Missing features in Windows 7 Starter will disgruntle netbook buyers, survey says

Microsoft Corp. may have ditched the three-application limit on the Windows 7 Starter Edition, but other restrictions on the netbook-only version of the operating system will be an unwelcome surprise for many netbook buyers, according to a survey published Monday.

Sixty-one percent of consumers do not know that Windows 7 Starter lacks some features standard in any version of Windows XP, such as support for multiple monitors, DVD playback -- even the ability to change the desktop image from the Microsoft logo, according to a survey by electronics shopping site Retrevo.com.

Other higher-end features Windows 7 Starter lacks include the advanced Aero interface, multitouch capabilities, Windows Media Center, and XP Mode virtualization.

Informed of these missing features, 56% of the 1,100 randomly surveyed respondents (with 95% likely to fall within plus or minus 6.5% of the overall population results, according to Retrevo) said that they would not be satisfied with Windows 7 Starter.

The problem, according to Retrevo, is that 23 out of 28 netbooks available today on Amazon.com have Windows 7 Starter installed.

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