Is Windows 7 getting better?

Depends on how you view it, that is if you don't like the interface of Win 7 /8 / 10 (the desktop) the file system (explorer) there are ways to make it work your way... Well kinda.

But as it sits just after the release of the first service pack, no it isn't any better.

"Note: MS has released it's first Beta version of the service pack, if you have nothing better to do load it, if you need your computer and it has Win 7 on it steer clear and don't load it or you will be doing a restore, it is that bad. (Yes, I have access to the Beta as a MCSE, and I loaded it on a VMWare Machine, didn't turn out to well to say the least.)"

Update 10/24/13 - I did the auto update on my Win 7 install a couple of months ago, it took almost four hours to download the files. Seems that part of the update was the new service pack 1, if I had of known that I would have gone to Technet and downloaded it separately while I did something else.

Then to my surprise my activation has failed and every month now I get the nice message that my version of Win 7 is not GENUINE! So I go and reactivate the Operating System. No answer from MS on what is causing this and when they will fix it. Vista and up are a kludge and will continue to be that way. Trying to make one Operating System to cover devices that "act" like a computer but aren't doesn't work.

There are some programmers working hard to make Windows 7 better for those that use it.

Here are a few programs that I have found that enhance your Windows Seven installation.

For those that like the XP 'classic' explorer look this is a nice add on: Classic Shell (Web site removed)

If you can't stand the file explorer that comes with Vista and Win 7 this is closer to XP:  Explorer++

This one is my favorite that makes Win 7 almost as usable as XP:[link removed] Windows 7 - Shell Folder Fix - almost...

If you have lost a file or deleted one and need to recover it (don't write to that drive!) you can use this tool: File Menu Tools - Web site no longer available, however a search will have some results... sorry for the bother,

The 5 Steps to high quality and cheap DIY Computer Repairs Get It Today...

Lastly after doing a fresh install of Windows 7 I ran the Windows Update, for the computer that I loaded the OS on there were 51 updates for Win  7 only and an additional 21 updates for the hardware. I noticed that of the 51 Windows updates 43 of them were security updates and two of those were for IE 8 that comes with Win 7. So with that in mind I urge you to keep your OS updated in case a hacker figures out a way to get in to your computer by exploiting a venerability.

Be ware that these "fixes" will take more memory to operate, some as much as [gulp] 500 MB!

This article was posted about a year ago on my Fix-It-Bolg.com that has been retired but the information is still pertinent.

Many thanks to the guys and gals at PCMech for posting links to some of these programs.