GB memory, and an option of either a dual-core Pentium, or a Core 2 Duo processor. The netbooks will start at a price of Rs. 43,000 for the Aspire 5738DzG.

The new X1261 porjector showcases "2500 ANSI Lumens brigtness, a contrast ratio of upto 3700:1 a native XGA resolution & a lamp life of upto 4000 hours." It is capable of displaying 3D images by projecting both right-eye and left-eye images which can then be viewed using an appropriate 3D glasses to get a 3D effect.

Microsoft Office 2010 confirmed release in June

It has now been confirmed that the next version of Microsoft Office will indeed be launching in June next year.

It was expected that the shipping date announcement would have come during PDC 2009, however here it comes a couple of weeks later. The beta was made available for free for early testers -- much like what Microsoft did with Windows 7.

The new Starter edition of Office 2010 is to be a ad-supported version of Office which will be only come bundled with new computers.

Now, Windows 7 on a phone!

XP Phone to allow customised hardware, can run Windows 7

User can select three screen sizes: 4.3-inch, 4.7-inch and 7-inch (resolutions: 800x480 or 1024x600 pixels); a choice of their operating system: MS Dos, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Embedded, or Windows 7; and the speed of the AMD Super Mobile CPU: over 1GHz or under 1GHz.

The storage capacity will be customizable as well, with options of SSD (8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) and HDD (30GB, 60GB, 80GB, 120GB). The RAM is similarly customizable: 512MB, 1GB or 2GB. And users can also pick out a camera from 0.3-megapixel up to 5-megapixel. The phone will come with single SIM card option, and dual-SIM as well.

How to Install Windows 7

Check Your Machine's Specs

The first thing to do is check whether your desktop or laptop PC is capable of running Windows 7. If it's already running Vistawith acceptable performance, then the answer is yes. Officially, you need at least a 1-GHz CPU and 1GB RAM, but testers of the OS have successfully got it running on machines as out of date as a 266-MHz Pentium II with 96MB of RAM. Go ahead and try that kind of thing if you want, just don't use your license key on that type of machine. It may run, but you'll spend a lot of time waiting for it, and it won't display the glassy new Aero interface and enhancements.

If you're unsure whether your current system can run Windows 7, download and run Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor to assess your hardware's capabilities. When I ran it on an aging XP laptop, it told me I needed to back up my files and perform a Custom installation (see below), that my hard disk didn't have enough free space (you need 16GB), and that the laptop wouldn't run Aero Desktop. The good news, however, was that my 1.6-GHz CPU and 1.5GB RAM were sufficient. The advisor actually checks a lot more than the basic system requirements, and it lists every piece of hardware and software you have installed at the bottom of its report.

Choose an Edition

Home Premium, Home Basic, Professional, and Ultimate.The key thing to consider here is that you have to do a clean installation without the ability to carry your apps along if you move from one level of Vista to another level of Windows 7, say from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional. The exception is Windows 7 Ultimate, which will let you perform an in-place upgrade from any level of Vista as long as you don't change whether you're using the 32- or 64-bit version.

After that Choose 64-bit or 32-bit

After Running Setup

Once the setup has run its course, you'll be asked to type in a username (20 characters maximum) and computer name (15 characters maximum). Then you're asked for a password, password confirmation, and password hint. (You can bypass this last step if you're not worried about others getting into your PC.) After this, you're supposed to enter your product key, but since you have a 30-day trial, you don't need to right away. The same page by default sets the system to automatically activate Windows, but you may want to uncheck this if you're just trying out the OS. After 30 days, you'll see messages and warnings that you need to Activate, so it's not like you can forget about it.

Then you choose Security settings. The large choice at the top for Default Settings makes a lot of sense—it turns on automatic updates and checks online to resolve problems. The other two choices, "Install important updates only" and "Ask me later," leave you a bit less protected. After this, you'll be prompted for your Time Zone and be given a chance to check the date and time. Windows gets this over the Internet, so you shouldn't have to set it manually.

