It is almost CREEPY how well it works. You just put the DVD in, and boot. Answer a couple simple questions, choose some drive options if you want (optional) and go. Come back 15 minutes later and it asks you what you want to call the computer and your account. Simple enough for a Mac user to do all by themself.
Now to see if it will do full-duplex... nope. At least not without some modifications...
Apparently I need to have the Sigmatel HD Audio driver installed in order for the Dell Latitude D630 to do full duplex. But yes, with the registry modifications listed in a previous post, I can get the laptop to do full-duplex on Windoze 7 easily. Works great now!
Windows 7 comes with almost every driver known to man, except for some older or possibly specialized devices. The audio came up easily on this laptop by default out-of-the-box, using the Microsux driver built into the OS. It hasn't recognized the USB-to-serial adapter yet, and I don't quite know if I even need it (this laptop has a 9-pin serial port), but it would be nice to have multiple serial ports available if necessary. Problem is, I don't know if I wanna deal with the inherent latency of the USB operated stuff...
Win 7 runs incredibly fast, on this laptop it is not a fair comparison to what most people run, but I installed it on a Dell Dimension 2400 desktop system this morning (32-bit version) and it is fine. The system is a single-core 2.8GHz machine with standard integrated Intel video and networking. It ran XP before (not great) but WIn 7 runs as well or better. I did need to trick the video driver so that I could get it to display a resolution greater than 640X480, but everything else was recognized easily and the system joined my domain after I authenticated properly.
The trick I used to fool the system is a standard procedure that is commonly used for 'compatibility'. The Dell 2400 has integrated Intel video on the motherboard, and unfortunately it is old enough (from 2004) so that Microskank feels it doesn't need to include drivers. So what if it is only 64M video? I extracted the video driver I got from Dell's Support site to a spot on the hard drive, and then ran the Setup.EXE file in 'compatibility' mode. This effectively removes the driver header information that specifies the designed OS from the .inf file and allows the program to run despite the OS mismatch. Worked great, and I had resolutions up to 1280X1024 when I was done. Piece of cake...
N3FJP Field Day Logger 2.8 seems to install and run fine, I will give it a workout this weekend when I get a chance to record some audio. I also wanna try GoldWave vs. Audacity to see where the better/easier audio will come from. I have never used Audacity, maybe Brad N1JIF can give me a hand. He also said he would snap some shots (not like I couldn't do it...) of the setup so we have something to refer to when it comes time to set it up again. I mainly wanna get shots of the RigBlaster jumper setup, we may need to change that if we have to switch to the backup rig (Yaesu FT-897). I have a feeling the backup rig can be used for VHF/UHF very easily, I think I will bring the truck-mounted mast down. I have a rotor for the thing (light-duty) all we need is a decent 2M/440 beam and an amp or two. We are allowed 150 watts you know...
I still can't get over how slick Win 7 installs and gets up and running. I started the install at 9:PM, and it is 10:30 and I have been blogging on the laptop for over 30 minutes now. Even when I go look for problems, it apparently just takes care of itself with a button-click or a check-box. It DOES take a little getting used to, but if you have used Vista it will be easy to migrate your skills. Moving from XP to Win 7 will throw you for a loop if you aren't ready for it, you will ask yourself over and over 'Where the hell did they put it this time?'.
One neat aspect of the new OS that photographers will like is the ability to calibrate your monitor. This is HUGE. Color accuracy isn't so much a big deal to color-blind people like me, but I have always felt that because of my handicap I have an increased sense of contrast and dynamic range. I think I can see better than most in the dark, and I can tell subtle differences in things others might miss. I can't tell green from brown, but I can see details...
Here is what my current Win 7 desktop looks like, I know it is hard to see because the resolution of the text is so small (1440X900) but you can get an idea at least of how the interface looks.
I am certain it will become a bit more cluttered than this as I get things installed. This evaluation doesn't run out until March of next year (June actually...) and the HD I installed this on is only 120G, so I imagine I can't cram too much crap into this. Time will tell.
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