Best Buy loads up for Windows 7 launch

Cages at Best Buy are stocked with new models preloaded with Windows 7: behind bars until October 22.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Best Buy is locked and loaded for the Windows 7 launch.

And I don't use the phrase "locked and loaded" figuratively. "Locked" in that all the new Windows 7 machines are locked down behind cages. And "loaded" in that all the cages are full. (See photos.)

I visited a Best Buy Friday night in Southern California where the cages were loaded exclusively with new models preloaded with Windows 7. And I learned a few odd tidbits from a stoked salesperson who had definitely been drinking the Windows-7-is-totally-awesome Kool-Aid. Let me add that the information was conveyed to me at one store in Southern California and may not necessarily apply to all stores nationwide.

--Best Buy can theoretically sell you a Windows 7 machine before October 22. However, the store would get fined if it does so. One figure thrown out by a salesperson was $5,000 per sales violation.

--Almost all of the shelf space had been cleared. In other words, when I walked into the laptop section, all of the counter space that typically holds 50 laptops (or more) was empty. The space will be repopulated on October 22.

--Why the empty counters? Best Buy had sold virtually all the Vista machines in the store prior to Windows 7 launch.

Windows 7 laptops behind the cages include an HP dv6 laptop with a 16-inch screen (model: dv6-1352dx), a Dell Inspiron with 15.6-inch screen (model: i1545-4203), an HP G60 (model: G60-535DX), and a Sony Vaio VGN series (model: VGN-NW270/FS). Note that most of these models do not show up in a Google search or in the Best Buy database yet.

I was also ushered to one box that stood out by its size (about three times the height of other laptop boxes). This, I was told, contained an 18-inch class Asus laptop packing a quad-core Core i7 processor with killer graphics, though the salesperson wouldn't disclose which particular graphics card it used.

Dell Windows 7 laptops are under lock and key at Best Buy.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Don't touch: 'The hard release date on all Windows 7 products is Oct 22 and we cannot sell any units in the store until that day.'

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Counter space that usually contains dozens of laptops has been cleared.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

[S_C_B1898]

Go Best Buy!!!!

[shellcodes_coder]

The world's most dominant operating system is about to strike BACK!!<br />Endangered OS SL aka new Vista of Mac, RIP :)

[macandwindowsuser]

Windows user make up around 90% of the market. That really hasn't changed much in years past. What happens to Windows will mainly affect Windows users. I'm not going to give up using my Mac no matter what Microsoft puts out. So the Mac community will never die! On the other hand, if Windows 7 turns out to be good. I might actually get a Windows 7 netbook just to mess around with but Macs aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[cbscowards]

There goes shelly again with the usual worthless drivel. Perhaps you could enlighten us with a comparison of features between W7 and SL, and explain how your personal usage of SL has been bad enough to equate it to Vista.

[shellcodes_coder]

@cbscowards: LOL, for me the greatest feature of 7 is BitLocker which now supports encrypting flash drives too. And unlike FileVault, BitLocker encrypts the entire hard drive so I don't have to manually encrypt each and every file that I want to protect. So in case if your laptop gets stolen, hehe your hard disk is still encrypted which includes all your data. What about the new Vista OS X SL?

[cbscowards]

Shelly, that's much better. If you had left out the part where you called SL Vista, it would have been a mature, intelligent post. Keep up the good work. Cnet will be much better for it.

[stickfu]

No Charlie Miller reference?<br /><br />Watch out you Mac users, keep your windows and doors shut at night, Charlie Miller is about!<br /><br />Once again shelly, I`ll celebrate by leaving my Mac running without a firewall and I`ll invoke the great demon Charlie Miller to come take possession of my Mac<br /><br />I dare you to turn off YOUR firewall and anti-virus.. DARE YOU!!