Now comes the Welcome screen and the "Windows is preparing your Desktop" Message. And that's it—you're running Windows 7! You'll likely see updates in available in Windows Update, which will probably require a restart.

Your Windows 7 Upgrade: Why and How

Microsoft offers a free Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and that is the best place to begin your upgrade odyssey. Also, here is a link to the official Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration page. You may want to read it before making your upgrade decision.

Be warned: Vista users get to upgrade while XP users will migrate to the new OS. The difference is important, as you will see.

Windows Vista Users -- If you have survived this long with Windows Vista, you may be in no hurry to upgrade. People who like Vista may actually consider Windows 7 a step backwards in some regards.

The good news is that you can upgrade a Windows Vista machine to Windows 7 with a minimum of difficulty. Also, a machine that runs Vista may run Windows 7 a bit faster.

Windows XP Users -- On the Windows Upgrade Advisor page, Microsoft states: "If your PC can run Windows Vista, it can probably run Windows 7, but it's still a good idea to use the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor."

That means newer Windows XP machines can migrate to Windows 7, perhaps where you chose not to have Windows Vista preinstalled. However, if you are running a 5-year-old XP machine, I would not expect to upgrade or to have some regrets if you do.

Be warned that there is no easy upgrade option for Windows XP to Windows 7. Here is what Microsoft has to say about it:

"The upgrade option is not available in Windows 7 Setup when installing Windows 7 on a computer running Windows XP. However, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 on the same computer.

"To do this, you must first copy files to a removable media, such as an external hard drive or UFD, or to a network share. Next, you will install Windows 7 and then migrate your files back from the removable media onto your computer. When you are finished, you must install your software programs again, but your files and settings will have been copied from Windows XP."

Corporate IT -- I will not presume to tell IT Pros whether to upgrade. I believe many companies will find the new enterprise features of Windows 7 a good reason to switch, though many may wait until the OS has been on the market for a while and the presumed kinks have been worked out.

Small Business -- I treat small businesses much like consumers and, to that extent, I don't recommend upgrading XP machines unless they are fairly new and you don't mind having some people running XP and others running Windows 7.

Windows 7 is a very nice OS, but upgrading and migrating is not as simple as it might be. Have fun shopping for a new Windows 7 machine.

Windows 7, Microsoft’s most widely tested product, launches at a price cut in India

On Thursday, Microsoft launched its most highly-anticipated product, Windows 7, across the world. And for once, users in India have gotten a break.

According to Microsoft, the Windows 7 beta program had over eight million people signing up for it, making this the most widely-rested beta product in the company’s history. The different versions of Windows 7 are available in India at the following prices:

Windows 7 Home Basic - Rs. 5,899

Windows 7 Home Premium - Rs. 6,799

Windows 7 Professional - Rs. 11,199

Windows 7 Ultimate - Rs. 11,799

The prices are significantly lower than the product is retailing at in the US. So far, the cheapest way to get Windows 7 seems to be in Indonesia, where the Home Basic package costs Rp 9,00,000 (Rs. 4,400 approx).

Windows 7 Likely to Be Better Enterprise Fit Than Vista

Corporate PCs are three times more likely to be equipped to run Windows 7 than had been capable of running Windows Vista when the often-maligned OS was released.
Or at least that is what Softchoice, an IT management company, is reporting about the 450,000 corporate PCs it manages.
According to Softchoice, 88 percent of the corporate PCs it has under management meet the minimum system requirements of Windows 7. Of those not yet equipped to run Windows 7, the majority would simply require more RAM and/or bigger hard disks. To run Windows 7, only 1 percent of PCs would require replacement.
If you look at the optimum configuration for Windows 7 rather than the minimum configuration, 65 percent of Softchoice-managed PCs are Windows 7-ready, and 5 percent would need outright replacement, according to Softchoice. This compares very favorably with the state of Windows PCs.

