A few more changes in Windows 7 from Beta to RC…

Today "Engineering Windows 7" team posted a big list of changes from Beta to RC build based on feedback.

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Hey folks, just wanted to provide another update (building on the recent post on some changes since Beta) on some of the changes you will see in the Release Candidate. Again, there are many and this is not an exhaustive list. Of course we continue to gather telemetry from the large number of people running the Beta full time. Just a reminder, the Beta is the only official build from Microsoft. Chaitanya compiled this list from a broad set of feature teams focused on visible changes based on feedback that go beyond “bug fixes”, though we included some of the more widely reported bugs on this list as well. –Steven

Dual Boot partition drive letter assignment
In the current beta, the other Windows OS in a dual boot configuration wouldn't get a drive letter and therefore wouldn't show up in explorer. This is fixed in RC after immense feedback from the beta customers.

Improved taskbar thumbnail overflow
Users who have a significant number of open windows for a program, encounter a scaling mechanism where the thumbnail views turn into list views along with close buttons on the thumbnail previews

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Control Panel Jump List
The Control Panel Jump List now offers a quick access to recently used control panel items

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Remote Desktop Jump List
Remote Desktop Connection settings can be pinned to the Jump List now so that they always appear

Applying taskbar settings
Customized taskbar settings are now saved across sessions more reliably. Based on the bugs from Beta, the settings are written within 30 seconds providing enough time to batch a group of changes during the session.

Multi-touch zoom
Support for the zoom gesture is now available for Windows Explorer. Using the zoom gesture you can switch between view modes in Explorer such as zooming from Small Icons to Extra Large icons

Moving up in Folder hierarchy
Unlike in beta, the parent folder's button will appear in the address bar at all times and therefore going ‘up' will always be a single click away in a predictable location in RC.

In Beta, a parent folder would collapse into an overflow dropdown

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In RC, parent folders always remain within single click access

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"New folder" button
"New folder" button will appear in Explorer, regardless of selection

Right-click in Windows Explorer
Previously if one right-clicked over any portion of an item they would get the item's context menu. Now, The view's context menu is shown only when one clicks on any large white space, including the space between a files name and its properties.

Baseline Device Stage experience
Several manufacturers are implementing custom experiences for the Device Stage, but a large number have also opted to support their older devices through the baseline device stage experience. The core functionality is the same, but all of the branding, imaging and vendor-specific tasks are now available automatically in the same convenient UI.

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Device Stage experience for a PC
In RC, double-clicking on the PC icon now offers a Device Stage UX. Like the other Device Stage devices, Device Stage for PC will be enabled when the PC maker has chosen to participate with their system.

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