[Perry_Clease]

@macandwindowsuser<br /><br />"I'm not going to give up using my Mac no matter what Microsoft puts out. So the Mac community will never die! On the other hand, if Windows 7 turns out to be good. I might actually get a Windows 7 netbook just to mess around with"<br /><br />Well should there come a time when MicroSoft makes an OS that is superior to OSX then it might compel to switch from Mac as my primary OS. However, it would require a major leap in corporate culture for MicroSoft to create something isn't so clunky to use as Windows.<br /><br />I have two notebooks running XP and they meet our occasional Windows needs. I won't get a new notebook/PC running Windows 7 until it is necessary.

[shellcodes_coder]

@stickfu: Well read this properly: Charlie Miller: Snow leopard is less secure than Vista: http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/09/16/hacker-snow-leopard-less-secure-than-windows<br /><br />So now you might know why hackers are after Windows, not after the new Vista of Mac

[shellcodes_coder]

and BTW, I don't use AV and neither need one cause I know how to keep my computer safe. So how do I turn it off? LOL

[shellcodes_coder]

@Perry_Clease: I know what you meant. You want Windows to be bloated with heavy eye-candies and animations just like OS X. Dude, you can find software to do that for Windows.

[stickfu]

Read a Neowin article?!? you`d be better off discerning networking security tips off of a Cracker Jack box!<br /><br />And shelly ASLR would have no effect on a POSIX compliant OS, so once again I await good ole Chuck to come and PWN my machine<br /><br />No AV?, right! no firewall too I bet?<br /><br />Come and get me Chucky!!

[L33tLuXX0rz]

Im wanting my copy of Windows 7, I guess retailers wont ship it until October 22 either?

[timber2005]

It will vary. Most will ship it, but it won't be allowed to be delievered untll 10/22/09. <br />Others won't ship it until 10/22/09.

[Random_Walk]

It'll be a bit of a letdown (I've been using it for a month now, and... meh.)

[cbscowards]

If your hardware is not less than two years old, be kind to yourself and walk into Best Buy and buy a new PC with W7. If you are an XP-holdout with an aging PC, you may not be happy with the upgrade.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@Random_Walk: <br /> <br />Yes, WIndows 7 doesn't have splash graphics, annoying popups bouncing around, or spending its time trying to get your attention or do things for you... regardless if you want to or not. <br /> <br />The real value of Win7 is that it just works quietly in the background and lets you get back to your real intention- the applications you have loaded. <br /> <br />Your comment demonstrates just how successful it is in that regard.

[anilsudh]

@Random_Walk<br /><br />Completely agree. You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

[Timetogetill7]

I went to a Walmart on the 14th and noticed they sold a laptop with Windows 7 to a customer.

[markosph]

cbscowards: why when a windows user speaks out is it bs or as you say drivel. There is as much bs and "drvil" in the Apple camp as well.<br /><br />Its also worthless to compare the two,other than the features they have. If a mac works for you then fine,if a pc works for you then fine. We all use our computers differently,. You can include the different flavors of Linux above as well... use what you use and quit bs'ing.

[Random_Walk]

"Yes, WIndows 7 doesn't have splash graphics"<br /><br />...they try.<br /><br />"annoying popups bouncing around"<br /><br />...except the ones that and decide to pop up windows or shutter the entire frickin' screen when running your cursor across the taskbar. There's also the popups that come along every time you plug in an external device or geek stick, pop a blank CD/DVD in, use IE when it's not the default browser, and occasionally demands to know why you're not using Defender or Live Essentials...<br /><br />Or were you talking about some other Windows 7 that only exists in a Seattle lab somewhere?<br /><br />"or do things for you..."<br /><br />Yeah, I hate it when as OS doesn't do things for me - like run apps that are normally compatible in XP or Vista (e.g. VMWare's vSphere Client).<br /><br />"The real value of Win7 is that it just works quietly in the background..."<br /><br />...so when does it get around to actually doing that? I've been a month on with it and I'm still waiting for that to happen.

[DrtyDogg]

hmmmmm, Random_Walk doesn't like a Microsoft product. I never would have guessed. /sarcasm

[Random_Walk]

Meh - it does what it's supposed to most of the time. It's not a question of liking it or not, but rather the fact that there is better out there.<br /><br />After all - I don't dislike or hate the little Pontiac that I drive to work each day, but I'd rather be driving a new Hyundai Sonata, y'know?

