Windows 7 training keeps technicians ahead of the curve |16 April 2010
The three-day training course was conducted by a Windows technician flown in from
The technicians are now revising the study materials distributed during the training sessions, ahead of an examination scheduled to take place in three weeks’ time which will be overseen by Microsoft invigilators.
Windows 7 went on general sales release in late October 2009, less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time.
The latest in the series of operating systems produced by Microsoft, Windows 7 can be used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs.
Unlike Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible.
Presentations given by Microsoft ahead of the launch focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup and performance improvements.
“Windows 7 offers far greater stability and performance than the previous Windows operating systems,” said Kokonet sales and marketing manager Romano Laurence, one of those who took part in the training session.
“But despite the big performance upgrades, it’s clear that Microsoft have designed Windows 7 around the needs of existing Windows users, making an upgrade to the new system relatively straightforward and user friendly. People who upgrade won’t feel that they need to re-learn how their PC operates.”
Uptake of Windows 7 in Seychelles has already been relatively strong, with many new PCs and laptops on the market coming with the operating system installed. Designed to meet the requirements of home users and businesses, demand is expected to remain strong, reinforcing the need for local IT technicians to have the technical training required to support the system.
Licensed copies of Windows 7 are available from local retailers such as SPACE 95 and PC users wishing to upgrade their machines have been warned against using pirated Windows software.
“The Microsoft trainer explained to us that, in addition to all of the normal risks associated with installing pirated software, pirate copies of Windows 7 will not download the latest updates and patches, leading to significant virus threats,” said Mr Laurence.
Organised by SPACE 95, the Windows 7 training included theory and lab work and led the participants through the technical aspects of installing, configuring, trouble shooting, migrating from previous operating systems.