Windows 7 Ultimate cracked already!

Almost everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Windows 7 got cracked by pirates, but to have its security already compromised just a week after it was released to manufacturing is a new low, even for Microsoft.

The company’s operating systems have been notoriously easy to crack and are very widely pirated, especially in countries with non-stringent copyright laws like India. Come on, you have to know at least 10 people using a pirated version of Windows, right?

Neowin reports that the new crack and activation, allegedly by Chinese hackers, is built on the Windows 7 Ultimate version given to Lenovo. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are given copies of the operating system much before it is released in the market, so that they can get their various devices ready for the launch.

“The news comes from various Chinese forums who state that you can already pass Windows Genuine Advantage validation offline, OEM style,” the site said. “The leaked .ISO was originally posted on a Chinese forum, which was then downloaded in order for people to get hold of the boot.wim, and in turn retrieving the OEM-SLP key, plus the OEM activation certificate. Microsoft uses the same digitally signed OEM certificate, which has an .xrm-ms extension, as that in Windows Vista. Another point to note is that the key is a master one, which can be used to activate other OEM branded installations, like ones from Dell, HP or indeed Lenovo.”

A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed to Neowin: "We are aware of reports of activation exploits that attempt to circumvent activation & validation in Windows 7, and we can assure customers that Microsoft is committed to protecting them from counterfeit and pirated software. Microsoft strongly advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources. Downloading Windows 7 from peer-to-peer Web sites is piracy, and exposes users to increased risks – such as viruses, Trojans and other malware and malicious code—that usually accompany counterfeit software."

Source:thinkdigit.com

Microsoft, Intel Design Windows 7 to Be Speedy

Collaboration with Microsoft could allow the software giant's upcoming Windows 7 OS to take advantage of multithreaded and multicore Intel chips for faster application performance, according to an Intel official.
Microsoft and Intel are working together to give Windows 7 the ability to better identify resources available and break up application processing over multiple chip cores and threads.
A feature called SMT parking allows Windows 7 to take advantage of Intel hyperthreading technology for "better performance on hyperthreaded, multicore Intel processors," wrote Joakim Lialias, an Intel alliance manager, in a blog entry on Microsoft's Web site that was posted late Wednesday.
This feature will help users break up tasks like video encoding and image filtering over multiple task-execution threads, said George Alfs, an Intel spokesman. "The more cores you have, the better," Alfs said. Intel chips based on its new Nehalem architecture are capable of running two threads per core, and ultimately all of Intel's laptop and desktop chips will be based on Nehalem, Alfs said.
The companies also worked together on technologies that could allow Windows 7 to boot and shut down faster, Alfs said. Driver and BIOS-level improvement could improve the start, shut-down, sleep and resume times. Chips based on the Nehalem microarchitecture can go into an idle state faster than earlier chips, and Windows 7 is designed to take advantage of that capability, Alfs said.
Longtime Partners
The cooperation of Intel and Microsoft shouldn't come as a surprise. Most PCs today come with Intel chips and Microsoft's Windows operating system, so there is a benefit in both companies working together.
Intel and Microsoft have been collaborating for more than 20 years now, according to Lialias. "Our mutual goal was to provide the most responsive compute experience possible," Lialias wrote.
The blog entry also sheds light on specific hardware-related improvements Microsoft is incorporating into the new OS, something the company has been quiet about. Microsoft wasn't immediately available to comment on the topic.
Observers have criticized Microsoft's previous operating systems for not taking full advantage of multicore and multithreaded chips. Windows 7 will do a more intelligent job of allocating tasks across hardware resources, said Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist with In-Stat.
The traditional way of boosting application performance on PCs was by cranking up CPU clock speed, McGregor said. That led to software being written in a sequential mode for execution on one core, with an increase in clock speed providing the performance boost. But over time, chip makers like Intel started adding cores to boost performance, as cranking up clock speed led to excessive heat dissipation and power consumption.
Boosting Multicore
Software typically lags hardware development by three to five years, and software developers are still playing catch-up to hardware improvements. Even today, many consumer software applications are not designed to take advantage of multiple cores. But Windows 7 could encourage developers to start writing applications for multicore chips.
The past few years have also seen the emergence of solid-state drives, which are considered faster than hard drives. Intel and Microsoft are working on technologies to speed access to SSDs by including faster read and write capabilities. Intel plans to deliver firmware for its SSDs that supports the Trim command in Windows 7, which speeds up the writing and erasing of SSDs.
Microsoft is also incorporating DirectX 11 graphics drivers into Windows 7 to effectively break up tasks over multiple cores to boost application and graphics performance. Intel in June already launched new graphics drivers that work with Windows 7, but for now the drivers support only DirectX 10.
Apple has changed the basic architecture of its upcoming Mac OS X 10.6 OS, code-named Snow Leopard, by introducing new features that tap into the processing power of multiple CPU and graphics cores.

Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ

This is the new versions of Windows

Microsoft is readying its next major release of the Windows operating system. After months of demos, early testing, beta releases, and finally announced launch plans, here's what you can expect in an upgrade.

How many versions of Windows 7 will there be?

Six different editions of Windows 7 will be available: OEM, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. You won't however see in the shops all the above edition. Marketing efforts will be concentrated only on the Home Premium and Professional editions.

The other editions, including a non-Internet Explorer version for users in Europe, will be available for various markets around the world.

How much will it cost you to upgrade to Windows 7?

Residents in the U.S., Canada, and Japan can now pre-order an upgrade version of Windows 7 for a temporarily reduced price. The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade is available for $49.99 and the Professional Upgrade version is $99.99.

The deal will last until July 11 in the U.S. and Canada, and only until July 5 in Japan. The number of copies available is not unlimited and Microsoft did not say how many will be available.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 7?

Microsoft says Windows 7 is designed to run well on PCs that meet the recommended system requirements for Windows Vista.

Before you upgrade to Windows 7, be sure to compare your PC's specifications with the Windows 7 system requirements as follows:

• 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Windows 7 for Netbooks Reportedly in the Works

Microsoft will limit sales of some editions of Windows 7 to systems with screens no larger than 10.2 inches running a low-powered single-core processor running no faster than 2GHz, TechARP.com said last week.

TechARP.com, a Malaysian site that has leaked information provided to computer makers by Microsoft in the past, reported that the company will restrict Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter for Small Notebook PC and Windows 7 Basic for Small Notebook PC to configurations that strictly define the netbook category.

Although Microsoft has detailed six Windows 7 versions it will ship later this year, including the entry-level Windows 7 Starter, it has said nothing about any edition dubbed as being for a "Small Notebook PC." However, company executives at times have talked about a special Windows 7 SKU for netbooks.

According to TechARP, Microsoft will sell the three editions only to OEMs for use on netbooks that have a 10.2-in. or smaller screen, no more than 1GB of memory, a hard disk drive of 250GB or less (or a solid-state drive no larger than 64GB) and a single-core processor no faster than 2GHz.

The processor must also be a power miser. To qualify for one of the Windows 7 editions, netbooks must use "single core processors that do not exceed 2 GHz frequency, and have a CPU thermal design power that is less than or equal to 15W, not including the graphics and chipset," TechARP said.

The requirements are similar to those Microsoft imposed on computer makers last year when it decided to extend Windows XP Home licensing to netbooks, which were called "ultra-low-cost PCs" (ULCPCs). At the time, Microsoft allowed larger screens -- up to 12.1 inches -- limited graphics to DirectX 9 or less, and didn't specify the power rating of the processor.

Microsoft will ship Windows 7 later this year, but it has not set prices or a launch date.

Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate: An Early Look

The Windows 7 Beta, the next version ofMicrosoft's flagship operating system, was all about finalizing underlying changes to the system architecture. The Release Candidate, which the company will make available on the TechNet website on April 30th and available for public consumption on May 5th, puts some finishing touches on some new features and adds a good deal of polish to the OS. And that polish is apparent from the first moments you begin installing it: The install routine has been refined, with new icons and a few splash screens ("Checking video performance") with a starburst-type effect. Even the Starting Windows and log-on screens gain a cool, patterned background.


The Windows 7 Beta was lauded for its stability. The Release Candidate makes the operating system feel just a touch faster; it's quicker to load and just a bit more responsive. And you'll be happy to hear that it installed in no time, too—as little as 20 minutes in my experience. Compared to the hour it often took to install Windows Vista, this thing flies.

Kaspersky announces anti-virus for Windows 7

Kaspersky Lab has announced the Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7 beta users. According to a press release, Kaspersky Lab’s suite of security offerings will be available to Windows 7 users immediately following the launch of the new operating system. The release quotes Alexey Kalgin, Director, Product Marketing, Corporate Business Division, Kaspersky Lab, “By working with Microsoft, we are confident that Kaspersky Lab will provide Windows 7 users with a security option that is easy-to-manage, and helps protect their valuable data without slowing them down. Our technical prototype was installed by more than 300,000 people over two and a half months. Thanks to collaboration with Microsoft, we have received an exceptional amount of valuable feedback from testers that will enable us to ensure that our products are fully compatible with Windows 7 upon final release.”

Tech Pros Plan to Leapfrog Vista for Windows 7

Cautious business IT administrators are more willing to stay with the devil they know, Windows XP, than risk the devil they don't, even if the latter is the highly-touted Windows 7, a research company said Monday.

According to Dimensional Research, which surveyed more than 1,100 IT professionals in March, 72% of those polled said that they are more concerned about the cost and overhead of migrating to Windows 7 than they are about continuing to supporting the eight-year-old Windows XP. Only 28% felt the opposite, that they're more worried about holding XP's hand than migrating to Windows 7.

The results not only illustrate IT's historical distrust of change, but also shows how strongly corporate administrators are wedded to the aged XP, said Diane Hagglund, a senior research analyst with Dimensional and the survey's author. "IT hates nothing more than change," she said, "and in the open-ended comments, there was a clear trend that people wanted to say good things about XP -- things like, 'It's been very good to us.'

Users' Vista Experience Delays Windows 7 Adoption

A report released last week about IT managers'Windows 7 upgrade plans reveals that a large majority of IT staff do not intend to upgrade existing Windows machines to Windows 7 in the next year. Industry watchers estimate fall of 2009 will be the likely ship date for Windows 7; Microsoft has not confirmed timing yet.

"Windows 7 Adoption: A Survey of Technology Professionals", commissioned by systems management appliance company KACE and conducted by market research firm Dimensional Research, surveyed 1,100 IT professionals via e-mail.

Though this is only one survey and only covers 1,000 or so users, it is still likely to be disheartening news for Microsoft that 84 percent of the respondents do not plan to upgrade their machines to Windows 7 in the next year. This kind of hesitation in the enterprise IT ranks could cause delays in the software giant's strategy to get users off the eight-year-old Windows XP and the embattled Windows Vista and on to Windows 7.

But survey results indicate that Windows 7 will suffer for the sins of Vista. The leading reason for resistance to Windows 7 adoption, according to the report, is Vista compatibility problems as well as "a negative public perception of Vista that seems to have helped build this layer of distrust with Windows 7," says Diane Hagglund, senior research analyst for Dimensional Research and author of the survey.

Some other concerns that IT professionals listed in the survey about moving to Windows 7: software compatibility, cost of implementation and the economic downturn. Another piece of data implies that many users will stick with Windows XP. A strong majority - 83 percent - said they are likely to skip Vista altogether and eventually migrate directly from XP to Windows 7.