[alan_06]

Any words on upgrade discount for Vista Ultimate users?

[Random_Walk]

I'm guessing you get to pay full price like everyone else. Microsoft is rather busy courting the XP holdout crowd, and knows that since you paid for the Vista version, you'll be more than willing to shell out for the full price on Windows 7.

[BigGuns149]

Not gonna happen. If they were going to do that they would have already announced it. That being said if anybody deserves a upgrade discount it would be Vista Ultimate users because Microsoft promised far more with Ultimate than two Ultimate extras (Texas hold em' and the overrated Dreamscene)<br /><br />I gotta give you credit though. At least you aren't demanding a free upgrade like some people. Asking for a discount for the buyer of the expensive versions is one thing, but asking for free upgrades is another.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I'm still waiting for Apple to give me a discount on my Touch because I paid full price for the previous version. <br /> <br />Chevrolet won't discount the price of a new truck because I bought a previous version. <br /> <br />McDonalds just laughed when I showed them the receipt of a Happy Meal and wanted a discount on the next one. <br /> <br />I even tried your logic with the power company and you know what? The electric utility said they coudln't help me with that discount just because I had purchased power from them previously. <br /> <br />Maybe I should go back to Apple and try again. I bought hardware from them- they should be required to discount my next MacBookPro since I paid them money for the last one. It's only right. <br /> <br />(Sheesh, you'd think people would get a clue, but... well, then you have posts like those above. *sigh*)

[fletchb]

If I bought a chevy and it was not reliable or had problems, I would certainly expect them to fix it, give me my money back, or give me discount on a new one.

[markosph]

vegama, you are right, I forget I have Windows 7 installed sometimes, when I go back to Vista it won't be fun. Where Vista fails for me was not in how fast it was but it wanted you to know it was there. To be fair, macos has some things I wish Windows had... I don't like the Mac dock, but I love the way the menu bar is universal, and if you want to remove a program just drag its folder to the trash.

[markosph]

vegama, you are right, I forget I have Windows 7 installed sometimes, when I go back to Vista it won't be fun. Where Vista fails for me was not in how fast it was but it wanted you to know it was there. To be fair, macos has some things I wish Windows had... I don't like the Mac dock, but I love the way the menu bar is universal, and if you want to remove a program just drag its folder to the trash.<br /><br />anilsudh, it depends on the person, some freak may dress up a pig.... you know what I mean

[baconstang]

No discount, but they'll send you a Purple Heart.

[Otto Holland]

Random_Wail, Will you just shut up and go mess with MAC users? Come on now, enough stupid comments. The person asked about upgrade for Vista U not to be messed with your ignorance. <br /> <br />Yes, you can get upgrade for Vista U and you need not pay full price. I suggest going to MS site for all the break down on various versions. <br /> <br />Note: Vista Home Premium upgrade to WIN 7 PRE. Vista PRE the same but there were articles about WIN 7 U that was inconclusive. I do believe there will be a version of WIN7 U available. <br /> <br />Vista Business will noe be WIN 7 Pro. All versions can be upgraded to the next higher by purchassing an upgrade key at anytime.

[SlimGem]

It will be interesting to see if Win7 can boost PC sales. I wonder how many of those people who bought the last Vista machines even knew about the impending release of 7.

[sanenazok]

uhm coupon program has been in place since June I think exactly for this reason.

[shellcodes_coder]

I know many people out there waiting for the release of Windows 7. Some are XP users who didn't like Vista and some are Mac users. BTW my college is also waiting for the release of Windows 7.So am sure it's def. gonna help boost PC sales

[cbscowards]

Shelly, if you are in college, you should be able to get W7 for free. Check with your software dept.

[Perry_Clease]

@SlimGem October 17, 2009 9:25 AM PDT<br />"It will be interesting to see if Win7 can boost PC sales"<br /><br />Well that would be the case for me as an occasional Windows user. My two notebooks can not run WIndows 7 so I would need to buy a new PC.

