24 hours ago I installed Windows 7 Ultimate RC on my desktop after purchasing a new Seagate 1TB 7200rpm drive (sadly, no solid-state drive for me).  The install took around 30 minutes, required very few clicks, and when I was done I was on-line and ready-to-go.  Unfortunately the RC is not upgradeable to the full version but I am not too concerned as the time required for the install is nothing like it was on previous versions of Windows.

Aside from the much simpler installation, the boot time is much improved over every version of Windows I’ve used since 3.1 including the tweaked XP installs I used to use for gaming.  The graphical touches are impressive and it runs great on my minimal hardware – 3.0ghz processor and 1gb of ram (all the hardware is around 4 years old except the new drive).  I would argue that Win 7 performs better on my desktop than XP did; the drive that I replaced was a Seagate 120GB 7200rpm drive with XP Pro.  Overall I am really excited about Win 7 in my first 24 hours with it.  It has been a long time since an OS has had me this geeked out.

Also installed was an HP C4795 Wireless Printer which was labeled as Windows 7 ready.  The printer lived up to its ease of installation (although the printer install takes almost as long as installing Windows 7…a lot for just a driver) and works flawlessly on the Win 7 RC. 

If you haven’t yet, check out the RC or Beta if you have access.  Otherwise save your cash to buy a copy of Win 7 when it hits the shelves.  It is definitely worth it!