Windows 7 (21 Video Tutorials for Developers)

Posted by on Sunday, November 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Here is a collection of 21 free video tutorials on for developers. is Microsoft’s current operating system for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs and media center PCs.

Where Did Windows 7 Get Its Name?

The name for Windows 7 is perfectly in line with previous releases of MS-Windows. Here is the chronology:

  • One. The very first release of Microsoft Windows: Windows 1.0
  • Two. The second release of Microsoft Windows: Windows 2.0
  • Three. The third release of Microsoft Windows (3.0, 3.1): Windows 3.0
  • Four. The fourth release of Microsoft Windows (95), code named Windows 4.0
  • Five. Then, Windows 2000 was Windows 5.0; Windows XP was Windows 5.1
  • Six. The release of Windows Vista was code-identified as Windows 6.0
  • Seven. So, the next release of Windows will be called “Windows 7“.

Background: Windows 7 was originally code-named Blackcomb in 2003. In 2006, the codename was renamed to Vienna, and, in 2008, the official name became Windows 7. Windows 7 was released for general retail availability on October 22, 2009. This was less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7’s server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time.

Unlike Vista, which introduced a lot of new features, Windows 7 has fewer new features and focuses more on becoming more compatible with existing applications in Vista and on performance improvements.

New Features of Windows 7

  • Multi-touch support
  • Handwriting recognition
  • A redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, which is called the Superbar
  • A Home networking system called HomeGroup
  • Free Windows Live Essential suite is a separate download that can be used to install several applications that were included in previous versions of Windows that have been removed from Windows 7 (Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery)
  • Support for Virtual hard disks
  • Improved performance on multi-core processors
  • Improved boot performance
  • DirectAccess
  • Kernal Improvements
  • Support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter)
  • New version of Windows Media Center
  • A gadget for Windows Media Center
  • Improved media features
  • The XPS Essentials Pack and Windows PowerShell being included
  • A redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion
  • New items on Control Panel (ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display)
  • Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center (Windows Health Center and Windows Solution Center in earlier builds). Windows Action Center encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer
  • Mac-like RAW image viewing thru the new WIC-enabled image decoders. This enables raw image thumbnails, previewing and metadata in Windows Explorer, along with full-size viewing and slideshows in Windows Photo Viewer and Windows Media Center.
  • Taskbar Enhancements – Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with pinning applications to the taskbar. Taskbar buttons can be reordered. To the right of the system clock, there is a small rectangular button that seres as the Show desktop icon. This button is a part of the new feature in Windows 7 called Aeri Peek. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop.
  • A new feature called Aero Snap automatically maximizes a window when it is dragged to either the top or left/right edges of the screen. This allows users to snap documents on either side of the screen to compare them.
  • Windows 7 includes Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Media Player 12.

Enhancements for Developers:

  • A new networking API with support for building SOAP-based web services in nativecode (as opposed to .NET-based WCF web services)
  • New features to shoten application install times
  • Reduced UAC prompts
  • Simplified development of installation packages
  • Improved globalization support thru a new Extended Linguistic Services API

Removed Features:

  • Classic Start Menu
  • Windows Ultimate Extras
  • InkBall
  • Windows Calendar
  • Windows Live Essentials is a separate download that allows you to install several applications that have been removed from Windows 7 (Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Calendar, and Windows Mail)

Editions:

Windows 7 is available in six different editions, but only the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions are available for retail sale in most countries. The other editions are aimed at the developing world market or enterprise use. Here is a list of the various edtions:

  • Windows 7 Starter – Windows Aero theme and 64-bit variant not available. Only comes preinstalled.
  • Windows 7 Home Basic – only available in emerging markets; some Aero options are excluded along with other new features
  • Windows 7 Home Premium – aimed at home market segment with such features as Windows Media Center, Windows Aero and touch-screen controls
  • Windows 7 Professional – aimed at enthusiasts and small business users; has all Windows 7 Home Premium features and add the ability to participate in a Windows Server domain. Other features include: operating as a Remote Desktop server; location aware printing, Encrypting File System, Presentation Mode, Software Restriction Policies;and Windows XP Mode.
  • Windows 7 Enterprise – sold though volume licensing to companies that have Software Assurance contract with Microsoft. Additional features include: support for Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support.
  • Windows 7 Ultimate – contains same features as Windows 7 Enterprise, except this edition is available to home users on an individual license basis. Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional users are able to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate for a fee by using Windows Anytime Upgrade.

Windows 7 Video Tutorials

Series Title Date Presenter Min
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Introduction – The New User Interface 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 60
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Introduction – New Features for Developers 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 60
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Compatibility 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 60
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 60
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Taskbar and Jump Lists 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Federated Search 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: The Windows 7 Ribbon 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Instrumentation and Performance 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Background Service and Tasks 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Developers First Look Windows 7: Energy Efficiency 4/13/09 Nancy Strickland 15
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers New Features in Windows 7 10/19/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Overview of the Windows 7 API Code Pack 10/19/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Taskbar and Jump Lists 10/19/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Power Management 10/19/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Extended Linguistic Services 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Explorer Browser 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Application Restart and Recovery 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Libraries and Known Folders 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Task Dialogs and Common File Dialogs 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Shell Features 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30
Windows 7 Managed Code Developers Windows 7 Feature: Network Management 11/02/09 Nancy Strickland 30

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