[shellcodes_coder]

@cbscowards: Yup, I know

[Maclover1]

Will it boost sales? It will be really hard to truly figure out. You have a lot of factors at play here. <br /><br />First the recession. Spending has been down because of it. PC sales have been at a all time low. However there are some financial analysts are saying that the recession is starting to lift (dow is certainly up) and that consumer spending is kind of pent up.<br /><br />Add to that its near the holiday season, so spending does increase normally. Pent up spending + holiday season.<br /><br />Lastly I do know more than a few people that have waited to get 7. They are on old PC's and would have bought a new one 6 months ago but did not want Vista.<br /><br />This combination should show a big spike especially compared to 1 year ago. The problem will be Windows fan boys will attribute it all to Windows 7.<br /><br />A real comparison will be sales from fall 2009 compared to fall 2010. That way, provided the economy is still good, the pent up spending will be released, users that waited so long for a new PC will be sitting on a year old PC and we should be back to normal sales cycles.

[BigGuns149]

One thing I always find funny is that Best Buy doesn't trust their "sales" associates to be able to sell clearance inventory so they help their sales associates by not shipping anything to stores nearly a month before the launch. They did the same with XP as well, nevermind that interest in XP didn't die with Vista.<br /><br />While I don't expect there to be a huge demand for people to keep buying Vista post Windows 7, I think that it is silly to basically give up on selling any computers for a few weeks. I remember working at a Best Buy competitor right before Vista launched and we got plenty of people coming in who wanted to buy a computer because Best Buy didn't have a computer they wanted presuming that they had virtually any. Most average users don't care much about new operating systems. For home consumers any post XP OS was going to be a tough sale because XP was so stable relative to Windows 9x. Business users meanwhile have been a tough crowd to upgrade since Windows 2000. I still periodically see Win2K even now in some small businesses because it runs on such old hardware.<br /><br />All other things being equal I would generally recommend Windows 7 over Vista or XP, but don't presume that you can't still sell a few refurbs with an older OS.

[BeamerMT]

I agree. I went in to a local Best Buy the first week of October and low and behold they didn't have anything. I went to staples 2 doors down and they were more then willing to sell me the same pc at a cheaper price.

[cbscowards]

My last experience buying a PC at Best Buy was so painful I vowed never to buy another one again: Granted, it was near Christmas, but I could see the PC I wanted sitting on the shelf. I had to wait 15 minutes for a "Sales Associate" (the moron behind the counter was not worthy of selling me a PC), then spend 10 minutes turning down extended warranties and insistent offers to load the latest MS service pack onto the PC for $25, anti-virus, etc. Then they took the PC into the service dept so a tech could boot it up and make sure it wasn't DOA. I got them to admit that the PC mfgrs paid them $10 to do that, leaving me on the hook if something rattled loose on the trip home. It took over an hour to get out the door. There are just too many other places selling PCs at competitive prices to put up with that kind of aggravation again.

[joshsc]

BigGuns- Stock has nothing to do with their sales associates. The manufacturers haven't been sending product with Vista to the stores so that the Vista inventory clears out. Secondly, the empty shelves are due to the manufacturers not shipping the product to the stores until this week. Oct 13 was the ship date for most W7 products. The reason some of the smaller stores may still have Vista computers in stock is because they simply haven't sold out of it yet where many Best Buy have. The stores haven't "given up selling computers for a few weeks" as you sillily put it- They're simply selling out of something old so that when the new comes in they don't get stuck having to reduce the price to get it to sell because people will want the new over the old. Common Sense. <br /> <br />CBSCowards- 1. Computer manufacturers DO NOT PAY BEST BUY(or any other store) to make sure computer aren't DOA. If that is what a sales associate told you, That is a lie. <br />2. If you want to avoid the "sales pitches" at Best Buy, buy the product online and pick it up in the store. <br />3. Regardless if the store checks out the PC or not, you have 14 days to return it (plus a 15% restocking fee if the box is opened). Now, since the store opened the box, you're now liable for that 15% restocking fee if you decided the next day you didn't want it even if you didn't take it out of the box. Had the box not been opened and you simply decided you didn't want it within that 14 day period, you woudn't have to pay that 15%. <br /> <br />And finally- the second reason I recommend buying on bestbuy.com and doing instore pick up is because many times the instore price is more than the online price. If you don't know that, you pay more. If you do know that you have to get them to do a bestbuy.com price match and some stores won't (which is against the law since BB has already been sued for that). BB isn't the only store with underhanded tacticts... Office Depot too (just google it). And at OD, if you buy something, YOU OWN IT unless it is broken and then you can only exchange it (many stores charge a restocking fee for that too). <br /> <br />In closing, I've come to love newegg.com and tigerdirect and Amazon

