Cyber Dimensions....

With Windows 7 Beta , users that have installed the operating system have undoubtedly noticed that the installation process has evolved compared to what was available in Windows Vista. However, Patrick Azzarello, Senior Program Manager/ Windows Deployment, Microsoft, described the changes between the setup of Windows Vista RTM and Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 as only minor. But at the same time, Azzarello emphasized that “minor” is by no means an equivalent of insignificant in terms of the effort Microsoft poured into taking the deployment process one step further, or the actual impact of the changes. “In Windows 7 we moved the license key to the Windows Welcome page, so you can enter it after the install. This makes it easier for people to evaluate and get started with Windows. We also provide a better experience when upgrading editions (i.e., from Home Premium to Ultimate) by enabling specific, licensed components, not reimaging the system,” Azzarello stated.
In comparison to Windows Vista, Windows 7 introduces an additional hidden partition by default, Azzarello stated, explaining that the next version of the Windows client offers increased support for Bitlocker and recovery environments. Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 creates a 200-megabyte partition which is being hidden from the end users. However, Azzarello pointed out that the hidden partition would be visible through the operating system's Disk Management. Microsoft intends to decrease the size occupied on disk by the hidden partition when it ships the RTM (release to manufacturing) Build of Windows 7.
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