Microsoft is still refusing to comment on whether it will offer Windows 7 Starter or another stripped-down version of its upcoming operating system on a USB drive for small notebooks or netbooks. However, offering the Windows 7 operating system on a USB memory stick could provide Microsoft with certain advantages as it tries to maintain its lead in operating system market share for the ultraportable devices.
Microsoft
has been sticking to a strict "No comment" on rumors that a version
of the upcoming Windows 7 operating system will be available on a USB
memory stick. However, analysts are offering a handful of reasons why such a
move would be good for users wanting to install Windows 7 on mininotebooks,
known popularly as netbooks, and built by a broad range of manufacturers
including Dell and Hewlett-Packard.
If Microsoft does plan to issue Windows 7 on USB,
however, it has kept a tight lid on the news. Although Cnet first reported on
June 26 that Microsoft was considering the option, citing an unnamed source,
the company itself has not confirmed the report.
"We do not have anything to share about distribution of Windows 7
beyond the packaging announcement we made earlier this week," a Microsoft
spokesperson told eWEEK, referring to the announcement that disks for the
operating system will ship in environmentally friendly boxes.
Some analysts say they believe porting the Windows 7 Starter edition, a
stripped-down version of the operating system, onto a USB
stick would potentially make sense.
"I can think of two reasons to do this," Michael Silver, an
analyst with Gartner, said in an interview. "Not all netbooks have DVD
drives, and if they want people to upgrade, this may be the only way."
Also, "For netbooks with low RAM, the
stick could later be used for ReadyBoost to improve performance."
ReadyBoost is a feature of both Windows Vista and Windows 7 that uses a USB
drive or other portable memory device for disk-caching purposes.
A USB stick would certainly provide an
easy way to upgrade netbooks to Windows 7, although such drives could potentially
cost more than a disk on a per-unit basis. Microsoft claimed in April that
Windows was being run on about 96 percent of netbooks, widely acknowledged to be the
fastest-growing segment of the PC market.
Unlike the Vista and Windows XP Starter editions, the
Windows
7 Starter will have the ability to run more than three concurrent applications
on a PC, boosting the potential productivity of the netbook.
Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager at Microsoft, wrote in a
May blog post that netbooks will not necessarily be limited to running Windows
7 Starter.
"Windows 7 Starter should not be considered 'the netbook SKU,' as most
machines in this category can run any edition of Windows 7," LeBlanc said.
"Many of our beta users have installed Windows 7 Ultimate on their small
notebook PCs and have given us very positive feedback on their
experience."
However, the Windows 7 Starter will not include some of the features
associated with more high-powered editions of the operating system, such as
Aero Glass, certain personalization features, the ability to switch between
users, DVD playback and Remote
Media Center.
It will also lack XP mode for those wanting to run older Windows XP programs on
Windows 7.
Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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