[ppgreat]

Are they expecting people to line up outside the doors or something? I guess I'm not seeing the pent up demand.

[cvaldes1831]

Based on previous Windows launches, there should be a line of people at many stores. It won't be like the first two iPhone launches though.

[Super2online]

I just purchased a system from Office Depot. Same thing. All desktops where gone. A few laptops were left. Didn't understand what was going on until I read this article.

[BigGuns149]

The reality is that Office Depot is just like Best Buy: they really don't have sales associates. Their employees really don't know how to sell a computer that doesn't have the latest OS and arguably I don't think they know how to sell anything. Save for Fry's, Microcenter, and a few smaller stores most stores gave up on actually trying to sell anything a long time.

[Super2online]

I agree. It's rare to find a sales associate at any of the retail stores who has the two essential qualiites that I value, knowledge and good advice, so I don't look for it, and don't expect it. Fortunately I have worked in the computer industry since 85 and know my way around them inside and out. If I had the time I would build my own (worked in a small computer business doing so for a few years) but I don't. However, I always do my research online to ensure I'm getting the best price for the components that are important to me, call ahead to make sure they have the system I want, and tell them to hold it because I will be right in to purchase it. <br /> <br />I do see people in stores all the time asking questions and I constantly here questionable advice being given. I can't save the world from themselves, so I just do the best I can to take care of me, my family, and our own businesses.

[bbyworker]

what stinks is when people like your self's come in to best buy you automatically think someone is trying to sell you something and that they have no common knowledge of the product. there are still good sales associates at best buy. you just have to be open and not assume that they are all brainless. fact being that you might be surprised on how much they actually know about the laptop, desktop, graphics card, router, or what ever computer part you are looking for. i am a sales associate that works in the computer department and i actually know what i am talking about. guys like your-self's i talk to you and i end up making you experience awesome because i do not try to sell you on something you need. i see that you can do all this stuff yourself and that's awesome. i know its rare to find a sales associate that is understanding and not lazy. what i am saying is don't single out all the sales associates to a brainless person when they just might know a little more than you about the desktop, laptop or the hard drive you are looking at. i know it is common to find somebody who dose not know what they are talking about, but give them a break and let them learn do not be mean. yes now best buy is starting to hire people in the computer department that really do not know anything about computers but they need the help for Christmas. if you what you want just ask nicely and they will get it down. i always help out my customer and get them what they need. sometimes they need the AVS or the black tie some times they need the just the computer that is cool with me. i just wanted to yet you guys know that there are still knowledgeable workers at best buy not trying to rip you off. i am one of those workers!

[Oso_Grande]

I hope 7 does well, but I'm not about to give up my Mac for a PC anytime soon (esp. Snow Leopard)

[cbscowards]

I agree. It's a great thing for all of us that MS is releasing new features and putting pressure on Apple to innovate more. The cycle continues.<br /><br />For all the fanboys who want to see the demise of Apple, consider this: MS has a pretty sweet deal -- they are almost 100% guaranteed that every non-Apple PC sold will include Windows. If MS had no competition, they could sit back, save all those R&#38;D dollars and PCs running XP would continue to sell. They could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year without much loss of revenue. But when Apple brings out a product that has a superior (IMHO) user interface, then MS must continue to improve their product to avoid losing that comfortable position. <br /><br />So welcome the competition. Whether you are a Windows or Mac fan, it's good for you.

