Windows 7 RC Released (7100.0.090421-1700)

By now, most will have jumped on the bandwagon and downloaded Windows 7 RC. I've secured my 64-bit and 32-bit ISOs for install later this week. I look forward to test driving this new OS. From what I've read, native driver support is receiving high marks as well as stability (Vista has been nothing but stable for me so I'd expect nothing less).

If you are interested and haven't grabbed the download yet, here is the linky:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

A quick side note:

The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010.

Once I have 64-bit installed, I'll post my findings. Enjoy the RC!

Intel Turbo Memory and Vista 64 - Revisited

Well, Intel released an updated Turbo Memory driver/installer last week. I have updated the Driver pages to reflect the new version.

I was a bit hesitant to give this new update a try. Back when I was running Vista 32-bit, the 1GB Intel Turbo Memory card did in fact make a difference. I saw reduced boot time and my startup items snapped open. When I made the move to Vista 64-bit I noticed a lag in boot and shutdown time. It was quite annoying to say the least. At first, I suspected it was my OS Install and ended up wiping the system and reinstalling Vista from scratch. Of course the issue was still present and after a few tries I decided to look elsewhere for the cause. I was finally able to pin it down to the Turbo Memory card.

After uninstalling Intel Turbo Memory and removing the card, I installed Intel Matrix Storage Manager. Boot time was faster than 32-bit!

So, fast forward to present day... I reinstalled the Turbo memory card and ran the updated Turbo Memory installer. For anyone who is doing this and has previously removed their Turbo Memory card, its ok to just run the installer - there is no need to uninstall your current version of Matrix Storage Manager as Turbo Memory has its own version of Matrix Storage Manager which it automatically installs.

After running the installer and rebooting the system - what did I find? Yes - the boot delay was back. Horrible. I decided to keep it installed and let it do its thing and build its little cache file. After a day of using it I finally decided to dump it all and go back to straight Intel Matrix Storage Manager v8.8.0.1009. Things are back to the norm.

Conclusion: Intel has quite a way to go with Intel Turbo Memory. I don't believe development will continue much longer as most systems today are quite capable of running 64-bit and typically ship with 4GB (or more) of memory. There just really isn't a need for it. Then again, I could be wrong. Who knows what Intel and Microsoft are working on ;)

Either way, Intel Turbo Memory is best left to those who are running 32-bit version of Vista. Anyone need a 1GB Intel Turbo Memory card? lol