Photo from Redmondpie.com
Like this desktop? If you buy a new netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition, you better because you can't change it. What?!! That's right. Starter Edition is apparently only available to OEMs to install on low-end portable devices we call netbooks. Netbooks sporting Starter Edition started appearing in stores on Windows 7 launch day (October 22) and more will be coming soon. Machines with Windows XP installed should start to disappear as stocks get sold off. If Windows 7 is so much better than Vista as Microsoft wants us to believe, this is a good thing, right?
I'm not so sure. According to the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has imposed some pretty significant limitations on Starter Edition that may make netbooks running this OS less useful than the same machines running Windows XP. What are these limitations?
First, as I mentioned above, users of Starter Edition cannot personalize the Windows desktop in any way. No color changes, presumably no bumping the font size for readability, and no changing the desktop background. Got a JPG of the kids or that cool volcano you saw in Hawaii you want to see on your desktop? "No desktop for you! Next!" Guess what? I can show whatever background I want on my XP netbook.
UPDATE: My trip to Microcenter showed that there is an option in control panel on Windows 7 Starter Edition to display everything at 125% of normal for improved readability. But there is no way to change the desktop background. That is just flat evil to make people pay for an $80 upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium just so they can view the new puppy on their desktop.
Second, Windows 7 starter edition won't play a DVD. Sure, netbooks don't HAVE a DVD player, but ever heard of a USB external DVD drive? My XP netbook can play a DVD.
Third, netbook screens are small, right? Maybe you have a nice big LCD screen at home that you'd like to plug your netbook into when you are using your netbook at home. Maybe, you think your netbook is perfect for taking along on the road when you need to make a presentation with a projector. Not so hard to imagine, is it? Maybe you should rethink getting Windows 7 Starter Edition installed on that netbook. My XP netbook can do these things. Windows 7 starter edition has disabled multi-monitor support.
UPDATE: A trip to Microcenter calls for a correction. I found a Toshiba NB205 running Windows 7 SE next to a LCD panel that was connected to a Sony netbook.running XP. I quickly unplugged the VGA from the Sony and plugged it into the Toshiba. What Windows 7 Starter Edition disables is extended desktop mode. You can mirror displays (at 1024x600) or display only on the LCD (at display's native resolution) or display solely on the netbook. Thus, with Windows 7 SE it is possible to plug the netbook into a larger screen and work off the big screen. My apologies for getting that wrong.
But, you've seen how pretty Windows 7 looks and you're tired of how boring XP looks after all these years, right? Umm, there's just one little problem. All that eye candy is disabled on Starter Edition.
Folks, something is happening here.One possibility is that Microsoft is hoping to cripple netbooks so that you pass over them for more useful computers that allow you to put a picture of the grandkids on the screen. Or, perhaps, Microsoft hopes that you will realize the error of your ways when your netbook won't do all these crazy "processor intensive" things like plug into a monitor and use the Anytime Upgrade feature to pay an extra $80 to install Windows 7 Home Premium Edition on your netbook (better pick up some RAM too).
Or, you could buy that same netbook with Windows XP and do all these things for even less than you'll pay for the Windows 7 Starter Edition version.
As the title to this post suggests, I think Windows 7 Starter Edition is a non-starter for netbooks. Am I alone here? I've been searching Google and I don't see anyone complaining about this. Why not?
8 comments:
No one has complained yet because they haven't been bitten by it. No 7 netbooks yet at J&R. And since 7 looks and feels like Vista, I wouldn't want that on a netbook.
Others have already cited limitations of 7SE. It's just a matter of people having to experience it firsthand.
And yes, MS did deliberately and spitefully cripple it. All that will do is increase piracy of XP.
got a packard bell notebook for a xmas present for my girlfriend comes with windows 7 starter.
Its not that bad tested all the no nos. You can run more than 3 apps this has been changed a ran up to 10 apps while plaing youtube videos became a littlr slower when a opend the 11th app. as for desktop no customize which is said.
Also no media center who the hell uses this!. Media player is on there it plays ya music and xvidsand avi videos no problem. So the limertation is on the customizing of the desktop and colurs something we can live with not worth 80 pounds to changed this.
Got one question has anybody tried using an external dvd drive with windows 7 starter or demon tools.
Hi Anon!
I didn't know Packard Bell computers were still being made. Congratulations on your new notebook. I brought the movie "21" to the office where I had my external USB DVD drive. It's a cheap one made by I/O Magic. I have some free software called VLC Media Player installed on my HP Mini and the movie played just fine using that software. Windows Media Player doesn't include the DVD codec so you need some other software. But, it's no big deal.
I have a sony netbook running windows 7 SE and I am quite annoyed by being unable to use the extended desktop feature. I do have a usb DVD drive and have had no problem watching DVD movies. I probably had to install power DVD but that came with the external DVD drive anyhow. I have used ready boost on it although it won't work on slower flash drives and can't seem to find a way to trick it into working like you could with vista. I guess I might have to try upgrading to premium and see if I like it better. Lucky for me we are buying computers at work with it but immediately putting xp on them so I should be able to try it without having to buy an upgrade... yeah...
Everything you say is true regarding Windows 7 SE. However, I did want to add I found a way to get around the background issue. It is a program called Stardock "My Colors". They have a free download and if you use the Think Green theme, you can change your background.
All in all, I must say I am more disappointed than ever in Bill Gates. This is playing dirty. I may have found a workaround, but how many grandmothers out there (or less pc savvy users) simply bought the upgrade so they could have pictures of the grandkids for their wallpaper? As someone who has done support in one capacity or another for the past 15 years, I can just imagine the impact. They will either live with it or shell out the $80 rather than looking for a workaround. Tsk tsk, Bill you are a greedy man!
Jaynie, thanks so much for your tips on changing the desktop background. Windows 7 is a nasty little peice of work. Why would you disable something as harmless as desktop background changes?? Evil is an understatement. Anyways...thanks again!
Thanks for the article. Now I got the answer as to why I can't extend the desktop on the Win 7 SE netbook we use at church for slide presentations, whereas I can do so at home on my laptop that runs Win 7 Ultimate Ed.
Though MS has been too mean on Win 7 SE, to be fair with them I think some of the trimmings make sense. By definition, a Netbook is a low-end computer that is designed for portability and Net applications. I suppose the majority of Netbook owners would not need to play a DVD on a netbook since netbooks do not have built-in DVD players. Those who really need to play a DVD on a netbook can download the required software, or upgrade to a higher-end computer like a Laptop or Desktop. Likewise, very few people would need to extend their desktop. I think MS were trying to make Win 7 less bulky and less memory hungry (as compared to Vista)for netbooks so that it runs faster without being slowed by unnecessary applications and drivers.
Post a Comment