[beat_elite]

well why would you? you probably spent at least $1,100 on your mac and that should last you at least 5 years. I'm still waiting for price drops for the 15 inch mac book pro because anything more than 1,400 is just unacceptable for me. In the meantime though I'll be waiting for the new Toshibas.

[shellcodes_coder]

@cbscowards: Agree with you except for this one: "Apple and innovation". Oh man that was SHOCKING!!

[szchicken]

Cant wait till win7. getting my lenovo loaded up with upgrades for a Xp to Win7 upgrade. Screw Vista.

[shellcodes_coder]

This is what XP users have been waiting for and Apple has a dream that those XP users will move to Mac. What a joke!!

[sepdx]

I'm a happy Mac user and always will be, but I'm happy for the PC users and I wish them the best of luck.<br />I can understand the anticipation of computer users waiting 'chomping at the bit' for a new operating system to come out.<br />I remember drooling for Mac's new operating system (Snow Leopard) and all I can say is 'go get it when it comes out.'

[lazycat202]

thank you, but i don't need lucks. No matter if it's LS, win7, or linux, i'll make it works for me :)<br />as writing this post, i'm encrypting my drives with BitLocker on my Win7 laptop. Nice feature!

[sepdx]

WOW. I tried to be diplomatic and still got hit by internet trolls.<br />I'm not one of those Mac fanatics that think that PCs suck.<br />Before I got a mac I had a few HP technical UNIX workstations but wanted a more mainstream computer.<br />I checked it out and decided on a Mac computer.<br />I checked out the comments on this site and saw that there is a lot of negativity and that's not 'my bag.'<br />If there's any people around here with a more positive attitude I sure would like to hear from you.<br /><br />As for the person that is enamored with BitLocker check out what wikipedia.org said on the subject.

[kewell82]

Sepdx you wrote a comment about a Mac on a windows 7 article. You were asking for it and you got it. Then you bi*** about it, then you reference wikipedia.org as your source about Bitlocker. Congratulations you win.

[AppleSuxLeo]

New MSFT ad...<br />We dropped Vista because Snow-Jobs Leopard IS the NEW Vista ; )

[shellcodes_coder]

agree with you

[stickfu]

Charlie Miller!!!<br /><br />LOL

[dudesmiles]

windows is for the poor. and communists.

[AppleSuxLeo]

We spend more on our self-built GAMING rigs than Mac users ever will.<br />And our home-builts can kick your Mac`s A**

[beat_elite]

and Macs are for pompous elitists?

[ckurowic]

@AppleSuxLeo: get a life you troll. I have a gaming machine and a Mac. When I want trouble free operation I use the Mac...and I've spent more on my gaming rig than my Macs, so your argument is moot.

[shellcodes_coder]

for the poor...Bill Gates is the world's richest man and he uses Windows, unlike Steve Jobs

[skane5]

I walked in Walmart today and noticed there were a number of Windows 7 desktop PCs boxed and ready to be purchased. Did Walmart make a special deal with Microsoft?

[thepoetrydude]

Funny, we always hear about Best Buy this and that. Smaller chains that offer better deals often go unnoticed. Office Depot has all the new machines ready for launch and I hear some nifty promos if you buy Win 7 there too. Most stores have the new computers in and most retailers have their POS systems set so that if one is rung up prior to the 22nd, it will 1) promt the cashier not to sell it and 2) ring up at $9999.99. and yes retailers do get fined for selling them early. Personally, im using Win 7 Ultimate retail and really enjoying the new features and performance.<br /><br />www.redneckpoet.com

[oby3000]

(looks down at notification tray) wow no anti virus for 3 months! not one single ******* virus on my win 7 machine yet ! maybe i just got good luck.

