Microsoft released the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) Beta 2 this week, in another sign that the company is ramping up for the release of Windows 7. Earlier this week, the company squashed rumors that the OS was being released to manufacturers. In a statement, the company said that while it is eager to get the OS to manufacturers, final development work on the new OS has not yet concluded. A spokesperson for the company hinted that the RTM ship date for the OS could fall within the next two weeks.

The MDT is designed to help enterprise-level users deploy the new operating system. The MDT contains tools that standardize installations, verify the availability of compatible drivers, and supports automated deployment. The MDT supports the deployment of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. The toolkit is available at the Microsoft Web site.

For most small organizations and single users, the MDT won’t be of much use. The kit is meant to support a mass rollout of a Windows operating system. Organizations that use a uniform disk image, or that wish to do a complete, simultaneous rollout will get the most use out of the MDT.

The appearance of the MDT is more confirmation that Microsoft will meet its October 22 general availability release date. Although the kit is listed as beta software, enterprise level users will have time to familiarize themselves with the kit as they prepare their rollout plans. Microsoft may be somewhat disappointed by the tepid response that Windows 7 is expected to receive from the enterprise user community.

Most IT directors had no immediate plans to incorporate Windows 7 into their operating environment. Many IT directors cited lack of a compelling reason to upgrade and internal upgrade cycle conflicts as the primary reason for not pursuing an immediate upgrade to Windows 7. Most enterprise level users are expected to migrate to Windows 7 within 18-24 months of the OS’s October release.

Microsoft’s volume licensing program allows those users to load any Microsoft operating sytem they choose, including those that are no longer supported. Microsoft has said that it will drop downgrade installation rights for Windows XP approximately six months after Windows 7 is released.

Most enterprise level IT departments say they prefer Windows XP because it supports a wide range of hardware drivers and is exceptionally stable in a networked environment. Since the introduction of Windows Vista, the company has encountered strong resistance from users to its plans to drop Windows XP.

Photo Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft has confirmed that it plans to release Windows 7 on October 22, and that final development on the product will come to a close by the end of July. Earlier, Microsoft had said that it was aiming for a Q4 release and indicated that Windows 7 would be on store shelves prior to the December holidays. For users who purchase a computer loaded with Windows Vista shortly before the Windows 7 release, Microsoft will offer either a free or low-cost upgrade to Windows 7. The company will also offer an upgrade path from Vista Home Premium. The company does not plan to offer an upgrade path from Vista Home Basic.

Windows 7 To Follow Vista’s Version Path

The company does plan to offer a number of Windows 7 versions, including Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate, taking essentially the same approach it did with Windows Vista. Drivers for Windows Vista should be largely compatible with Windows 7 but the availability of drivers for Windows Vista is still causing some headaches for Microsoft.

Driver Detective can help you manage your Windows drivers. The utility will locate, download and install the correct drivers for your installed hardware. This is a major improvement over Windows’ automatic install program, which often chooses the wrong driver for a piece of hardware. Driver Detective can work in conjunction with Windows Update, however, to ensure that you always have the latest drivers for your computer. Driver Detective will also ensure that you don’t miss critical driver updates, something that can happen with Windows Update.

Driver updates are monitored automatically as well. When a new driver is made available, Driver Detective will locate, download and install that, too. You never need to worry about your drivers being out-of-date. Driver Detective can also recognize those times when a correctly installed driver becomes corrupted, or is accidentally deleted. No worries. Driver Detective will find and replace the non-working or missing driver.

Knowing that your drivers are properly installed, functioning and up-to-date eliminates one potential problem spot for your computer. Having a reliable driver monitoring program can be especially helpful if you’re not technically savvy. Driver problems can occur as the result of a security or operating system update, incorrect driver selection, corruption or accidental deletion.

Driver Detective protects against all of these issues seamlessly. You’ll always have the most up-to-date drivers for your hardware. When problems do occur, you can quickly eliminate driver errors as the source. Consider Driver Detective to be low-cost, always-available technical support for your Windows computer.

Photo Credit: Daniel F. Pigatto

There’s no way around the perception that computers slow down over time. Sometimes, the perception is real and sometimes, performance turns into a gray area. There’s no debate about the fact that users find a slow computer annoying, and yes, there are ways to get better performance from Vista.

