News has been released of the Windows 7 logo program on the Windows 7 Team Blog.  In the post they say that they’ve made some changes to the criteria this time around which include…

To be granted the Logo, products are tested to work with all versions of Windows 7 including 64-bit. This is an important change since 64 bit systems are becoming more mainstream

This is a very important change for all of us and will seal the deal about 64 bit Windows being successful moving forward.

They also say they’ve made it simpler and cheaper for a product to become certified.  This will also help with driver signing though, obviously, they still don’t say how much it costs an OEM per device.

If you want to see which companies are working with Microsoft on the logo testing programme the new website, ReadySet7 has all the details you need.

Windows logo testing is important both to the end-user and in securing the future of the OS itself.  Most blue screens have traditionally been caused by unstable drivers.  Logo testing minimises the risk of a driver being unstable, thus creating a happier experience for the user and less negative publicity for Microsoft.

When it comes to identifying and using logo programme hardware Microsoft say…

It is very easy to identify products that are for Windows 7. The logo will appear on packaging and on retailer websites

Devices that carry the logo will work seamlessly. For example, a digital camera will automatically transfer photos or a wireless router will easily be set up in minutes and you can add a wireless device to Windows 7 that has received the logo in seconds.

Software will install without worry. Applications and drivers are signed so that you know the file has not been tampered with and can trust there is no malware or spyware.

One thing of note is that this time there is only one logo.  With Windows Vista there were two, compatible with Windows Vista and Vista Capable.  These two logos were misleading and caused a great deal of confusion.  It’s nice to see a clearer, simpler approach this time around.

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