[Mweaver2k9]

Why anyone who posts on these boards would buy a PC at Best Buy for any retail store is beyond me

[Dan7637]

Snow Leopard wont be stopped by Vista sp3 AKA WINDOWS 7

[apple_rocks]

won't be stopped but will be killed by 7 haha joker

[queticomn]

And so does T@RGET, Walmart*, Amazon, $EAR$, MircoCenter, eBaY, an so on. Big woop!<br /><br />Who would be dumb enough to buy anything at BB.<br /><br />By the way Micro$soft is now secretly installing malware plugins threw windows update into Mozilla FireFox, Windows Presentation Foundation - FF Warning, But No Add-On!<br /><br />http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r23198266-Windows-Presentation-Foundation-FF-Warning-But-No-AddOn<br /><br />Go, M$

[shellcodes_coder]

Mozilla have already disabled those puglins. It's installed along with .NET framework SP1. BTW Crapple are working to fix that file deleting bug aka the new feature. Go Crapple

[stickfu]

Lock your doors and hide your daughters, it`s.... it`s......<br /><br />CHARLIE MILLER!!<br /><br />LOL<br /><br />firewall off, no anti-virus, dare to follow my lead?<br /><br />you know you`d be raped in minutes

[shellcodes_coder]

@stickfu: Oh man why the release of Windows 7 is scaring the hell out of you?<br />Yes, I did turn off my firewall for about a day and guess what? it's as is. It's not been raped!! Got anything to say?

[shellcodes_coder]

@stickfu: Next time you might ask my IP so that you can send exploit packets to my computer. BTW do you know the meaning of shellcodes? Just google or bing and find it's meaning. That's what I write!! LOL

[stickfu]

No firewall for a day! Must`ve been one of the most nerve racking events in your life, so.... feeling lucky?, care to try a week?... or a month? how about 7 years? You see these Unix based systems are just a touch more secure than your NT kernel machines. After all 70% of the internet is run through a Unix box.

[jz33040]

Haha. We are in a blog that mentions the release of Windows 7, and 30 mac users show up, ROFL! And a nervous, defensive bunch. I'm no fanboy of either, but have both osx leopard and windows 7 at this point. They have really worked hard to polish 7 up, and I don't mean just pretty graphics either. Snow leopard is nice, but I'd be lying if I said it's better than windows 7. I'm serious. 7 has many new features that make osx look a bit dated if you ask me. They have this cool addition to the task bar that lets you see little "TV" screens of what each window is doing. <br /><br /> Like if you have 10 browsers open and 4 have running videos in youtube, you can see all 4 updating in real time. If it's paused, they of course they are paused. But whatever happens, you see it. If it's a regular web page with some java graphics or something, it will show that too. IT's really useful to be able find the pages you are looking for visually instead of reading a text title like, "youtube - kitten jumps". And No, as much as osx fan boys want to think, that is not copied from apple, lol. Leopard has nothing like this. And the plain taskbar has been in windows for 14 years or so....<br /><br />I don't want to write a book, but point is windows 7 shines. It's fast too. After it loads windows and displays the desktop, it's usable right away. I open drives and they open in a blink. It's much faster in that regard than predecessors. It seems like microsoft has been really working on this one. Maybe it's because they want to make sure it all goes good this time around.

[shellcodes_coder]

Completely agree with you.

[The_happy_switcher]

Let's see how 'fast' it is after you've had to patch 30000 times and your registry is clogged from all your app crap files and some virus turns your machine into a pile of liquid bits of *****.

[lazycat202]

happy_swither<br /><br />rather having no patch, i prefer to have more patches. I just don't like companies hides the truth and tell their customers that theirs software are always secured.<br /><br />i'm not defending Microsoft and I think Win7 is on its track. I've 3 computers installed with Win7 and they're running smoothly. And YES! I dumped IE and using Chrome and FF.

[ckh1272]

@jz33040--I agree with most of your post, however I wonder if you'd make that same statement ("We are in a blog that mentions the release of Windows 7, and 30 mac users show up") on the Apple articles that have 50+ Windows users populating the posts. There sure is a lot of double standard and double talk going on around here. In regards to BestBuy, I would never buy any system from them (Mac or Windows). Unfortunately, most of those employees were burning fries the week before. People should just take the time and research. After that, buy online through Newegg or TigerDirect (just examples) and enjoy your purchase.