If You’re Starting From Scratch…

Having a brand new computer is an advantage, and if your computer is just coming out of the box, you’d do well to spend a few minutes configuring the computer according to your needs and preferences, rather than leaving the configuration as-is by the manufacturer.

Generally speaking, new computers come with a lot of software, some of which you’re not going to use. These software packages are “freebies” that the vendor negotiated with the publisher, or that are demonstrations of software packages you may want. Before you start adding your own programs to the computer, take a good long look at exactly what’s already there. If you can’t ever envision yourself playing a certain game or using a specific utility, uninstall it. You’ll clear disk space and reduce the chance of conflict between the unwanted program and an application you do want.

Take a look at what’s configured to load automatically. Remove any startup items you won’t use every time you run the computer. This includes email and Web browsers, demonstration programs, or utilities that don’t fit your computer usage style. As a rule, don’t disable virus checkers, anti-spyware or anti-malware programs. These should run at startup and should remain operational whenever your computer is on. Remember to update these, or configure these programs to update automatically. Many A/V programs that come with a computer are subscription-based. You’ll need to pay for updates at some point. Don’t assume that because your A/V program was included on your computer’s hard disk, it’s being updated regularly. Chances are good that it’s not.

Don’t overlook the desktop theme. Some themes, particularly Aero (you know, the one with the semi-transparent window frames), are resource hogs. Aero and certain other themes will slow your computer down noticeably. Desktop backgrounds, depending upon their file type, can also slow down your computer’s performance. If your desktop background is a bitmap (.BMP) file, pick something different! Windows can handle .JPG background images, which are much less resource-intensive. If you’re truly worried about resource usage, switch to the Windows Classic theme to see if you get a performance boost.

Once your new computer is free from the programs you don’t want, add the extra hardware you may need or want. Be sure all of your hardware drivers are updated. Add your hardware items one-by-one and verify that your computer is operating properly before moving onto the next hardware piece. Last, add the programs you do want very judiciously.

Load only what you’re going to use, and don’t just reload old software; go out and find the program updates. As with hardware, load software one at a time and verify proper operation after each addition. Once your computer is configured, back up the system configuration including the registry and all drivers.

Photo Credit: Collin Allen

If you’re new to Windows Vista, you may experience problems with your existing hardware or software. You may also experience problems with a wireless network. Some of these issues can be traced back to driver problems, and Windows has a number of known driver problems.

Meeting Driver Problems Head On

If you’re upgrading to Windows Vista and have a wireless network already in place, you may find that you need to download new wireless drivers for your computer. Often, you’ll need a driver that was made specifically for Windows Vista. You can find these at the Web site of the company that made your wireless network equipment. Driver Detective can also be configured to download and install all of the drivers you need for your wireless network connection. You can revert to older drivers if you need to for some reason, so you won’t lose anything by trying a new driver.

Windows Vista’s driver updating service doesn’t always load the correct driver. You may find that you have a video display from one manufacturer, and Windows Vista recommends that you use another driver from another manufacturer. My best advice: don’t do it unless the manufacturer for your specific equipment doesn’t have a driver specific to Windows Vista and you’re stuck for other options. If you find that a recommended driver doesn’t match your hardware, you can go to the manufacturer’s site to get the proper one. Again, Driver Detective will automate the process of finding the correct driver, downloading it and installing it.

Third-party software sometimes works. In the Windows arena, third-party tools have gotten a bad rap because some of these tools turn out to be malicious software. You can find good third-party products that will get your system running, but you’ll need to do some research on the third-party tool as well as the source you intend to download it from. Some sources are notoriously rife with malware. You can usually find information on good third-party tools versus malware by reading recommendations from other users. Before you download or install anything, make sure that your anti-virus and anti-malware software programs are up-to-date.

Finally, you may find that some of your “driver” problems are actually compatibility problems. You’re most likely to see this if you’re running old software on a new computer or new software on an old computer. This is very true with game software and game-related hardware. Check with the software publisher to see if there are updates or patches for your software (or your OS) that will help smooth out the interplay between the software and the OS.

Photo Credit: Ross Imlach