Windows 7 was their idea Published Nov. 29, 2010 By Monica Mendoza 21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Air Force personal computer users dreamed up a computer operating system that was smooth, fast and enhanced the security to the Air Force information network. Windows 7 was their idea. Peterson Air Force Base's 6,400 computer users will soon receive an upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the newest Microsoft operating system. The migration on Peterson Air Force Base is expected to begin in December and take about three months. Each night about 50 computers will automatically be updated - which means computers will be wiped of the old Vista program and the new Windows 7 package will be installed. There will be a desktop shortcut called "Windows 7 Enterprise Resource Kit" to help users navigate the new operating system. "It has a different look and feel," said 1st Lt. Adam Scheuer, 561st Network Operations Squadron weapons and tactics chief. "But, within a few minutes, using it should be intuitive." In August, Schriever and Peterson Air Force Bases began testing the Windows 7 program. Air Force wide, the goal is to have Windows 7 installed by next December. It may be one of the fastest computer operating system upgrades in Air Force history, said Rich Romesburg, 21st Communications Squadron client service center chief. The conversion takes place just about a year and a half after the last upgrade on Peterson when the operating system switched from Windows XP to Vista. Vista was riddled with problems, such as incompatibility with existing programs, Mr. Romesburg said. It wasn't just on the Air Force network where Vista had problems. Technology bloggers and reporters around the world wrote extensively about Vista's problems. Windows 7, on the other hand, has been met with rave reviews and so far has tested well on the Air Force network. That means the switch to Windows 7 is also expected to reduce the manpower requirements for desktop administration in troubleshooting all the issues with the old system, Mr. Romesburg said. This migration is expected to go smoothly. The Air Force now has a system in place to keep better pace with the industry standards, Mr. Romesburg said. Windows 7 is part of the Air Force's Standard Desktop Configuration, which includes other programs including the Computer Access Card program and Form Reader on which Airmen complete performance evaluations. "When we went to Vista, there was a lot of grumbling," Mr. Romesburg said. "With Windows 7, I haven't heard one negative thing." Microsoft Corporation added security components to Windows 7 that earlier operating systems did not have, Lieutenant Scheuer said. That is of utmost importance to the Air Force and one reason why the Air Force is moving quickly to get Windows 7 installed. "Our adversaries had plenty of time to sit and play with and figure out all of the (Windows Vista) vulnerabilities," he said. "So, by moving to the latest version, we've changed the attack surface for the adversary." There are a lot of small changes that the user will notice in navigating the system, Lieutenant Scheuer said. For instance, a feature called "snap" when dealing with multiple windows allows the user to drag a window to one side and it will automatically resize, or equally distribute the windows. Another feature users might like is when using multiple Internet sites, the user can hover over the icon and it will tile all of the open pages so the user can more easily move from one screen to another. As for preparation, the user only needs to back up important files, just like they would on a daily basis in case of a system crash, Lieutenant Scheuer said. "If your computer crashed tonight, you would want to have those important documents saved somewhere," he said. "It is no different when upgrading your operating system - save them where you can have access to them." Here are a few tips to prepare your computer for the switch from Vista to Windows 7: Back up important work documents to your personal "N" network drive. Be judicious in what you place on the network, limiting it to work products only. Copy large, personal files to a disc to minimize impact to the network. Identify non-standard programs that are not part of the standard desktop configuration that will need to be reloaded by your CSA following migration (work with your CSA to ensure these programs are Windows 7 compliant and network authorized). Favorites and network settings should automatically migrate during the upgrade, but users may want to save their favorites as well.