9 details to see the difference XP/Vista/Win7 function comparison

At the beginning of this year, Microsoft introduced the Windows 7 Beta1 (Figure 1) version, the author is also the first time to install and try. Some netizens said that there is not much difference between Windows Vista and other users. Some users think that Windows 7 system is very disappointing. However, the author believes that as a Microsoft operating system for the future, the details and functional improvements are still very obvious. Only through comparison can we really let everyone see the difference. I used Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows 7 beta1 versions to compare the additional features and components of the three systems to see if the difference exists. The former will still occupy more than half of the country in the next few years, or the latter will be expected to come to the top and "unify the world."

Figure 1 Windows 7 beta1 version of the stunning startup screen

First, the system installation process comparison

1. Windows XP system installation process

Windows XP (Figure 2) installation process I believe that everyone is very clear, use the CD to start or call the startup file, check the hardware environment and prompt whether to agree to the installation agreement, then select the corresponding drive letter, prompt whether to format, then copy System files, and start the installation after reboot, and after the installation, will restart again, and enter the desktop, start personal settings, such as entering a user name, password, select the network environment. If you choose a custom installation, you need about 5 to 10 steps to choose. Automated installation is possible with some DIY versions.

Figure 2 Windows XP system installation process I believe everyone is familiar with

2. Windows Vista system installation process

and Windows Vista (Figure 3) The installation process is quite different from the former. It also chooses to use the CD to boot after booting. After that, the user is prompted to confirm the license and select the partition. At this time, the file is automatically copied, but the installation will be completed automatically when copying. After the end of the step, the system will automatically re-enter and enter the system, but the entire installation process only needs to be restarted once. After the installation, the user is also prompted to enter account information and set the time and network environment. Once the setup is complete, you can easily access the system.

Figure 3 Windows Vista system installation and XP system are quite different

Compared with Windows XP, Windows Vista operating system, Windows 7 The installation process is currently not understood by many users, or is not installed, or does not trust the screenshots and instructions in some private blogs. Today, the author will show you the entire installation process of the Windows 7 system.

3.Windows 7 beta1 system installation process

Some users after the trial of Windows 7 beta1 version, may think that Windows 7 is similar to Windows Vista system during the installation process, but during the installation process There are still differences in the details. Below, the author will show the installation process of the Windows 7 beta1 system in the form of a small picture, and the user can click to view the big picture.

Figure 4, 5 Select the installation language and start the installation

Figure 6, 7 confirm the license agreement, select the installation mode (recommended to choose directly Installation)

Figures 8, 9 Select the installation path and start the installation

Figure 10, 11 Installation is complete, start personal settings (Setting the account name and password)

Figure 12, 13 Enter the serial number and choose whether to enable automatic update

After selecting the automatic update mode, the Windows 7beta system is installed. Completion, from the comparison of the installation of the three operating systems, Windows 7 system installation is more convenient, will not continue to prompt during the installation process like Windows XP system, after selecting the installation path, users will not worry even if they leave briefly. The installation cannot continue. Below, the author will compare the file footprint of these three operating systems, and see the bottom of the system is the most space?

Second, occupying disk space comparison

Speaking of space occupation, users will definitely say that Windows 7, the new system, naturally takes up more disk space than the previous version, but the fact is Is that true?

When the system disk is 16GB, and each operating system is completely new, the original Windows XP SP3 system will take up about 2.6GB of disk space, while the Windows Vista SP1 system will take up about 9.8. GB disk space (depending on the installed system version and component customization during installation). And Windows 7 beta1 (Figure 15) occupies a total of 6.27GB of disk space, the actual and Vista system is not much different, and does not take up more than 15GB of space resources as some users guess.

Figure 14 Windows 7beta1 occupies 6.27GB of disk space

Figure 15 XP/Vista/Windows7 system space usage comparison

As can be seen from the comparison chart, although the XP system definitely takes up less space than the Vista and Windows 7 systems, the functions and accompanying programs are less than the latter two systems. Compared to the Windows Vista system, which is close to 10G in size, Windows 7beta1 only takes up 6.27GB of space after the new installation. It can be seen that it has been optimized and adjusted. However, the author still recommends that everyone allocate more space for the system disk when installing the Windows 7 system to make the system run more stably.

