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While I
was testing Windows 7, I came across a bit of a unique
problem—but I have a hunch I won't be the only one
with this issue when it releases Thursday. I should
preface that it might not be the fault of Windows 7, but
rather of a
Netgear
wireless router not working well with Windows 7. Here's
the breakdown:
—My
home wireless is provided by
Comcast
, as is the
Netgear
wireless router they installed 18 months ago.
—I
never had a problem using my home WiFi with various
devices (on laptops using XP, XBox 360, Wii, iPhones,
Google
phones and tons of other random WiFi gadgets I've
tested). But when Windows 7 connected to the home WiFi,
it could only access
Google
-related sites (like GMail or do a
Google
search) and my work webmail. No
Facebook
. No
Microsoft
. No Bing. No MiamiHerald.com. It wouldn't even go to a
site listed on a
Google
search result. Nothing.
—
Microsoft's
team was a bit stumped on that one. As was I, since
Windows 7 worked fine on any other WiFi I connected it
to. We tried a few things but nothing worked at home.
—I call
up
Comcast
. A technical operations supervisor comes by the house
to tell me that my
Netgear
router model isn't something they put in homes anymore
(Model: CG814WG v2) and it could be causing the problem.
Netgear
had no recent updates for this model. Perhaps it's not a
supported model anymore.
—Being
that I was testing Windows 7, it seems it was the first
time the South Florida Comcast crew heard of a problem
like this. They replaced my router with a newer model,
but the supervisor told me he's heard customers complain
about this router before.
—I'm
told
Comcast
is prepared for anyone who calls up with a similar
problem, and the staff will just replace the
Netgear
router with a newer model.
Strange,
I know. But I wanted to post about it in case anyone
else was having an similar issue. It could be a problem
with that router, and if so, just ask to get it
replaced. The supervisor told me "very very
few" people down here had that router put in. Guess
I'm just lucky that way.
Anyway,
on to the review. Other than trying to solve that
glitch, my experience was pretty good with Windows 7.
Check out the video below for a quick glimpse at the
newest features, or read the full review here.
The
bottom line is that if you've ever had problems with
Vista, go ahead and get the upgrade. If your life is
dandy with Vista, then save some money and wait to
experience Windows 7 when the times comes to buy a new
computer.
You have
something that won't work on Vista, then you'll like
Windows 7 because you can tap into XP Mode to run older
software (XP Mode is only on Professional, Ultimate, and
Enterprise editions, and you better make sure your
computer has the hardware needed to run it.)
But if
you're an XP user, it's not worth the money or the
trouble to upgrade. You're better off just getting a new
computer down the road with Windows 7.
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