Microsoft Eases 'Downgrade' Rules for PC Makers

Microsoft Corp. has relaxed its "downgrade" rules and will let computer makers continue to sell PCs preinstalled with the aged Windows XP for as long as six months after it launches Windows 7, according to a report published Wednesday.

The information obtained by TechARP.com, a Malaysian Web site that last weekend leaked Microsoft's plans to offer free or discounted upgrades to Windows 7, seems to confirm other reports that Hewlett-Packard Co. had been given the green light to sell new PCs with XP Professional through April 2010.

Yesterday, TechARP spelled out the new optionsMicrosoft will offer computer makers such as HP and Dell Inc.

For six months after Windows 7's official launch, a date Microsoft calls "general availability," Microsoft will let OEMs sell new PCs equipped with Windows XP Professional and market them as such directly to customers or through their channel partners. Those machines must include physical media for Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, the two editions that provide downgrade rights.

Intel's Atom Chips to Support Windows 7 This Year

Intel plans to make sure all of its popular Atom microprocessors support at least two versions of Microsoft's new operating system (OS), Windows 7, in the second half of this year.

The chip maker will implant support for the Starter and Basic editions of Windows 7 in Atom, Anand Chandrasekher, Intel's head of Ultra Mobility said at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing on Wednesday.

Intel designed Atom microprocessors for mobile devices such as netbooks, which are down-sized laptops, as well as small, handheld computers it calls mobile Internet devices (MIDs).

The chips will also support the newest version of the Linux OS that Intel developed for small devices, Moblin v2.0. The alpha version of Moblin v2.0 is already available on the moblin.org Web site.

Windows 7 Upgrade Options Limited for Some

Microsoft will restrict Windows 7 "upgrade rights" for Vista and XP users to 25 machines at any single street address, meaning that larger companies will have to go through volume licensing for their migration plans, according to a Web site chronicling the rollout of the forthcoming operating system..

Larger companies will have to rely on their Software Assurance (SA) maintenance contracts as the foundation for their upgrade path, but those without SA won't get any upgrade break at all beyond the first 25 PCs.

SA gives users rights to upgrade to new versions of any software they have under their SA maintenance contract.

The 25-machine limit will likely mean that any company without SA won't execute on migration plans until after Windows 7 ships. Given the length of many corporate migrations, that means companies without SA likely won't be deploying Windows 7 for at least a year after it ships.

A Windows 7 final beta, called a Release Candidate, is rumored to be coming out next month. Microsoft still says the final shipment of Windows 7 will be early in 2010, but many observers think the operating system could ship this fall.

The Web site TechARP.com reported over the weekend that Microsoft would include rights to get Windows 7 for users buying PCs now loaded with Vista and for some running XP.

Microsoft does this by offering "downgrade" rights, where users purchase a Windows 7 license as part of their PC and then downgrade it to Vista. Once Microsoft ships Windows 7, the PC owner gets the newest operating system from the PC hardware manufacturer.

The program is aimed at consumers and is offered by Microsoft in order to encourage users not to wait for the new operating system in order to purchase a new PC.

But corporations with more than 25 users don't get the same options, mainly because those with valid SA maintenance deals will get Windows 7 when it ships, as part of their contracts.

For users without SA, they will either have to buy an SA contract or pay full cost to replace the operating system on any machine purchased before Windows 7 shipped.

TechARP says Microsoft has confirmed that it is restricting users to 25 Windows 7 upgrades per brick-and-mortar address. Companies with branch offices could get around that restriction by getting 25 upgrades at each office.

Furthermore, the TechARP report says, Microsoft is limiting users to five Windows 7 upgrades per visit to the upgrade fulfillment Web site. So an organization with 15 PCs would have to make three separate requests in order to upgrade all its PCs.

Microsoft has followed similar upgrade policies for consumer and corporate users during the shipment of past operating systems.