On the next page, the author will also compare the desktop styles of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 beta1 systems to see who is more beautiful, and not "appreciated."

Three, window style comparison

Remember that Windows XP (Figure 16) system just released, people are full of praise for the new design theme style, icons, display methods. It is also one of the reasons why many users choose to upgrade their own computers to install XP systems that have high hardware requirements at the time. Until today, the main interface of the XP system is still very affectionate, but in addition to changes in style and appearance, the actual and Windows 2000 system is not much different, although support for hiding system tray files, but the changes are actually still less.

Figure 16 is still very "classic" Windows XP operating system interface

Windows Vista system (Figure 17) released, after a newly designed start menu, And the new Aero effect makes the main interface more beautiful and clear, and the newly added system sidebar also makes it easy for users to quickly view the subscribed news information, weather information and real-time view of system resource occupancy on the desktop, which is more convenient for users to use. More in line with and close to the user's usage habits.

Figure 17 Windows Vista operating system main interface

In the Windows 7 system, the interface has been improved, the most prominent is the "display desktop" menu It is placed in the lower right corner of the screen. At the same time, click on the icon of each taskbar (including the start menu logo), and the flashing effect, including the wireless network status, will be displayed directly in the taskbar, which is convenient for users to check the network status in real time. Date + time can be displayed directly in the lower right corner of the screen. The taskbar style has been completely redesigned.

Figure 18 The newly designed Windows 7 operating system main interface

At the same time, the author also on the Windows XP system, Windows Vista and Windows 7beta1 desktop features, such as support Display the user name directly in the start menu, whether to support the tray hiding, whether to preview the minimized window content in the taskbar, whether the network status is displayed in real time, whether to support fast search, etc., the final result is as follows (Figure 20) .

Figure 19 Three operating system main interface /taskbar function comparison chart

From the comparison point of view, the main interface of Windows XP system is slightly thin, users can not pass The desktop gets more content, and the taskbar has a single function. The Vista system's taskbar adds a lot of features to the XP system, and the sidebar software is added to the desktop for the first time, allowing users to view a lot of content on the desktop. However, the main interface style of Windows 7 system is greatly improved compared with the previous version and even the previous series. Various systems and network status have been displayed in the task bar in real time, which is convenient for users to directly view the system. Various states. In addition, the three versions of the operating system are also very different in the window and button layout. I will compare them on the next page.

Four, window layout comparison

Vista system window layout and operation method are stronger than XP, this point many users have to admit that Windows XP system window layout is too single, except in The theme style and folder logo are different from Windows 2000. The actual change is not obvious. Although in the common taskbar on the left side, the user can quickly select some operation tasks, but the actual is not very convenient and makes the user feel " Smooth" (Figure 20).

Figure 20 Although the previous version has improved, but the XP window layout is still more conservative

and Windows Vista operating system, the window layout has been completely redesigned, for example You can freely select the icon size through the slider, display the file path in the form of a label, etc., which is more convenient for the user to switch between different levels of folders, and facilitates the user to quickly search (Figure 21).

Figure 21 Windows Vista window is much better than XP system

But the Windows 7beta1 system, although the surface is not much different from the Vista system, but in terms of details, However, there are big changes. For example, after the window is maximized, it will not be automatically dimmed like the Vista system, and when using the search, it will automatically prompt and match the search results as the current mainstream browser software, and can be automatically saved in the close. Content not saved in the window, etc. Although there is no gap on the surface, the actual change is a lot (Figure 22).

Figure 22 Windows 7 has greatly improved the Vista system and added a lot of new features

At the same time, the author also has files for these three operating systems. The folder quick switch (label display), quick search, folder/file content preview, and support for custom icon size are compared. The comparison results are shown in the following table (Figure 23).