Windows 7 vs. Vista Features
- Windows 7 introduced several brand-new features to fulfill basic computing needs. They include HomeGroup for integrating computers in a home network to print to a single printer and share certain digital content, Device Stage to better manage peripherals such as printers and cameras, Jump Lists for single- and double-clicking frequently used applications, and Windows Libraries for organizing documents and files.
- Windows Vista has the Windows Live Essentials 2009 suite of freeware applications for integrating activities such as Windows Messenger for instant messaging, and Movie Maker for transforming photos and videos into movies. Windows 7 replaces the WLE 2009 iteration with the enhanced 2011 version. Windows 7 also improves on the taskbar to facilitate more efficient multitasking, Windows Search for locating files and programs, desktop personalization features, security features such as Windows Defender and BitLocker, and Windows Media Center for playing multimedia digital content.
- Windows Media Center, a home-entertainment hub that Microsoft introduced with Windows XP, is available with the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. It's also included in the Home Premium, Ultimate, Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 7. In addition to the ability to record and play television shows, as well as play music and videos, the Windows Media Player in Windows 7 has Internet TV capability. Other enhancing features added to the Windows 7 version of this multimedia digital player include the ability to stream audio and video to TV sets or other PCs, connect to the media library while away from the PC, and using the application using a touchscreen interface.
- Windows Vista was notorious for lacking backward compatibility with software released for Windows XP. Thus, Microsoft included Windows XP Mode on Windows 7, which is downloadable for free at the company website. It's particularly helpful for businesses, since many of them still use the XP version of the Windows operating system. Understandably, this service is only compatible with Window 7's business-oriented Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise editions.